Dead Dog's Bite

by Tyler Boss

Cormac Guffin has gone missing. It's been three days and no one has seen hide nor hair of her. The police have nothing, and the townsfolk are acting more like a funeral procession than a search party.

If Cormac has any hope of being found, it rests on the slouching shoulders of her best friend Joe. Joe will need her wits about her though because, like any story worth hearing, nothing is what it seems.

From award-winning cartoonist Tyler Boss (4 Kids Walk into Bank) comes the story of a riddle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a candy wrapper. Collecting Dead Dog's Bite #1-4, with a sketchbook section as well as all series covers, this hardcover edition is a must own!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Crime, Mystery, Comics Manga, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

136 pages, Hardcover

First published September 28, 2021

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this but it really wears its influences on its sleeve... in neon letters eighteen feet high.

This book is like Twin Peaks if it was narrated by Lemony Snicket. There’s also some Fargo, Wayward Pines and Briarpatch in there (actually, I might be wrong about that last one as it’s too recent to have influenced a book that’s clearly been in the works for quite some time).

Even the artwork, as good as it is, is very derivative of David Aja’s stuff. There’s also some Mike Allred influence in there, unless I’m much mistaken.

As I say, I really enjoyed this book but Tyler Boss really needs to find his own style.

My next book: Tiriel

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tyler Boss is trying real hard to channel David Lynch in this Twin Peaks like town where a teenage girl has disappeared and her best friend can't accept she's gone. She works the case even as she's told multiple times by the sheriff to leave it alone. I liked that the ending was different but I can't help but feel there wasn't enough substance in these 4 issues.

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 3 out of 5]

A small town, a girl called Cormac Guffin (rolls eyes..) that has gone missing, a weird peppermint factory, a weird mayor, a police chief that seems to know something, a young girl who wants to find her friend Cormac Guffin (rolls eyes again..).



Dark Horse does a mean line of Twin Peaks knock-offs - Everything to name another one, and now Dead Dog's Bite.

They have in common that they never completely work - it tries hard to be quirky, which at best leads to some funny dialogue, and at worst feels like filler.



I do like the ending - there's a sinister atmosphere throughout the book, and it's refreshing to see the ending making a less expected choice.

I mean, the story still makes little sense, and seems full of plot holes, but we can overlook it, I suppose.



The art is nice, reminds me of newspaper strips. I do hope you like the 9 panel grid, because you'll be seeing a lot of it - if you're lucky, there are plenty of pages with many more panels - it can get a bit repetitive and eye-mangling.



In the end, the quirkiness doesn't convince enough, and that's a shame, because without it, there's not much left.

2.5 stars

(Thanks to Dark Horse Books for providing me with an ARC through Edelweiss)

[Fraser Simons · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good and spooky and weird story that wraps up pretty nicely, but also differently than expected, yet not with a lot of punch. Some gorgeous and dynamic paneling and steady progress, coupled with an interesting gimmick to deliver narration keep it going, and above the chaff.

[Sem · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's experimental in form and it's absolutely bonkers in story and it's one of my favorite (if not my favorite) comics of 2021.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If the narrator calmly climbs out a manhole in the first scene of your book, I'm in. Dead Dog's Bite is weird, and not always successfully weird, but you gotta appreciate a book (especially by a debut author!) that just goes for it. Dead Dog's Bite goes for it.

Joe is a young woman in an idyllic small town looking for her missing friend amidst quirky neighbors. She keeps digging, against everyone's wishes, and finds something truly strange going on. The plot is compelling at first, but there's not enough meat on these bones and the conclusion is abrupt and unsatisfying. (The narrator is also mostly superfluous, which was disappointing) Dead Dog's Bite's reach exceeds its grasp in many ways, but like I said: it's got a weird vibe that works for me, even if the storytelling isn't always successful.

Always successful: Tyler Boss's artwork, which gives me flashbacks to the excellent 4 Kids Walk Into a Bank (he was also the artist there). The look of Dead Dog's Bite is haunting, strange, and perfect. Can't wait for the next Tyler Boss anything.

[Matthew Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Big Twilight Zone vibes and medium Ice Cream Man vibes. I didn’t hate this book and I didn’t love this book. I did really enjoy the way this book opened and the journey to the ending, but I did not enjoy the ending. I’d very solidly give this one a very solid middle of the road review.

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

This mini-series gives me feelings not unlike the Twilight Zone or Twin Peaks. And it all revolves around people fitting in or not at all. The way Tyler Boss presents everything is immense in panel layouts alone. It really brings out the narrative strengths of cartooning. It's like the comic book itself is telling the story. The way interruptions happen makes it obvious to the reader but almost never the characters.

Plus the more times I see the protagonist Joe try to level with people by imitating in the way they talk, they just don't connect.

It's like everybody's got something to hide and they'd rather not make a big deal out of it. But when that does become a big deal, they'd rather pretend it never happens, no matter how much closure it can bring.

[Mitch Kukulka · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The scars are proof that it happened. But it's how you tell people where you got them that matters."

Tyler Boss once again shows off his one-of-a-kind eye for color and composition in this innovative, surreal and heartfelt story. Now coupled with his own promising skills as a writer, we could be witnessing the rise of a major new talent in the comic medium.

[Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this. My major complaint was that it felt short and ended a bit abruptly. But in a way, that's just because I wanted more. The characters were all really distinct, including the narrator. The story really interested me, and there were some parts that made me laugh. The artwork was really top-notch as well. Josephine AKA Joe is the only one in town looking for her missing friend (and maybe crush?) Cormac Guffin. Through her investigation into the weird goings-on in town, she learns that the town is basically run through the local peppermint factory and people are allowed to leave when they turn 18, or stay and help create a cult/utopic society.

For a similar feeling of a small town mystery, young detectives, and something eerie going on, I'd recommend The Case of the Missing Men.
Read for my local library's graphic novel book club.

[Comic Bound · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully stylish and engrossing read for the most part, with a weaker ending than I would have liked. Though it's still definitely worth checking out, especially for fans of:
- Small town mystery/thriller (i.e. Fargo, Ozark, Twin Peaks, The Prisoner)
- David Aja's art on Hawkeye

[sheribubble · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the narration style and art in this book but the story didn't hook me as much as I expected. Still good though and I like that it was a bit unpredictable.

[April Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one, the art is cool, and the story is a kinda creepy slow burn quirkfest that admittedly wants to be Twin Peaks-ish. We have a missing girl, her best friend investigating the disappearance, and a town filled with strange happenings going on. The deeper Best Friend digs, the weirder things get, building up to an ending that really surprised me and was deeply satisfying. On a side note, there's a big peppermint factory in the town, and all I can think is how nice it must be living there, smelling peppermint all the time...

[Alex Sarll]

A teen detective unravels a mysterious disappearance in a small town, except that the conspiracy as unravelled looks more like the sort of thing crazy people think is happening than the sort that actually does. Also, the vanished kid is called Cormac Guffin, and the town is a company town where the company makes peppermints, and the whole thing operates at a pitch of stylisation where I'm almost tempted to mention Wes Anderson, except that I don't hate it, so let's maybe invoke Rian Johnson instead. I've only previously encountered Tyler Boss as the artist on comics written by other people, but between those other people often not being so good on their Bossless work, and the quality of this, I think I know who I'll be following from now on; there's an incredible fluency in the storytelling, where even in silent or near-silent sections the eye is unobtrusively guided through the key details of the scene, and where intrusive narrators or outlandish new elements can be dropped into the story without ever throwing the reader in ways other than the intentional ones.

[A Fan of Comics · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit of a short leash for this one....

Teens go missing in a small town and no one seems to bat an eye. I really wish this one could have been longer. It starts off in the middle of a mystery and just when it gets going, it ends and I feel like I showed up late to the party. That doesn't mean it wasn't good. It has a great first issue and lots of fun moments through out. The end is decent but I just thought there might be something more sinister. Its fun and I would love to see what they do for a part two (if any).

[A.J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like most Independent books I have read lately, this has a fantastic first issue before going off the rails. Basically, someone goes missing in a small town, and a Twins Peaks-Esque mystery ensues. The art is also David Aja-lite, so meh. Not bad, but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bizarre little tale about corruption in a small town, that feels a little like Twin Peaks. The storytelling is a little ambitious in scope, but I don't think it fully achieves what it intends in just five issues. The culmination of the story is rather abrupt and unsatisfying, and not in a Lynchian surreal kind of way, but rather in a "oh we need to wrap up" kind of way. I still enjoyed most of this comic though, and a big reason is Tyler Boss' artwork who does some of the cleanest panel layouts in the business. I'm a fan of whatever work Boss puts out, and I'm glad I gave one of his solo books a try.

[Roxy · Rating 3 out of 5]

really really liked the art in this - everything from the illustration, the compositions, and the colors is top notch. just wish that the story didn't feel so slight! the setting and characters feel like they needed a few more issues to be more lived in, and the narrative needed that in order to escalate the tension more. didn't really feel like i was very invested by the time everything was resolved.

[boofykins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dead Dog's Bite is a quick and fun little read that leaves you just a little less than satisfied. I feel it could have benefitted from a five issue arc, rather than four issues. The book features some good and bad, including a Twilight Zone-esque narrator, a kooky Fargo-esque tone, David Aja-esque art, neo-noir-esque stylings, and a missing person who's name, Cormac Guffin, is a little... no, WAY too on the nose. Google "McGuffin" if you aren't familiar with my inference.

[Andy Hickman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dead Dog's Bite
Quirky, crisp and clever tale of girl gone missing and the friend that pushes the edges of society to find out why. Great suspense, unexpected ending. ****
#1- "I, nor anyone who I know, am not now, nor have ever been, a member of the Communist Party." - narrator
#2- "Right, so I made a crack in Mac's case." - Joe
#3- "MISSING! Local boy.. unaccounted for" - local newspaper
#4- "Why cover it up? Why- why any of this?" - Joe
.....

[Abby Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

HmmmMMM interesting. Fun and enjoyable (and slightly dense visual-wise) to read. When the “answer” to the mystery was revealed, so too did I wish that the setup would’ve been longer and delved more into the goings on of the town. Could’ve easily been 2 to 3 issues more for some really powerful payoff. But a nice ending that got me thonkin what I would do in the protag’s situation.

[Sebastien · Rating 2 out of 5]

was expecting more , doesn't go deep enough the story could be told in one issue. We don't have enough time to care and be attached to any of the characters. There is no surprise the ending .we are left with question of why ,i could had half a star , but this is not a 3 star for me. It has a twin peaks vibe for sure ,but it feels like it is trying to hard,doesn't feel natural.

[Panagiotis G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although the ending is a bit unbelievable or to put it better, impossible, I loved all these books. Loved the storytelling, loved the main character and supporting ones, loved the artwork and the aftertaste of it all. :) <3 <3

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved their first book, this did not have the energy. The main character is quiet and the story feels hushed. It has a great flow from comic to comic but I just never felt that interested, quick read not worth your time.

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I suspect that it won’t actually hold together as well as I want it to the longer I think about it, and it’s a little too aware of how clever it is, but I really enjoyed the experience of reading it and the bittersweet chords it strummed in my small-town soul.

[John Mihelic]

This book is kind of like a small town murder mystery where people are going missing and the main character is trying to uncover what's going on. It's not bad, just not really memorable. I'd say it's got some Shirley Jackson The Lottery vibes.

[Jake Nap]

Don’t really know how to rate this one but I liked it quite a lot. The cartooning is superb and I really liked the lead up to the climax but I have to process everything as a whole and maybe reread it

[Jack Chalk · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story line lacks depth and so do characters. Your left with question marks floating around your head but I think that's the point. But in saying that, the visual art is beautiful, the humour is whitty and relatable and it was an enjoyable read.

[Juju · Rating 4 out of 5]

Masterfully crafted paneling and visual storytelling, the kind of mystery that makes you want to curl up on a cold evening and escape into the pages. The story has a dark, surreal, eerie tone that mirrors something like Twin Peaks. However the ending left me wanting - perhaps that was the intent.

[Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the journey.
a teen is searching for her missing friend.
there's something fishy in this town with missing people over the years.

great humour and art in the book

I just didn't feel satisfied with the ending.