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Ever since I was a young boy I have been obsessed with pugs. Yes. Pugs. The wrinkly flat faced dogs that snore even when they’re awake. Every Christmas I would receive a pug calendar to hang in my room and I knew that one day I would be a pug owner, which I am. So what does this have to do with comics you say? Well there happens to be a fellow pug lover out there that goes by the name of Mike Norton best known for his fantastic writing and art in Runaways, The All-New Atom and Green Arrow/Black Canary, who decided to write a comic called Battlepug. Yes. Battlepug. And it is the single best comic any pug enthusiast (especially of the male variant) could ever own. Why do I say especially the male variant? Mainly because the narrator of the story is a completely naked woman named Molly, who lies in bed all day talking to her dogs Mingo and Colfax. This doesn’t mean the ladies won’t like this book though. Molly is just a narrator. Let me explain.
So enough about the narration and background scenes, what’s this story Molly is telling and why should you read this book? This comic’s main story isn’t anything new or inventive at its core, but it’s the little touches of imagination and humor that Norton adds that makes this story unique. The main hero of the story is simply referred to as The Warrior. He’s the last of the Kinmundian tribe or clan, because an evil wizard named Catwulf destroyed his village using a giant baby seal he had under his spell. After his village and family were gone, the Warrior was captured by an evil Santa Claus and was forced to fight for the elves entertainment for years upon years, building himself into a fighting machine of death. So needless to say, the Warrior escapes his shackles and goes on a quest for revenge and wants nothing more than to kill Catwulf for ruining his life. Along the way he meets an old man named Scrabbly, who rambles about random stuff and says Scribby and Scrabbly a lot. He also meets a young mage named Bryony, a young red headed girl with the mouth of a sailor. Every other word she says is censored and it’s absolutely hilarious! Last but not least, especially since the book is named after him, the Warrior meets a giant pug, who becomes his companion and guardian throughout his quest. Whether the Warrior wants his help or not, he learns fast that this giant pug isn’t as dumb as it looks. He can mount the giant pug and ride it into battle against Catwulf, giving it the name Battlepug!
The art in this book is drawn by Norton himself and colored by Allen Passalaqua. The art and coloring in this book is outstanding to say the least. There isn’t a single page in this book that is lazily drawn or inconsistent with the previous pages. For what used to be web-comic, the art is top notch compared to any other web-comics out there and even rivals that of the big publishers. Each character is unique and drawn humorously, sometimes with a touch of satire, and you really end up liking the characters more because of it. Norton also draws pugs like it’s nobody’s business. Every page with the Battlepug on it makes me smile or laugh because of how silly it looks. Allen Passalaqua doesn’t skimp a bit on the colors either. Each page is full of brilliant coloring from top to bottom, making the world alive with detail. One thing I’ll also note is the letterer Chris Crank. The whole comic is comically lettered in Comic sans font, and Crank does a great job in general on the lettering, especially when Bryony is cussing her little head off.
From a first glance this book will look like a kid’s book, but it’s not at all. It’s full of adult themed humor, racy (yet tasteful) jokes, some violence and very brief nudity (there’s a butt!). This book is full of action scenes, humor and intrigue that could peak any comic lover’s interest. Each book comes in a landscape hardcover book that looks really good on display in any shelf. I don’t own many hardcovers myself, but I am definitely going to order volume 3 today to put it on the shelf with the others. Each volume ends in a fun cliffhanger making me want to read more, so I really hope Norton will get on writing Volume 4: The Devil’s Biscuit, because I can’t wait to keep reading this series! Volume 3 comes out tomorrow the 29th of October!