Spoilers Ahead!
Initial Thoughts
Super Mondo Mega Mutts #1 was NOT what I was expecting when I first read the title and saw the cover. I was expecting something more mundane and mainstream, the kind of carbon copy we see all over the industry. That is not what we got. What we got was a cuter, more adult version of the groundbreaking series that never feels like a copy-and-paste. It feels like an homage with modern elements. I don't know how writer Curt Pires was able to make comedy, action, guts, and even a heartfelt emotional beat work so well together, but he did.
Super Mondo Mega Mutts is like the Ninja Turtles' troubled cousin who spent some time in Juvy. Your parent dont want you to spend any time with them, but that's all you want to do over summer break. With all that said, I thoroughly enjoyed this opening issue, and not just for the shock of the theme change, but because I thought all of the elements worked together well. The sudden change from a lost dog looking for their owner to a dystopian sci-fi hero story came at me at breakneck speed, but was seamless. Incredibly exciting to see where this series goes from this fantastic opening issue.
There is a Bad Guy Called Chromedome
Super Mondo Mega Mutts #1 did a phenomenal job in creating the world around us and setting up the premise of the rest of the series. One of those elements is introducing us to the Chromedome and the Goo Gang, which, if we are going to continue to use the TMNT comparisons, would be their Foot Clan. Writer Curt Pires did a wonderful job introducing this world and the conflict for our Mega Mutts in just 30 pages. There are only a certain number of pages allowed in a particular comic, and in debut issues, creators will try to cram too much, and it feels overpacked. I didn’t feel that was an issue in this.
I highly doubt that Chromedome is the final big bad guy. I have a feeling there is still a much bigger, ominous figure behind the scenes controlling everything. Chromedome feels like a mid-level boss- especially with that name--, and we will close the series with a final confrontation between the Mega Mutts and a Shredder-type villain. What if the villain is Wolf’s long-lost owner? She was also mutated into this monster, who is behind the Goo Gang and the fall of the city. I'd like to see that.
We Already Got Off To A Hot Start In The First Issue!
In an already exciting issue, the most enthralling part of Super Mondo Mega Mutts #1 was the battle that closed the issue in the walls of the Mega Mutts. Not only are the local politicians after him, but so are the Goo Gang, and they officially teamed up to take on our heroes. For what reasons—other than evil and probably money—we are yet to know. However, that was the climax of the issue for me. I think it sets the foundation for what we have in store for the rest of the series and helps set the tone.
I like that we immediately hit the ground running in this already lived-in world; to me, it was a consistent peak of this issue. Everyone nowadays writes a dystopian novel, so the good ones take some of the biggest swings, and having mutant talking dogs taking on a villain named “Chromedome” is one of the biggest swings. The not-so-subtle homage to the Ninja Turtles could have gone terribly wrong, but it works so well that it feels like an ode and not a rip-off. The entire book was such an easy and fun read, and I know that momentum can't continue, but the start was so high that I'm fully invested in this title.
The Art is Gore and Beautiful
Juan Gedeon's art style is a combination of Marvel house style and indie darling. Gedeon also did a tremendous job jumping back and forth between elements of sci-fi, modern palatable drawing, and gore/violence. The way my jaw dropped when that first head was blown off within the first 10 pages of Super Mondo Mega Mutts #1. That is what makes the art even more compelling. Nothing before that gave it away, and I have not heard of Juan Gedeon before this title, so that was quite the experience. Shout out to Graphikslava for his coloring efforts in Super Mondo Mega Mutts #1. The blood shade of red used for the violent panels was pitch-perfect.
As mentioned before, the dichotomy of jumping between the cuteness of the Mutts and the brutality of the gore and violence is a true art form. If you were like me and had no idea what this series was about, that jump in pacing and optics is jarring. But with good art, that surprise is always welcomed. The opening scene of a lost dog being as cute as possible, then transitioning to a brutal dystopian world with cosmically altered talking dogs, all while the art never feels out of place. A work of art!
Final Verdict
Super Mondo Mega Mutts #1 is writer Curt Pires' raunchy, dystopian, and more adult ode to the Ninja Turtles, and at least for the first issue, it worked. The brutality of the art and the story's genre make this a unique story, even if it does have elements of one of the most recognized hero stories in the world. There was so much that filled the pages of this debut issue, but never once did it feel overwhelming or like the pacing of the story was off. If you're not a fan of gore or violence, this won't be the book for you, but if you do want to give it a chance, I think we are in for a wild and fun ride.