| Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers | |
|---|---|
 The Pet Avengers on the cover ofLockjaw and the Pet Avengers #1 (July 2009). Art byKarl Kerschl. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Limited series |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | July – Oct. 2009 |
| No. of issues | 4 |
| Main character(s) | Lockjaw Throg Lockheed Redwing Devil Dinosaur Zabu Ms. Lion Hairball Cosmo the Spacedog Rocket Raccoon Howard the Duck Super Rabbit Nosie Hit-Monkey Monkey Joe Tippy-Toe Jeff the Land Shark |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Chris Eliopoulos |
| Artist(s) | Ig Guara Colleen Coover |
| Letterer | Nate Piekos |
| Colorist | Chris Sotomayor |
| Editor(s) | Nathan Cosby Ralph Macchio |
| Collected editions | |
| Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers | ISBN 0-7851-4123-5 |
| Pet Avengers Classic | ISBN 0-7851-3966-4 |
Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers is a four-issuecomic booklimited series published byMarvel Comics from July to October 2009. It was followed up by the four-issue limited seriesLockjaw and the Pet Avengers Unleashed from May to August 2010. Both series were written byChris Eliopoulos with art by Ig Guara.
Fantastic Four memberMister Fantastic visitsAttilan, city of theInhumans, seeking the sixInfinity Gems (each anartifact of great power).Lockjaw, an oversizeddog and pet of the Inhuman Royal Family, finds theMind Gem, which increases the animal's intelligence. Usingtelepathy to read Mr. Fantastic's mind, Lockjaw decides to find the remaining Gems. The pet encounters and recruits a number of other animal companions to heroes, including thecatHairball, thedragon-like alienLockheed, thefalconRedwing, thefrogThrog, theduckHoward the Duck, therabbitSuper Rabbit, theferretNosie, themonkeyHit-Monkey, thesquirrelsMonkey Joe andTippy-Toe,Jeff the Land Shark, and the puppy Ms. Lion (originally a character from the animated seriesSpider-Man and His Amazing Friends).
Courtesy of Lockjaw's ability to teleport, the group visit the prehistoricSavage Land and acquire theTime Gem and the aid of thesabretooth tigerZabu, and theTyrannosaurus rexDevil Dinosaur. TheSpace Gem is found in the past, and after an underwater encounter and being swallowed by thewhale-likeGiganto, the group collect theSoul Gem and theReality Gem. The animal team converge on the final Gem, thePower Gem, which is in the possession of thePresident of the United States' dog,Bo. The TitanThanos, a previous owner of all six Gems when united as the Infinity Gauntlet, intervenes and kills Ms. Lion. The other animals are angered by this act and use the Gems to strand Thanos in an alternate dimension and subsequently revive their comrade.
Retrieving the final Gem, the group decides to separate, but not before Throg advises that they now share apsychic link and will reunite if needed. Ms. Lion (resurrected by Hairball via the Soul Gem) dubs the group the Pet Avengers. The series concludes with Lockjaw presenting the Gems to a surprised Mr. Fantastic.
The first series received mixed reviews, withIGN rating the first issue a 6.5 out of 10.[1] The first issue sold out and went to second printing.[2]
The story of the team continued in a second series,Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers: Unleashed (May – August 2010), followed by a third limited seriesAvengers vs. the Pet Avengers (December 2010 – March 2011) and a guest appearance in thePower Pack all-ages miniseries titleThor and the Warriors Four (April 2010). They also appeared withRocket Raccoon andCosmo of theGuardians of the Galaxy inGuardians Team-Up #5 (June 2015).
The stories have been collected into twotrade paperback volumes:
Previous appearances by the animals have also been collected into trade paperback: