WRITER: GARTH ENNIS
ART: MICHAEL DIPASCALE
Garth Ennis takes a dog's eye view of the apocalypse. The main catastrophe is apparently covered in another of his series, Crossed, which I have yet to read but it doesn't hurt Red Rover Charlie. In fact the abstract and incomplete perspective on man's seemingly total downfall as everyone is turned into psychotic zombies actually works in its' favour, adding an unpredictability and elliptical quality that adds to the confusion - there are various occasions when events are simply beyond the dogs' comprehension and that's where they're left.
That is one of the book's great strengths; there's a determined attempt to think everything through from the point of view of the three dogs we follow - Red, Rover and Charlie. They all have scant knowledge of anything they haven't seen in person, relying only on the fragmented word of mouth picked up from other dogs they've met in their largely urban lives. This extends to vocabulary, with the dogs speaking only the words they'd have picked up from day to day and frequently suffering headaches as they try to comprehend their lives being turned upside down.
Characterisation is the other big strength; the lead trio are quickly fleshed out and make for an engaging if imperfect trio, leading to a fantastic character arc for former helper dog Charlie as he gradually realises humans aren't perfect and shouldn't be the end goal for their quest. The dogs they meet on their travels are well-mapped as well and there are a few glimpses of other species too, notably some absolute bastard of a cat.
It all sounds a little silly written down but this isn't a kids' story; Ennis puts a considerable amount of gore in naturally and in his typically unflinching fashion canines aren't spared just because they're the good species in the book. But overall it's a mature and fascinating read, maybe perhaps undone by an ending which runs against the grain of the flashback narration from Charlie.
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