by Jon Dexter
The story of Alpha Dogs started when my family and I faced a difficult choice in our small town in Northeast Missouri. The town had banned pit bulls, and we had to choose between surrendering our eight-year-old pit bull mix, Pig, or moving. Two months later, we relocated to a new place in a neighboring county, and that was when the idea for Alpha Dogs began to take shape. The story’s protagonist, Buck, is an overgrown pit bull with a heart of gold, feared by humans but dedicated to protecting his loved ones.
The overarching theme of Alpha Dogs is that dogs/humans should not be judged by breed/race but by the strength of their character. I’ll be launching Alpha Dogs Volume One as a graphic novel on Kickstarter on March 5th, 2024. This collection features the first four issues and concludes the first story arc. It also includes an all-new bonus story, plus never-before-seen art that didn’t make the final cut. You can sign up here to be notified when the project goes live.
Buck has the power to heal from almost any wound, possesses heightened strength, and has near-human intelligence. Despite his intimidating appearance, he is loyal and protective of his owner, Ina, and his grumpy companion, Sirus, another pit bull with similar powers. They have spent most of their lives on the run from Black Rock, a group of mercenaries obsessed with exploiting the dogs’ abilities. The secretive lifestyle has left Ina lonely, and when she meets Salem, a fellow bioengineer, she reveals the dogs’ secret. But Salem has ulterior motives and has been targeting Ina to get closer to Buck and Sirus. His plan to extract Buck’s blood for his own gain sets off a chain of events that puts everyone at risk.
My name is Jon Dexter, the creator and writer of Alpha Dogs and Dime-Store Detective. I’m a two-time Academy Awards screenwriting contest semi-finalist for my screenplay, The Weeping Trees. Creating Alpha Dogs has been a six-year passion project that I hope will continue as a series. Our beloved pit bull, Pig, passed away on March 23, 2023, after almost 14 years of bringing joy, companionship, and love to our family. This graphic novel is dedicated to his memory; without him, Alpha Dogs wouldn’t exist. We miss him every day.
Feel free to connect with me on X (Twitter) or Instagram, or email me at alphadogs@yahoo.com. I look forward to sharing more about my work and continuing to honor Pig’s legacy through the story of Alpha Dogs.