SPOILERS AHEAD!
Initial Thoughts!
Super Mondo Mega Mutts #2 sees our heroes in the most vulnerable place we have seen them so far, and little do they know it's about to get worse. Although this might have come off as a “joke” book when you first read the premise or heard it's a TNMT parody, it's anything but. It is a very deep, sentimental, smart, action-packed, and well-paced story about, ultimately, lost dogs trying to get home. The pacing is elite, especially for a 4-issue miniseries, and the next step in the story feels logical while setting us up for an exciting third act.
While Super Mondo Mega Mutts is an ode/parody of the Ninja Turtles, there are enough differences that it is carving out a lane of its own. And while it's not as brutal as its predecessor, that wasn't the main goal of this issue. Instead, it was more important to continue establishing the world and the characters' motives. One underrated aspect of this book is the emotional beats writer Curt Pires integrates into the series, which you wouldn't think would work in this type of series, but it does very well. This issue was a great look at how to use a hero's greatest asset against them.
Trapped Like a Rat
Our protagonists have been captured after Grey Cube and Chromedome’s thugs overwhelm them, proving they have too many men to fight off. This is where the rest of the story will seemingly focus on getting the Mutts out of Grey Cube’s hands and away from their experiments. However, with an unknown doctor and Krusher Kat looking for the Dogs, it’s unclear who will reach the Mutts first: help, death, or experimentation. This is where the emotional beat lands. The last panel, before we see Krusher Kat, shows our Super Mutts stripped naked and dejected.
What stands out to me is something I mentioned in the intro: these are dogs looking to get back home, or to an owner. This issue mentioned that Grey Cube might have clues or answers about who they were before, maybe homes and owners for them to return to. Those little glimpses into a world that might bring Wolf, Frankee, Griffy, Freddy, and Mojo some peace in this world of unrest are something I’m now rooting for. If they can get past Grey Cube, Krusher Kat, and a big bad doctor, that reunion will be very satisfying--or a great place to leave off for a sequel.
A Kat, For Once, Is Cool
One story thread that continues to be pulled along—excellently, in my opinion—is Krusher Kat’s continued pursuit of the Mega Mutts. While we saw a small part of him in the first issue’s epilogue, this issue gives us more backstory. Not only do we now know he knows where they are, but the first couple of pages also give us a glimpse of what might be the big bad and the person behind Krusher Kat’s mission. It will be interesting to see if he becomes the Casey Jones character of this universe.
This thread, along with the Mutts possibly finding their owners, keeps me emotionally invested in this series. A lot makes the book look nice and feel brutal, but I think what makes it so good are the emotional beats that keep us readers invested in the story. That thread pays off at the end and, eventually, keeps us wanting more in a sequel. Even though the characters—specifically your heroes, our mutated dogs—are different, moments like those we see of them in the jail cell humanize them. Also, who doesn't want them to find their owners? It’s a story that really pulls at the heartstrings.
The Duality of Dog
Artist Juan Gedeon continues to knock it out of the park, bringing post-apocalyptic, dystopian Los Angeles to life with his art style. His action scenes are grandiose and look BIG, which is perfect for the movement these characters portray panel after panel. What accompanies that fantastically is how he draws emotions on his characters' faces. Dog, human, and everything in between, Gedeon will let us know how his characters are feeling. Very expressive and very good, too. I think what is fascinating about this series’ art is that Gedeon knows when to be brutal in the action scenes and when to be cute and emotional, creating those beats with facial expressions.
Nowhere is that better expressed than in the panel in this book that stood out to me, when the Mutts were shown in their jail cell, looking sad, mad, and defeated. This is where colorist Graphikslava comes to work. His shadowing and neutral colors make the dogs' jail cell look cold, harsh, and miserable. In contrast, while not as bloody as issue #1, there is still some blood here. The shade of red used for the blood makes the battles look more violent and painful. This has been a well-drawn and well-colored series, and issue #2 is no different.
Final Verdict
There are no real big things I can nitpick in Super Mondo Mega Mutts #2; I think this was a great issue that has me excited for the rest of the series. It hit all the emotional and story beats it needed, and it made me really excited to see what writer Curt Piers and artist Juan Gedeon do next with this story. While it started as a parody and homage to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Super Mondo Mega Mutts has now carved out its own slice of this genre and stands on its own as a concise, well-thought-out story.