Good Dog marks the welcome return of alternative cartoonist GrahamChaffee, who, after his successful 2003 collection ofshort stories, The Most Important Thing andother Stories, took a detour to devote himselfto the art of tattooing, before chargingback with his new, beautifully conceivedgraphic novel.Ivan, who is plagued by terriblenightmares about chickens andrabbits, is a good dog-if only someone would notice. Readers accompany thestray as he navigates dog society, weathers pack politics, and surveys canine-humaninteractions.Good Dog's story and pen-and-ink art are deceptively simple, but Chaffeeuses the approachability of the subject matter as a device to explore topics suchas independence, security, assimilation, loyalty, and violence. Preteen-and-updog fanciers, especially, will warm to the well-meaning Ivan and his exploits witha motley assortment of Scotties, Bulldogs, and mutts. Chaffee combines illustrativegravitas with cartooning verve and creates a richly textured, dog's-eye viewof the world. The story is a rousing Jack Londonesque adventure as well as amoral parable.