Back Issues: Fuzzy Friends
Everyone loves a hero, a likeable main character is the main reason anyone will follow a series and pick up each issue month on month (Or every six months for the trade-waiters among you). After all, if you don’t find the main character compelling, why bother following the story? All that said though, the protagonist alone cannot a story make. A vivid supporting cast of companions and villains is just as necessary. Among that supporting cast, some of the most memorable can be the humble animal companions. Often seen sparingly, only on a hero’s day off or during an especially unusual turn in a series’ narrative direction, it’s the small 4 legged wonders that can provide some of the most memorable moments in a hero’s journey.
Lying Cat – Saga
I was never quite hooked on Saga in the beginning, it took me a fair while to really get into the series. Lying. The art was pretty good and the weird take on a Romeo & Juliet storyline was an interesting direction, so it had that going for it. However, I never really clicked with any of the 
characters, especially that irritating cat thing. Lying. I just couldn’t figure out why Will would keep it around all of the time. Sure, a cat that can tell if someone is lying would be useful some of the time, especially for a mercenary who frequently deals with shady sorts, but keeping it around 24/7? That’s gotta really grate on your nerves after a while.
Being honest though, Lying Cat is one of the coolest prominent side-characters in the Saga universe and his connection with the often hard-edged Will has formed some of the most heart warming moments in the series so far. Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples make great use of his frequent interjections in casual conversation, combined with the deadpan facial expressions, to turn Lying Cat into a firm fan favourite in the series, able to provide some comic relief without having a needless addition to the story.
Man-Spider – Astonishing Spider-Man
I said that animal features in comics can provide some of the more memorable moments. I didn’t say that they were all necessarily memorable for the right reason. Nor did I say that they’d all have to be cuddly and cute animal appearances. This brings me to Astonishing Spider-Man #146 and the Man-Spider. Straddling the line somewhere between main character and side plot; On the one hand it is a form of Peter Parker, on the other hand it makes only infrequent appearances and doesn’t exactly share Peter’s psyche or personality. Also it gave birth to him at one point.
Yeah, you read that correctly. Man-Spider, a mutated form of Spider-Man, AKA Peter Parker, gave birth to Peter Parker. A fully grown, adult male, works for a living and supports a family Peter Parker. There was all a good reason for this of course, well, depending on how loose your definition of ‘good’ is.
The Metamorphosis storyline happened around 2006, just after Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 were making it big at the box office. Someone at Marvel’s creative division saw Tobey Maguire’s organic web shooters and thought “Wouldn’t it be cool if he had those in the comics too?” Thus the contrived plot came around. Spider-Man would turn into Man-Spider, and finally (male) Spider-Spider. Then he’d become Spider-Pregnant and finally he’d give Spider-Birth. To Peter Parker.
Comics, folks. Comics.
Arrow AKA Lucky AKA Pizza Dog – Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye
Probably the most important fictional hound since Lassie, Pizza Dog was the heart and soul of Marvel during Matt Fraction‘s run on Hawkeye. Although Pizza Dog (Never just Pizza) was only one facet of what made the comic amazing, he was by far the most important ingredient in the mix. Right from his introduction, Pizza Dog was tugging at the heart strings of fans and showing the reasons that Hawkeye is the best Avenger.
Clint Barton first meets Pizza Dog, at the time named ‘Arrow’, when he sees him on a run-down street near his apartment block and feeds him a slice of pizza. It’s not until later (All the way at the end of Hawkeye #1) when he joins Clint’s group proper. During what is one of the most heartwrenching scene’s of the comic, and there are some pretty darned tear jerking scenes, Clint saves a beaten Pizza Dog from the Bros, an Eastern European Mafia group. After that, the two become nearly inseparable, despite Barton’s protestations of the truth.
One of the most telling events of Pizza Dog’s importance, is that he had his own solo-issue, told from his point of view with a narrative on how a dog might perceive the world. That issue, Hawkeye #11, went on to win an Eisner Award. I won’t spoil any of it, but you’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t read it at some point.
