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Dogland Rescue
Humour, mystery and stunning artwork combine in this unforgettable dog-led adventure.
When the Macduffs go missing, faithful Bruno Basset leaps into action, and suddenly he and his friends are pulled into a twisty, exhilarating rescue mission. Along the way, Bruno encounters witty wordplay, unexpected danger, loyal friends and a villain who casts a very large (and slightly dishevelled) shadow.
Bursting with imaginative detail and illustrated with extraordinary craftsmanship, Dogland Rescue is an adventure that readers will return to again and again, spotting new hidden jokes and visual clues each time.
Perfect for teens, older children and adults who love clever storytelling, warm characters, and richly drawn worlds, this is a graphic novel that celebrates community, courage and the joy of discovering what lies beneath the surface.
When the Macduffs go missing, faithful Bruno Basset leaps into action, and suddenly he and his friends are pulled into a twisty, exhilarating rescue mission. Along the way, Bruno encounters witty wordplay, unexpected danger, loyal friends and a villain who casts a very large (and slightly dishevelled) shadow.
Bursting with imaginative detail and illustrated with extraordinary craftsmanship, Dogland Rescue is an adventure that readers will return to again and again, spotting new hidden jokes and visual clues each time.
Perfect for teens, older children and adults who love clever storytelling, warm characters, and richly drawn worlds, this is a graphic novel that celebrates community, courage and the joy of discovering what lies beneath the surface.
- GenresGraphic Novels
64 pages, Hardcover
Published June 12, 2024
2 people are currently reading
1 person want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 28, 2025
A graphic novel about human-like dogs and the drama surrounding getting the Macduff’s shelter bag from villains.
Yeah, I don’t really know how to describe this any differently. The story is not very complicated, though it has a lot of wit and comedy. It was just a bit dry for my taste. Some of the scenes were very long, I even dare to call them dragged out, and others were over too fast to actually understand what was going on. The idea is very adorable, and I like the base concept of it. It just had to move a little faster to keep my brain entertained. Definitely a lot of potentional, and it has its own charm. For people who like more slow-paced comics, this might be the thing for you! Some of the jokes were funny and I liked all the modern media references a lot!
The art-style was absolutely divine, and it looked gorgeous. It looked like a fairy tale.
The story overall reminded me of Watership Down. But not in the actual content of the story, but the overall vibe with the dogs and the art-style and just the whole thing. Which is a good thing. The only vice I really have with this comic is the pacing, which made it a bit difficult to finish.
Disclaimer:
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for a honest review.
Yeah, I don’t really know how to describe this any differently. The story is not very complicated, though it has a lot of wit and comedy. It was just a bit dry for my taste. Some of the scenes were very long, I even dare to call them dragged out, and others were over too fast to actually understand what was going on. The idea is very adorable, and I like the base concept of it. It just had to move a little faster to keep my brain entertained. Definitely a lot of potentional, and it has its own charm. For people who like more slow-paced comics, this might be the thing for you! Some of the jokes were funny and I liked all the modern media references a lot!
The art-style was absolutely divine, and it looked gorgeous. It looked like a fairy tale.
The story overall reminded me of Watership Down. But not in the actual content of the story, but the overall vibe with the dogs and the art-style and just the whole thing. Which is a good thing. The only vice I really have with this comic is the pacing, which made it a bit difficult to finish.
Disclaimer:
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for a honest review.
December 6, 2025
Thank you Netgalley, Dogland Books and Martin Lloyd and Layn Marlow for my free electronic ARC. Reviews are my own.
Dogland Rescue follows the basset Bruno and his friends, trying to help golden retriever Macduff get back their shelter from cold hearted dogs. Dogland Rescue is so beautifully drawn and the colours are magnificent.This would be much more beautiful on printed material and I am looking forward to it. The story is so funny, with many more animals joining to the rescue. It is also awesome for me to read this because it is full of dogs and I love them so much! Pavlova and Samantha were both magnificent and intelligent. Fred and the sports dogs were so funny. Not giving more details to avoid spoilers. Thanks again for this wonderful book and letting me read it, a fantastic souvenir.
Dogland Rescue follows the basset Bruno and his friends, trying to help golden retriever Macduff get back their shelter from cold hearted dogs. Dogland Rescue is so beautifully drawn and the colours are magnificent.This would be much more beautiful on printed material and I am looking forward to it. The story is so funny, with many more animals joining to the rescue. It is also awesome for me to read this because it is full of dogs and I love them so much! Pavlova and Samantha were both magnificent and intelligent. Fred and the sports dogs were so funny. Not giving more details to avoid spoilers. Thanks again for this wonderful book and letting me read it, a fantastic souvenir.
December 27, 2025
“Wonderful sight… What handsome creaturs we dogs are, such beauty all around me!”
A really charming, interesting and gorgeous graphic novel with mystery, comedy and a lots of beautiful dogs! I was really looking forward to finding such an easy to read and entertaining book, and I found it. I love the illustrations and the writing is truly delightful.
I would love to read more of Martin Lloyd’s books, I can’t wait!
[Thanks to NetGalley and to Martin Lloyd and Lyan Marlow for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review]⭐️
A really charming, interesting and gorgeous graphic novel with mystery, comedy and a lots of beautiful dogs! I was really looking forward to finding such an easy to read and entertaining book, and I found it. I love the illustrations and the writing is truly delightful.
I would love to read more of Martin Lloyd’s books, I can’t wait!
[Thanks to NetGalley and to Martin Lloyd and Lyan Marlow for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review]⭐️
December 7, 2025
A gorgeous graphic novel with dogs, wit, and heart. Loved it!
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.
January 26, 2026
First of all, extremely grateful to Netgalley and Martin Lloyd for the opportunity of reading this beautifully illustrated book!
This hero’s journey adventure begins with Bruno Bassett, who by directly addressing the readers, begins explaining the medieval village inspired map of Dogland and how he and his friends had to help rescue the heart of it: Mrs. and Ms. Macduff’s Orphan Refuge. As you may have guessed, almost everyone in this story is a dog (although there are physical differences between “twos” (biped) and “fours” (quadruped)), and there are quite a lot of breeds with a variety of common knowledge characteristics, leading to quite comedic comments and situations. There are a myriad of winks and references to our real world, as theirs seems to be created in our image, but adapting it to popular dog environment. For example, the books in Bruno’s studio are “Dog Latin”, “Law of Aromas” and “Advanced Sniffing”, and some renowned people such as “Virginia WOOF” and “Dalmatimus”; such witty details that can be seen only for those who thoroughly pay attention to details. The money system, restaurant scene and city centre shops are also tiny details which add to the depth of the world we are entering in; it helps us understand how this works and inevitably compare it to ourselves, making us reflect about how properly (or not) our world is functioning. In addition, I believe it’s not far-fetched to say that this story could be connected to colonialist topics of occupation and exploitation or even Nazism, although these are more visible for the knowledgeable (adult) ones. It also teaches basic human values such as empathy, love and courage, the importance of community, how to overcome fear etc.
On the other hand, I wanted to mention some things which I found not as positive. Firstly, some scenes we’re not as connected to each other and the dialogue as others (although this happened in few occasions), as the order or “camera angle” of the illustrations could have been different in order for the scene to be understood better. I will not mention every one in particular as this is already a published work and what might not have worked for me, might work for others. Secondly, the pace felt quite awkward at times for me. The introduction is quite rushed as almost every adventure story is, the readers need to know the reason why this IS an adventure, however, even though the characters mention the rush they are in and how they need to rescue CHILDREN from being EXPLOITED, we go on “side-quests” in order to complete the plan for longer than I would have expected. In my opinion, we could have gotten a better introduction to the world, how these beings are living, interactions between them BEFORE the tragedy happens. That’s also why we hardly get to know the characters deeply, lacking in creating a connection between the readers and these characters who we follow throughout the story and want to see them succeed. Finally, it is not quite clear for me who the target audience really is. I believe it is categorised as a children’s book, however, due to the quantity of “adult” (as in, children due to their lack of knowledge would not be able to understand) references and jokes it could also be targeted to an older audience.
Overall, regardless of some things which could be improved or taken into account for future works, this was a quick and quite interesting read that piqued my interest.
This hero’s journey adventure begins with Bruno Bassett, who by directly addressing the readers, begins explaining the medieval village inspired map of Dogland and how he and his friends had to help rescue the heart of it: Mrs. and Ms. Macduff’s Orphan Refuge. As you may have guessed, almost everyone in this story is a dog (although there are physical differences between “twos” (biped) and “fours” (quadruped)), and there are quite a lot of breeds with a variety of common knowledge characteristics, leading to quite comedic comments and situations. There are a myriad of winks and references to our real world, as theirs seems to be created in our image, but adapting it to popular dog environment. For example, the books in Bruno’s studio are “Dog Latin”, “Law of Aromas” and “Advanced Sniffing”, and some renowned people such as “Virginia WOOF” and “Dalmatimus”; such witty details that can be seen only for those who thoroughly pay attention to details. The money system, restaurant scene and city centre shops are also tiny details which add to the depth of the world we are entering in; it helps us understand how this works and inevitably compare it to ourselves, making us reflect about how properly (or not) our world is functioning. In addition, I believe it’s not far-fetched to say that this story could be connected to colonialist topics of occupation and exploitation or even Nazism, although these are more visible for the knowledgeable (adult) ones. It also teaches basic human values such as empathy, love and courage, the importance of community, how to overcome fear etc.
On the other hand, I wanted to mention some things which I found not as positive. Firstly, some scenes we’re not as connected to each other and the dialogue as others (although this happened in few occasions), as the order or “camera angle” of the illustrations could have been different in order for the scene to be understood better. I will not mention every one in particular as this is already a published work and what might not have worked for me, might work for others. Secondly, the pace felt quite awkward at times for me. The introduction is quite rushed as almost every adventure story is, the readers need to know the reason why this IS an adventure, however, even though the characters mention the rush they are in and how they need to rescue CHILDREN from being EXPLOITED, we go on “side-quests” in order to complete the plan for longer than I would have expected. In my opinion, we could have gotten a better introduction to the world, how these beings are living, interactions between them BEFORE the tragedy happens. That’s also why we hardly get to know the characters deeply, lacking in creating a connection between the readers and these characters who we follow throughout the story and want to see them succeed. Finally, it is not quite clear for me who the target audience really is. I believe it is categorised as a children’s book, however, due to the quantity of “adult” (as in, children due to their lack of knowledge would not be able to understand) references and jokes it could also be targeted to an older audience.
Overall, regardless of some things which could be improved or taken into account for future works, this was a quick and quite interesting read that piqued my interest.
December 8, 2025
Dogland is a quaint valley along a winding river comprised of the village Ruffley inhabited by canines. St. Bernard’s Home is an orphanage for young pups owned by golden retrievers Woofert MacDuff and his wife. Summer at St. Bernard’s was peaceful and quiet, akin to Manet’s picnic painting. Weeks later villager Albert the bulldog observes barbed wire surrounding St. Bernard’s property and the MacDuffs haven’t been seen for quite a while. At that moment MacDuff has been chased into the river and shot. Albert rescues MacDuff from his boat and takes him to the pub to be cared for by fellow villagers. MacDuff was able to tell his tale of how an unsavory sheepdog named Smiler came to St. Bernard’s with the intent to provide a large donation. The MacDuffs invited Smiler and his cohort Slimey inside for tea and cakes when they were overtaken by gunpoint. Mrs. MacDuff and the orphan pups were held prisoners in the dungeon but MacDuff managed to escape. St. Bernard’s is now protected by curs (vicious guard dogs).
With Bruno Basset (think of a canine Sherlock Holmes wearing a trench coat and a penchant for “dognac”, aka canine cognac, lol) and Fred Baskerville (bloodhound) as lead investigators on the case, MacDuff with his canine companions and friend informant Broxter the badger plan to rescue his wife, the orphan pups and St. Bernard’s Home … all in between their doggie naps, of course.
This has got to be one of the most adorable and creative graphic novels I have read in a long time. Having been a dog owner since birth, I love dog stories. However, this canine graphic novel really leads the pack (pun, get it?) in entertainment. There are many dog-related terms and puns such as a crossword puzzle clue: Sadness from the sound of a fruit dog – melancholy! Besides the dognac mentioned previously, some other puns: Pucci handbag, Kennel No. 5 parfum, The Dogfather, Hairy Potter, etc. The story is topnotch and the illustrations and colors are beyond any words I can possibly describe. The anthropomorphism is perfect.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy.
With Bruno Basset (think of a canine Sherlock Holmes wearing a trench coat and a penchant for “dognac”, aka canine cognac, lol) and Fred Baskerville (bloodhound) as lead investigators on the case, MacDuff with his canine companions and friend informant Broxter the badger plan to rescue his wife, the orphan pups and St. Bernard’s Home … all in between their doggie naps, of course.
This has got to be one of the most adorable and creative graphic novels I have read in a long time. Having been a dog owner since birth, I love dog stories. However, this canine graphic novel really leads the pack (pun, get it?) in entertainment. There are many dog-related terms and puns such as a crossword puzzle clue: Sadness from the sound of a fruit dog – melancholy! Besides the dognac mentioned previously, some other puns: Pucci handbag, Kennel No. 5 parfum, The Dogfather, Hairy Potter, etc. The story is topnotch and the illustrations and colors are beyond any words I can possibly describe. The anthropomorphism is perfect.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy.
February 8, 2026
Self-published graphic novels that come my way are rare, so it was a pleasure to see this example. And while it's no "Blacksad" or "Grandville", it's a reasonable all-ages comic regarding anthropomorphised animals, mainly dogs. There should be, in the bucolic valley we're concerned with, a pleasant orphanage and care home, but it's been stolen from the hands of the owners and turned into something malicious. With the residents prisoner there, it has to be liberated – but how?
This has flashes of being perfectly fine, and then stutters, going down a clumsy "comedy" route. The drama can be decent, but a lot of the middle is the hero pootering around, thinking to himself. This allows for silly things like driving a car via odour (sucked up a huge horn and given the driver via gas mask) to be highlighted, for no reason. Other bits of the world-building – the train ride, and just the fact some dogs are bipedal here and some aren't – are fine.
I felt this would also be improved by a greater connection to the characters – I know they're humble mutts, forced into criminality to save the day, but we don't really get their fish-out-of-water situation, however much they discuss their plans for us. This also could have gone more towards the Aardman style – not in looks but certainly in getting much closer to the Hollywood heist pastiche. Here we have too much amble and too much preamble, and the final scenes didn't really excite as they could have. Three and a bit stars.
This has flashes of being perfectly fine, and then stutters, going down a clumsy "comedy" route. The drama can be decent, but a lot of the middle is the hero pootering around, thinking to himself. This allows for silly things like driving a car via odour (sucked up a huge horn and given the driver via gas mask) to be highlighted, for no reason. Other bits of the world-building – the train ride, and just the fact some dogs are bipedal here and some aren't – are fine.
I felt this would also be improved by a greater connection to the characters – I know they're humble mutts, forced into criminality to save the day, but we don't really get their fish-out-of-water situation, however much they discuss their plans for us. This also could have gone more towards the Aardman style – not in looks but certainly in getting much closer to the Hollywood heist pastiche. Here we have too much amble and too much preamble, and the final scenes didn't really excite as they could have. Three and a bit stars.
January 15, 2026
First I would like to thank NetGalley, the Author and Artist and the Publisher for this ARC.
The art is stunning and cozy yet urgent and determined.
I thought that this would be a cute story. A bit of a mystery and a lot of cuteness.
But this is more like an Agatha Christie novel with a hit of John Wick's revenge.
The story is not very complicated, though it has a lot of wit, dry humor, a little bit of sarcasm and some comedy and romance. It's very clear that every dog has their own personality and scent.
I really liked the modern media references! 😆
It is, however, very slow paced and not even 100 pages long.
But it's a fun read for inbetween.
The art is stunning and cozy yet urgent and determined.
I thought that this would be a cute story. A bit of a mystery and a lot of cuteness.
But this is more like an Agatha Christie novel with a hit of John Wick's revenge.
The story is not very complicated, though it has a lot of wit, dry humor, a little bit of sarcasm and some comedy and romance. It's very clear that every dog has their own personality and scent.
I really liked the modern media references! 😆
It is, however, very slow paced and not even 100 pages long.
But it's a fun read for inbetween.
January 2, 2026
2.5 stars A unique graphic novel/comic, featuring dog characters that take on human characteristics... & there are mean, awful characteristics too. There's a mystery/thriller aspect to the story, & I also detected a current affairs aspect in the drawings too. It was entertaining enough, for the most part. I saw it labeled as a 'children's fiction', & it might be that.....but I'd bet that adults might read more into it?
I was gifted an e-ARC by publisher Dogland Books via NetGalley, providing me an opportunity to read it & share my own fair/honest review.
I was gifted an e-ARC by publisher Dogland Books via NetGalley, providing me an opportunity to read it & share my own fair/honest review.
December 22, 2025
I recieved an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and Dogland Books. I am leaving an honest review voluntarily.
This one just wasn't for me. While I found some of the jokes funny, for the most part it was rather boring. However, the artwork as beautiful.
This one just wasn't for me. While I found some of the jokes funny, for the most part it was rather boring. However, the artwork as beautiful.
January 8, 2026
It’s about the rescue of Mrs MacDuff and the children at the orphanage. It was quite an exciting story. I liked how they helped and supported one another while planning a clever strategy. Beautiful illustrations✨️
January 12, 2026
This is such an interesting anthropomorphized world! The first time we encountered a 4, I was confused, but this society kept me hooked! I was invested in both the expositional elements and the central plot. Sometimes it tended a bit toward the wordy side for me, but I loved when it trusted me with visual explanations. I will happily recommend this world to my kindergarteners as they level-up as readers.
Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC.
Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews