MINISERIES FINALE
STRAY DOGS #5
Writer: Tony Fleecs
Artist: Trish Forstner, Brad Simpson
Layouts: Tone Rodriguez, Chris Burnham
Flatter: Lauren Perry
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: June 23, 2021
Cover Price: $3.99
Time's up. No more sniffing around, no more barking, no more hiding. The dogs have to get out of this house. Now. But standing between them and freedom is their best friend...and their worst nightmare.
They say there's no such thing as a bad dog, just bad owners.
Score: ★★★★★ (5/5)
What was thought to be an adorable Don Bluth-inspired romp with a scary undertone became a full-out chilling Hitchcock-like thriller. 'Stray Dogs' has kept readers on the edge of their seats over the last four issues of this five-issue miniseries culminating in this finale that nails the landing. It's another tension-filled page-turner with an ending that satisfies, allowing readers to finally catch their breaths.
When we last saw our fearless pooches, they had discovered what remained of Victor after their Master took him to the back of the woodshed. Meanwhile, Earl found out what happened to other dogs who also angered their Master. Earl, once a non-believer, began to remember that he once had an owner too and that Sophie's been right along. But now, their Master with a shotgun in hand had found Earl snooping around and that is simply not allowed.
From that point on it's a race for survival for the dogs and what ensues is a heart-racing showdown. Tony Fleecs has put together a great thriller that pays homage to not just Hitchcock but Jonathan Demme's 'Silence of the Lambs,' and even Christopher Nolan's 'Memento.' There are flashes of these brilliant directors found in the pages of 'Stray Dogs' but it's really a fresh original take on suspense thrillers told through the heart-melting eyes of dogs.
And it's Trish Forstner's designs that give these dogs an adorable, empathetic, look as their lives become increasingly more dangerous. No one wants to harm a dog and these creators know this but it's used to create an air of tension throughout the series. It's a scary prospect to turn the page and see one of these dogs get the Victor treatment or witness another woman attacked in a flashback. It's a delicate dance between creators and readers. We're almost dared to keep reading. Thankfully, the violence isn't gratuitous but it doesn't have to be. The suspense and fear induced by the script and Forstner's framing are enough to bite your nails to the bone.
'Stray Dogs' ends as only it could. It's a satisfying conclusion to one of the most riveting comics of 2021. It actually lived up to the hype going into the series and surpassed my expectations redefining what comic book thrillers can look like. They took a clever twist and wrung out every last chilling element to create a hard-to-put-down, pageturner, full of menace, and thrills. This is one of those series that should be cherished in a trade, shared, and gifted to everyone you know.
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