Writer Tony Fleecs and artist Trish Forstner had a big hit on their hands with Stray Dogs, a horrifying serial killer tale told from the perspective of dogs straight out of a Don Bluth movie. So how do you follow that up? Feral, an even more terrifying Image Comics book best described as Walking Dead with cats.
The ongoing series starts, as most of these things do, with the outbreak of a zombie plague. Only here, it’s an advanced form of rabies that targets cats and other animals, giving them red, glowing eyes and a hunger for flesh. In the middle of this, three indoor cats named Elsie, Lord Fluffy Britches, and Patch find themselves suddenly thrust outside and on the run.
Using the tropes of zombie fiction through the lens of cats works shockingly well, and by this point Fleecs is an expert at building tension and terror throughout arcs. Anyone who has read Walking Dead or others knows how this goes: our survivors head to a safe haven, something is horribly wrong, a few die, they gain new survivors, and are on the run once more. But the literally down on the ground perspective of our feline heroes gives the genre a fresh coat of paint, and new disgusting things to deal with (the currently running arc set in a massive pet store is particularly stomach churning).
Tone Rodriguez joins Forstner on art and seamlessly fits into the ongoing look of the series. Imagine if The Aristocats started eating each other, and you have the basic idea. It’s that push and pull between cute and horrific that makes this — and Stray Dogs — so unique. But all credit to the team for actually delving into the emotional lives of the characters, who just happen to be cats. It takes what could be a one-joke premise and elevates the comic to something truly special.
If pets in danger aren’t your thing… Turn away. But if you’re intrigued by the idea of how this all plays out, and don’t mind the blood and gore, you’ll go absolutely feral for Feral.
It’s spooky season, and you know what that means: time to curl up with a comic book or graphic novel that will scare your socks off. With that in mind, we’re posting a new horror book to check out every day of October, for our 31 Days Of Halloween Comics. Awoooo! Looking for the rest of our picks? Check them out on the Halloween tag.
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