Hound

By Sam Romesburg, Sam Freeman, Rodrigo Vázquez, Justin Birch. Published by Mad Cave. 

Softcover, 96 pages, Colour, 2024

During World War I, a young soldier is assigned to one of the most deadly areas along the western front. However, he finds the greatest threat to his life lies not with the enemy, but with a cult formed by his own men.

Found nestled and protected within a den of wolves, the journal of Private Barrow, a fresh young soldier drafted into Britain's royal army during the height of World War I, meticulously and explicitly recounts the events that lead to his death. However, where most men are sent to the trenches, Barrow was sent to a place known only to him as the “gas quarter” — a patch along the western front known for incessant mustard gas attacks. Our story and the journal both begin with Barrow’s introduction to the unit occupying the quarter — a group referred to by the top brass as “The Hounds,” a nickname earned by the appearance of their long-snouted gas masks. Immediately, Barrow is shaken by the sight of them and is soon pulled into a hell that can only come from the savage horror of war.