Beasts of Burden #3

Written by Evan Dorkin
Art by Jill Thompson

This title is one of the best things on the stands right now. This issue is a perfect example of how to write a one-off comic.

The Orphan, the only cat to ever be accepted by the Wise Dogs, is convinced that Dymphna, another cat who I assume the gang met during one of their earlier appearances, is still alive and in trouble in the Burden Hill sewer system. He gets geared up, and travels into the tunnels with another cat, The Getaway Kid.

This being 'Beasts of Burden', they do of course run into trouble with rats, and their rescue plans don't work out exactly the way they wanted.

The fact that I never read the earlier story with Dymphna did not in any way make it difficult to understand everything I needed to know about these characters and their relationships, which is such a nice thing to come across when one is used to reading continuity-heavy comics.

As always, the art here is absolutely gorgeous. Thompson has outdone herself yet again. I'm very sad that there is only one issue of this series remaining, but I hope to see it return in some form or another.