SPOILERS AHEAD!
Initial Thoughts!
The Dogs are back in town in Super Mondo Mega Mutts #3, escaping jail and returning to hunt Chromedome and Grey Cube’s leader, Reed Ballesteros, who captured them. As the world around them falls into chaos, a civil war breaks out between Grey Cube and Chromedome’s goons, while the Mutts learn about their super-powered upbringing. This issue has a lot going on, but it never feels overwhelming. It brings several plotlines together cleanly, while still leaving plenty of story to tell. The finale is shaping up to be one for the ages, and I am very much looking forward to reading it.
As we enter the final chapter of this series, Super Mondo Mega Mutts #3 gives us a strong foundation for the final standoff and makes the stakes clear. Writer Curt Pires also continues to build the emotional beat of lost dogs trying to find their owners. The connections Pires has built not only between the dogs, but with us as readers, have made this more than a TNMT parody/tribute and have started to build something of its own. The action and gang wars are fun, but the emotional foundation built through the storytelling is what will make the payoff even better. That is what will make this series worthwhile now and in later iterations.
Dog Pound
Super Mondo Mega Mutts #3 had A LOT going for it, but the plot and pace never felt overwhelming. The dogs escaping from jail, discovering their origin, and the civil war that broke out between the two criminal factions all felt seamless. At the same time, the story was chaotic, yet I never felt like I had to flip back to see if I missed anything. This was a well-executed culmination of about three plot lines, finally tied together before they get solved in the final issue next month. I still don't think that Dr. Cromwell is all that meets the eye. Pires isn't telling us everything, and Dr. Cromwell and Krusher Kat are working behind the scenes.
Speaking of which, we get to see more of Krusher Kat, though something is still missing from his origin story, which keeps him mysterious and possibly an adversary to the Mutts. I think Kat will play a major part in the ending of this series, and he might be a key piece in a sequel series. That said, the Mutts’ escape from jail was masterfully written, and the cherry on top was the internal connection all the Dogs share—a great emotional beat.
Dog Pack
The best part of the book, for me at least, was the connection among all the Mega Mutts, a connection never spoken of but clearly written and shown. Even when purposefully separated in jail, a common bond remains alive among all four (five, if you include Mojo) members of the Mega Mutts. While all four Mutts are separated and isolated—and coping in different ways—they still know, almost instinctively, how to find each other as they break out of jail. That is what makes this book and series so interesting. These characters are genetically engineered humanoid animals; however, they are as human as the rest of us.
This isn't new. We've seen this emotional beat throughout the series, and it's always one of the best moments in each book. It was great to see that, even though the Mutts have hit rock bottom, their spirits are still high, especially when they see each other for the first time in months. That wasn't the only emotional beat we got, either. Seeing a lost dog wag its tail because it might be reunited with its long-lost owner is something I really want to see. However, I don't think that emotional storyline will be solved anytime soon.
Pop Art Inspiration
I noticed a strong pop art influence in Juan Gedeon's Super Mondo Mega Mutts #3. The style complemented what Gedeon had already been doing and added another dynamic element to the art. A few panels stood out because different effects highlighted key plot points. This introduced a new artistic element in the middle of the series and emphasized the importance of action in motion. Graphikslava's coloring also kept the book's tone dark, cold, and lonely, giving us a sense of the Mutts' dire situation. I especially liked how the artist shifted between settings, with the open world contrasting sharply with a cold jail cell.
I think the world design and set pieces in this issue were exquisite and some of the best world-building we have seen in this series so far. It was for sure the smallest scale so far, but Juan Gedeon's art made the world feel huge with the introduction of Dr. Cromwell, Krusher Kat, and their plane. The character designs of Dr. Cromwell and Krusher Kat fit perfectly with everything else Pires has created. The flashbacks to Cromwell’s youth added to the lore we already know, and the introductions of those characters, through the art alone, were effective.
Final Verdict
Super Mondo Mega Mutts #3 was a fantastic transition issue between the book's second act and the final act. A lot was going on, and the pacing matched the chaotic nature of this post-apocalyptic version of Los Angeles —and set us up perfectly for the final installment next month. The world built by writer Curt Pires and artist Juand Gedeon feels lived-in and still has so much left to discover. As strong as the dramatic and action scenes are, what really ties everything together are the emotional beats Pires created in issue #1 that have already started to pay off and will continue to do so in the next issue.