After a tragedy leaves him orphaned, DaQuan ‘Quan’ Rake finds a new family and purpose in a most unusual way…

Writer: Omari Malik
Pencils/Ink/Colors: BigSon08
Letters: AW’s DC Hopkins
Publisher: Black Tooth Publishing


I’m going to be blunt: as an animal lover in general and one who loves dogs in particular this comic was already going to have my favor: an orphaned Black child is befriended and saved by a group of dogs?



When we meet Quan, years after the tragedy in which he lost his family, he and his Dogpile have moved back to where everything started. Why? To figure out what, exactly, happened to him and prevent it from happening to anyone else.

In this first issue Omari Malik does a great job of establishing not only who Quan is, but the very distinct personalities of each and every one of Quan’s dog siblings. I’ve grown up with dogs of every kind and Quan’s dogs all reminded me of my beloved furry friends. Their interactions continually made me smile and made me want to hug one of my (many) dogs. More importantly, Malik uses them to show the dynamics of this little family as well as the abilities of each character and the world they inhabit.


And what a world it is. Similar to ours yet just different enough that it feels like I’m peeking in somewhere else, Quan deals with, unfortunately, a lot of the same problems that we all face, especially if you’re Black in America: terrible landlords; casual racism; classism and more. Yet, Quan manages to keep his head about him when faced with these things. Partially because he knows that he: a tall, dark-skinned Black man; will always be assumed to be the aggressor in any given situation and partially because he has abilities that allow him to handle the problems he faces. Unfortunately, those same abilities could potentially make him and his family targets. There’s a scene that reminded me of the song Stereotypes by Black Violin, almost as if Malik was listening to that song as he wrote it and it hits just as hard as the song does.

BigSon08’s inks and coloring do a fantastic job of making each character and animal distinct. Their use of gradients and shading help to give an aura of danger where needed while also creating a sense of warmth in the small moments between Quan and his neighbors. AW’s DC Hopkins letters really help to enhance the story and make each character’s voice unique.

Overall a great first issue and I hope to see more.

4.5 out of 5 dog bowls