Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers #2 – Review

By Chris Eliopoulos (Writer), Ig Guara (Pencils), and Chris Sotomayor (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: The first issue of Lockjaw & The Pet Avengers was a solid serving of all-ages fun. While the pacing was a bit off (Throg’s drawn out origin hurt the whole book), I found myself impressed by how well the Pet Avengers concept was introduced and put into motion (even if the team assembly stuff was about as generic as it gets).

The Story: Lockjaw and the rest of the Pet Avengers try to locate the Infinity Gem that’s somewhere in the Savage Land. Lucky for them, the noble Zabu, the Saber-toothed tiger, is willing to give them some help. Unlucky for them though is that, at one point, they must deal with the Devil Dinosaur…

What’s Good: The second chapter of Pet Avengers is a great example of an all-ages comic done right. It’s fast, it’s funny, it looks very nice, and it does a lot of cool things with it’s cast of talking Marvel animals. The very best thing about Pet Avengers #2 though, is that it’s absolutely loaded with a personality that every member of the creative team helps to develop.

Chris Eliopoulos once again does a fine job of handling a concept that could easily fall apart because of how silly the whole idea sounds. The second part of the Pet Avengers’ quest to obtain the Infinity Gems is quite funny, but it’s also full of action, adventure, and a sense of importance. Thanks to Eliopoulos’ decision to have the pets feel a sense of duty and responsibility, it’s easier for the reader to have some emotional investment in the story beyond “oh look how cute all those animals are!” (or something like that). Also, Eliopoulos gives each Avenger a distinct voice and that contributes to a team dynamic that is a lot of fun to read about.

As for the visuals, Ig Guara does an outstanding job of giving the animals a wide range of emotion. It goes a long way towards getting the reader to invest in the Pet Avengers’ quest. Guara also creates a number of impressive action sequences that some slam, bang, explosion superhero action to shame. Also, how cool does Throg look?! Special mention must also go to Chris Sotomayor for vibrant color work that does a heck of a lot for the lively tone of Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers #2.

What’s Not So Good: Criticizing the latest Pet Avengers comic is both very easy and extremely difficult. It’s easy because the book lacks depth, has a few jokes that fall flat (Poop jokes? Sure they get a laugh out of kids, but c’mon…), and a couple of panels that just look odd (why does it seem like it looks like Hairball is ALWAYS yelling? – If a cat could yell, I mean). It’s difficult because Pet Avengers #2 does exactly what it needs to do extremely well. And also… I really don’t want to sound like a pretentious prick. but it’s obviously not something as deep or complex as something like, Unwritten. But then again, it doesn’t have to be…

Conclusion: I know I’m not going to change any minds that aren’t open to giving Pet Avengers #2 a chance… But it is seriously worth giving a chance. It’s good, mostly clean (remember that there’s poop jokes) fun.

Grade: B+ (on the All-Ages scale)

-Kyle Posluszny

Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers #1 – Review

By Chris Eliopoulos (Writer), Ig Guara (Pencils), Chris Sotomayor (Colors), and Colleen Coover (Frog Thor Origin)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: I’m not really sure what to expect out of the Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers mini-series. It’s based around a fun concept and features some nice-looking artwork, but experience has taught me that those things can only carry a series. That said, I highly doubt the mini will wear out it’s welcome in only four issues.

The Story: Mr. Fantastic meets up with Black Bolt and Medusa to find the infinity gems in order to keep them from falling into the wrong hands. However, Lockjaw happens to be the first to find one and so his adventure begins. The first step? Assemble a team that can help find the rest of the gems. Pet Avengers…ASSEMBLE!!

What’s Good: In order for something like Pet Avengers to work, the creative team working on the series has to strike a specific, somewhat challenging type of tone. Fortunately, the team succeeds in doing just that. Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers #1 is lighthearted, funny, and fun without feeling silly or childish. It’s also interesting and compelling without being overly serious or embarrassed by it’s concept.

Thanks to Ig Guara’s expressive, lively pencil work, Chris Sotomayor’s vibrant colors, and Chris Eliopoulus’ enjoyable, adventurous script, Pet Avengers works surprisingly well. It’s like Homeward Bound: The Search for the Infinity Gems.

What’s Not So Good: While Colleen Coover’s Throg (Frog Thor) section looks nice, it definitely is something of a momentum killer. It goes on for WAY too long and gets in the way of the more important stuff…like introducing the other members of the fairly large cast. The origin (or BORE-igin) story probably sounded a lot more interesting than it turns out to be. (yes, feel free to snicker at my clever wordplay)

Another negative is that there is no escaping the fact that Pet Avengers #1 is pretty much just another “team assembly” book. You’ve read something like this before. And even though it’s charming and stars pets, it’s still extremely familiar and fairly generic.

Conclusion: Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers is off to an entertaining, though unspectacular start. I recommend that anyone curious about the series check it out. It’s a decent, solid piece of animal-centric entertainment.

Grade: C+

-Kyle Posluszny