Today is National Take Your Dog to Work Day. While many of us average joes are introducing our canine friends to the exciting world of office life, there are a few dogs in comic books who live much more interesting lives. In honor of everyone’s favorite four legged friends, here’s a look at five of the best canine comic book characters:
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Krypto
Forget Jimmy Olsen, Krypto is the Man of Steel’s real best friend. The family dog of the House of El, Jor-El used Krypto for the rocket design that would later send the baby Kal-El to Earth. Unfortunately for Krypto, the rocket went off course and didn’t arrive at Smallville until Kal was a teenaged Superboy. Grant Morrison updated Krypto’s origin in the New 52, revealing that the dog sacrificed himself during the waning hours of Krypton. When a group of Phantom Zone inmates attacked the El family, Krypton pushed them back into the Phantom Zone, but was trapped in the prison dimension along with the attackers.
Some may see Krypto as one of the goofier aspects of the Superman mythos, but he’s really one of the most humanizing aspect of Superman, serving as aconstant reminder of the superhero’s love of animals. It’s also fun when Superman (or Batman) uses the dog as an ace in the hole, tracking down foes by scent halfway across the world or unleashing the dog on Lex Luthor and his Secret Service goons. And who doesn’t love a dog with heat vision?
Lockjaw
The Inhumans’ primary form of transportation, Lockjaw is a massive bulldog with teleportation powers. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, it’s unclear if Lockjaw was originally a human transformed by the Terrigen Mists or if the mists can affect animals too. Whatever his origin, the giant puppy is a key part of the Royal Family, acting principally as a means for Black Bolt and the other Inhumans to make a dramatic entrance. Lockjaw has his own fun side hobbies, he once led the Pet Avengers in a quest to reform the Infinity Gauntlet.
Pizza Dog
Also known as Lucky or Arrow, Pizza Dog is the hard luck companion to Hawkeye in his critically acclaimed solo series. Originally the dog of an Eastern European mobster, the dog earned his nickname after Hawkeye befriended the animal by feeding him a slice of pizza. Pizza Dog returned the favor by saving the hero from the mobsters later that issue, although he suffered several grievous injuries in the process. Pizza Dog became Hawkeye’s unofficial mascot, and later moved to California with Kate Bishop, the younger female Hawkeye. A solo issue starring Pizza Dog won an Eisner Award for Best Single Issue last year, and Mattel recently made a Pizza Dog action figure, making him officially the coolest dog in comics.
Snowy
Tintin’s constant companion, Snowy the Fox Terrier is one of the smartest dogs in comics. Hergรฉ, the creator of Tintin, developed Snowy as an intelligent dog, able to understand human speech and communicating very human-like thoughts to the audience via thought bubbles. Originally used to provide a dry, cynical commentary on the comics’ event, Snowy’s personality would grow more optimistic over time and would even exchange dialogue with his owner, Tintin. Another one of Snowy’s awesome personality quirks is his love of whisky. Several Tintin stories feature Snowy drunk after consuming one too many shots of whisky.
Ace the Bat-Hound
Not to be outdone by Superman and his pet Krypto, Batman and Robin adopted their own superdog in the 1950s. Ace the Bat-Hound was a German Shepherd who assisted Batman and Robin with a kidnapping case involving the dog’s owner. Bruce Wayne would later adopt Ace and train him in crime fighting, giving him his very own customized cowl to cover a distinctive patch of fur on his hand. While Ace largely disappeared in the comics, he had a prominent role in the Batman Beyond series as Bruce Wayne’s companion and guard dog. In recent years, Damian Wayne, the newest Robin, adopts a dog who looks similar to Ace, but is named Titus instead.
Who are your favorite comic book canines? Let us know in the comments!
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