Beasts of Burden


Beasts of Burden is a comic book series created by writer Evan Dorkin and artists Jill Thompson and Benjamin Dewey, and published by American company Dark Horse Comics. The title centers on an eponymous team of intelligent animals that investigate different paranormal events that occur in their small neighborhood of Burden Hill. The initial group consists of five dogs and a cat. They are often seen consulting with "Wise Dogs", local shamanic elders of their community.

Publishing history

The characters made their first appearance in a story titled "Stray" in The Dark Horse Book of Hauntings. They made subsequent appearances in The Dark Horse Book of Witchcraft, The Dark Horse Book of the Dead, and The Dark Horse Book of Monsters.
Dorkin stated that he came up with the concept after being asked by Dark Horse editor Scott Allie to write a story for the horror anthology The Dark Horse Book of Hauntings.
In 2009 the characters appeared in their own four-issue miniseries. The following year the characters appeared alongside Hellboy in a one-shot crossover issue titled Hellboy/Beasts of Burden: Sacrifice. Three new Beasts of Burden short stories appeared in the fourth, sixth, and eighth issues of the relaunched Dark Horse Presents series during 2011 and 2012, all of which were later reprinted in the Beasts of Burden: Neighborhood Watch one-shot. The publishing schedule slowed down after that with only two issues from 2013 to 2017.
Late 2017, Dorkin wrote on his blog that Thompson was almost finished with the first issue of a two-part story, The Presence of Others, and artist Benjamin Dewey was working on a four-issue story titled Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men. Dorkin confirmed on his Twitter account that more stories were planned for both Thompson and Dewey. In 2019, The Presence of Others was published with Jill Thompson on the first issue and Benjamin Dewey on the second, and the Occupied Territory four-issue miniseries with Benjamin Dewey was published in 2021.

Characters

The Apprentices

  • Ace, a Husky, courageous and bitten by a werewolf in "A Boy and His Dog"
  • Jack, a Beagle, has some sensitivity to the paranormal
  • Pugsley, a Pug, who is outspoken, snarky and cynical, often gets told to shut up by the others
  • Rex, a Doberman, who is often afraid
  • The Orphan, a male orange tabby cat who is ownerless. He is the only non-canine to attend dog funeral services. He possesses street smarts.
  • Whitey, a Jack Russell Terrier who has a tendency to vomit or wet himself when frightened
  • Dymphna, a former witch's familiar introduced in The Unfamiliar
  • Miranda, a black dog who can cast spells

The Swifties

A gang of neighbourhood cats that work with the apprentices introduced in "Something Whiskered This Way Comes" and as allies in "The Presence of Others".
  • The Get Away Kid, ownerless tuxedo cat with a reputation for escape
  • Muggsy, a calico cat who is a "first lifer"
  • Sleeping Bob
  • Johnny Whiskers

Wise Dogs

Other characters

  • Red, a dog
  • Holstein, a cat

Comics

DateStoryAppeared in…WriterArtistLettererNotes
August 27, 2003StrayThe Dark Horse Book of HauntingsEvan DorkinJill ThompsonJill Thompson
July 7, 2004The UnfamiliarThe Dark Horse Book of WitchcraftEvan DorkinJill ThompsonJill Thompson
June 1, 2005Let Sleeping Dogs LieThe Dark Horse Book of the DeadEvan DorkinJill ThompsonJill Thompson
December 13, 2006A Dog and His BoyThe Dark Horse Book of MonstersEvan Dorkin
and Sarah Dyer		Jill ThompsonJason Arthur
September 16, 2009The Gathering StormBeasts of Burden #1Evan DorkinJill ThompsonJason Arthur
October 21, 2009LostBeasts of Burden #2Evan DorkinJill ThompsonJason Arthur
November 25, 2009Something Whiskered This Way ComesBeasts of Burden #3Evan DorkinJill ThompsonJason Arthur
December 23, 2009Grave HappeningsBeasts of Burden #4Evan DorkinJill ThompsonJason Arthur
October 27, 2010SacrificeHellboy/Beasts of Burden:
Sacrifice		Evan Dorkin
and Mike Mignola		Jill ThompsonJason Arthur
September 21, 2011Food RunDark Horse Presents #4Evan DorkinJill ThompsonJason Arthur
November 23, 2011Story TimeDark Horse Presents #6Evan DorkinJill ThompsonJason Arthur
February 1, 2012The View from the HillDark Horse Presents #8Evan DorkinJill ThompsonJason Arthur
August 1, 2012RECOLLECTS:Food RunStory TimeThe View from the HillBeasts of Burden:
Neighborhood Watch		Evan DorkinJill ThompsonJason Arthur
March 12, 2014Hunters and GatherersBeasts of Burden:
Hunters and Gatherers		Evan DorkinJill ThompsonJason Arthur
May 4, 2016What the Cat Dragged InBeasts of Burden:
What the Cat Dragged In		Evan Dorkin
and Sarah Dyer		Jill ThompsonJason Arthur
August 22, 2018Wise Dogs and Eldritch MenBeasts of Burden:
Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men #1		Evan DorkinBenjamin DeweyNate Piekos
September 26, 2018Wise Dogs and Eldritch MenBeasts of Burden:
Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men #2		Evan DorkinBenjamin DeweyNate Piekos
October 24, 2018Wise Dogs and Eldritch MenBeasts of Burden:
Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men #3		Evan DorkinBenjamin DeweyNate Piekos
December 19, 2018Wise Dogs and Eldritch MenBeasts of Burden:
Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men #4		Evan DorkinBenjamin DeweyNate Piekos
May 1, 2019The Presence of OthersBeasts of Burden:
The Presence of Others #1		Evan DorkinJill ThompsonNate Piekos
June 5, 2019The Presence of OthersBeasts of Burden:
The Presence of Others #2		Evan DorkinBenjamin DeweyNate Piekos
April 7, 2021Occupied TerritoryBeasts of Burden:
Occupied Territory #1		Evan Dorkin
and Sarah Dyer		Benjamin DeweyNate Piekos
May 5, 2021Occupied TerritoryBeasts of Burden:
Occupied Territory #2		Evan Dorkin
and Sarah Dyer		Benjamin DeweyNate Piekos
June 2, 2021Occupied TerritoryBeasts of Burden:
Occupied Territory #3		Evan Dorkin
and Sarah Dyer		Benjamin DeweyNate Piekos
July 7, 2021Occupied TerritoryBeasts of Burden:
Occupied Territory #4		Evan Dorkin
and Sarah Dyer		Benjamin DeweyNate Piekos

Film

A CG-animated film adaptation was announced via Reel FX Creative Studios with filmmaker Andrew Adamson scheduled to produce, and writer Darren Lemke attached to write the screenplay. On February 20, 2013, it was announced that Shane Acker would direct the film, with Mike Richardson and Aron Warner joining Adamson as producers.
In April 2021, Evan Dorkin revealed that this adaptation never moved beyond pre-production and that he was not a fan of the script that would have been used. No further adaptation plans have been announced.

Awards and recognition