Kennel Block Blues #1
BOOM! Studios
Writer: Ryan Ferrier
Artist: Daniel Bayliss
Colourist: Adam Metcalfe
Letterer: Colin Bella
My childhood was full of funny animals going on adventures. I loved watching The Rescuers, Oliver and Company and at a young age realized that these movies touched on darker themes but never really went deep into them. So, when Kennel Block Blues was announced from BOOM! Studios I was instantly excited.
The comic focuses on a brand new inmate to the Jackson Kennel, Oliver, a good, kind, family dog, wrongfully sent to the kennel and placed on Death Row. Without going into spoiler territory, we meet a wide range of interesting and complex characters all dealing with the setting they’ve been placed in. Oliver’s coping mechanism is really quite intriguing and provides beautiful visual storytelling.
The art, coloring and letters from Bayliss, Metcalfe and Bella really provide a cute, Betty Boop-esque style to Oliver’s musical escapades. There is a particular scene where the fantasy musical style really goes all out and it feels like a nightmare. The team behind this book absolutely killed it and left me wanting much, much more.
Kennel Block Blues #1 will hit Comic Book Stores on February 3rd. Don’t miss this anthropomorphic prison tail.