Ahoy Comics’ amazing satire series is back with Billionaire Island: Cult of Dogs. In a world facing a wave of mounting social issues, this latest release aims to ask its readers some hard questions while making them laugh through the pain of modern living.
Billionaire Island was a series originally released by Ahoy Comics in 2020 that started with a simple question: what would happen if the billionaire class escaped the problems of society by starting their own utopia? The result is Billionaire Island, a paradise available only to the upper crust and elite. But just because the richest of the rich have financed the most exclusive of getaways, that doesn’t stop a few members of the 99% from getting in and forcing the ultra-wealthy to confront the problems they tried so hard to ignore, or even worse, the problems they’ve caused.
After Mark Russell and Steve Pugh’s run on the first volume, the duo has returned to pen the next chapter in the hysterical saga with Billionaire Island: Cult of Dogs #1. Like the original series, the sequel is set in the not-too-distant future and begins shortly after Billionaire Island’s conclusion. The billionaires of the world are no more after Billionaire Island’s destruction killed nearly every member of the upper class. However, the economy is no better with the sudden disappearance of wealthiest people. In fact, many things are worse. A sterility virus rages through bioengineered food products, the United States has dissolved, and conspiracy theories are running rampant thanks to lax social media. Reporter Shelly Bly attempts to interview one of the few remaining billionaires in an attempt to hold someone accountable, but all she finds is a confused old man being led by his suspicious caregiver.
Billionaire Island: Cult of Dogs: Humorous and Thoughtful
Ahoy Comics is no stranger to satire. Series like Justice Warriors or Second Coming have brought a comedic twist to the current state of policing or religion in society, while taking time to point out some thoughtful insights. The work that Russell and Pugh began with Billionaire Island continues strongly with its sequel. The first issue is chock-full of fantastic visual gags and with some truly dark jokes peppered throughout the story. And as funny as it is, Billionaire Island: Cult of Dogs doesn’t shy away from serious commentary, nor does it let anyone off the hook.
The first volume of the Ahoy Comics satire, of course, got a lot of good potshots at those responsible for the massive wealth inequality society is facing. But Billionaire Island: Cult of Dogs largely removes that element by getting rid of the billionaires. And it doesn’t magically solve the problems facing society today: complacency, the willingness to believe in stories rather than facts, or the selective filter that social media provides. Russell and Pugh posit that wealth inequality is but one aspect of a larger problem, one tangled into so many other facets of everyday life. There’s a lot of humor and heart in Steve Pugh and Mark Russell’s comic, but it also implores readers to take a minute and reassess how interwoven the issues of today actually are. Fans of satire owe to themselves to check out Billionaire Island: Cult of Dogs #1 available now.
