Feral by Tony Fleecs

Homeward Bound in Zombieland

Feral is a popular ongoing comic book that takes familiar tropes from the zombie horror subgenre and repackages them in a wholly new and original way.

Feral is cute. Its characters look adorable and are designed to echo that classical Disney animation style. It’s like The Aristocrats meets Dawn of the Dead — which is absolutely the intent.

At the series’ start, our core characters are a trio of indoor cats that are now stranded in the deep, dark woods — and a whole host of crazed and rabid creatures are now trying to kill them.

In the world of Feral, the rabid “bad ones” are analogue for the infected monsters of zombie lore. In the woods, these are mostly foxes, racoons, and wolves — but housecats are certainly not immune. They too could be turned. Or simply murdered.

Elsie, Lord Fluffy Britches, and Patch are unceremoniously dumped into this very Walking Dead environment at the start of issue one with precious little context. Immediately, it is survive or die. It’s chaotic and instantly absorbing. Even though these are cartoon cats, we quickly recognize this horrific world they’ve found themselves in and understand the stakes.

As the series progresses, we gradually get snippets of the backstory that allow us to understand what exactly is going on in the world. A massive infectious outbreak has led to large swarths of the countryside being quarantined. Although animals appear to be primarily at risk, the infection also endangers humans. The authorities have ordered the surrender of all pets to be tested and quarantined — and it was one of those animal control trucks that Elsie, Lord, and Patch were riding in when it crashed into the woods. Thus, the setup of the series’ first major arc is essentially Homeward Bound in Zombieland: get through the zombie-infested woods and back to the safety of home.

The ongoing nature of the comic books series allows for various stories to be set up and resolved at varying clips. Like a soap opera or long-running serial, additional characters cycle in and out of the plot. There are allies. There are enemies. But no-one — not even our core trio — is guaranteed safety.

Feral might look for all the world like kids’ entertainment, but this is not one for the kids. Over the course of the first dozen or so issues, the fearful felines must combat a swarm of rabid bats, a terrifying cat lady, and an extended sequence which is surely an homage to an iconic Jurassic Park set piece.

Written by Feecs, Feral is a team effort; he shares cover billing with illustrators Trish Forstner and Tone Rodriguez, and colorist Brad Simpson. This foursome were previously responsible for the similar charming-yet-chilling limited comic Stray Dogs, which was marketed as Lady and the Tramp meets Silence of the Lambs. So, you know, they have a pedigree for this specific niche.

Feral creatively skews its cute aesthetic to indulge in suspenseful, mature narratives. Thanks to its fast-paced episodic nature, you remain addicted as one story arc transitions into the next, with something even more dangerous almost always inevitably around the next corner. Thanks to its fast-paced episodic nature, you remain addicted as one story arc transitions into the next, and as you learn more about the characters you get more invested in them, even as they are discovered to be increasingly more complex. It is, naturally, the cat’s meow.

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