Battlepug, Vol. 1

The sword and sorcery genre is ever ripe for lampooning, and this series’ first volume gets straight to the job of giving its tropes the business. Long ago and far away, the tastefully nude Molly entertains her talking pooches, Mingo and Colfax, with the epic adventures of a nameless barbarian hero who rides an enormous, goofy pug dog. Her narrative trots out such clichés as the warrior witnessing his people destroyed by a horrific force while he’s still a child (in this case the destroyer being a Godzilla-sized and very cute harp seal), the hero’s mighty frame and fighting skills forged through years of slave labor and gladiatorial combat, an insane companion who may know more than he’s letting on, and of course gigantic ensorcelled reptiles, all of which is presented with tongue firmly in cheek yet played utterly straight. As for the story’s art, it strikes a perfect balance between straight barbarian comics imagery—the protagonist bears more than a passing resemblance to John Buscema’s interpretation of Conan—and animation-influenced humor, in other words, the perfect visual approach for a charming and very amusing buff-dude-with-a-sword sendup. This is fun stuff. (July)