In modern continuity, is Lockjaw a dog or (in)human? I remember reading a story from the 80s that made it out that he was once an ordinary Joe who was exposed to the Inhuman’s Mist and transformed into a teleporting canine.

Oh God.

YES YES YES.

I’m very pleased to see Lockjaw so high on the list.

And I want that bust. Very much.

Mark,
You’re correct. It was an inhumanoid that got T-Misted (sort of like the Nestea Plunge) and was transformed into Lockjaw.

I did love having Lockjaw hang around the Thing, albeit for a short time, but his issue was one of my favorites of the much fun and lamented Slott run.

The way Kirby drew him, Lockjaw had a thick Italian or Spanish moustache. Always made me laugh as a kid.

Great post!

Lockjaw is a dog. That story you’re referencing, Mark, was later revealed to be a rather cruel prank Triton and Gorgon played on the Thing.

The way Peter David once explained it, the idea that it was a prank might itself be a prank, so Lockjaw might not be a dog.

Loved him in the Thing.

Is that a Lockjaw salsa bowl? If so, I want one.

Black Bolt is the only one who could ever be a serious contender

Meh… He doesn’t really speak to me.

Yes, I know how lame that pun is, I just couldn’t resist.

Lockjaw is even awesome in Marvel Adventures! Anyone else love the issue where he teleports from the moon to mooch the Thing’s sandwich, and it gives him indigestion, and he winds up teleporting the FF all over the place every time he burps?

It’s funnier than it sounds. Trust me.

I’ve said it before, and will say it again: making Lockjaw Ben Grimm’s dog is one of the best “D’oh! Why didn’t anybody think of this before?” ideas in recent comics memory.

Thank you for featuring my all time favorite superhero! Can I plug my Lockjaw website? It’s the world’s ONLY Lockjaw fan site, and the last word on “can he talk?”

Yes, Lockjaw can talk.
It was explained in one comic (I think from the original Thing series) that the only reason he never talked was simply because he “had nothing to say”.
However, with the way comics are constantly retconned with various levels of concern for continuity, I wouldn’t be surprised if Lockjaw was no longer able to talk.

In the Jenkins/ Lee mini-series, Lockjaw’s a dog. He narrated an entire issue in dog thoughts. He’s been portrayed as a dog ever since.

Essential Lockjaw. Make it happen, Marvel!

I love Lockjaw too.
It’s a better choice than Chuck Norris anyway.
There was also a Lockjaw the Alligator, an early Kirby creation you know?