Dark Horse has posted online the first of Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson's wonderful Beasts of Burden short stories, "Stray," from 2003's Dark Horse Book of Hauntings. It's designed to whet our appetites for the long-awaited Beasts of Burden miniseries, which debuts in September.

The shorts, which appeared in each volume of the Dark Horse Book of ... anthology series, are among my absolute favorite comic stories released in recent years. They're moody, touching, funny, creepy and beautifully illustrated. But I think I'm most fascinated by the culture and belief system, complete with rituals and folklore, that Dorkin and Thompson have created for their occult-battling dogs and cats.

If you've not read any of the shorts, do yourself a favor and check out "Stray" now.