A lot of things make comics enjoyable – well-told stories, great characters, action and adventure. Of course you have your heroes and sidekicks, bit players and villains. But one group of characters that often gets overlooked (or overshadowed by the main characters) are pets. Yes, I’m talking about the animals of the comicbook world, in particular those in the Marvel universe. 

Animals often show up as sidekicks for superheroes, like Redwing with Falcon. And sometimes they’re both sidekicks and pets, like Lockjaw with the Inhumans. But they are also considered members of their respective teams many times and they provide assists when needed. (Seriously, have you seen what Kitty Pride’s Lockheed can do?! He’s a dragon!)

If you want a good introduction to a lot of the animals of Marvel that have been around for awhile, Pet Avengers Classic is a great collection. You get stories involving well-known team members like the aforementioned Lockjaw, Red Wing and Lockheed, but there are also lesser known animals like Zabu and Super-Apes. Plus, the stories include a lot of heroes, from Ironman to Falcon to Hawkeye and more. Of course, with just a single story for each animal, you don’t get much of a feel for plot or development. But it’s cool to get some background on these characters who tend not to feature heavily in the comics world.