Friday, June 09, 2006

Dogby Walks Alone 1

Created by Wes Abbott
Published by TokyoPop




Slugline: When there is a murder mystery in the happiest place on Earth, only Dogby, mightiest of the mascots, can be counted on to solve it.


Dogby Walks Alone is a continuation and extension of a Rising Star of Manga-winning short from the second collection. The never-revealed Dogby is the unofficial force for justice in HappyPlace, the happiest theme park in America. Except for the ex-Russian mafia security forces, amuck mascots from rival theme park Illusion Valley and the Bondian-villain-like HappyPlace management. Despite the chaos of place, and the mass disgruntlement of the workers leading to a robbery of the day's receipts, Dogby cares about only one thing.


The Princess has perished.


And someone has to pay.


Ranging from serious to tragicomic, Dogby Walks Alone is a detective story wrapped up in homages to dozens of different works, from Chinatown/Chinatoon to video games to the Blues Brothers. But around it, though the creator tries to undercut it deliberately, is the core of the story of Dogby wanting to do justice for the Princess, even though she couldn't respond to his own caring about her. While the art and sometimes the story is uneven, the characters ring true to their own world, and if you can appreciate some ironic humor, Dogby Walks Alone is for you.




- Ferdinand

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