As a child, I remember the first time I saw Cujo. I’d heard from an older cousin just how scary Stephen King’s books were and how it would stay with you for days. I remember how she told me how Salem’s Lot was the scariest book she read. She had her own misgivings about the movie and the miniseries, but she said they were pretty much the same.

 Then I watched Cujo and the way me and my cousins saw stray animals became something completely different for our adolescent minds. We were instantly scared of strange animals, even if they were domesticated. That movie has left such an imprint on our minds 36 years later, that when I do see a dog, the name, “ Cujo” comes to mind every time. In the second issue of Dresden Files: Welcome To The Jungle, we find Harry fighting a whole zoo who’s being controlled by an evil entity.

We find Harry and Will running from a pack of leopards, who back them in a corner and where Harry notices something mystical emanating from their eyes. His instincts lead him to the zoo’s veterinarian’s office, Dr. Watson, where he uncovers traces of blood magic, something he doesn’t hold the knowledge of. He eventually returns to his abode and discovers through speaking with Bob, his spectral guide, exactly what Watson is. By the issue’s end, Harry and Will, armed with this new knowledge, depart to confront her.

Overall, an engaging issue which displays Jim Butcher’s innate skill to blend genres as the heat gets turned on this issue. The story by Butcher is intense and well characterized. The art by Adrian Syaf is gorgeous. Altogether, an issue that proves Butcher’s genius and Syaf’s brilliance.

Story: Jim Butcher Art: Adrian Syaf
Story: 9.6 Art: 9.5 Overall: 9.5 Recommendation: Buy