Dogs: Prelude Volume 0

Mihai is a retired hitman who can’t forget the pain of his past. Badou is an “information broker” who has lately had a run of ridiculously bad luck. Naoto is skilled with a sword, but bears the scars of her twisted childhood. And Heine? Heine is a tormented soul who somehow can’t or won’t die. They’re all “dogs,” and these are their stories.

Dogs: Prelude introduces readers to the characters with a mix of hardboiled gunplay, heartrending drama and manic violence. Its mood swings may give you whiplash, but it does get you to stick around to see if Dogs: Bullets and Carnage lives up to the promise of this prelude.

Dogs: Prelude is exactly what it says it is – it’s the opening act for Dogs: Bullets and Carnage. So rather than tell one tale, Dogs Volume 0 features four short story arcs; each spotlighting a different character and a distinctly different mood.

The first chapter is a dark yet stylishly told tale about Mihai, a world-weary assassin who can’t forget the pain of his past. Then Mihai reunited with a boy he once trained who has now grown up to become ruthless (and reckless) crime boss, with tragic results.

Then in a dramatic about face, the next chapter features Badou, a nicotine-addicted “information broker” with a knack for attracting ridiculously bad luck. With a turn of a page, the mood switches from melancholy drama to manic, pass-the-ammo mayhem.

But it’s Heine’s tale that gives you get the sense that this is what the rest of Dogs: Bullets and Carnage might be like: a mix of hardboiled action with hint of sci-fi and a dash of black humor. When sullen Heine encounters a fallen angel being abused, he finds that he can’t turn away from her plight, and gets sucked into a battle that rains bullets upon a gang’s headquarters.

A motley crew of assassins and criminals sharing comradery and trading lots of gunfire is not a new theme in manga or in mainstream comics, but Dogs: Prelude does it with such flair, it feels fresh and fascinating. Miwa has a knack for drawing dynamic action scenes, but his characters’ expressive palate of emotions makes readers really care about Mihal, Badou, Naoto and Heine by giving them hearts and souls, not just pretty faces and very big weapons.

Dogs: Prelude may give you whiplash with its mood swings, but it accomplishes what it set out to do: introduce the cast of this grown-up action series, and get you to stick around for the main attraction. Now it’s up to Dogs: Bullets & Carnage to keep the momentum going.