Pet Noir

Pet Noir is a comics anthology featuring strange but true pet crime stories.
JUST HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR DOG OR CAT?Approximately 124 million dogs and cats live in U.S. households—nearly one pet for every two Americans. It’s official–we love our pets—but there’s a dark side to this love affair with our four-legged friends.Pet Noir: An Anthology of Strange but True Pet Crime Stories edited by Shannon O’Leary … new from Manic D PressThe notorious San Francisco deadly dog mauling? The infamous Petaluma cat lady? The heartbreaking saga of Leo the Bichon-Frisé’s untimely demise at the hands of a savage road-raging lunatic?Yes, these stories all made headlines around the world, and now Pet Noir: An Anthology of Strange but True Pet Crime Stories explores the bizarre yet fascinating side of human and animal nature with an innovative, compassionate illustrated anthology. Conceived and edited by Shannon O'Leary, and drawn by today’s finest comic book artists, the stories in Pet Noir shed fur on some of the odder crimes committed in recent years, and also examines our individual relationships with animals in additional true stories of oddly humorous and heartbreaking personal pet crimes.This entertaining, informative comics collection grabs traditional noir storytelling by the tail to take the reader on a vivid ride that exposes America’s obsession with true crime (note the popularity of TV shows like Animal Cop: San Francisco) in a darkly comedic approach while raising awareness about animal welfare issues. Pet Noir will grab the attention of true-crime fans, pet lovers, animal advocates, vegans, and graphic-novel aficionados.Featured artists include Andy Ristaino (The Babysitter), Lev Yilmaz (Tales of Mere Existence), Trevor Alixopolous (Mine Tonight), John Isaacson (DIY Silkscreening), Ben Claassen III, Fly (PEOPs), Fred Einaudi, Lark Pien (Orchid), Melanie Lewis (PS Comics), Mary Fleener (Life of the Party), Damien Jay, Jen Feinberg (Little Scrowlie), Joan Reilly (Hi-Horse), MariNaomi (Estrus), N8 Van Dyke (Heavy Metal), Peter Conrad (Attempted Not Known, Lou’s Garage), and many more.A portion of the profits from Pet Noir will be donated to the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF).“…the dark, ironic effect innate to the noir genre makes for some downright hilarious stories.” – The Washington Post Express“When the sun goes down on the naked city, it ain't the man with the gun you need to keep an eye on — it's the gerbil with the teeth. In this highly original comic anthology, San Francisco cartoonist Shannon O'Leary has assembled true crime stories that will shock and titillate you just as much as a 12-hour couch session with Court TV.” – SF Weekly
An abbreviated version of Pet Noir is available online at the Pet Noir website . The full version will be released by Manic D Press in Fall 2006.