Dogtangle

by Max Huffman

Dogtangle opens with a town hall meeting in a Taco Bell nestled in the bland corporate environment of Business Park. A man, bleating to anyone who will listen about the evils of current zoning laws, meets a woman who works in pharmaceutical marketing. They begin a relationship. They get married. From their union springs the idea of the a many-headed mass of dogs that absorbs each new dog it encounters. This debut graphic novel from Chicago cartoonist Max Huffman, about an awful power couple who defy God and nature in creating a hound of hell for our times, is at turns a rich satirical fable, a white-collar black comedy, and a stylistic tour de force blending elements of abstraction, cubism, mid-century modernism, and visual sight gags. One of the most visually distinctive and funny graphic novels in recent memory, Dogtangle is also underpinned with a deep mistrust of corporate and cultural hegemony, cementing its relevance in our increasingly oligarchal times.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Comics

136 pages, Hardcover

Published November 4, 2025

About the author

Max Huffman is mostly a cartoonist and illustrator in Chicago.

Reviews

[Lizette · Rating 1 out of 5]

Recommend-O-Meter: Hell no

I understood nothing. I’m not even kidding, I was genuinely just confused for a hundred pages here.

The premise of a mutant freaky dog-absorbing mega-mutt was interesting, to say the least. But execution-wise, this title fell so flat. I couldn’t follow the plot, and I’m not sure if that was due to the lackluster storytelling or the confusing art style. Like, this was drawn in a very satire comics section of the newspaper kind of style, which isn’t bad per se but was SO hard to try and decipher for a full-length graphic novel. I couldn’t tell characters from each other at times.

And again, the storytelling wasn’t great either. I can’t tell you a single event that happened in here with a gun to my head. Sorry, it was that bad for me. I understand trying to put out a message through dark humor or whatever, but this was just too convoluted for me to follow as is.

[I received an ARC of this book from the publisher on NetGalley. This does not in any way affect the contents of my review.]

[Beau Manglass · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am reviewing a digital ARC I received via NetGalley.

I was disappointed by this graphic novel. Huffman's story starts out pretty promising, with a good mix of absurdism and satire, but once we venture beyond the portion of the story mentioned specifically in the synopsis (the power couple meeting at the Taco Bell town hall meeting, getting together, and inventing their dogtangle creation) things get way more unclear and confusing.

Huffman's art style definitely represents a clear and unique vision, and I did enjoy the visuals, but they are not very effective at carrying the plot of this narrative. Huffman's spreads lack visual depth, making actions difficult to perceive. Even more frustrating is endeavoring to tell his characters apart; the cast of this book is introduced willy-nilly, and many characters appear virtually identical in Huffman's cubist/abstract-inspired art style.

This may be worth reading or browsing through for someone interested in absurdist stories or the styles of art Huffman experiments with here, but otherwise I would not recommend.

[Kip Kyburz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absurdism with a great amount of coherence.

[Hannah Bishop · Rating 2 out of 5]

I grasped very little of what I just read. The blurb intrigued me, but I found the story hard to follow and the art style made it difficult for me to understand what was happening. I didn't understand many of the jumps or the basic plot at points and that coupled with trying to figure out what I was looking at resulted in a lot of confusion. The premise and the title are great, but the style wasn't for me.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This weird little graphic novel feels like a zine in honestly the best way, and the sort of book I know exactly who to recommend to... which won't be most people unfortunately! The art is fantastical and detailed in a really semi-abstract, Picasso-esque way that really invites the eye to enjoy (while also going "wtf??"). I laughed aloud several times with some of the more absurd phrasing (the dual sinks "hims" and "herms" for example, "I got your boat into Dartmouth!").

The story itself is a bit confusing with everything going on, but it's something that does make more sense when you sit back and let it settle and think - we've got the story of folks who meet at a basically town hall meeting regarding gentrification and oh! One of them is a Big Corp Bio geneticist - and thus the story explodes (or, folds in on itself) into several broad allegories on playing God, corporate meddling, people who let their dogs run free, family and exploration...

There could have been a lot more backstory on some things, but with how crazy this is maybe it's best to just kind of go with the flow.

Thank you to Fantagraphics Books for granting my request wish, and NetGalley for hosting.

[Marl · Rating 3 out of 5]

[2.5 stars rounded up]

I loved the art style, the panel layout, and many of the visual gags! I just wish I was able to follow anything that was happening!

I read through this one twice and maybe only followed about 20% of what was going on. I understand that it is a surrealist, abstract, maximalistic work and that a lot of the confusion is intentional in a way. I hope that lovers of those things in fiction flock to this debut and shower it with all the praise that they can. If you’re really into short fiction zines I would definitely recommend checking this one out! Unfortunately, I am a layperson when it comes to these abstract comics/etc., and I felt lost even on my second read through. I understood the main thing that was happening (a business/political power couple created a Lovecraftian mass of dogs that would absorb all other dogs that came near) and some of the side plots/gags/callbacks that went for a few pages, but little beyond that.

It is such a shame, too, because I really enjoy Huffman’s art style. It is fluid, funny, fills the panels perfectly, and allows for both slapstick and more subtle movements. The changing background colors really help bring this style to its fullest potential as well. The point in the last (if I remember correctly) chapter where it swaps off the neon green of the abstract, crazy events to the off white for a few panels before going back to the green was great.

The pacing of this novel panel by panel and the page flow as a whole were done spectacularly as well (as much as I couldn’t follow most of the plot, I could always tell when it was going fast or slow, high tension or low tension, which I see as a sign of Huffman’s skill in graphic novel creation). Panels were filled just the right amount and dialogue never took up too much space (though maybe to a detriment - see: issues with not following the plot).

I really, really wish I could work my head around the plot better to understand and enjoy this graphic novel even a bit better. It just leans on the wrong side of the confusion/abstraction/surrealism fence for me, sadly. This is definitely a very polished graphic novel and there is definitely an audience for this, so check it out if you think you’d like it!

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Dogtangle by Max Huffman is a trippy science fiction political fantasy graphic novel with a stream-of-consciousness strobe vibe. Due out 4th Nov 2025 from Fantagraphics, it's 136 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

The graphics are monochrome greyscale with a sketchy/cubist style (see cover), and intentionally often chaotic and difficult to interpret. Generally no clean lines, lots of chaos, and it's not always clear what's going on (and it's *clearly* intentional). The whole feels absurdist and off-kilter (again, clearly intentional on the creator's part).

The SF/biotech parts of the story are well done, if absurdist. It's disturbing, with some Kafkaesque elements, but not horror. It's unclear what the intended audience is, but it's certainly an intriguing concept, chaotically executed. It will engender love/hate reactions from readers.

Recommended for fans of dystopian political biotech graphic novels. Four stars, for the art and concept, not really for the actual execution or any cohesive story. It's a bitingly sarcastic judgement of our current climate.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Xine Segalas · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked up Dogtangle by Max Huffman because I love dogs. What I got was a migraine.
From page one, I had no idea what I was looking at — scenes jumped, dialogue made no sense, and I kept thinking, okay, maybe it’ll all click soon. Spoiler: it doesn’t.
I think it’s supposed to be a satire about Big Pharma and human greed — the whole “let’s breed one dog that’s every dog” idea as a stand-in for the industry’s obsession with a magic-bullet cure. Clever in theory, but in practice, it’s like watching a PowerPoint made during a fever dream.
The art isn’t the problem — it’s actually pretty good — but it can’t save the story from drowning in its own nonsense. The tone swings from smug to crude, and at times it feels like the creator might’ve been experimenting with the same substances the book’s characters should’ve been prescribed.
I get absurdity. I even like absurdity. But there’s a fine line between surreal and self-indulgent, and Dogtangle belly-flops right over it. Maybe there’s a brilliant message hiding in there somewhere, but I’m not convinced it’s worth the search.

Thank you to NetGalley and Fantagraphics Books | Fantagraphics for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[John Chrostek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deserves way better than it's getting. An absolute delight. Got me to laugh out loud more than a few times. A fun satire at first that rolls up like a katamari ball into a dystopia of poor corporate decision making and the wide emotional gulfs between us. The art's like Steamboat Willie Guernica, filled with suggestion and movement and contrast. Characters rarely retain a fixed corporeal form, and there's adjustments required at times to follow the slow, unexplained passage of time and its transformations of the cast.

For me, there's a lot of graphic novels that feel like they have nothing to say but found a pretty way to say it. Those can still be wonderful, but often leave me a little unsatisfied. This one felt like it had literary intentions, but chose to leave so much information in abstraction or in-between the panels because it harmed the zany "we're a bad cartoon running off the rails" energy. Maybe it's hard to follow along in a straightforward or uninvested way, but if you roll through it in a good mood and a healthy curiosity, it's a fascinating and singular read.

[Emi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Publishing date: 04.11.2025 (DD/MM/YYYY)
Thank you to Netgalley and Fantagraphics for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

I am conflicted about this little comic. I like the premise, the artstyle as represented on the cover, and the blurb on the back. Problem doe, it wasn't like I wanted when I started reading it.
A little breakdown for you of my problems:
The story was hard to properly understand. Some kind of taboo experiment? Dogs? I do not know ...
The artstyle was really hard to parse propely. I this character #1 or character #2? Where do their limbs end on this page? What are we actually doing on this other page? Loved the idea, not a big fan of the execution.

And that is really the best way for me to summarize my opinion on this book. Great idea, flawed execution. Maybe for the right reader this will land perfectly. Giving this 2 stars for confused brain and eyes.

[Theediscerning · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, you'll either be delighted or repulsed to know that once you've read the first five pages of this, you're guaranteed your opinion will not change, for this carries on its own unique path from beginning to end. I'm one of the many for which this is just bad news, as the art is awful in telling us what is what and who is who, and the story is pretty much piffle, if actually present. There's something about urban redevelopment being for the worse, corrupt councillors, a mahoosive bundle of dogginess kind of like a rat king but made of mutts, and someone sits on top of a car and gets off again.

I rarely give flat-out one stars, as a lot of books might have some merit for someone, somewhere – enough to earn them a half. This is a real oner. To quote, "do you want to maybe, say anything to me? If you want?" This doesn't, ever. Avoid.

[Jonathan Hawpe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Max Huffman storms the KomiX scene with this masterfully unhinged graphic novel that sucks readers into a warped world of corporate SciFi hi-jinx and bizarrely inhumane societal mores (not to mention animal treatment!) Decode the ambitiously abstracted cartooning and you'll find our own world reflected in Dogtangle's cracked mirror to brilliant, disturbing, and hilarious effect. It brings to mind stuff like Michael DeForge's recent work, Boots Riley's film Sorry To Bother You, Herriman's pioneering Krazy and Ignatz strip, and the mischievous experimental spirit of the 80s/90s indie comics scene, but have no doubt: Huffman is an original talent. 9/10

[Adri Holt · Rating 2 out of 5]

A man that lives to filibuster at city meetings, a woman that runs a pharmaceutical marketing company, and the relationship that they build. Their brains create something the world has never seen before nor probably could ever imagine: the Hypermutt. It is not one but a puddle of dogs, that has the power to absorb MORE. How could this one creation change the world? You will have to read to find out.

Maybe this one just did not click for me due to the different style of art or perhaps my ignorance at large. However, it was not for me, but it may be for you.

#ThxNetGalley #MaxHuffman #Dogtangle

[Relena_reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is one joke in here that made me laugh so hard and for so long that my husband decided that it would disappoint him if he asked me what it was. I gave this an extra star for that, but it was unfortunately an anomaly that the satire hit that well. The biggest stumbling block to the satire was the art. It was incredibly difficult to tell who characters were much of the time until they were identified in the dialogue, which made everything plod. The hyper-modernist style could have been intriguing, but much like the dogtangle itself, everything started to smoosh together. The story was also quite brief, which made it all the more difficult that it seemed slow.

I really wanted to like this, but it just never gelled.

eARC provided by NetGalley.

[Isaiah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got an ARC of this book.

It just didn't work for me. The story wasn't engaging. I wasn't a fan of the art. I had issues reading the text a lot of the time, which probably contributed to the story not being engaging.

This very well may be a case of its me, not the book. It just felt like one of those arty horror movies where the horror is lost and its just weird scenes that never really connect or make any sense together.

[Federica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this graphic novel from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.
I didn't understand a single thing I read. I only understood the plot by reading the final synopsis, but, as absurd as it may seem, I still liked it. Even though I gave up trying to read the text after the first 30 pages, I still finished looking at the graphic novel (no longer reading at this point) because the style was so unique and the drawings so beautiful that they were still a pleasure to look at.

[Bebo Saucier Carrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Unfortunately this was absolutely incomprehensible, partially because the art style is so abstract that characters lose all sense of individuality, and partially because the story is so choppy.

I love the idea of rich people losing their minds and creating a giant amorphous dog creature, but the execution was genuinely the most confusing reading experience I have ever had.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rare perfect comic. Huffman's storytelling is so much fun, where even simple conversations between characters are disjointed, energetic sequences that mean you can never let your guard down. Its not a complicated story, but his style keeps you hooked while reading it

[Neil Carey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stunning, fluid artwork.
Story-wise, I'm not sure whether I'm ahead of this or whether it's ahead of me

[Devin Gross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Huh

[Curious Madra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for granting my wish for this free graphic novel!

It honestly was rather meh I’m afraid, there was just too much going on and the jokes weren’t that funny tbh. It just wasn’t my humour I guess but the art was pretty scribbly…