If you grew up in the 1990s, chances are you were a fan of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the X-Men, or all three (spoiler alert: I was the guy who liked all three). You also probably encountered the multiple knockoffs of these properties, from Battletoads to Big Bad Beetleborgs. It was rare for one of those series to achieve the same success as TMNT or MMPR, given that those franchises never seemed to go out of style. Super Mondo Mega Mutts #1 from Oni Press takes a different approach: it manages to homage classic ’90s franchises while still feeling like its own thing.
Super Mondo Mega Mutts #1 begins with a massive meteor streaking to Earth and hitting the center of Los Angeles. This meteor was actually a metallic orb, dubbed the “Gleam” for its smooth, shiny surface and its ability to mutate anything it comes into contact with. Five stray dogs, Frankee, Freddy, Wolf, Griffy, and Mojo, are sent into the Gleam to investigate…and end up transforming themselves, becoming the Super Mondo Mega Mutts and defending L.A. from all manner of threats. One of those threats is the mutant gangster Chromedome and his “Goo Gang”, who’ve been terrorizing the City of Angels.
It’s hard to look at Super Mondo Mega Mutts #1 and not recognize the wide range of influences Curt Pires and Juan Gedeon draw from. Griffy is sporting an outfit that’s 1:1 with Cable’s X-Force days, Wolf is wearing an outfit that’s a clear shoutout to Terry Bogard from The King of Fighters, and Freddy looks like a cross between Leonardo from TMNT and Raiden from Metal Gear Solid. Yet rather than being mere homages, these play into the Mutts’ personalities: Freddy strikes with a predator’s precision, while Frankee uses his seemingly endless stash of demolitions to blow enemies away, and Griffy literally turns them into bloody chunks with his hi-tech arsenal.
Oni Press
Make no mistake: Super Mondo Mega Mutts #1 is arguably one of the bloodiest comics you’ll read this year. Many Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans tend to forget that Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s original Mirage comics were dark and bloody, and Gedeon fully leans into that. Bullets turn people’s heads into bloody mush, Freddy’s katanas carve through members of the Goo Gang like hot butter, and when the Mutts summon their “Muttmobile” – a tricked-out monster truck that feels tailor-made for a convention exclusive – its wheels roll over members of the Goo Gang, turning them to a fine red mush. Colorist Graphikslava leans into this gore, splattering plenty of pages with a dark red blood effect.
Yet for all its ultra-violence, there’s a genuine heart beating under Super Mondo Mega Mutts #1. That’s evident in the very first pages, which feature Wolf before he was transformed by the Gleam; not only is his past self super adorable under Gedeon’s pencils, but Pires gives him and the rest of the Mutts appropriately tragic backstories. The fact that they’re willing to risk their own lives to protect others also makes the Mutts endearing characters, as do their unique quirks; Freddy’s love of reading comics automatically makes him my favorite. It also doesn’t hurt that Pires is using the same super-sized format that defines his Image Comics hits Lost Fantasy and Fireborn, giving fans time to actually get to know the Mutts.
Super Mondo Mega Mutts #1 is a bloody yet heartfelt tribute to the media of the 1990s, both paying homage to said media and crafting a world that feels wholly unique. Normally, such a book would be described as a guilty pleasure, but trust me: there’s nothing to be guilty about with this comic.
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