What do you think?
Rate this book
Kennel Block Blues
When Oliver is sent to Jackson State Kennel, he faces threats from the guards, the other dogs, the cats...and from his own mind.
Oliver is a good dog. A family dog. But without warning, he’s sentenced to Jackson State Kennel, where he’s instantly placed on Death Row with the rest of his fellow inmates, awaiting a lethal appointment if salvation doesn’t come. He’ll need help escaping the Kennel, but when the stress of prison life builds, he starts escaping reality instead, imagining a fantasy world of cartoon friends. It’s time to break out . . . into a musical number?
From the imaginations of writer Ryan Ferrier ( Sons of Anarchy, Curb Stomp ) and artist Daniel Bayliss ( Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Jim Henson’s The Dragons ), Kennel Block Blues is an inventive, heartfelt journey that explores themes of loss, mental illness, and the horrors both humans and animals endure when incarcerated.
Oliver is a good dog. A family dog. But without warning, he’s sentenced to Jackson State Kennel, where he’s instantly placed on Death Row with the rest of his fellow inmates, awaiting a lethal appointment if salvation doesn’t come. He’ll need help escaping the Kennel, but when the stress of prison life builds, he starts escaping reality instead, imagining a fantasy world of cartoon friends. It’s time to break out . . . into a musical number?
From the imaginations of writer Ryan Ferrier ( Sons of Anarchy, Curb Stomp ) and artist Daniel Bayliss ( Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Jim Henson’s The Dragons ), Kennel Block Blues is an inventive, heartfelt journey that explores themes of loss, mental illness, and the horrors both humans and animals endure when incarcerated.
112 pages, Paperback
First published January 18, 2017
2 people are currently reading
61 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
February 7, 2017
'Kennel Block Blues' by Ryan Ferrier with art by Daniel Bayliss is the kind of graphic novel I had to think about before reviewing. It's that strange and unusual.
Oliver is a dog sent up to Jackson State Kennel. He sometimes bends reality, so when things around him get stressful, he sees everything as a cartoon musical. He's certain he's not supposed to be in this grim world where the cats seem to run the place and the guards are nothing but shadowy arms.
He makes some friends, like Cosmo, a bulldog, who tries to show Oliver around, or his hardened cellmate Sugar, a chihuahua, who just wants to escape. An escape attempt is made and that's when the reality of what happens to these unwanted animals is revealed.
There is so much being said in this comic. It deals with abused and unwanted animals, mental illness, incarceration, race relations and probably a bunch of other things I missed. Yet it does it in such an unusual way. It's still ultimately a depressing comic, but it's just so darn strange that I couldn't help but really like it. The art by Daniel Bayliss was good. Grim when it needed to be and overly colorful and sappy when Oliver goes around the bend. I'm really glad I had the chance to read this graphic novel.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Boom! Studios and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
Oliver is a dog sent up to Jackson State Kennel. He sometimes bends reality, so when things around him get stressful, he sees everything as a cartoon musical. He's certain he's not supposed to be in this grim world where the cats seem to run the place and the guards are nothing but shadowy arms.
He makes some friends, like Cosmo, a bulldog, who tries to show Oliver around, or his hardened cellmate Sugar, a chihuahua, who just wants to escape. An escape attempt is made and that's when the reality of what happens to these unwanted animals is revealed.
There is so much being said in this comic. It deals with abused and unwanted animals, mental illness, incarceration, race relations and probably a bunch of other things I missed. Yet it does it in such an unusual way. It's still ultimately a depressing comic, but it's just so darn strange that I couldn't help but really like it. The art by Daniel Bayliss was good. Grim when it needed to be and overly colorful and sappy when Oliver goes around the bend. I'm really glad I had the chance to read this graphic novel.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Boom! Studios and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
Read
January 28, 2017A hard-bitten prison drama with anthropomorphic animals, because why not? But even to characterise this as Oz meets The Unfunnies (the Mark Millar comic that isn't soon to be a major motion picture, ever) doesn't quite capture the strangeness. Everything we see or hear about life before prison suggests the animals were formerly just animals in a human-run world like this one; the prison guards are disembodied arms of darkness; and the lead is not right in the head, so keeps overlaying his grim surroundings with something closer to a saccharine Disney musical, until even his fantasy world curdles. On one level, none of this makes a lick of sense, yet somehow it has an intuitive, emotional coherence that holds everything together. I don't know why this comic exists, but I'm glad it does.
(Netgalley ARC)
(Netgalley ARC)
April 10, 2025
This was a fantastic idea for a comic book, treating the dog shelter like it's Shawshank. However, there's very little coherent narrative here. Our hero keeps seeing things as old-timey cartoons every time he gets stressed. It happens so frequently and for so many pages that it takes you out of the story. The guards are just smokey arms that show up randomly to take an animal away. They keep talking about escaping, but there's no narrative here. The animals are just running around until they eventually get out. It was a great premise that ,handled correctly, could have been fantastic.
Received an advance copy from Boom! and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Received an advance copy from Boom! and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 18, 2017
Oliver the frenchie finds himself in a kennel car's back that brings in stray animals from the street, he had his life till now with whipped cream-like daze everyday having fun with his family but he says be was dog-napped and while he escaped his captors when in reality he is just repressing the memory of being abandoned by his humans. then running after their departing car Oliver got caught up by the kennel peoples collective imprisonment.
He is oblivious to the fact that he is in prison and he firmly believes this is just a big misunderstanding, no matter how many times Cosmo the pitbull tries to get it across his cartoon tainted head.Oliver is becoming the cellmate of Sugar the chihuahua.
he befriends Charlie the old but hyperactive dog, Cosmo's cellmate, an old seemingly blind ex-lab rabbit, and an old carefree cat. together they plan on escaping the cat-ruled prison...
The art is stunning and the story running deep into the depths of the pets thinking.
at the end of the book there are cover arts and illustrations from the make in progress stages of the comic.
I, as a dog and animal lover rated it 5/5 stars.
He is oblivious to the fact that he is in prison and he firmly believes this is just a big misunderstanding, no matter how many times Cosmo the pitbull tries to get it across his cartoon tainted head.Oliver is becoming the cellmate of Sugar the chihuahua.
he befriends Charlie the old but hyperactive dog, Cosmo's cellmate, an old seemingly blind ex-lab rabbit, and an old carefree cat. together they plan on escaping the cat-ruled prison...
The art is stunning and the story running deep into the depths of the pets thinking.
at the end of the book there are cover arts and illustrations from the make in progress stages of the comic.
I, as a dog and animal lover rated it 5/5 stars.
February 24, 2017
Shawshank Redemption musical. bizarre. OK. Teen friendly.
September 2, 2019
NerdBurger recommendation!
I thought this was a really unique concept, but I'm not a dog person. Cats are always portrayed as villains and the single bunny in this story didn't do much. Kennel Block Blues is when wayward pets are scooped up and taken to the kennel, it becomes an epic jailbird story. It becomes gritty with heavy backstories and steep rivalries between the dogs and cats. The main character had bouts of lunacy where the hard gray colors would change to a technicolor Disney rainbow. The realistic animals would change to cutesy 1930's animation. That was my favorite part of the book and I would have preferred that artwork. Perhaps I would have enjoyed this more if I liked dogs, but I can applaud the conceptualization and impressive switching art styles.
I thought this was a really unique concept, but I'm not a dog person. Cats are always portrayed as villains and the single bunny in this story didn't do much. Kennel Block Blues is when wayward pets are scooped up and taken to the kennel, it becomes an epic jailbird story. It becomes gritty with heavy backstories and steep rivalries between the dogs and cats. The main character had bouts of lunacy where the hard gray colors would change to a technicolor Disney rainbow. The realistic animals would change to cutesy 1930's animation. That was my favorite part of the book and I would have preferred that artwork. Perhaps I would have enjoyed this more if I liked dogs, but I can applaud the conceptualization and impressive switching art styles.
August 30, 2016
If you like pets, then this is the comic to read. "Kennel Block Blues" takes its title from paraphrasing Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues". We have the prisoners song, but the ones who are singing are dogs and cats. Dogs and cats left from their previous owners, dogs and cats left on the street. Now, when they're in prison they just want freedom. But, as you can imagine, freedom comes with a cost.
Even if they succeed in their quest, where will they go? Most of them don't have families and People to come back to. They are abandoned. But, freedom, even without a home, beats prison any day. "Kennel Block Blues" investigates the prison, showing us through animals something that's entirely human. Hope. Desire to be loved. They just want to give themselves completely.
That's, I'm sure you'll agree, something we often forget in our rushed, modern, everyday lives.
Even if they succeed in their quest, where will they go? Most of them don't have families and People to come back to. They are abandoned. But, freedom, even without a home, beats prison any day. "Kennel Block Blues" investigates the prison, showing us through animals something that's entirely human. Hope. Desire to be loved. They just want to give themselves completely.
That's, I'm sure you'll agree, something we often forget in our rushed, modern, everyday lives.
May 5, 2017
Kennel Block Blues is a strange comics. A musical (in comic form) inside a prison (for animals) with a grounded and deeply disturbing atmosphere (except when it turns into an insane, hyper-colorized cross between a Walt Disney cartoon and the Itchy and Scratchy show).
This is not the comic for everyone, that is for sure. The surreal atmosphere of the main character's attempts to remain optimistic in a crushingly depressing situation can turn people off but it's something that I really appreciate. If you want a really good visual metaphor for the tone of this book, just take a look at the first two spreads that have the credits on them. The first one is reality, with a line up of muted colored dogs and cats, with our main character, Oliver, sporting a very out of place grin. No one else looks happy to be there. The second spread is exactly the same, with Oliver sporting a very out of place grin, but instead of being surrounded by the muted colors of reality, he's surrounded by these brightly colored, smiling animals. Everything is so positive but Oliver (who is drawn no differently here) seems terrified for his life.
It set the tone for the rest of the book and I absolutely loved it. Daniel Bayliss does such a good job of navigating these two worlds and of making each of the characters unique looking. They were striking, with matted fur and their looks all informed their personalities. It feels as if Bayliss and Ferrier went and looked at animals going, "I wonder what this face would be like if it were anthropomorphic?" and just ran with it. The hyperactivity of the hippie looking dog, Cosmo's gruffness, the cats' surly attitudes and the chihuahua's sharp, quick anger all felt totally ingrained in the characters. (This is especially true during one of the ending scenes ).
Additionally, this comic is fairly short, only about 110 pages but it feels much longer (in a good way). I felt like I was totally immersed in this strange world of animal prison and each issue made sure that a lot happened. My only complaints are that the singing didn't really work at all for me. It was kind of jarring because I couldn't hear it. The downside to doing songs in print or comics is that without a pre-existing song, there is nothing to go on. However, the songs did help to establish the tone of the piece and the mental state of Oliver so I'm torn there.
But all in all, a really good read, even if it is a bit strange.
This is not the comic for everyone, that is for sure. The surreal atmosphere of the main character's attempts to remain optimistic in a crushingly depressing situation can turn people off but it's something that I really appreciate. If you want a really good visual metaphor for the tone of this book, just take a look at the first two spreads that have the credits on them. The first one is reality, with a line up of muted colored dogs and cats, with our main character, Oliver, sporting a very out of place grin. No one else looks happy to be there. The second spread is exactly the same, with Oliver sporting a very out of place grin, but instead of being surrounded by the muted colors of reality, he's surrounded by these brightly colored, smiling animals. Everything is so positive but Oliver (who is drawn no differently here) seems terrified for his life.
It set the tone for the rest of the book and I absolutely loved it. Daniel Bayliss does such a good job of navigating these two worlds and of making each of the characters unique looking. They were striking, with matted fur and their looks all informed their personalities. It feels as if Bayliss and Ferrier went and looked at animals going, "I wonder what this face would be like if it were anthropomorphic?" and just ran with it. The hyperactivity of the hippie looking dog, Cosmo's gruffness, the cats' surly attitudes and the chihuahua's sharp, quick anger all felt totally ingrained in the characters. (This is especially true during one of the ending scenes ).
Additionally, this comic is fairly short, only about 110 pages but it feels much longer (in a good way). I felt like I was totally immersed in this strange world of animal prison and each issue made sure that a lot happened. My only complaints are that the singing didn't really work at all for me. It was kind of jarring because I couldn't hear it. The downside to doing songs in print or comics is that without a pre-existing song, there is nothing to go on. However, the songs did help to establish the tone of the piece and the mental state of Oliver so I'm torn there.
But all in all, a really good read, even if it is a bit strange.
February 23, 2017
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read a digital copy of this book in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.
All kinds of crazy fun.
The comic opens up with the main protagonist, a French Bulldog named Oliver, getting checked into the Jackson State Kennel. When stressed, Oliver seems to have these mental episodes where he starts seeing everything as an old-timey dance and singalong.
This happens quite a lot throughout his struggle to deal with prison life and interact with the other anthropomorphic animals that are imprisoned there.
The comic really delves into the lives of unwanted pets and how they deal with their abuse inside a system that is set up to ultimately kill them instead of save them. That being said, I wasn't completely into the story. It was interesting enough and I like the theme, but I totally had a different outcome in mind when reading it. I had thought that Oliver would somehow end up as the slightly crazy, but charismatic leader of everyone in the kennel. Like fight his way to the top kind of thing. Instead the story takes a different route that isn't bad, but it isn't my style.
Daniel Bayliss' art is really good, though. I really enjoyed it and hopefully look forward to reading more comics with his work in it.
All kinds of crazy fun.
The comic opens up with the main protagonist, a French Bulldog named Oliver, getting checked into the Jackson State Kennel. When stressed, Oliver seems to have these mental episodes where he starts seeing everything as an old-timey dance and singalong.
This happens quite a lot throughout his struggle to deal with prison life and interact with the other anthropomorphic animals that are imprisoned there.
The comic really delves into the lives of unwanted pets and how they deal with their abuse inside a system that is set up to ultimately kill them instead of save them. That being said, I wasn't completely into the story. It was interesting enough and I like the theme, but I totally had a different outcome in mind when reading it. I had thought that Oliver would somehow end up as the slightly crazy, but charismatic leader of everyone in the kennel. Like fight his way to the top kind of thing. Instead the story takes a different route that isn't bad, but it isn't my style.
Daniel Bayliss' art is really good, though. I really enjoyed it and hopefully look forward to reading more comics with his work in it.
February 6, 2019
Why would someone attempt at rewriting ‘acid trippy dogverse’? this question kept popping up in my mind all the time I read this book. Is it right to judge? was another! I still have not found answers to these important questions. I believe at the end of reading a book based on something as stupendous as western genre however good or bad the book is we do end up with some learning or the other. That is one way of looking at the ‘money’ aspect especially when the pandemonium around the book release is above the skies. I did not read the book with any expectations hence it did not pain me much, that does not mean I found it thoroughly entertaining. It did not bore me either. Do I care when the next book in the series releases? Ah, well.
story: 4/5
art: 4/5
story: 4/5
art: 4/5
May 25, 2017
Kennel Block Blues is a bonkers prison drama starring cats and dogs and the protagonist Oliver often retreats into his own mind and the world starts to look like a classic cartoon from the 40's complete with everyone bursting into song. This is a wild ride and the art by Daniel Bayliss is superb. Something just didn't quite click for me and I'm not sure what. It was a good read but didn't blow me away.
April 18, 2023
Other reviews for this one says that this is a"Teen friendly" book!
Teen friendly????!!!!!! This graphic novel has a lot of blood and carnage in it. I don`t know how you could say that this is teen friendly !
The drawing and coloring are very good, above average, but the story itself, isn`t what I was expecting to be. Overall this was kind of a symbolic story about the hard life of caged dogs and cats and not a real thing...
I wasn`t impressed.
Teen friendly????!!!!!! This graphic novel has a lot of blood and carnage in it. I don`t know how you could say that this is teen friendly !
The drawing and coloring are very good, above average, but the story itself, isn`t what I was expecting to be. Overall this was kind of a symbolic story about the hard life of caged dogs and cats and not a real thing...
I wasn`t impressed.
July 26, 2017
One of the most original stories I have read in a long time. I'm still trying to unpack all of it. There's a great deal of nuanced about the justice system, mental illness, and of course pet ownership. I would recommend this to anyone who has ever adopted, or thought of adopting an animal from a shelter. Really anyone who loves animals will find something to enjoy in this graphic novel.
June 3, 2017
I'm the end it had more depth and character development than I thought it would, it got past the gimmick.
July 23, 2017
4.0/5.0
January 17, 2018
Found the ‘singing’ and cartoon interludes a bit jarring. I like the idea - just not my cup of tea.
September 23, 2018
Classique dans son approche du genre (univers carcéral) mais extrêmement original par son traitement (animaux, monde onirique, ...). Agréablement surpris par cette lecture.
December 25, 2018
A great series. I felt the rawness and emotion. Also, gotta love talking animals.
September 12, 2019
Had some issues with the story details, art was WICKED good.
December 29, 2019
Velmi zajímavý koncept, krásně nakreslený. Jen možná příliš rychle ukončený a stahovaný k běžnému vězeňskému dramatu.
October 3, 2020
A hidden gem
Long story short it's a metaphor for abandoned and abused pets told from their perspective.In a colorful and unique way.
Long story short it's a metaphor for abandoned and abused pets told from their perspective.In a colorful and unique way.
March 5, 2017
I loved Ferrier's D4ve and thus I was excited to get my hands on Kennel Block Blues. The comic is about animals getting sentenced to a kennel and mostly on Death Row too. Oliver and his new friends need to get out, since of course none of them wants to die. Oliver is the main character, a dog, who's stress makes him see everything in a musical form and lets face it, the whole thing is psychedelic and made on acid. The prison break is interesting as well as the power play between the animals. I wished we had learnt why the animals were in the kennel though, since we only know Oliver's story. This bugged me a lot, since it's hard to feel anything for the others and we do see death, so. What was the point of the musical thing and why did Cosmo haunt Oliver? So many things were left unsaid and it's a shame, since the plot and all are very interesting.
I liked the art a lot. The reality of the comic is dark, thick and husky as opposed to the musical scenes that were colorful and fluffy with lots of yellow. The contrast is perfect, really. The facial expressions were great and the anthropomorphic animals are ugly and awesome at the same time. Kennel Block Blues reminded me of Oz and Prison Break. It's not a humorous comic, but quite dark and depressing and the hippie colors are a weird add-on. I liked this, but more pages would've made it better, since this needed more room to develop.
I liked the art a lot. The reality of the comic is dark, thick and husky as opposed to the musical scenes that were colorful and fluffy with lots of yellow. The contrast is perfect, really. The facial expressions were great and the anthropomorphic animals are ugly and awesome at the same time. Kennel Block Blues reminded me of Oz and Prison Break. It's not a humorous comic, but quite dark and depressing and the hippie colors are a weird add-on. I liked this, but more pages would've made it better, since this needed more room to develop.
September 26, 2019
J'ai été attiré par la couverture colorée mais c'est beaucoup plus que ça. C'est l'histoire d'un chien qui face au stress de la vie carcérale, commence à fuir la réalité en imaginant un monde de fantaisie. Un scénario et des dessins parfait qui explorent, d'une façon originale, les troubles mentaux et les horreurs de l'incarcération.
December 18, 2021
What a GREAT book! I'd like to highligh the Art but this comic was wonderful in every aspect. It was vibrant and dark simultaneously in a way that worked. The layouts were dynamic and engaging. The story was simple, fun, yet strong and gave moments for introspection.
A fight against good and evil, against The System, against one's self. Beautiful work.
A fight against good and evil, against The System, against one's self. Beautiful work.
January 23, 2017
So wildly original that many readers may hate it. I loved it.
January 29, 2017
Read in singles last year, really awesome story!
March 31, 2017
This short run comic tells the story of Oliver, a good dog sent to a kennel, and how he befriends fellow inmates and helps to plan an escape. And when I say inmates, that's what I mean - the kennel is depicted as a prison, with multiple types of animals incarcerated therein. But mostly it's cats and dogs and, not surprisingly, they don't get along.
When Ollie is stressed, his mind wanders back to earlier days when he was a pup, watching cartoon musicals with his human family. There are abrupt changes in the action and artwork as the colorful cartoon world overtakes him. And all the animals around him wonder just what's going on - because it's not all in his head.
The plot is both sad and hopeful. It's amazing how much of a commentary can be made on loss and mental illness through anthropomorphism, but it really works.
(Complimentary copy received in exchange for honest review.)
When Ollie is stressed, his mind wanders back to earlier days when he was a pup, watching cartoon musicals with his human family. There are abrupt changes in the action and artwork as the colorful cartoon world overtakes him. And all the animals around him wonder just what's going on - because it's not all in his head.
The plot is both sad and hopeful. It's amazing how much of a commentary can be made on loss and mental illness through anthropomorphism, but it really works.
(Complimentary copy received in exchange for honest review.)
April 7, 2017
This is an odd book. Essentially what you're looking at is a prison drama, except with animals, and maybe they're in a real life kennel? That's the gist, except also the main character is a delusional cartoon-nut, and frequently sees the world as a colorful musical number.
Kennel Block Blues' greatest asset is its art. Ferrier's script is an absolute playground for Daniel Bayliss' incredible artwork. The two styles he employs blend together wonderfully, to create a unique tone, and his panel layouts are equally inspired. For the art alone, the book warrants a looksie.
The script was a bit all over the place. There were lots of evident moments of technical mastery. There's some good dialogue, characters feel unique, and the premise is interesting. Over just four issues though, the pacing is really focused on one particular beat, and the characters don't have a lot of room to grow. The one dynamic character arc falls flat, simply overshadowed by what's not going to get accomplished.
To Ferrier's credit though, the final issue is a rollicking, fast-paced climax, that while not entirely sound from the metaphor's standpoint, has a couple great sequences, and a clever conclusion.
I would like more answers. I would have liked time for more drama. Basically, I would like more issues. Had this been longer, it would have been better, but I still had a good time, and was just thrilled with the artwork.
Kennel Block Blues' greatest asset is its art. Ferrier's script is an absolute playground for Daniel Bayliss' incredible artwork. The two styles he employs blend together wonderfully, to create a unique tone, and his panel layouts are equally inspired. For the art alone, the book warrants a looksie.
The script was a bit all over the place. There were lots of evident moments of technical mastery. There's some good dialogue, characters feel unique, and the premise is interesting. Over just four issues though, the pacing is really focused on one particular beat, and the characters don't have a lot of room to grow. The one dynamic character arc falls flat, simply overshadowed by what's not going to get accomplished.
To Ferrier's credit though, the final issue is a rollicking, fast-paced climax, that while not entirely sound from the metaphor's standpoint, has a couple great sequences, and a clever conclusion.
I would like more answers. I would have liked time for more drama. Basically, I would like more issues. Had this been longer, it would have been better, but I still had a good time, and was just thrilled with the artwork.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews