Marvel Unleashed

Marvel Unleashed #1-4

by Kyle Starks

Justice…has teeth! When Kraven the Hunter abducts the teleporting hound Lockjaw at the same time as a local scientist mixed up with A.I.M. goes missing, it's up to Throg the Frog of Thunder, Redwing the Falcon, Chewie the catlike Flerken, Lucky the Pizza Dog, Bats the Ghost Dog and their scrappy new ally, D-Dog to save the day! But there's more to this case than meets the eye, and something infernal lurks in the shadows. Can feathers, fangs and claws stand against one of the deadliest foes in the Marvel Universe? Or will these Pet Avengers be made to suffer their worst nightmares? Prepare yourself for heartbreak, because not everyone is making it out of this one! Collecting MARVEL UNLEASHED #1-4.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Marvel, Graphic Novels Comics

112 pages, Paperback

Published February 13, 2024

Reviews

[Matthew Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kyle Starks is going to end up making me get a dog. This was a tough read, but not in the sense that it sucked to get through. This was tough because of the stupid emotional pull that Starks put me through. I wanted so much more (issues and for the story) than this limited series provided, but it was great in what it ended up being. Beautiful, and emotional read. Kyle Starks is a bad man for making me feel, but D-Dog is the goodest girl forever!

[Anna Quilter · Rating 3 out of 5]

What looks like a sketchy idea to begin with..actually develops into a reasonable storyline.
Lockjaw...Redwing...Bats...Carol Danvers Cat and D-Dog(?) get involved with AIM .. Supervillains etc.
Luckily they can talk to each other so we know the plot.
Extolled as comedy..I'm not so sure..

[Tyler Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really a 4.5/5 because a comic hasn’t made me cry in ages. What a cute idea for a team up and what a fun story that has a great ending to it. I really hope we continue to see this team stopping world ending events.

[Carolina · Rating 5 out of 5]

CRYING SCREAMING SOBBING

[Jessica Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute fun story!! It has a pretty solid storyline which i didn't expect. I love D-Dog and Chewie. So many cute character moments throughout and you can tell Starks is an animal lover

[Tim Rooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much more than I expected. A comic full of heart and emotion and endearing characters. I thought this would be a funny animals Pet Avengers story. It has Starks’ trademark sense of humor, but Starks plays the adventure and character arcs totally straight and crafts a heartbreaking and heartlifting story that follows one of the greatest heroes the Marvel Universe has ever seen. This book will make you cry in the best way possible

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as individual comics, ratings below:
#1= 2 stars
#2= 4 stars
#3= 4 stars
#4= 4 stars
Overall rating of 4 stars

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kyle Starks and Jesús Hervás assemble a motley crew of pet heroes for the four-issue collection Marvel Unleashed. Pampered princess pup Juniper has sought out help in locating her missing person. Aided by Lucky the Pizza Dog and the masked champion of justice D-Dog, the trio of canines uncover lab equipment, dark magic books, and an AIM costume. Realizing they will need help, the animals crash Avengers Mansion to recruit the falcon Redwing and the flerken Chewie in their quest. Locating Juniper’s owner, things turn dire when they also find an unconscious Lockjaw hooked into a machine. The Inhuman dog is being used to open a portal to the demon Blackheart’s realm; a foe of this magnitude requires further assistance from the ghost dog Bats and the all-powerful frog of thunder, Throg. Facing off against a demonic invasion, the pets must rise to the challenge of preventing Earth’s annihilation. Kyle Starks offers a cute and comedic tale that centers around the furry, feathery, and froggy side of the Marvel Universe. His script is fast-paced, but shines with nifty moments of hilarity and heartbreak. Jesús Hervás does a fine job of capturing the various animal forms, making them believable despite the classic comic book shenanigans. He does swap,out with artist Juan Gedeon for issue three, whose rougher style creates a hiccup that severely detracts from storyline. Marvel Unleashed is a fun day at the dog park for readers of all ages.

[Nate]

It doesn’t dethrone the G-Dog story from Astro City as my favorite pet superhero comic, but this is a fun and heartfelt read about a good dog (actually, a few good dogs plus other animals). I could tell where the story was going from the first issue and still teared up at the end.

This is my second Kyle Starks comic after Peacemaker Tries Hard. That one was also full of humor and heart and featured a dog. Let this be my reminder to check out more of his stuff.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marvel Unleashed is a silly concept that Kyle Starks tackles smartly and with real emotional resonance. Of course, it's easy to provoke a few emotions when all your heroes are animals.

The gist here is that the animal friends of the Marvel universe must team up to rescue Lockjaw, who has been kidnapped by Kraven. The narrative itself is uncomplicated - you won't be surprised by any of the beats. Even so, it's plenty of fun and looks marvelous.

[Jaime Guzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kraven the Hunter, a member of A.I.M, and a Demon from the underworld are up to no good and only a mixed bag of super animals/pets can save the day!
I picked this book up at the local library only because the art looked amazing. What seemed like a throw away read turned out to be a funny, action packed, emotional and sweet story that shows what it takes to be a true superhero.
I am buying this one for my bookshelf for sure!

[Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO good!

It's not your typical humorous Pet Avengers story. Yes, it's a story about the super animals in the Marvel Universe...but this is REALLY special. They save the day as only the Pet Avengers can. Highly recommended.

If you have a pet or LOST a pet, and you love comics, then this is something you need to read. It'll hit you HARD in the feels.

[Candice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not expect to get so emotionally invested in this book, especially since it seemed to be aimed at younger readers. But this is a great book for anyone who loves dogs, or animals in general. I read this book with my own very good dog curled up in my lap, and the conclusion of the story arc proves that we really don't deserve dogs!

[Rahul Nadella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marvel Unleashed is a great pick-up for anyone who enjoys straightforward adventure fun, or animals, or both. And if you have a pet or LOST a pet, and you love comics, then this is something you need to read. With incredibly comedic writing and a great showing of comic book technique in both the writing and art, this debut volume is a great debut for both young and new readers alike.

[Will Plunkett · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best comics series I've read in some time! Picked it up at the library, as an afterthought (couldn't find another book I sought). All four issues were wonderful; full of comics cliches' that worked great, nice team-up where each member's talents made a difference, good balance between art quality and dialogue value, just enough cameos as well. Loved it!

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable, charming, everything you expect from a Kyle Starks book. The art is a little confusing in some places, especially in a climactic scene where something major happens off panel and I was very confused for the several pages afterward, even rereading it twice.

[Jes Cunningham]

Quote on the cover: “Incredibly comedic writing”
Me: 😭😭😭

[Victoria Irene · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful ending to a beautiful story. I really like animals being the main characters.

[Mike Jorgensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starks was the perfect writer for this series but it didn't do much for me. It has humor and heart, but with a limited series it is difficult to get too invested into any of it.

[Thedefarted · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic but made me 😭😭😭😭 cause pets. It's cute but maybe a tad dark for younger kids. Art is perfect for the story and quite impressive. Read with my daughter, this is Ellie approved!

[Alex Stories · Rating 5 out of 5]

You love pets? you love the concept of being a hero?
Then this is as good as it gets.

[The_J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pleasant enough Animal story with decent resolution. Should leave you with a smile.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

How were the candles still burning at Myron's house? He'd been gone for days...

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have also been beaten up by a frog.

[Hayley Hobbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cried tears.

[Jeri Goins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute animal comic! Definitely some animal heroes I wasn't aware of before - Throg, frog of thunder? Lockjaw? Fun.

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got me right in the feels. Snuck up on me and everything

[Peter Derk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not crying, you're crying when you walked with my wife to pick up sandwiches and started describing when D Dog learns about the Rainbow Bridge and what happens to animals who don't have friends.

[Claire Q · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars but rounded up because I love Throg

[Alex Sarll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kyle Starks writing a team-up between Marvel's various animal sidekicks? That was obviously going to be a romp going on full-bore gag book, right? Except alongside Chewie (who may or may not be a Flerken, but behaves a lot like a cat), and Redwing (birds of prey being kinda dicks makes perfect sense), and of course the valiant frog Thor, Throg, that means a roster mostly comprising Very Good Dogs. Sone of whom have sad backstories, and one of whom doesn't have a person. Meaning that, however many of their humanoid characters Marvel kill off in pursuit of cheap impact, this is clearly the most emotionally devastating book they've put out in...ever? I think it might be ever.