Good Boy Saves The Universe In Mr. Muffins: Defender Of The Stars

Written by Ben Kahn. Art by Georgeo Brooks. Colour assistance by James Penafiel. Lettered by Susie Lee. Published by Oni Press.

“The Chosen One” is a storytelling theme that has been used in fiction for a long time. Since the days of myth and legend, there have been tales where only a hand-picked hero can save the day. Often, like Frodo in Lord of the Rings, it’s the unlikeliest of people who have the power to stop some unspeakable evil. This is where the most snarky of media consumers would bemoan that this theme is a trope, using the term as if it’s a dirty word. However, I bet they’ve never seen a chosen one like the title character of Mr. Muffins: Defender of the Stars. You see… he’s a corgi.

War wages in outer space. The Spirit of Light, an omnipotent being of good, has been fending off the evil Hakar Armada from invading countless planets. Stuck in a dire situation, the Spirit of Light unknowingly gives its power to a corgi called Mr. Muffins on Earth. Three years later, Cassara, a young alien soldier, arrives on Earth to plead with Mr. Muffins to help save the universe. From there, the happy-go-lucky dog and his owner, Rueben, are thrown head-first into saving the universe.

As you can expect, plenty of action and adventure ensues. It’s kid-friendly, featuring spaceship battles in space, speeding through alien cities on a flying motorcycle, Dragon Ball-style laser fights, and a big leap of faith. Georgeo Brooks makes these exciting through his page layouts. Consequential moments, whether it’s a spaceship crash or the reveal of the big bad, are given plenty of real estate. In these cases, they may take up the whole page, highlighting their scale and often showing our heroes as little more than a dot. It adds to the graphic novel’s excitement, making readers look forward to seeing what happens next.

But it’s not go-go-go all the time. Mr. Muffins: Defender of the Stars takes time to slow down for character moments. The graphic novel uses this time to explore themes like friendship, the bond between an owner and pet, loyalty, responsibility, and a sense of home. These feel integrated into the story quite naturally, so even if some of these themes are explored more than others, they never feel like a detour or out of place. As a result, readers are bound to resonate with different themes.

Humour is dusted throughout the graphic novel. Here, it’s often used to lift the mood. A gag can transition the story from a quieter moment to something faster-paced. Other times, a scary scene – the kind where the heroes face a big “uh-oh” moment – can have its tension cut through the use of humour. One of these instances is when a big bad makes a grand entrance. While some younger readers may feel some anxiety or worry from this juncture, a gag about how Rueben, all starry-eyed, finds it impressive cuts the feeling for the reader so they don’t dwell on it too long.

Georgeo Brooks and James Penafiel have filled the pages with bright and expressive art. Characters feature a wide range of mannerisms to fit the mood. Mr. Muffins is a great example of this, with the artists using his features to convey the mood in the absence of dialogue. He can go from happy-go-lucky, with perky ears and flapping tongue in one moment to ears right back and covering his eyes with his paws in the next to highlight fear. The characters are populated in a brightly coloured world, warm with pinks and purples that feel approachable but alien at the same time. These brighter hues help add to the sense of adventure and humour, adding to the enjoyability of this graphic novel.

A cute corgi is probably enough to get them over the line for some. For everyone else, you’ll be glad to know that Mr. Muffins: Defender of the Stars is a lot of fun. The graphic novel is a rollicking adventure full of action, heart, and humour that will appeal to readers young and old. It’s so much fun that you’ll believe that your dog could be the chosen one.

Mr. Muffins: Defender of the Stars is available at all good comic book shops, online retailers, eBay, and Amazon/Kindle.