Hound OGN
Mad Cave Studios

W: Sam Freeman & Sam Romesburg
A: Rodrigo Vazquez
L: Justin Birth

Solicitation…

Found nestled and protected within a den of wolves, the journal of Private Barrow, a fresh young soldier drafted into Britain’s royal army during the height of World War I, meticulously and explicitly recounts the events that lead to his death. However, where most men are sent to the trenches, Barrow was sent to a place known only to him as the “gas quarter” — a patch along the western front known for incessant mustard gas attacks. In that place he meets the Hounds and he is soon pulled into a hell that can only come from the savage horror of war.

Thoughts…

I have read very few comics that are set during WW1 or 2 but something about this OGN made me want to give it a read. As I began reading I found the narration to be quite engaging and I was soon fully focused on the story being told. Baby faced Private Barrow is thrust into a world unlike any he has seen before. He knows the horrors of war already but what he is about to experience will feel like Hell has come to earth.

The narration throughout the book is really strong and extremely descriptive, more than once I paused to reflect on what it was saying about the situation our main character is in and war as a whole. There is a moment this story flips and things get extremely dark and everything descends into what would best described as furious madness. There are some really shocking moments throughout the story as it continues, with Barrow really being pushed to the edge of desperation. There is no shying away from the brutality of the story at all, to say that Barrow is irrevocably changed by the events would be an understatement. There is a flashback to Barrow's childhood and I found this to be quite a profound part of the story, and as the book comes to a close the words “War is a sickness” should resonate with the state of the world we find ourselves in today.

The art style works really well to emphasize the horrific aspects of the story, thankfully it is not realistic in its style. Something the images do really well is show the fear in Barrows eyes , even when he has a gas mask on, the emotions shine through the images. Likewise later in the story there is a panel and that fear has gone and his eyes almost seem dark as if the spark has gone and all that's left is the reflection of the horrors of the world, he is haunted and that shows in his gaze.

At first this book was just a really good read but as I went over it again to do the review and saw more of the little details and really taking the time to digest what the story was telling us I realised that this book was a fantastic read. There is some real depth to the story and this is all heightened with the illustration. Fans of comics set during the war and horror will really enjoy this comic but this should appeal to most comic book readers to be fair. This a 9 out of 10 for me, dark and enthralling and horrific, what's not to like…
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