The Top 10 Most Interesting Comic Book Pets

The Top Ten Most Interesting Comic Book Pets

In a world where humans crave companionship, it is no wonder that even superheroes would also desire cute cuddly friends. And it just so happens that those cute and cuddly friends can have telepathic abilities, bizarre superpowers, and turn into humans and date their human masters. Admittedly, I have fantasized about my tiny dog Sushi suddenly developing hover craft super powers and helping me fight crime late at night, but I am pretty sure the pets on this list are a LITTLE more bizarre than my five year old girl delusions about my dog being invincible.
 

10. Lockjaw (Inhumans)

This list would be incomplete without a canine presence, and what better "dog" to represent this than Lockjaw? Not only does he possess incredible strength in his jaws (as his name implies), he can also transport, eat anything (including robots), and he can track smells across outer space. Add that to his cuddly bowling ball exterior, and you have yourself quite the canine companion even if he is, technically, no one’s pet.

 

9. Bubastis (Watchmen)

A red and black genetically engineered lynx seems like it would make a GREAT pet! Ozymondias seems to think so, as Bubastis the Lynx is his most loyal companion throughout Watchmen. She is unwavering in her devotion to Adrian Veidt, and she eventually pays for that devotion when Veidt kills her in his quest for utopia. Up until that point she is merely a shadow in the background of the plot line, albeit a very colourful one (with big teeth!)

 

Ampersand is Yorick Brown's capuchin monkey, who was the only other male mammal spared from the plague that takes place in the world that of Y: The Last Man. People are constantly trying to kidnap him, do tests on him, and all kinds of other crazy stuff, and he doesn't even possess the intelligence to understand why this is all happening… and to make sense of the fact that he is never, ever going to get laid ever again. That sucks.

 

7. Lockheed (X-Men)

If there's anything in this world I have desired more than anything else, that thing is a dragon. Raised on Anne McCaffery novels and fantasies of flying to Iceland and making my dragon harass herds of sheep, I would be pretty okay if we finally encountered intelligent life from outer space and they were dragons.

This is exactly the case with Lockheed, Kitty Pryde's purple dragon companion. He comes from an advanced race of extraterrestrials who just happen to look like dragons and behave very much like an ant colony. However, he nursed hopes and dreams that were uncommon for someone of his race, so when he encountered Kitty Pryde on the Brood's planet, he went back with her to the X-Mansion and has been her faithful companion ever since.

He's been an intense staple within the X-Men universe, involved in most of the important story arcs and he has even fought alongside the Pet Avengers. And why wouldn't he be an important part of the X-Men universe? I mean, he IS a dragon after all. And that's just awesome.

 

 

6. Beppo The Super Chimp (Superman)

I'm sorry, as a rule most monkeys creep me out. Something about them just makes me feel a bit skeeved out – perhaps it is the fact they are so similar to us, or perhaps it’s their bizarre little faces and poop flinging affinities.

Beppo is not exception to that rule, and the fact that he has the usual Kryptonian super powers makes me feel a bit more disturbed. He enjoys wreaking havoc wherever he goes, panicking that stars are chasing him, setting off fireworks in Smallville, and being part of the Legion of Super-Pets. DC has some rather… interesting animal characters, especially ones involved in the Superman universe.

 

4. The Cat (Transmetropolitan)

A two faced cat would certainly make national news these days, just like the two headed turtles and lambs with eight legs. But in Transmetropolitan The Cat is a stray that no one pays much attention to until Spider finds her on the porch of his apartment and takes her in. She has three eyes, two faces, smokes cigarettes, eats other animals, and pees all over everything she possibly can.

Only from the mind of Warren Ellis could a cat with Diprosopus be born.

3. Krypto The Superdog (Superman)

I tried really hard to leave Krypto off this list, really I did. Considering this list is also home to two other members of the Legion of Super-Pets, I felt that I would be showing too much… favoritism, perhaps? But as I continued to add pets to this list I finally realized that there was no way I could avoid adding Krypto. After all, he is practically the most famous comic book pet of all time (although I don't have the numbers to back up that statement). Speaking of pets, if yo are looking for a god food click it here.

He has quite the back story: he was young Superman's (Kal-El) dog on Krypton, and they were reunited years later when Krypto arrived on Earth in a rocket ship he was placed in for scientific experimentation purposes. He helps Superboy/Superman fight crime, and possesses the same powers as Superman except in "dog size". When he's not flying around and having super strength, he is a normal white mutt with a brown spot on his back, residing at the Clark residence. How cute is that? Don’t you just want to hug him?

Admittedly, having a pet dinosaur would be kind of amazing. But even in the world of Marvel where the impossible seems pretty feasible, a teenage girl walking around with a giant carnivorous beast that is supposed to be extinct may be a little too much. But as the only regular dinosaur character within the Marvel Universe, Old Lace deserves a spot on this list.

1. Comet the Superhorse (Superman)

Of all of these pets, Comet is perhaps the most "WTF" worthy. As a girl, I am wired from birth to like horses (You know, the whole OMG PONIES11!!!!!one!!!111eleven!! reaction), and as a recent adopter to DC comics I was excited when I was first exposed to Comet The Superhorse (via Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th grade). A super awesome horse that can FLY and wears cool red and blue tack? Obviously, I was immediately sold. But as I delved deeper into the older story lines of Supergirl and thus Comet, I began to become a little bit disturbed. Allow me to give you the short version:

Originally, Comet was a Centaur named Biron from Ancient Greece. He wanted to be human instead of some sort of half horse, half man beast, so he took a potion from the witch Circe. But instead of the desired affects of becoming a man, he instead became a full horse… unless a comet is passing through the solar system he is currently located in. Then he suddenly became a smooth talking, golden locked aryan man called "Bronco" Bill Starr.

He had superpowers like flight, immortality, and super strength, even though he was not from Krypton (he got the powers from the potion that turned him fully equine). Whenever he became "Bronco" Bill, he would woo Supergirl and eventually they fell madly in love. Yeah, Supergirl has banged her own horse. He also had a brief romance with Lois Lane, and sometimes even turned back into a Centaur.

I could make further commentary on this, but I am quite certain that his storyline speaks for itself. Comet is the poster… horse for furry enablers everywhere. You have to love the Silver Age.

 

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Molly McIsaac points her camera at everything and enjoys fictional characters with green hair. You can stalk her to your heart's content on Twitter.