The Indie Comix Dispatch: Feral #3

4.92/5.0 StarsRating if the Book Were a Movie: PG-13

Creative Team:

Writer: Tony FleecsArtist: Trish Forstner and Tone RodriguezColors: Brad SimpsonCover: Trish ForstnerEditor: Dennis CulverDesign: Lauren Herda and Erika SchnatzPublisher: Image Comics

Ratings:

Story: 5.0 StarsArtwork: 5.0 StarsCover Artwork: 4.8 StarsDialogue: 4.9 StarsMechanics: 4.9 StarsEditing: 4.9 Stars

About the Book:

The stakes have been raised in Creek County. All four legged mammals found in the woods are now to be considered rabid, whether they present with symptoms or not. Park rangers have orders to respond with extreme prejudice on sight with any creatures they encounter. How will three house cats that believe finding humans will be the end of their worries respond to this?

Reader’s Notes:

A lot of incredible books that I have been eager to read came out this week. “Feral” leapfrogged all of them to take the front spot in the reading queue. The conclusion of “Cobra Commander” will have to wait another day.

Fleecs goes for shock and awe from the word go as we transition from seeing Lord in the past to his current predicament. There have been few times reading comics that have left me that stunned. Well played.

I did love the part about sparkles. My three goofball dogs go nuts for them. I can easily see how Lord would be drawn to them. Like Lord, my critters would freak out when things got real.

Any pet owner has to feel for Elsie, Lord, and Patch. They are lost in the woods. They can’t trust other animals. They can’t trust humans. All they want to do is find their way back home to their families. The universe is doing everything in its power to keep that from happening.

With “Stray Dogs” we had animal themed homages to many classic horror film posters. Forstner has continued this tradition with “Feral”. I usually don’t go out of my way to get a variant cover. This cover was a rare exception to the rule. I specifically asked my local comic book store to put this one in my pull box.

I loved the movie poster for “M3GAN”. The artwork on this cover captures the spirit of that poster completely. There’s a creepiness to it that captures the imagination. As a bonus, even with it being a variant cover, it is still relevant to the story. “There’s more than one way to skin a cat.” Just like there’s more than one threat our feline heroes are facing.

Forstner and Rodriguez do amazing work on the interior pages as well. Their style meshes perfectly with the story. All the while the reader is pulled deeper into the story with each panel. The panels when Jonas was explaining the rules were my favorites.

As a geek on a budget I believe that “Feral” is an absolute must read. This title is quickly making its way onto my shortlist for the best title of 2024. We are getting a thrilling, action packed story, exciting characters, and artwork this is a sight to behold. I am very excited to see where this story will take us next.