“I’m a dog! I’m a dog! I’m a dog!” The canine heroes of Rover Red Charlie aren’t quite sure what brought about the apocalypse for the 
humans (or as the dogs refer to them, the feeders). All they know is that the feeders are hurting themselves, each other, and even some of the dogs. Charlie is a helper – his feeder is blind. He’s quite content, even proud, of his status as a helper (and the special vest that comes with it). When his feeder succumbs to the mysterious plague of violence, Charlie is distraught that he no longer has the ability to help. He cries out “I’m a dog!” in distress, maybe frustration. His pals quickly join him, and set out to answer the question anyone (feeder or canine) would ask at the end of the world as they know it – what now?
This post-apocalyptic quest has become a relatively familiar one to many readers. Garth Ennis puts a fresh spin on the genre, presenting it through the eyes of man’s best friend. His trademark violence is most definitely there – the humans’ collective demise is brutal and bloody. As in any survival tale, there are casualties – prepare yourself for some of them to be four-legged. (I play feeder to a 4 year old black lab at home – several pages made me pause to compose myself before reading on). Ennis presents a story that is one part The Incredible Journey, and the other part 28 Days Later.
Michael DiPascale’s art brings life to the story. It conveys the endearing nature of Charlie and his pals without straying into the “cute” category. On the opposite end of the spectrum, his art equally portays the horrors of the surrounding world.
Our four-legged heroes are doing their best to survive in the chaos, facing the same difficulties that I imagine anyone would in their scenario – they hunt for food, they battle the elements, and have to learn (sometimes the hard way) who they can trust. They struggle to find their place in this newly-changed world, trying to make sense of their quickly crumbling reality. (“Feeders don’t hurt dogs!”) Charlie comes to the realization that he probably can’t help the feeders anymore. He comes to the very human-like conclusion that he doesn’t want to be the one making all of the tough choices; life was much easier when he had someone telling him what to do.
Art: 7/10
Script: 9/10
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Mel Lang is the store manager for Prairie Dog Comics in Wichita, KS. She lives there (in Wichita, not at the comic book store) with her husband, Matt, and their four-legged kid, a black lab named Phog. In her spare time, she enjoys comic cons and running her store’s fantasy Walking Dead league. Mel is stoked to be a part of the StashMyComics community – it gives her an excuse to catch up on her reading! Mel happens to also be a big fan of Garth Ennis. Check out proof-positive below!
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