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I’ve lost a pet recently, a tawny tabby named Tiger who liked to roll over to have his belly rubbed. As eager he is to play, he hunted with feral ferocity; roaches die with a quick swipe of his paw and he once caught a cobra with nothing but fangs and speed. He disappeared a few days before the wind and rain from Typhoon Sendong came to trash my city; and in the aftermath, his survival was no longer certain. That would be one explanation why my eyes got misty as I was reading the last few pages of the WE3 graphic novel by writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely.

Morrison crafts a sentimental fable wrapped in cybernetic armor. It is a tale set in the backdrop of a secret research laboratory at the heart of the military-industrial complex. Three animals, a dog, a cat and a rabbit that were probably stolen as surmised from posters of their despondent owners, are used as test subjects for research on technology with military applications. These former pets are welded to advanced cybernetic carapaces that enhanced their nervous systems and carry cutting-edge military hardware as prototypes envisioned to rule the battlefields of the future. After a successful field test, they are slated to be decommissioned, but their makers have made them too well, as every animal instinct they used to hunt and kill are amplified, so is their will to live. They escape and are a threat not only to a nearby populated urban center, but also to those that hunt them.

Strip the science fiction coating away and you find a tale of a group of lost animals eager to go home. Home, to paraphrase dialogue is where you don’t run anymore. Think of movies like “The Land Before Time� or “Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey�, movies that tugged the heartstrings of animal lovers. Though it may have the elements of a heartwarming story, it has a lot of gore as a counterpoint to all that sentimentality. These are not cuddly animals, but cyborgs designed to be the ultimate killing machines. This is Quitely’s invaluable contribution, he found a balance in his quirky detailed art that depicted cuddly pets and the incredible designs on the hardware attached to the animals. His animals look ready to be petted, if not for the missile launchers, launching razor sharp claws and anti-personnel mines melded to their forms.

Quitely is definitely a talented designer, but his sequential storytelling provides the meat to this graphic novel. Animals have a different perception to time; they perceive it slower, living in between moments of human heartbeats, so he illustrates these panels as seen through their eyes. Another key moment where he showcases his excellent directing skills is in the multi-page spread of a sequence shown in panels as it is seen through multiple surveillance cameras. It has multiple panels per page of different angles and perspectives at different resolutions. He is a true innovator of the modern comic book form.
Much of the drama and emotional scenes were invested in the trio’s escape and journey to find a place called “home�. Morrison gave the animals monosyllabic speech which resulted from their enhancements. He used this device paired with Quitely’s supreme illustrated storytelling to perfection. The simple speech patterns of the animals gave them an innocent and childlike quality that enhanced the tear jerk quality to the story, especially to scenes that approach their ultimate fate; you have to take frequent deep breaths to continue reading without moisture escaping from your eyes.

The fable shows man’s unfortunate capacity to inflict suffering on their animals and fellow human beings. The former pets were abused in order to make weapons to kill other humans. The ending shows that despite that, we have within ourselves a reservoir of good that negate all that evil. If only we stay true to ourselves and remember the things that are most important to us, like family, friends, loyalty and love.

Tiger may no longer be around, but the memories of the time he was quick to roll for a belly rub remain and would linger. Lost pets do find their way home and it is where they no longer need to run away.