Characters of Beasts of Burden.
Expect unmarked spoilers.
open/close all folders
Apprentices
Ace
Debut: "Stray"
A husky. The unofficial leader of the group.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Implied. In “A Dog and His Boy,” there’s no details given, but he openly relates to the titular boy’s statement that he would "rather die" than go back to his former home.Ace: Well, I know I wouldn’t want anyone sending me back to my old home.
- The Leader: He tends to be one of the first ones to try and take charge of a situation, and gives directions to others. Sabina's notes on the gang include "(Leader?)" next to Ace.
- Good Is Not Soft: He's generally nice and has a heroic disposition, but Ace is capable of being brutal if he wants to or is pushed far enough, not helped by his werewolf rage. He nearly kills Paul in retaliation for kidnapping Jack and only stops when he realizes he's about to murder Sabina and Russell's father in front of them, though he promises to go through with it if he ever sees Paul again.
- Healing Factor: After he becomes part werewolf, he recovers quickly from injuries.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: When the werewolf rage takes hold of him, his eyes turn red.
Jack
Debut: "Stray"
A beagle. The group's resident seer.
- Fainting Seer: Jack is supernaturally sensitive, getting visions which cause him to collapse.
- Nice Guy: The kindest member of the main cast, shown as early as the first comic where he lets the Orphan stay with him in his dog house during a rainstorm. Unfortunately, his kindness is often rewarded with being subjected to whatever horror the group is investigating.
- Thousand-Yard Stare: At the end of “The View From The Hill” he lies awake with this look after seeing the real, burnt-up forms of the ghost sheep that died in a barn fire.
Pugsley
Debut: "Stray"
A pug.
- Arbitrary Skepticism: Pugs is always the first to dismiss any talk of supernatural phenomena as superstitious nonsense, no matter how much weird stuff he sees.
- A Dog Named "Dog": A pug named Pugsley.
- In-Series Nickname: His name is often shortened to "Pugs".
- The Knights Who Say "Squee!": In contrast to his usual attitude, he is in complete awe of Hellboy and does whatever Big Red tells him to without the slightest hesitation.
- Sir Swears-a-Lot: He is the crudest of the main cast.
- Sour Supporter: Pugsley is always complaining, but joins the others on their supernatural adventures.Pugsley: [Huffing as he tries to keep up with the others] It's hard to run to your death on little legs—
Jack: God, Pugs, why don't you just stay home?
Pugsley: What, and miss all the fun?
Rex
Debut: "Stray"
A Dobermann.
- Cowardly Lion: After "Stray", he develops into a character who helps out despite his fears. In "The Unfamiliar" he elects to stay and watch the captive so he doesn't have to go near the witches, but ends up doing so to save the Orphan, and in "Hunters & Gatherers" he acts as bait for the invisible beast, despite trembling the whole time he's waiting for it.
- Miles Gloriosus: He talks tough in "Stray", claiming that if he sees a ghost he'll bite it, but when there's a ghostly wail, he's off like a shot.Pugsley: That punk. He ran like a damn squirrel.
Whitey
Debut: "Stray"
A Jack Russell Terrier.
- Character Development: He is one of the goofier characters at the start, but after learning about the Species-Specific Afterlife in "The View from the Hill", he becomes disillusioned and morbid, as seen in "Hunters & Gatherers" when he wonders aloud about what it's like to get eaten.Orphan: Um… I like silly, happy Whitey better than weirdo Whitey.
- Cloudcuckoolander: He's the biggest oddball out of the main cast, especially after the aforementioned Character Development sets in and he starts talking about disturbing topics like it's nothing.
The Orphan
Debut: "Stray"
An orange stray cat. The only non-canine member of the group.
- A Cat in a Gang of Dogs: The first non-canine animal to be officially inducted into the Wise Dogs.
- Deadpan Snarker: He makes some sarcastic remarks.Orphan: I feel safer already.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": He is called "the Orphan" because he is ownerless.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's snarky and habitually downplays his good deeds, but the Orphan very clearly cares about the others and puts himself on the line for their sake.
- Pet the Dog: He has a soft spot for Jack and doesn't snark at the beagle like he does everyone else, even risking castigation from Jack's owners to check on him at home when Jack gets injured.
Dymphna
Debut: "The Unfamiliar"
A black cat who is introduced as a witch's familiar.
- Amputation Stops Spread: Her tail was bit by one of the zombie dogs and she fled into the sewers, where a rat Hive Mind found her, chewed her tail off above the bite, and forced her to help them.
- Evil-Detecting Dog: In "Sacrifice", she sniffs Hellboy and concludes he's no threat, adding that he smells "rather disgustingly noble."
- Faking the Dead: She made her ploy to kill the zombie dogs look like a Heroic Sacrifice so everyone would think she was dead and she could repay her debt to them while living in solitude. Unfortunately, the rats had other plans for her, but the Orphan called her bluff and helped her escape after confirming his suspicions that she was alive.
- Heel–Face Turn: Was a witch's familiar willing to help call up a sinister goddess. Since with her absence the ritual went awry, she's the only one left, and tried raising the dead as revenge. This didn't work out but Orphan believed in her, so she lured the zombies into the path of an oncoming truck. After that, while she's decidedly more disdainful and aloof than Orphan she is ultimately heroic.
- Outliving One's Offspring: “What The Cat Dragged In” revealed she has two daughters, who both pass on right in front of her she and the Orphan rescue them from the Harrow.
- Playing with Fire: She can cast a spell to make already-existing fire more intense.
- Revenge Before Reason:
- She was so hellbent on getting revenge on the main cast for destroying her coven that she rose up undead dogs without considering they wouldn’t take orders from a witch cat, having to pull a Heroic Sacrifice to stop a zombie outbreak.
- Then “What The Cat Dragged In” reveals that before that, she tried to summon a demon that she could unleash upon the gang, running away from home in blind vengeance when the ritual seemingly didn’t work. It did, Dymphna unknowingly trapping her remaining coven mates (including her two kittens) with an angry, sadistic Harrow.
Miranda
Debut: "A Dog and His Boy"
A black dog and Wise Dog apprentice.
- Dark Is Not Evil: She is a black dog who favors fire spells, which can result in her looking downright
◊ demonic◊ at times, but she is definitely one of the good guys. - Depending on the Artist: Her depiction by Jill Thompson has a furrier texture to her coat, some facial scruff, and a lean build, while her depiction by Benjamin Dewey has a short, glossy coat, no facial scruff, and a slightly stockier build.
- Guilt Complex: "Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men" indicates that she feels deeply guilty for leaving the Burden Hill team to deal with the town's supernatural threats alone while she's away on duty, dreaming of horrible things happening to them because she hasn't returned to help.
- Mentor Archetype: She helps teach the others about supernatural entities, magic, and the Wise Dog Society, but she's still in training herself.
- Nice Girl: According to Pugsley, she's nice to everyone.
- Playing with Fire: She can cast a spell to create fire and use it offensively.
- Took a Level in Badass: In "Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men", she fights a whole group of giant boars on her own and casts her first unspoken flame spell in the process, putting her closer to the level of a full fledged Wise Dog.
Wise Dogs
Emrys
Debut: "Stray"
An Old English Sheepdog.
- Meaningful Name: His name means "immortal", and he appears to be The Ageless.
- Mentor Archetype: A seasoned Wise Dog, he aids the Burden Hill gang in a few of their early adventures by providing them guidance.
- Playing with Fire: He can cast a spell to create fire and use it offensively.
- Really 700 Years Old: He's been around at least since the 40s.
Lundy
Debut: "Sacrifice"
A Scottish Terrier.
- Barrier Warrior: Lundy can cast a protective barrier.
- Grumpy Old Man: Lundy is one of the older dogs and can be grouchy at times.
Brigid
Debut: "Sacrifice"
- Combat Medic: She specializes in healing magic, but also fights with offensive magic.
- Early Installment Character-Design Difference: In her first appearance in "Sacrifice", she is light brown on top and white on the bottom with a white stripe across the back of her neck. In her next appearance in "Hunters and Gatherers", she loses the white stripe. Her next appearance after that is in the miniseries Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men, where she is mostly dark brown with some black mixed in, and is shaggier, though two variant covers for the miniseries depict her with her design from "Hunters and Gatherers".
- The Empath: Brigid can scan for psychic impressions such as anger.
- Shock and Awe: Brigid can cast lightning.
Dempsey
Debut: "Sacrifice"
- Grumpy Old Man: Dempsey is one of the older dogs and can be grouchy at times.Dempsey: Look at her. Wagging her tail, like it was a game in the park.
Brigid: Now, now, Dempsey, even you were young once.
Dempsey: Only once, Brigid. Then I got over it.
Other Burden Hill residents
Green Thumb Nursery
Debut: "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie" (Red), "The Gathering Storm" (the others)
The residents of the Green Thumb Nursery: Red, an Irish setter; Holstein and Fluffy, cats; and Pee-Wee, a corgi.
- Keet: Pee-Wee is excitable, exclaiming "cool!" at the raining frogs and running after them "yapping like a puppy."
- The Medic: Red and Holstein have created their own garden-hospital to help out the Burden Hill team, which they use to heal Paul in "The Presence of Others."
- Sacrificial Lamb: Most of them are introduced in "The Gathering Storm", where they are given characterization and shown to be on friendly terms with the main cast. By the end of the issue, half of them are dead.
The Swifties
Debut: "Something Whiskered This Way Comes"
A gang of cats. Members include the Getaway Kid, a tuxedo cat; Muggsy, a male calico; Sleepy Bob, and Johnny Whiskers.
- All There in the Script: Sleepy Bob and Johnny Whiskers have only been named in supplemental book material.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": The Getaway Kid is called that because he has a knack for getting out of danger.
- Shipper on Deck: Getaway Kid is teasing but supportive of the Orphan's growing bond with Dymphna, who both deny that there's anything going on between them.
Humans
Sabina, Russell, and Paul
Debut: "Hunters & Gatherers"
A family investigating paranormal activity. Sabina and Russell are siblings, and Paul is their father.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Paul, after learning about Jack's abilities, attempts to kidnap him so he can be sold off in the hopes of repaying the debt his family is in. When Ace tries to stop him, Paul shoots Ace repeatedly and tries to get away with Jack even despite Sabina and Russell's protests.
- Character Catchphrase: Sabina has a habit of commenting, "Nice."
- In-Series Nickname: Russell calls Sabina "Bean".
- Missing Mom: Sabina and Russell's mom is no longer around.
- Speaks Fluent Animal: Sabina and Paul can speak to and understand animals, and if Russell is holding hands with one of them, he can do the same.
- The Watson: As newcomers to Burden Hill, they provide an excuse to summarize the plot so far since the animals need to explain things to them.
Other Animals
Makoto and Yuna
Debut: "Occupied Territory"
A pair of Shiba Inus who appear in Occupied Territory.
- Badass Family: They are both skilled fighters and magic-users who work with the supernatural, similar to the Wise Dogs. It is mentioned that Yuna is still active and that their children have taken up the call as well.
- Chick Magnet: Makoto's picture catches the attention of Miranda and one of the female guardsnote , with the guard calling him a good looking animal. At the end of Emrys' story, it's suggested they did not notice Yuna or Mullins in the same photo because they were distracted by Makoto.
- Dishing Out Dirt: Yuna manipulates the earth with her magic.
- Posthumous Character: Makoto has passed away by the present day, and is only shown through photos and flashbacks.
- Self-Duplication: Makoto can project and control solid "thought-forms" and shape them into the forms of various creatures, such as copies of himself.
