Beasts of Burden explained

Publisher:	Dark Horse Comics
Writers:	Evan Dorkin
Artists:	Jill Thompson Benjamin Dewey
Creators:	Evan Dorkin Jill Thompson
Letterers:	Jill Thompson (2003–2005) Jason Arthur (2006–2016) Nate Piekos (2018–present)
Editors:	Scott Allie (2003–2016) Daniel Chabon (2018–present)
Tpb:	1. Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites
Isbn:	9781595825131
Tpb2:	2. Beasts of Burden: Neighborhood Watch
Isbn2:	9781506714103
Tpb3:	Beasts of Burden: Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men
Isbn3:	9781506708744
Tpb4:	Beasts of Burden: Occupied Territory
Isbn4:	9781506720395

Beasts of Burden is a comic book series created by writer Evan Dorkin and artists Jill Thompson and Benjamin Dewey, and published by American company Dark Horse Comics. The title centers on an eponymous team of intelligent animals that investigate different paranormal events that occur in their small neighborhood of Burden Hill. The initial group consists of five dogs and a cat. They are often seen consulting with "Wise Dogs", local shamanic elders of their community.^[1]

Publishing history

The characters made their first appearance in a story titled Stray (written by Evan Dorkin with art by Jill Thompson) in The Dark Horse Book of Hauntings. They made subsequent appearances in The Dark Horse Book of Witchcraft, The Dark Horse Book of the Dead, and The Dark Horse Book of Monsters.

Dorkin stated that he came up with the concept after being asked by Dark Horse editor Scott Allie to write a story for the horror anthology The Dark Horse Book of Hauntings.^[2]

In 2009 the characters appeared in their own four-issue miniseries.^[3] The following year the characters appeared alongside Hellboy in a one-shot crossover issue titled Hellboy/Beasts of Burden: Sacrifice.^[4] Three new Beasts of Burden short stories appeared in the fourth, sixth, and eighth issues of the relaunched Dark Horse Presents series during 2011 and 2012, all of which were later reprinted in the Beasts of Burden: Neighborhood Watch one-shot.^[5] The publishing schedule slowed down after that with only two issues from 2013 to 2017.

Late 2017, Dorkin wrote on his blog that Thompson was almost finished with the first issue of a two-part story, The Presence of Others, and artist Benjamin Dewey was working on a four-issue story titled Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men.^[6] Dorkin confirmed on his Twitter account that more stories were planned for both Thompson and Dewey.^[7] In 2019, The Presence of Others was published with Jill Thompson on the first issue and Benjamin Dewey on the second,^[8] and the Occupied Territory four-issue miniseries with Benjamin Dewey was published in 2021.^[9]

Characters

The Apprentices

• Ace, a Husky, courageous and bitten by a werewolf in "A Boy and His Dog"
• Jack, a Beagle, has some sensitivity to the paranormal
• Pugsley, a Pug, who is outspoken, snarky and cynical, often gets told to shut up by the others
• Rex, a Doberman, who is often afraid
• The Orphan, a male orange tabby cat who is ownerless. He is the only non-canine to attend dog funeral services. He possesses street smarts.
• Whitey, a Jack Russell Terrier who has a tendency to vomit or wet himself when frightened
• Dymphna, a former witch's familiar introduced in The Unfamiliar
• Miranda, a black dog who can cast spells

The Swifties

A gang of neighbourhood cats that work with the apprentices introduced in "Something Whiskered This Way Comes" and as allies in "The Presence of Others".

• The Get Away Kid, ownerless tuxedo cat with a reputation for escape
• Muggsy, a calico cat who is a "first lifer" (a cat that hasn't used up any of its nine lives)
• Sleeping Bob
• Johnny Whiskers

Wise Dogs

• Cian
• Emrys, an Old English Sheepdog
• Lundy, a Scottish Terrier
• Dempsey
• Brigid

Other characters

• Red, a dog
• Holstein, a cat

Comics

Date	Story	Appeared in…	Writer	Artist	Letterer	Notes
August 27, 2003	Stray	The Dark Horse Book of Hauntings	Evan Dorkin	Jill Thompson	Jill Thompson	^[10]
July 7, 2004	The Unfamiliar	The Dark Horse Book of Witchcraft				^[11]
June 1, 2005	Let Sleeping Dogs Lie	The Dark Horse Book of the Dead				^[12]
December 13, 2006	A Dog and His Boy	The Dark Horse Book of Monsters	Evan Dorkin and Sarah Dyer		Jason Arthur	^[13]
September 16, 2009	The Gathering Storm	Beasts of Burden #1	Evan Dorkin			^[14]
October 21, 2009	Lost	Beasts of Burden #2				^[15]
November 25, 2009	Something Whiskered This Way Comes	Beasts of Burden #3				^[16]
December 23, 2009	Grave Happenings	Beasts of Burden #4				^[17]
October 27, 2010	Sacrifice	Hellboy/Beasts of Burden: Sacrifice	Evan Dorkin and Mike Mignola			^[18]
September 21, 2011	Food Run	Dark Horse Presents #4	Evan Dorkin			^[19]
November 23, 2011	Story Time	Dark Horse Presents #6				^[20]
February 1, 2012	The View from the Hill	Dark Horse Presents #8				^[21]
August 1, 2012	RECOLLECTS: Food Run Story Time The View from the Hill	Beasts of Burden: Neighborhood Watch				^[22]
March 12, 2014	Hunters and Gatherers	Beasts of Burden: Hunters and Gatherers				^[23]
May 4, 2016	What the Cat Dragged In	Beasts of Burden: What the Cat Dragged In	Evan Dorkin and Sarah Dyer			^[24]
August 22, 2018	Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men	Beasts of Burden: Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men #1	Evan Dorkin	Benjamin Dewey	Nate Piekos	^[25]
September 26, 2018		Beasts of Burden: Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men #2				^[26]
October 24, 2018		Beasts of Burden: Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men #3				^[27]
December 19, 2018		Beasts of Burden: Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men #4				^[28]
May 1, 2019	The Presence of Others	Beasts of Burden: The Presence of Others #1		Jill Thompson		^[29]
June 5, 2019		Beasts of Burden: The Presence of Others #2		Benjamin Dewey
April 7, 2021	Occupied Territory	Beasts of Burden: Occupied Territory #1	Evan Dorkin and Sarah Dyer	Benjamin Dewey		^[30]
May 5, 2021		Beasts of Burden: Occupied Territory #2
June 2, 2021		Beasts of Burden: Occupied Territory #3
July 7, 2021		Beasts of Burden: Occupied Territory #4

Collected editions

Volume	Title	Date	Stories Collected	ISBN	Notes
1	Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites	June 30, 2010 (HC)May 9, 2018 (TPB)	Stray The Unfamiliar Let Sleeping Dogs Lie A Dog and His Boy The Gathering Storm Lost Something Whiskered This Way Comes Grave Happenings	(HC) (TPB)	^[31] ^[32]
	Beasts of Burden: Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men	March 20, 2019 (HC)	Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men	(HC)	^[33]
2	Beasts of Burden: Neighborhood Watch	September 18, 2019 (HC)	Sacrifice Food Run Story Time The View from the Hill Hunters and Gatherers What the Cat Dragged In The Presence of Others	(HC)	^[34]
	Beasts of Burden: Occupied Territory	November 30, 2021 (HC)	Occupied Territory	(HC)

Film

A CG-animated film adaptation was announced via Reel FX Creative Studios with filmmaker Andrew Adamson scheduled to produce^[35] and writer Darren Lemke attached to write the screenplay.^[36] On February 20, 2013, it was announced that Shane Acker would direct the film, with Mike Richardson and Aron Warner joining Adamson as producers.^[37]

In April 2021, Evan Dorkin revealed that this adaptation never moved beyond pre-production and that he was not a fan of the script that would have been used.^[38] No further adaptation plans have been announced.

Awards and recognition

• 2004 Eisner Awards: Won Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (Interior Art)
• 2005 Eisner Awards: Won Best Short Story
• 2007 Eisner Awards: Won Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (Interior Art)
• 2010 Eisner Awards: Won Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (Interior Art)
• 2010 Eisner Awards: Won Best Publication for Teens
• 2010 Harvey Awards: Nominated for Best Continuing or Limited Series^[39]
• 2011 National Cartoonist Society: Won Best Comic Book Artist (Jill Thompson)^[40]
• 2011 Anthony Awards: Nominated for Best Graphic Novel^[41]
• 2011 Eisner Awards: Nominated for Best Graphic Album - Reprint^[42]
• 2011 Harvey Awards: Won for Best Graphic Album Previously Published^[43]
• 2015 Eisner Awards: Won Best Single Issue/One-Shot (for Beasts of Burden: Hunters and Gatherers)
• 2017 Eisner Awards: Won Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (Interior Art)
• 2017 Eisner Awards: Won Best Single Issue/One-Shot (for Beasts of Burden: What the Cat Dragged In)

Notes and References

1. Dorkin, Evan and Jill Thompson. "Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites". Dark Horse Books, 2010.
2. Dorkin, Evan and Jill Thompson. "Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites". Dark Horse Books, 2010, p.169.
3. Web site: Dorkin & Thompson's 'Beasts of Burden'. Comic Book Resources. Manning. Shaun. July 16, 2009. July 19, 2011.
4. Web site: Manning. Shaun. C2E2 Exclusive: "Beasts of Burden/Hellboy". Comic Book Resources. July 19, 2011. April 20, 2010.
5. Web site: Beasts of Burden Returns in Dark Horse Presents #4. Dark Horse. July 19, 2011. May 10, 2011.
6. Web site: Dorkin . Evan . Still Here, Still Doing Stuff . Live Journal . June 23, 2018.
7. Dorkin . Evan . Evan Dorkin . evandorkin . 996866395794235399 . May 16, 2018 . This brings you up to date about the BEASTS OF BURDEN comic series, at least all that I can talk about. More stories are planned and more art is coming from co-creator @thejillthompson and from @BenjaminDewey -- I hope we can do this for some time until the stories are all told. . en . June 14, 2021.
8. Dorkin . Evan . Evan Dorkin . evandorkin . 1093579713333858304 . February 7, 2019 . Here's where we are w/BEASTS OF BURDEN: THE PRESENCE OF OTHERS is a two-parter, part 1 w/art by series co-creator @thejillthompson. Part 2 w/art by WISE DOGS collab @BenjaminDewey. Both lettered by @blambot. This arc will finish up the long-awaited 2nd Burden Hill collection. (1) . en . June 14, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201111213936/https://twitter.com/evandorkin/status/1093579713333858304 . November 11, 2020 . live.
9. Dorkin . Evan . Evan Dorkin . evandorkin . 1093585089630490629 . February 7, 2019 . @thejillthompson @BenjaminDewey @blambot @colorkitten After THE PRESENCE OF OTHERS, me, @colorkitten, @BenjaminDewey and @blambot will be doing a new WISE DOGS mini-series. Three of the four scripts are completed. And after that, hopefully a series of Burden Hill stand-alone stories. We'll see how things go. Thx for reading BoB. (5) . en . June 14, 2021.
10. Web site: The Dark Horse Book of Hauntings. Dark Horse Comics. 17 February 2014.
11. Web site: The Dark Horse Book of Witchcraft. Dark Horse Comics. 17 February 2014.
12. Web site: The Dark Horse Book of the Dead. Dark Horse Comics. 17 February 2014.
13. Web site: The Dark Horse Book of Monsters. Dark Horse Comics. 17 February 2014.
14. Web site: Beasts of Burden #1. Dark Horse Comics. 17 February 2014.
15. Web site: Beasts of Burden #2. Dark Horse Comics. 17 February 2014.
16. Web site: Beasts of Burden #3. Dark Horse Comics. 17 February 2014.
17. Web site: Beasts of Burden #4. Dark Horse Comics. 17 February 2014.
18. Web site: Hellboy/Beasts of Burden. Dark Horse Comics. 17 February 2014.
19. Web site: Dark Horse Presents #4. Dark Horse Comics. 17 February 2014.
20. Web site: Dark Horse Presents #6. Dark Horse Comics. 17 February 2014.
21. Web site: Dark Horse Presents #8. Dark Horse Comics. 17 February 2014.
22. Web site: Beasts of Burden: Neighborhood Watch. 17 February 2014.
23. Web site: Beasts of Burden: Hunters and Gatherers. 17 February 2014.
24. Web site: Beasts of Burden: What the Cat Dragged In. 30 April 2016.
25. Web site: Sava. Oliver. Beasts of Burden returns for a new horror adventure in this exclusive preview. A.V. Club. April 17, 2018 . April 18, 2018.
26. Web site: Beasts of Burden: Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men #2 . Dark Horse . Dark Horse Comics . June 23, 2018.
27. Web site: Beasts of Burden: Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men #3 . Dark Horse . Dark Horse Comics . December 10, 2018.
28. Web site: Beasts of Burden: Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men #4 . Dark Horse . Dark Horse Comics . December 10, 2018.
29. Web site: Arvedon . Jon . Dark Horse's Beasts of Burden Saga Continues with The Presence of Others . Comic Book Resources . February 2, 2019.
30. Web site: Arvedon . Jon . Dark Horse Returns to Beasts of Burden in April With New Miniseries (Exclusive) . Comic Book Resources. January 21, 2021 .
31. Web site: Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites (HC). Dark Horse Comics. 17 February 2014.
32. Web site: Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites (TPB). Dark Horse Comics. 21 March 2018.
33. Web site: Beasts of Burden: Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men (HC). Dark Horse Comics. 17 February 2021.
34. Web site: Beasts of Burden: Neighborhood Watch (HC). Dark Horse Comics. 17 February 2021.
35. News: BEASTS OF BURDEN HEADED TO HOLLYWOOD! . . June 13, 2011 . June 30, 2011.
36. News: Kit . Borys . Comic Adaptation 'Beasts of Burden' Taps 'Jack the Giant Killer' Writer . . June 28, 2011 . June 30, 2011.
37. News: Shane Acker to Direct Beasts of Burden. February 20, 2013. ComingSoon.net. February 20, 2013.
38. Web site: Evan Dorkin on the legacy and adventure of 'Beasts of Burden' • AIPT . April 7, 2021 .
39. http://www.harveyawards.org/awards_2010win.html "2010 Harvey Awards"
40. Gold, Mike. "National Cartoonist Society Winners Announced", ComicMix, May 29, 2011
41. http://www.darkhorse.com/Blog/414/beasts-burden-nominated-2011-anthony-award "Beasts of Burden nominated for 2011 Anthony Award"
42. Web site: 2011 Eisner Awards Nominess . Comic-con.org . March 2, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110513193750/http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_eisners_11nom.php . May 13, 2011 . mdy-all .
43. Web site: 2011 Harvey Awards . Harveyawards.org . March 2, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120210065805/http://www.harveyawards.org/awards_2011nom.html . February 10, 2012 . mdy .