Ace the BatHound is Basically Recreating a Classic Grant Morrison Story

Ace the Bat-Hound is Basically Recreating a Classic Grant Morrison Story

Ace the Bat-Hound’s story in Batman: Urban Legends is basically DC’s official canon version of the classic Grant Morrison story, WE3.

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Ace the BatHound is Basically Recreating a Classic Grant Morrison Story

The following contains spoilers for the story “Hounded” from Batman: Urban Legends #15, now on sale from DC Comics

The Super-Pets are in the middle of a minor resurgence, especially ahead of the animated DC League of Super-Pets film. Led by Ace the Bat-Hound, a modern version of the character and a team of powered animals has also been a running plot in Batman: Urban Legends, which might have storytelling ties to another classic story about superpowered animals that wasn’t located in the DC Universe.

“Hounded” from Batman: Urban Legends #15 (by Mark Russell, Karl Mostert, Trish Mulvihill, and Steve Wands) has increasingly revealed itself to be DC’s equivalent of the Vertigo story WE3, and might end up with a happier ending than the latter story.

Ace the BatHound is Basically Recreating a Classic Grant Morrison Story

The Ace the Bat-Hound story from Batman: Urban Legends — “Hounded” has been primarily focused on the loyal dog’s attempts to be reunited with Batman. In the modern continuity, Ace formerly belonged to the Joker but was taken in by the Dark Knight and rehabilitated from a vicious attack animal into a loyal companion. While Batman has been captured and at the mercy of a dangerous crime lord, Ace has worked alongside a host of other amplified animals to try and make their way to the human hero. Along the way through, they’ve expressed a great deal of complicated emotion without ever losing sight of their animalistic qualities.

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It’s been one of the most endearing elements of the story, especially as it reaches a new tragic level when Chicken, who was able to actually speak English with a translator device, was able to warn his newfound friends about the danger around the corner only to be shot down. He survived long enough to see his friends win their fight and died from his wounds, only for a saddened Ace to carry his body with them. In many ways, this moment codified the idea that this story has been a soulful companion piece to Vertigo comic from almost two decades ago; Grant Morrison and Frank Quitley’s WE3.

WE3 shared a similar concept to Ace’s predicament. The story focused on three animals who’d been captured and converted into cybernetic beings with the express purpose of being unleashed as living weapons into dangerous situations. However, after discovering the animals are set to be exterminated, their creator Doctor Berry arranges for 1, 2, and 3; aka Bandit the dog, Tinker the cat, and Pirate the rabbit to escape. Each granted unique abilities thanks to the robotic armor they’ve been placed within, the three animals make their escape and try to make their way in the world.

The story was a heartbreaking super-powered story about animals trying to survive the cruelty of others. This is something it definitely shares with “Hounded,” which is seemingly more rooted in the core-DC canon. Both are inherently ridiculous but surprisingly soulful, commenting on the plight of creatures that don’t control their world. While Ace and his unexpected allies have their own abilities and advantages, none of them are on the level of the WE3 animals. But on the other hand, Ace has proven to be a very competent leader for the assembled animals. Even the artwork by Karl Mostert can at times feel reminiscent of Quitley’s, especially in terms of expression and detail.

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In many ways, “Hounded” feels like a spiritual successor to WE3 but firmly in the DC Universe instead of being a part of the Vertigo Imprint, which is a clever way to approach the concept of Super-Pets from a more grounded perspective. With the story’s penultimate entry in the story ending with the pets poised to try and rescue Batman before he can be killed by another animal, it’ll be interesting to see if the story continues to embrace the WE3 model and finds new homes for more than just one of the animals.

Link Source : https://www.cbr.com/ace-the-bat-hound-recreating-a-grant-morrison-story/

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