Reviews

I read an advance copy of this graphic novel, so the art was not all in full finished form; the drawings were still a little rough. It was pretty good though; it's about what happens when a female soldier returns home from Iraq, suffering from a difficult adjustment to civilian life. She was a dog handler (hence the title: Military Working Dog) and I picked it up thinking it would have a lot more to do with the doghandling than it really did, so that was a little disappointing to me. But it gives a very accurate look at veterans' lives, with violent flashbacks, drinking problems, temper issues. It's really a sad story for the most part, because the military dog saves her life but sacrifices his own :-( and although she gets a new dog as a civilian, there's no fairy tale happy ending, she still has lots of issues to work through. Has adult situations and language, so I'd recommend it for older YA and adult readers.

mrsjhasbooks's review against another edition

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4.0

First, the illustrations are beyond gorgeous. They are incredibly detailed and nuanced. The decision to leave them in black and white lend itself to a newspaper feel, which makes sense, considering much of the way I initially ingested news about the Iraq war was via newspaper.

But the heart of the story is Liz’s PTSD and her losing Ender, her MWD—military working dog. I was so struck by how realistic the portrayals are and of the unique challenges military women face. This one will stay with me awhile for sure.

lfagundes's review against another edition

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4.0

I did not like the art - all the people looked too similar and kinda ugly - but it made me cry a bit so that's always good!

saranndipity's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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