Beasts of Burden

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Beasts of Burden
Beasts of burden cover.jpg
Cover to Beasts of Burden #4 (Dec. 2009) by Jill Thompson
Publication information
Publisher Dark Horse Comics
Creative team
Created byEvan Dorkin
Jill Thompson
Written by Evan Dorkin
Artist(s) Jill Thompson
Benjamin Dewey
Letterer(s) Jill Thompson (2003–2005)
Jason Arthur (2006–2016)
Nate Piekos (2018–present)
Editor(s) Scott Allie (2003–2016)
Daniel Chabon (2018–present)
Collected editions
1. Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites ISBN   9781595825131
2. Beasts of Burden: Neighborhood Watch ISBN   9781506714103
Beasts of Burden: Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men ISBN   9781506708744
Beasts of Burden: Occupied Territory ISBN   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]

Contents

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]

I wanted to write a haunted-house story, but not along traditional lines. After a few false starts I hit on the idea of a haunted doghouse , which became my pitch for Stray. Scott liked it and wanted me to draw it. I draw animals about as well as I breakdance, but Scott believed in me. Which was really nice. Luckily for us all, I convinced him to approach Jill Thompson instead.

— Evan Dorkin, 2010

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.

Basically, when Jill's available to work on the book we work on the book. I have three notebooks of material right now, the entire storyline is pretty much sketched out, with room for diversions and side-trips. If I had my way I’d be working on Beasts full-time, it's my favorite project and the one I’m always thinking about. It’s a labor-intensive book and Jill's in high demand so it takes awhile for us to get these stories out there. I wish we were on a regular schedule, but unfortunately I don't see that ever happening.

— Evan Dorkin, 2014 [6]

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. [7] Dorkin confirmed on his Twitter account that more stories were planned for both Thompson and Dewey. [8] In 2019, The Presence of Others was published with Jill Thompson on the first issue and Benjamin Dewey on the second, [9] and the Occupied Territory four-issue miniseries with Benjamin Dewey was published in 2021. [10]

Characters

The Apprentices

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".

Wise Dogs

Other characters

Comics

DateStoryAppeared in…WriterArtistLettererNotes
August 27, 2003StrayThe Dark Horse Book of Hauntings Evan Dorkin Jill Thompson Jill Thompson [11]
July 7, 2004The UnfamiliarThe Dark Horse Book of Witchcraft [12]
June 1, 2005Let Sleeping Dogs LieThe Dark Horse Book of the Dead [13]
December 13, 2006A Dog and His BoyThe Dark Horse Book of MonstersEvan Dorkin
and Sarah Dyer 		Jason Arthur [14]
September 16, 2009The Gathering StormBeasts of Burden #1Evan Dorkin [15]
October 21, 2009LostBeasts of Burden #2 [16]
November 25, 2009Something Whiskered This Way ComesBeasts of Burden #3 [17]
December 23, 2009Grave HappeningsBeasts of Burden #4 [18]
October 27, 2010SacrificeHellboy/Beasts of Burden:
Sacrifice		Evan Dorkin
and Mike Mignola 		[19]
September 21, 2011Food RunDark Horse Presents #4Evan Dorkin [20]
November 23, 2011Story TimeDark Horse Presents #6 [21]
February 1, 2012The View from the HillDark Horse Presents #8 [22]
August 1, 2012RECOLLECTS:
  • Food Run
  • Story Time
  • The View from the Hill
Beasts of Burden:
Neighborhood Watch		 [23]
March 12, 2014Hunters and GatherersBeasts of Burden:
Hunters and Gatherers		 [24]
May 4, 2016What the Cat Dragged InBeasts of Burden:
What the Cat Dragged In		Evan Dorkin
and Sarah Dyer		 [25]
August 22, 2018Wise Dogs and Eldritch MenBeasts of Burden:
Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men #1		Evan DorkinBenjamin DeweyNate Piekos [26]
September 26, 2018Beasts of Burden:
Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men #2		 [27]
October 24, 2018Beasts of Burden:
Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men #3		 [28]
December 19, 2018Beasts of Burden:
Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men #4		 [29]
May 1, 2019The Presence of OthersBeasts of Burden:
The Presence of Others #1		Jill Thompson [30]
June 5, 2019Beasts of Burden:
The Presence of Others #2		Benjamin Dewey
April 7, 2021Occupied TerritoryBeasts of Burden:
Occupied Territory #1		Evan Dorkin
and Sarah Dyer		Benjamin Dewey [31]
May 5, 2021Beasts of Burden:
Occupied Territory #2
June 2, 2021Beasts of Burden:
Occupied Territory #3
July 7, 2021Beasts of Burden:
Occupied Territory #4

Collected editions

VolumeTitleDateStories CollectedISBNNotes
1Beasts 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
 9781595825131 (HC)

9781506706368 (TPB)

 [32] [33]
Beasts of Burden:
Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men		March 20, 2019 (HC)
  • Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men
 9781506708744 (HC) [34]
2Beasts 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
 9781506714103 (HC) [35]
Beasts of Burden:
Occupied Territory		November 30, 2021 (HC)
  • Occupied Territory
 9781506720395 (HC)

Film

A CG-animated film adaptation was announced via Reel FX Creative Studios with filmmaker Andrew Adamson scheduled to produce [36] and writer Darren Lemke attached to write the screenplay. [37] On February 20, 2013, it was announced that Shane Acker would direct the film, with Mike Richardson and Aron Warner joining Adamson as producers. [38]

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. [39] No further adaptation plans have been announced.

Awards and recognition

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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. ↑ Manning, Shaun (July 16, 2009). "Dorkin & Thompson's 'Beasts of Burden'". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  4. ↑ Manning, Shaun (April 20, 2010). "C2E2 Exclusive: "Beasts of Burden/Hellboy"". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Beasts of Burden Returns in Dark Horse Presents #4". Dark Horse. May 10, 2011. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  6. ↑ Sunu, Steve (March 5, 2014). "Dorkin Discusses "Beasts of Burden," Bids Farewell to "The Eltingville Club"". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  7. ↑ Dorkin, Evan. "Still Here, Still Doing Stuff". Live Journal. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  8. ↑ Dorkin, Evan [@evandorkin] (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" (Tweet). Retrieved June 14, 2021– via Twitter.
  9. ↑ Dorkin, Evan [@evandorkin] (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)" (Tweet). Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2021– via Twitter.
  10. ↑ Dorkin, Evan [@evandorkin] (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)" (Tweet). Retrieved June 14, 2021– via Twitter.
  11. ↑ "The Dark Horse Book of Hauntings". Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  12. ↑ "The Dark Horse Book of Witchcraft". Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  13. ↑ "The Dark Horse Book of the Dead". Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  14. ↑ "The Dark Horse Book of Monsters". Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Beasts of Burden #1". Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Beasts of Burden #2". Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Beasts of Burden #3". Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Beasts of Burden #4". Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  19. ↑ "Hellboy/Beasts of Burden". Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Dark Horse Presents #4". Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Dark Horse Presents #6". Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  22. ↑ "Dark Horse Presents #8". Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  23. ↑ "Beasts of Burden: Neighborhood Watch" . Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  24. ↑ "Beasts of Burden: Hunters and Gatherers" . Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  25. ↑ "Beasts of Burden: What the Cat Dragged In" . Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  26. ↑ Sava, Oliver (April 17, 2018). "Beasts of Burden returns for a new horror adventure in this exclusive preview". A.V. Club. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Beasts of Burden: Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men #2". Dark Horse. Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  28. ↑ "Beasts of Burden: Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men #3". Dark Horse. Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  29. ↑ "Beasts of Burden: Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men #4". Dark Horse. Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  30. ↑ Arvedon, Jon. "Dark Horse's Beasts of Burden Saga Continues with The Presence of Others". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  31. ↑ Arvedon, Jon (January 21, 2021). "Dark Horse Returns to Beasts of Burden in April With New Miniseries (Exclusive)". Comic Book Resources.
  32. ↑ "Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites (HC)". Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  33. ↑ "Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites (TPB)". Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  34. ↑ "Beasts of Burden: Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men (HC)". Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  35. ↑ "Beasts of Burden: Neighborhood Watch (HC)". Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  36. ↑ "BEASTS OF BURDEN HEADED TO HOLLYWOOD!". Dark Horse Comics. June 13, 2011. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
  37. ↑ Kit, Borys (June 28, 2011). "Comic Adaptation 'Beasts of Burden' Taps 'Jack the Giant Killer' Writer". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved June 30, 2011.
  38. ↑ "Shane Acker to Direct Beasts of Burden". ComingSoon.net. February 20, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
  39. ↑ "Evan Dorkin on the legacy and adventure of 'Beasts of Burden' • AIPT". April 7, 2021.
  40. ↑ "2010 Harvey Awards" Archived July 20, 2012, at the Wayback Machine , Harvey Awards, 2010
  41. ↑ Gold, Mike. "National Cartoonist Society Winners Announced" [ permanent dead link ], ComicMix, May 29, 2011
  42. ↑ "Beasts of Burden nominated for 2011 Anthony Award", Dark Horse Comics, May 19, 2011
  43. ↑ "2011 Eisner Awards Nominess". Comic-con.org. Archived from the original on May 13, 2011. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
  44. ↑ "2011 Harvey Awards". Harveyawards.org. Archived from the original on February 10, 2012. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
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