2 out of 5

Well, it had to drop a bloop eventually.  Dorkin’s wonderful Beasts of Burden series has generally managed to marry the fancifulness of anthropomorphism with the fun occultist touch of Hellboy as well as – most uniquely – a layer of world-weary realism.  We keep wishing for more, or more mini-series or ongoings, but it’s one of those “be careful what you wish for” wishes, as it’s always a question of whether or not quality can remain high when output increases.

Though this is another one-shot, and it felt somewhat of a misfire.  But in a way, it’s proof the single issue or multiple, stars can always unalign, as Dorkin / Dyer’s plot is totally fine, and Thompson’s art as multi-faceted as ever, it just doesn’t seem to sync up for the best experience.

Three BoB cats – Scout, Orphan and Dymphna – are chilling in the woods, when Dymphna is convinced to let the others in on her secret of where she gets off to: her old dwelling as a familiar, in which she’s left some stuff but is totes foiled by the doorknob.  So the kits get some help, get inside, and get a surprise.  To be confusing regarding my rating, the first third or so of this book – leading up to getting into the house – is fantastic.  It’s everything loved about the series, with all of the elements mentioned in my first paragraph at play, Thompson’s art in particular giving us so much personality for these characters without, er, dehumanizing them.  But once we’re past the doorknob problem, things accelerate too quickly, and the scope feels too big – for one issue, for the art, and even for the letterer (Jason Arthur), who has a tough time playing narrative catch-up with so little space.  Normally when an issue is half and half like this, I let a mid-line rating represent that, but it really feels like two different stories / writers at play here, as though Dorkin and Dyer got called away and left an outline for someone else to apply, that someone else deciding to add their own unnecessary flourishes.

The general tone and look are absolutely in line with the series, the stakes just seemed a little high for a one-shot.  So perhaps it is time for some more page room, whether it’s an ongoing or a short mini, to accommodate these big(-ger) ideas.