New Beasts of Burden is always welcome news and our favourite canine-flavoured horror series returns this April with a story with a wartime twist. Details and cover reveals in the press release below.
‘BEASTS OF BURDEN’ TAKES ON THE HORRORS OF WORLD WAR II
The Multiple Eisner Winning Series is Back With a Historical Occult Adventure
MILWAUKIE, Ore., (January 21, 2021)— The eight-time Eisner Award-winning comic series, Beasts of Burden, returns blending fantasy, horror, and humor in a historical adventure written by Evan Dorkin (Bill and Ted Are Doomed, Blackwood) and Sarah Dyer (Bill and Ted Are Doomed, Dork!), illustrated by Benjamin Dewey (Beasts of Burden: Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men, The Autumnlands), and lettered by Nate Piekos (The Umbrella Academy: Hotel Oblivion, Fight Club 3), with an issue #1 variant cover by John McCrea, that marries Japanese and Western occult in Beasts of Burden: Occupied Territory.
An elder member of the occult-battling pack of Wise Dogs recalls a harrowing mission—in U.S-occupied Japan after World War II, a mysterious curse creates an army of crawling, disembodied heads which threatens to overwhelm the region. Emrys and a team of canine companions attempt to solve the mystery, bringing them into conflict with shape-changing tanuki, evil oni, and a horde of vengeful demons.
“I’m very excited to have a new Beasts of Burden story for the fans and I’m extremely happy with the way everything came together working with Sarah, Benjamin and Nate.
Why post-war Japan? I used to half-jokingly ask editor Daniel Chabon if we could have his Shiba Inu, Zell. He said we should have a Shiba in the series, instead. One thing led to another, one idea led to three more, and that’s where our latest story of dogs fighting supernatural evil ended up.” —Evan Dorkin
Beasts of Burden: Occupied Territory #1 (of four) will be in comic shops on April 7, 2021. It is available for pre-order at your local comic shop.
Praise for Beasts of Burden:
“[Beasts of Burden is] rapidly becoming one of my favorite comics. Nice job.”—Neil Gaiman
“. . . horror buffs and animal lovers alike will find a lot to like about [Beast of Burden’s] tightly-scripted storylines, beautiful illustrations, and appealing characters.” —Publisher’s Weekly
“Dorkin’s script captures the well-meaning, dopey sentiments we attribute to our dogs and cats’ thoughts, and Thompson’s art finds a middle ground between storybook sweetness and EC Comics chills. It’s a lot of fun, and ideal for kids who don’t mind a little gore and ghosts with their adorable animals.”—AV Club
“Beasts of Burden balances humor, heart and horror and fosters the contrast necessary to elevate a genre.”—MTV
“I imagine a just world, where Beasts of Burden is ten times as popular as Twilight.”—Gail Simone
