REVIEW: Breaking the Chain: The Guard Dog Story (graphic novel) by Patrick McDonnell

Breaking the Chain is a collection of Mutts comics with some commentary relating to McDonnell's Guard Dog character. I bought my copy new.

Review:

This is a collection of Mutts comic strips focused on Guard Dog's storyline. Initially, one or two strips are presented per page. During the finale, the format switches to one panel per page.

Initially, Guard Dog was meant to be a "bully" character. Instead, he ended up shining a light on the plight of chained dogs like him. 

In a text section about Guard Dog, McDonnell mentions that some organizations objected to Guard Dog being freed, feeling that he was a more impactful character when chained. I couldn't help but wonder if PETA and PETA reps accounted for most (all?) of those comments.

I wouldn't call myself a huge Mutts fan, although I enjoyed occasionally reading it in the newspaper, and I don't recall being particularly invested in any of the characters' stories. Still, after reading this, personally, I'm glad that McDonnell allowed Guard Dog to go free, even if it took 30 years to get to that point.