If you came of age in the 80s (perhaps even into the mid-90s) and you wanted an alternative to the Disney Renaissance, you had Don Bluth. His films – – from An American Tail to The Land Before Time – – featured cute and cuddly characters (I still have fond memories of a stuffed Fievel amongst the family toys), but stories that touched on darker and more socio-political/philosophical issues (I have many less than fond memories of hiding behind the couch during some pivotal parts of The Secret of NIMH).
Image Comics’s new series “Stray Dogs” brings back the spirit of those classic Bluth films in a new way, leaning hard into pure horror, as some very good boys and girls find themselves in a very not-so-good situation. We chatted with the creative team of Tony Fleecs and Trish Forstner to find out just how you can combine man’s best friend with the darkest sides of humanity.
Our thanks to Tony, Trish, and Image Comics for this opportunity, and you can pick up the debut issue of “Stray Dogs” both digitally and at your favorite comic shop (don’t forget to wear your mask and social distance) on February 17th.
Written by Tony FleecsCover by Tony Fleecs and Trish Forstner
Illustrated by Tony Fleecs and Trish Forstner
Colored by Brad Simpson
Lettered by Tone RodriguezLady and the Tramp meets Silence of the Lambs
It’s scary being the new dog.
Sophie can’t remember what happened. She doesn’t know how she ended up in this house. She doesn’t recognize any of these other dogs. She knows something terrible happened, but she just…can’t…recall…WAIT! Where’s her lady?
A five-issue Don Bluth-style suspense thriller by My Little Pony comic artists TONY FLEECS and TRISH FORSTNER, STRAY DOGS is Lady and the Tramp meets Silence of the Lambs.
“My favorite thing about comics is when someone shows you something you didn’t know you needed. The Secret Life of Pets meets Seven? Yes, please!! Welcome to STRAY DOGS. I was blown away!”—BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
The pitch for “Stray Dogs” is “Lady and the Tramp meets Silence of the Lambs” which alone is enough to get your attention. Tell us more about the premise for this story.
Trish Forstner: I will leave this one to Tony. Suffice to say, when I came on board I was BLOWN AWAY by the pitch.
Tony Fleecs: (Slight major spoilers for issue 1) The book is about a serial killer who takes his victims’ dogs as trophies. But it’s told from the perspective of the dogs– who have since forgotten what happened. So for the first like, 15 pages it’s basically 101 Dalmatians or Balto or whatever and then the dogs find out that all the while they’ve been trapped in a house with this monster. What happens from there? Do they all believe it? How do they get out? Can they stop him? Are they in danger? I describe it to people as, “If Don Bluth made a horror movie.”
There’s a definite Don Bluth influence throughout this series – – those animated films of his from the 80s that were the antithesis of Disney in their darker subject matter. The Secret of NIMH (which still gives me the creeps as an adult) is one that immediately comes to mind. Which films did you look to for inspiration?
Trish Forstner: Actually, The Secret of NIMH, All Dogs go to Heaven, The Land Before Time and An American Tail are the exact movies I envisioned. They told stories of courage and sacrifice and triumph in the face of major adversity. It was not just the story itself, but if you think about those films at the time, they always had a grittier visual feeling. Lots more contrast between light and dark, the linework seemed rougher, the effects were stunning. The Secret of NIMH is one of my all-time favorite films. You have Mrs. Brisby, who just lost her husband, must overcome her worst fears, and summon the courage to save her family. The Great Owl is a haunting character. The character design and the glowing of his eyes and his voice it just made you feel afraid for the mouse when she had to speak to him. I can still hear the owl eating that moth that flew by his face. It is chilling. That is the vibe we are going for here. What I always loved about the Don Bluth movies of the time versus Disney was that the stories always had these adorable, sweet characters that had to overcome some dark things to reach their happily ever after.
Continued belowStaying with the Don Bluth train of thought here, if you had a chance to remake one of his films, which one would you choose and why? (And conversely, is there one that should never be remade?)
Trish Forstner: I am not a fan of remakes, especially of 2D animated films. Animation, especially of that time was drawn by hand. Hundreds of hours were poured into those characters and through that time and care thousands of still images became the characters we still love today. While I may not be a fan, I do see the appeal of reinventing a property over time. I would be curious about a remake of Titan AE. Could be a ‘Firefly’ like series or as a standalone film. I think that could be rad.
Tony Fleecs: Yeah, I don’t want any of them remade unless he’s remaking them. I’d be way down for sequels though. OR! Like, extend out the stuff that wasn’t full movie length already. Give me the rest of Dragon Slayer! Give me a whole movie of that animated Olivia Newton John song from Xanadu!
I love that each issue will have a variant cover paying homage to a particular horror movie. Issue #1’s variant is Silence of the Lambs. What other films can we expect to see on the variants?
Trish Forstner: We have 5 movie covers and a few shop exclusives. You will see homages to Annabelle, Friday the 13th, Pet Sematary, and Demons.
Tony Fleecs: Those have been so fun to put together. At first I wasn’t 100% into the idea, I felt like the book could stand on its own two feet. But Kat at Image pointed out that it was an immediate way to tell people what the vibe of the book is — and it’s so tough to describe concisely in words that vibe. So Trish and I did the first one and right away, I saw the vision. People see it and immediately think– “Oh, Animation/Horror. Got it.”
The animals-versus-humans premise could work with any animal, so what led you to choose dogs as the animal side of the story?
Trish Forstner: Dogs are man’s best friend. That feels more sinister to me when thinking about this book.
Tony Fleecs: I never really thought about any other animal. It had to be a house pet– so horses were out. And it had to be an animal that could possibly hold their own against a person. So it’s sort of down to dogs and cats. Or snakes?
The short answer is I’m a dog owner/dog person. So it was never anything else.
Since Paramount already has the film rights for “Stray Dogs,” do some dream casting. Who would you like to see voice Sophie, Rusty, or any of the humans?
Trish Forstner: I never imagined anything I created would ever get a voice. Even speculating on it makes my mind go utterly blank. Roxy, The Malamute in the story, I totally hear Julie Bowen in my head when I draw her. Keanu Reeves would be the coolest Rusty EVER.
Tony Fleecs: I feel like I’m jinxing it to even think that far ahead. I guess the main guy dog, Rusty always sounded like Brad Pitt in my head. And I’d always thought it would be cool if some of the My Little Pony voice actors were in it. Me and Trish come from My Little Pony comics and I like that symmetry. We are 100% not in charge of that though.
Both of you have done work for licensed properties such as My Little Pony and Star Wars, but this is not your first original, creator-owned work. Is one easier to tackle than the other – – and is one also more enjoyable than the other?
Trish Forstner: They both have their advantages. With licensed work, you are guided by what the Editor says the character needs to look like or how they must behave in the artwork or acting in the script. Everything is a little regimented, not in a bad way, but more to keep the comic in line with the property and licensor requirements. With creator-owned work, the creator is not tethered by any of that. Sometimes that thought can be a little daunting.
Continued belowIs there one character in comics that either of you haven’t had the chance to work with yet that you would love to take on? Who’s that one character that you look at and you’re like “damn, I so want to craft a story around them?” And what angle would you put on it that hasn’t been done before?
Trish Forstner: I wish I had an amazing answer like “I know I could do a killer take on Dr. Strange.” I draw a lot of cute stuff, 80s and 90s toons and like to keep things fun. I’d love to take a shot at Disney Comics like “Chip and Dale,” “Darkwing Duck,” “Ducktales,” and “Talespin.” Any of them! Could we have a “Gargoyles” comic? That would be especially awesome.
Tony Fleecs: Drawing “Star Wars” was really the top of the licensed mountain for me. I love “Star Wars” like some people love their kids. I love all of it. Even the stuff I don’t love… I still love. So having done that really freed me up. I love drawing work for hire comics. But there’s no big property out there that I really just NEED to work on. And then on the other hand, I have a BUNCH of my own stuff that I can’t wait to make.
That being said– if some editor reads “Stray Dogs” and wants me and Trish to make a Krypto comic or a Lockjaw comic . . . We’re into it.
After this series, are there any new or upcoming projects that either of you can share with us at the moment?
Trish Forstner: I’m currently slated to work on “My Little Pony/Transformers II.”
Tony Fleecs: I’m working on that too! And I’m drawing a Rick and Morty mini called “Worlds Apart” for Oni and the regular MLP book for IDW– those are all coming out at the same time as “Stray Dogs.” It’s been a really busy quarantine.
