by: Staphanie Shamblin Gray

Founded in 1986, Dark Horse is no stranger to horror comics. As the third largest comic book publisher in the U.S. and a leading publisher of licensed comics material, Dark Horse is a favorite here at ComicMonsters.com with titles such as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, “Hellboy”, and “The Goon”. Another Dark Horse comic, the re-vamped classic “Creepy”, was voted the Best Anthology in the 2009 ComicMonsters.com Horror Comic Awards. But that is not all that Dark Horse has to offer. Here is a look at another offering that is not as well known but may be a classic in the making, the “Beasts of Burden”.

“Beasts of Burden” is the tale (or maybe “tail”) of an unusual group of paranormal investigators: the four-legged kind. Set in the picturesque, yet fictional, town of Burden Hill, these Beasts of Burden are dedicated to keeping the town safe from the evil forces at work. Of course, the evil forces may be a little unusual, also. For example, the first issue has our four-legged heroes battling a demon frog. Clever, humorous, and beautifully drawn, this unique horror story offers real variety to fans of horror comics.

The story, written by Evan Dorkin and drawn by Jill Thompson, evolved from a short story in the 2003 offering “The Dark Horse Book of Hauntings” entitled “Stray” about a group of dogs and a cat confronting the ghost of a local stray. The group of supernatural investigators was a hit and became a regular installment in the Dark Horse anthologies. Jill Thompson received an Eisner Award for Best Painter for the story in the “Dark Horse Book of Hauntings” in 2004. The story continued with “Unfamiliar” in “The Dark Horse Book of Witchcraft” and Dorkin and Thompson were awarded an Eisner in 2005 for Best Short Story for their efforts.

The “Beasts of Burden” series concluded in December of 2009 with its fourth issue. Appropriate for readers ages 13 and above, this story offers something different from the typical horror fare in that it manages to be horribly disgusting on one panel and ridiculously cute on the next.

With absolutely amazing art and great story-telling, this series is one to pick up if you missed it on the shelves. Available now for pre-order is the “Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites” hardcover due out on June 16, 2010. The hardcover collects the series issues 1-4 as well as the first stories. Follow the link below for ordering information as well as a link to read some of the earlier stories online.

http://www.darkhorse.com/Books/14-755/Beasts-of-Burden-Animal-Rites-HC