I am a sucker for any and all animal stories.
From the books that cram my bookshelf – Nop’s Trials by Donald McCaig, Watership Down by Richard Adams, Duncton Wood (and series) by William Horwood and yes even Dewey by Vicki Myron, and Marley & Me by John Grogan – to the movies, new and old, that I am invariably touched by like Old Yeller and Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, if it involves animals in some sort of life-and-death or inspiring tale, then I am there front and centre.
I can’t help it – I’m a complete sap and proud of it.
And I am also perversely, since it is the diametric opposite of cute or inspiring animal stories, a hardy fan of tales of the apocalypse like The Walking Dead, Revolution, and Defiance.
To riff on Dickens, I have an “it was the end of times, it was the best of times” fixation which sits oddly with a love of life, living and a consistent supply of cheesecake but it sits there none the less and I indulge it every chance I get.
So you can imagine my delight when I came across a bleedingcool.com post about Rover Red Charlie, a new 6 part comic series written by Garth Ennis and drawn by Michael Dipascale being issues by über-cool publisher Dark Horse Comics in December.
It’s the perfect marriage of animals on a scary but inspiring journey and the apocalypse and clearly right up my alley:
“When a worldwide epidemic suddenly rids the Earth of all humans, what happens to man’s best friend? GARTH ENNIS – the master wordsmith of Preacher and Crossed – delivers a story like no other, as a band of canines set out to survive on their own for the first time. This is the story of three best friends at the end of the World. Charlie was a helper dog and he was good at getting his feeders safely around. Now he and his pals Rover and Red must escape the failing New York City and find their way in this new order. Ennis applies his incredible talent for creating rich and complex characters to a whole new species, with this shockingly original tale that is fully painted by Michael Dipascale. Available with a Regular, Wraparound, and a Dog Days Order Incentive cover by series artist Michael Dipascale.” (source: bleedingcool.com)
It’s not the end of the world completely of course.
Just for man’s best friend but with their owners suddenly gone, it’s up to the dogs to find their way in this brand new world.
It will be fascinating to see how the tale unfolds.
I am not a heavy comics reader – OK read not much at all really – but this looks like a compelling enough premise that I may just have to toddle off to Kings Comics in Sydney and pick up the series as it’s released.
Now if I can just convince Garth to introduce a zombie or two to his tale, I’ll be set …