As I was reading through a few comics the other day, it dawned on me that DC’s post-Crisis gameplan has an inordinant amount of talking dogs in it. I’m not saying that there’s a concerted effort to cash in on the Wesminster Dog Show crowd, but when’s the last time a publisher had talking canine sidekicks featured in not one, not two, but three of their titles? And this doesn’t even count the Krypto series!
For those that haven’t noticed and for whatever reason are as fascinated by this turn of events as I am, here’s three I’ve come across so far.
Deathblow:
OK, so it’s Wildstorm and not a DCU title, but with the hints that the Wildstorm Universe has joined the Multiverse, I think it counts. At first, you’re not sure if the dog’s speech is a figment of Deathblow’s imagination or not, but by the end of issue 4 (the only issue I’ve read) it’s verified by other characters that yes, the assassin’s furry friend does indeed have verbal capabilities.
Mystery In Space:
Captain Comet’s new lease on life includes a talking dog that does more than just offer advice – he actually controls his own robots, runs computers and provides tactical information to the space hero. The little bulldog dude is basically a four-legged version of Oracle that has to be let outside to go to the bathroom.
Shadowpact:
This was the first one I noticed, actually. Wondrous Rex had what looked to be a mere cameo appearance in the early issues of Bill Willingham’s Shadowpact series (which is far more enjoyable than it has a right to be, by the way), but became a somewhat important character in later plot developments. He’s since disappeared, but I’d be surprised if he didn’t return eventually since the title does feature a semi-rotating cast of characters.
So, what does this all mean? Probably nothing, but it’s really strange that a single publisher has, in less than a year, introduced three (that I’ve seen) talking dog characters in wildly different titles. It’s also worth noting that even when it comes to casting talking animals in comics there’s a severe lack of role models for little girls – all the dogs mentioned (including Krypto) seem to be guys.
