Comic: The President Killed My Dog
Release date: August 2017
Writer: Chris Kostecka
Artist: Dietrich Smith
Cover: full-color
Interior: full-color
Synopsis: Mary hoards everything including memories. She treats her dog Cindy like the child she could never bring into this world. One day, a freak accident leaves Cindy injured, and Mary's fragile mind cracks. Mary's world starts to unravel, and she vows vengeance upon the resident and his family. She wants them suffer like they have made her suffer. Will she succeed or fail?
The Deal
A couple of weeks ago writer Christ Kostecka contacted me if I was willing to review his comic (issue #1 and #2). He sent them from what I can only imagine is a very cold Chicago to my new house and I started reading it the day after it arrived. I promised an honest review, and here it is.
The Feel
The full-color 40-page comic is printed on beautiful silky and shiny paper. The paper used for the cover is about double the weight of the individual interior pages. The paper shows off the fully saturated colors and sometimes you can feel the ink on top of the paper but with this comic that's not the case. All the ink has been absorbed by the paper, which gives it a beautiful shine. The pages are kept together with two saddle stitches. I'm impressed with the quality and luxury of the paper. The comic is slightly (about 0.5mm) bigger than regular comics, but still fits in the regular sized board and bag.The Story
This first issue is the introduction. We meet Mary, who has just suffered a terrible loss and is trying to keep herself from going over the edge and giving up having a meaningful life. She keeps this promise by getting a dog called Cindy. Through the snippets of the past and present we learn they've become inseparable, but then the unthinkable happens.This first issue is rich in conveying feelings of love, happiness, loss and angst. It is very relatable for pet owners. Her anger at the end is almost tangible.
The Look
The fine-lined art is easy to read. Though it includes a lot of black I love the cover-art. It fits the title perfectly. Dietrich has a good eye for portraying emotions, without making it cartoony. The main colors are in the red/brown range, which gives the comic a stifling feeling in just the right places. The backgrounds are just detailed enough that it does not draw too much attention and you can just go along with the story as it unfolds. Outdoor backgrounds are often filled with black silhouettes. This adds to the weight of the story. I'm especially fond of the full page artworks in the story, see the image below.
Almost three-quarters through, just for a few pages, the lettering changed size which comes across as if people were shouting. It caught me off guard though I doubt most people even will notice it.
