Seven Years in Dog-Land
Encyclopedia
Seven Years in Dog-Land is a webcomic produced by Singapore
graphic novelist Johnny Tay, who wrote the 18-chapter children’s fantasy
comic Anima: Age of the Robots in 2003. It is the first graphic novel in Singapore to be published internationally as an e-book
.
Seven Years in Dog-Land is vastly different from Anima in both story and art direction. It is drawn in black and white instead of full-color like Anima, with heavily rendered and detailed images. The story is also much grimmer, targeted at older readers.
Part of the comic is hosted on the author's new portal and the rest can be read via the e-book
version.
The seven years in this story correspond with the idea of the Seven Ages of Man.
dog
Charlie in a run-of-the-mill suburban neighborhood. While on a sightseeing trip one day, Charlie runs off into the forest
for no apparent reason. Alice is devastated that the police
cannot help her and all her searches amount to nothing.
In the following months she begins to hear howling noises in her head. After an argument with her father, runs away to find the source of the howls, believing they belong to Charlie. Naturally, Alice gets lost in the forest
but traces the source of the howls to a hole in a tree. In an obvious reference to Alice in Wonderland, Alice slips into the hole and ends up in a bizarre alternate world where dogs are the masters of the land, and humans are their pets (they are called Canines
and Sapiens instead). This land is called Cania.
The author describes Dog-Land as “gritty and cruel”, and Alice’s experiences portray just that. She is netted by a hunter of wild humans (Sapiens), who judges her to be genetically superior to the usual prey, and sells her to a Sapien pet store
owner. Alice witnesses shocking cruelty in the pet store, which parallels the treatment humans mete out to animals in real-world pet stores. The Sapiens are abused, force-bred and trained to perform circus tricks. The store owner Dulac is delighted to learn that Alice is the only Sapien who can talk, and makes her the star attraction in his performing circus.
After one year, Alice attracts the attention of Activa, a Sapien-rights advocate (a parallel to our animal-rights activists) and Lela, who turns out to be the princess of the realm. Lela buys Alice and shows her off to Canine royalty
as a novelty pet. Upon meeting the king (Charles Saban), Alice believes that he is actually Charlie, her pet, although like all Canines he is a lot larger than her and the Sapiens in this realm. To Alice’s devastation, King Charles has no memory of Alice.
The princess Lela and her brother prince Ike treat Alice well, gradually getting the Canine royalty to accept Alice. By listening to conversations among the royals, Alice learns a great deal about the Canine mentality towards their natural environment
and less intelligent animals, which they call “lesser beasts”. She also learns about the plotting and intrigue that goes on among the royal elite. In an attempt to retain her humanity
, Alice learns to sew and make clothes for her “owners” Lela and Ike. Eventually she begins to miss home. In his compassion Ike carelessly mentions the presence of the “Royal Vaults”, which he thinks may hold some answers for her.
The story is scheduled to continue from this point.
” – which is the name of Alice in Wonderland’s author.
The story format also follows the Seven Ages of Man, as popularized by Shakespeare - Seven Years is divided into seven chapters, each depicted one year in Cania, and Alice’s experiences will reflect the stage of personal development in its corresponding stage in Seven Ages of Man.
From initial feedback, readers expressed that this webcomic reminds them of My Neighbour Totoro, Planet of the Apes
and A Dream of a Thousand Cats.
, another webcomic network later in the year. After the third chapter “Year 3”, all development stopped.
In February 2011, the author launched a new, self-hosted portal that houses his blog
and all webcomic titles, including Seven Years in Dog-Land. The mirror in Smackjeeves does not hold the comics anymore, and the mirror in Webcomics Nation stops at Year 3.
In May 2011, Seven Years in Dog-Land was launched with its complete story as an ebook with Graphic.ly
. a US digital comic distributor that also handles titles from top comic studios such as Marvel and IDW. With this, the ebook version can be read on a variety of devices, including the iPad, iPhone, Android, and desktop.
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
graphic novelist Johnny Tay, who wrote the 18-chapter children’s fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
comic Anima: Age of the Robots in 2003. It is the first graphic novel in Singapore to be published internationally as an e-book
E-book
An electronic book is a book-length publication in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, and produced on, published through, and readable on computers or other electronic devices. Sometimes the equivalent of a conventional printed book, e-books can also be born digital...
.
Seven Years in Dog-Land is vastly different from Anima in both story and art direction. It is drawn in black and white instead of full-color like Anima, with heavily rendered and detailed images. The story is also much grimmer, targeted at older readers.
Part of the comic is hosted on the author's new portal and the rest can be read via the e-book
E-book
An electronic book is a book-length publication in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, and produced on, published through, and readable on computers or other electronic devices. Sometimes the equivalent of a conventional printed book, e-books can also be born digital...
version.
Synopsis
This synopsis of Seven Years in Dog-Land is presented on the webcomic site.- When Alice runs away from home to look for her lost dog, little she knows that she may never return. She stumbles upon the kingdom of Dog-Land, an alternate world where dogs are the masters, and humans, their pets.
- Under the crimson sky of this misshapen realm, the sprightly ten-year-old begins her true journey – of discovering what it truly means to be human – as she seeks a way back to our world.
- Seven Years in Dog-Land is a literary fantasy set in a gritty and cruel kingdom of dogs. It is an exploration of humans’ relationship nature and the human condition itself.
The seven years in this story correspond with the idea of the Seven Ages of Man.
Story
Alice Carroll is a ten year-old girl staying with her widower father and petPet
A pet is a household animal kept for companionship and a person's enjoyment, as opposed to wild animals or to livestock, laboratory animals, working animals or sport animals, which are kept for economic or productive reasons. The most popular pets are noted for their loyal or playful...
dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
Charlie in a run-of-the-mill suburban neighborhood. While on a sightseeing trip one day, Charlie runs off into the forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
for no apparent reason. Alice is devastated that the police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
cannot help her and all her searches amount to nothing.
In the following months she begins to hear howling noises in her head. After an argument with her father, runs away to find the source of the howls, believing they belong to Charlie. Naturally, Alice gets lost in the forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
but traces the source of the howls to a hole in a tree. In an obvious reference to Alice in Wonderland, Alice slips into the hole and ends up in a bizarre alternate world where dogs are the masters of the land, and humans are their pets (they are called Canines
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
and Sapiens instead). This land is called Cania.
The author describes Dog-Land as “gritty and cruel”, and Alice’s experiences portray just that. She is netted by a hunter of wild humans (Sapiens), who judges her to be genetically superior to the usual prey, and sells her to a Sapien pet store
Pet store
A pet store or pet shop is a retail business which sells different kinds of animals. Pet stores also sell pet food, supplies, and accessories....
owner. Alice witnesses shocking cruelty in the pet store, which parallels the treatment humans mete out to animals in real-world pet stores. The Sapiens are abused, force-bred and trained to perform circus tricks. The store owner Dulac is delighted to learn that Alice is the only Sapien who can talk, and makes her the star attraction in his performing circus.
After one year, Alice attracts the attention of Activa, a Sapien-rights advocate (a parallel to our animal-rights activists) and Lela, who turns out to be the princess of the realm. Lela buys Alice and shows her off to Canine royalty
Royal family
A royal family is the extended family of a king or queen regnant. The term imperial family appropriately describes the extended family of an emperor or empress, while the terms "ducal family", "grand ducal family" or "princely family" are more appropriate to describe the relatives of a reigning...
as a novelty pet. Upon meeting the king (Charles Saban), Alice believes that he is actually Charlie, her pet, although like all Canines he is a lot larger than her and the Sapiens in this realm. To Alice’s devastation, King Charles has no memory of Alice.
The princess Lela and her brother prince Ike treat Alice well, gradually getting the Canine royalty to accept Alice. By listening to conversations among the royals, Alice learns a great deal about the Canine mentality towards their natural environment
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
and less intelligent animals, which they call “lesser beasts”. She also learns about the plotting and intrigue that goes on among the royal elite. In an attempt to retain her humanity
Humanity (virtue)
The virtue, humanity, is a set of strengths focused on “tending and befriending others.” The three strengths associated with humanity are love, kindness, and social intelligence. Humanity differs from justice in that there is a level of altruism towards individuals included in humanity more so than...
, Alice learns to sew and make clothes for her “owners” Lela and Ike. Eventually she begins to miss home. In his compassion Ike carelessly mentions the presence of the “Royal Vaults”, which he thinks may hold some answers for her.
The story is scheduled to continue from this point.
Influences
The most obvious reference in Seven Years is Alice in Wonderland. Apart from having a main protagonist of the same name, the story also introduces Alice’s father as “Lewis CarrollLewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
” – which is the name of Alice in Wonderland’s author.
The story format also follows the Seven Ages of Man, as popularized by Shakespeare - Seven Years is divided into seven chapters, each depicted one year in Cania, and Alice’s experiences will reflect the stage of personal development in its corresponding stage in Seven Ages of Man.
From initial feedback, readers expressed that this webcomic reminds them of My Neighbour Totoro, Planet of the Apes
Planet of the Apes (franchise)
Planet of the Apes is a United States media franchise with seven films , two television series, and comic books. The series began with the 1968 science fiction film Planet of the Apes, which was based on the 1963 French novel La Planète des singes by Pierre Boulle.-Background:The original series of...
and A Dream of a Thousand Cats.
Development milestones
Seven Years in Dog-Land first appeared in Smackjeeves, a public webcomic network in 2009. It was then published in Webcomics NationWebcomics Nation
Webcomics Nation is a webcomic hosting and automation service launched on July 29, 2005 by Joey Manley, publisher of the subscription webcomic site Modern Tales. It is a service designed for online cartoonists. Webcomics Nation is not a spinoff of Modern Tales like Graphic Smash, serializer, and...
, another webcomic network later in the year. After the third chapter “Year 3”, all development stopped.
In February 2011, the author launched a new, self-hosted portal that houses his blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
and all webcomic titles, including Seven Years in Dog-Land. The mirror in Smackjeeves does not hold the comics anymore, and the mirror in Webcomics Nation stops at Year 3.
In May 2011, Seven Years in Dog-Land was launched with its complete story as an ebook with Graphic.ly
Graphic.ly
Graphic.ly , is an interactive digital comic book and Graphic novel reader, community platform, and marketplace. Graphic.ly provides comic books from approximately 100 major and independent publishers, including Marvel Comics, BOOM! Studios, Top Cow, Studiocomix, Archie, Devils Due and IDW...
. a US digital comic distributor that also handles titles from top comic studios such as Marvel and IDW. With this, the ebook version can be read on a variety of devices, including the iPad, iPhone, Android, and desktop.