Ben Hed's Pixie and Brutus: An Unlikely Comic Friendship

Archive feature, first published 2018-10-10.

Pixie and Brutus do not arrive at friendship with the same view of the world. Ben Hed’s kitten approaches life with innocence, while the large German Shepherd beside her carries a more guarded fictional history. Their difference gives the comic its opening: the same situation can seem harmless to one character and more complicated to the other.

According to Hed, Pixie is a small, innocent kitty, while Brutus is a scar-faced German Shepherd. As the artist says, Brutus “was adopted by Pixie’s owner after retiring as a Military Working Dog (MWD). Brutus, in many ways, is the exact opposite of Pixie. He’s… Seen things. He’s very serious and intimidating, but he has a soft spot for Pixie, and does what he can to protect her from the harsh realities of the world around them.”

The illustrations below develop that unlikely pairing through the characters’ responses to one another. Their creator’s description supplies the background for Brutus’s protective role without requiring each short comic to retell his entire story.

More info: benhedart.carbonmade.com | Instagram

Two views of the same world

Brutus’s serious appearance gives him one kind of authority in the scene, but his affection for Pixie changes how that authority is used. Protection can take the form of what he chooses to explain, what he allows her to believe or how he responds to her enthusiasm. The friendship gives the contrast somewhere to go; the characters are more than a large dog and a small kitten placed side by side.

The reader can occupy both viewpoints at once. Pixie’s understanding may be enough to enjoy the immediate joke, while Brutus’s reaction supplies another layer beneath it. That creates room for tenderness without making either character deliver a long explanation. The comic can suggest a harder world through the dog’s awareness, then keep its attention on the gentler exchange taking place in front of him.

For a different comic built around people and a pet, read Mikiko's Comics About Life With a Partner and a Cat.

Protection with a gentle touch

Their backgrounds belong to Hed’s fictional characters, not to every animal of their species or breed. That freedom lets the story use a familiar visual contrast without pretending to describe real pets. The appeal is in the particular friendship: Pixie has someone who takes her seriously, and Brutus has someone whose innocent response can change the meaning of his day. The joke and the affection grow from the same encounter.

Links from the 2018 feature: benhedart.carbonmade.com · Instagram