Staff Pick (March12): Mike Norton’s Battlepug Volume 1 HC

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Item Code: MAR120034
SRP: $14.99
PREVIEWS Page #48
In Shops: 7/4/2012

All the high fantasy of an Edgar Rice Burroughs’ tale with five times the ridiculous oversized animals, Battlepug delivers humongous harp seals, gigantic gophers, titan toads, burly beefcake, and, of course, pugs. This is the epic tale of child sold into slavery—one who grows into a man seeking vengeance—a hero who comes to know the fierce strength of the bond between man and pug. The Kinmundian (Conan’s long-lost genre-twin) and the Battlepug scamper where mortals fear to tred and nip at the very heels of the sorcerer who massacred the warrior’s village.

What you see is what you get—brawling barbarians and bug-eyed battle mounts. Wonderfully, it’s not just an awesome premise; the execution is top-notch. Many readers remember Mike Norton from his work on Queen & Country, Runaways, and Young Justice. He’s got a pro-league colorist to match his writing and his line art: Allen Passalaqua who’s been working on JSA and Detective Comics. This incredibly talented pair has put the best possible finish on a project that’s pure fun.

~Sarah Martinez