I believe it also says Lockjaw was mutated into his canine form in the fairly new Marvel Encyclopedia.
Dan | Email | 02.01.07 - 1:57 am | #

I'm on Iron Man's side. Those other guys? They can go to blazes.
Martin | 02.01.07 - 2:11 am | #

Having gotten the new hardcover Marvel Encyclopedia for Christmas, and having just read the Inhumans entry recently, I can confirm that it does indicate that Lockjaw is originally an Inhuman mutated into a dog-form.

and not to get the trolls going, but wasn't ohn-Jay yrne-Bay involved in the "controversy" on one side or the other? My brain says that he was against it and tried to ret-con it away, but if it happened in the Thing's first solo series, Byrne was responsible for most, if not all of that series, as I remember things. This may have been one of the foreshadowings of what would eventually become the yrne-Bay forum modus operandi.
Jim Kosmicki | Email | 02.01.07 - 4:42 am | #

Lockjaw has to be a dog, because that issue of Inhumans he narrated in his doggy voice is too damn cute.

Or... his mutation not only changed his form, but his IQ as well!!!

Given the state of Marvel these days, I think they'd be completely willing to publish "The Lockjaw War."
Mike Loughlin | Email | 02.01.07 - 6:27 am | #

Byrne was the one who STARTED the "Lockjaw is a mutated Inhuman" retcon riff.

Peter David was the one who tried to re-retcon it as a joke.

I always thought the "Lockjaw was a member of the Inhuman Royal Family who got turned into a Dog" tale was AWESOME.

That comic hit me like a ton of bricks, back in the day, and can't deny that I felt a little upset that such a powerful moment was retreaded in PAD's retake (in X-Factor).

Mind you...I loves me some P.A.D. writing, but I also love(d) Byrne.
So as such, I'm not "taking a side" based upon the men, just the idea.

One of the points that comprise the crux of the "conspiracy" is that IF Lockjaw WERE truly a member of the Inhuman FAMILY (read: was a regular humanoid) and then was transformed into a DOG, then WHY would his family TREAT him...like a DOG!?

Honestly, it's a matter of degrees.

I don't know about any of you guys, but, being an animal lover myself (not like THAT... damn furries) both I and my wife treat our "pets" as our "children".
(Well... to a certain point, anyway. And that point IS pretty far out to most people's idea of "pet-owning". But I know of people who go FAR beyond that in their care and consideration towards their furry companions).

We talk to them, play with them, and treat them fairly in all matters concerning their happiness, health and overall well-being. Even if such decisions are inconvenient or somewhat detrimental to our OWN needs.

SO, why wouldn't the Inhumans do the same?

Sure, at the end of the day, Lockjaw is treated somewhat AS a dog, but that's probably because his ability to understand and communicate is at DOG-LEVEL.

How many people go to visit their invalid grandparents and talk to them as if they were little children?
They're NOT children, but that could be where their mental state IS, and as such, you play to their strengths.

To try to speak to and treat them (or Lockjaw) as your complete equal in their current state would most likely only frustrate and/or confuse them, making both them and yourself uncomfortable and unhappy.

So, I say Lockjaw IS probably just fine (as much as he CAN be) with being treated somewhat like a dog, (fetching things and people and teleporting them around) because in that capacity, he is able to contribute, in a somewhat equal measure to the rest of the family.

He's loved, cared for, included in family events and treated well.

There are REAL people who aren't given such considerations in life.

THAT's a controversy.

~P~
P-TOR
SanctumSanctorumComix | 02.01.07 - 6:31 am | #

Oh... one (ok...2) other thoughts.

1) As to WHY the Inhumans treat him in a dog-like manner, and possibly EXPLAINING WHY PAD's retcon take could still "work", is simple.

Lockjaw, himself, asked his family to treat him as a dog (knowing they'd be caring anyway), and to ALSO tell others (should it come up) that he IS a dog, to stave off weird, uncomfortable & awkward moments with friends & allies, and to prevent Lockjaw himself from being "pitied".

If people knew he wasn't really a "dog", he'd forever be the "white elephant" in the room and may, albeit unintentionally, be ostracized.

Having him "be" the "dog" of the Inhuman Royal Family would guarantee him a fair amount of respect and proper treatment from any that they would meet.

To try to explain his true situation would make him be the "red-headed stepchild" or "family freak".
(And when dealing with the freakin' INHUMANS...that's a pretty sharp curve.)

----

2) As most animal-loving pet "owners" are well aware, all animals have their own unique and distinct personalities.
We can tell that they feel.
Not just pain & pleasure, but some emotions as well.

It's not something that we "superimpose" upon them, in a weird puppetry-like manner of personification or anthropomorphism.

Even wild animals have this trait, while it may be harder to distinguish due to extent of contact or ability to recognize one from another.

Sadly, some people who treat their pets as just "walking-furniture" don't perceive this, nor do they note that animals can be VERY intelligent.
And since they don't GIVE their pets any positive attention, the pet doesn't RETURN it.

It's almost like child-rearing.
If a child grows up with a distant, unloving parent... doesn't receive hugs and positive attention, such a person MAY grow up to be distant (or sometimes broken) inside.

People have an advantage over our pets, however...
Besides the people in the household, there ARE other sources of interaction to help compensate.
To a pet however, the house is their universe and the people and interaction they receive within... their total existence.

So, anyway... Lockjaw being a very intelligent "dog" with a unique personality would almost make him... human.
Or Inhuman, as the case may be.

----

OK. I'm done.

~P~
P-TOR
Anonymous | 02.01.07 - 7:19 am | #

Jesus H. Christ. Who *wouldn't* want to be P-TOR's somewhat-retarded relative?

If Lockjaw was supposed to be anything other than a mutated dog, he would have been the King of the Inhumans. They gave the position to the full-on mute after all, and Black Bolt sucks. Then again, the more you think about them, the more assholic the Inhumans become.
milo | Homepage | 02.01.07 - 8:08 am | #

Hey, Iron Man plays a major 'roll' in Civil War!
Anonymous | 02.01.07 - 8:53 am | #

Is it true that Ms. Lion is actually a mutated Gwen Stacy clone?
Bully | Email | Homepage | 02.01.07 - 9:39 am | #

On PAD's blog, I remember him writing about this issue. He said it was an editorial decision, and he did as directed.

Pity...I liked the "super-mutated Inhuman" story much better. The scene when Lockjaw first spoke? Holy frijoles, that was freaky. Made for a memorable and cool story.
Harvey Jerkwater | Email | 02.01.07 - 10:17 am | #

david hine the writer of silent war, said that when he asked editorial they said that lockjaw is a mutated dog and not an inhuman.
elad | 02.01.07 - 12:17 pm | #

Poor Thing makes one wisecrack and it causes all this controversy. I hope we all learned a valauble lesson on the power of gossip.
Eric L | 02.01.07 - 1:21 pm | #

Here's that interview with David Hine's research (and decision) regarding the matter prior to tackling "Son of M". It's actually a pretty good discussion of the matter.

http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/u...c;f=39; t=000165
Dru | Homepage | 02.01.07 - 1:43 pm | #

One question - on which side of the "Lockjaw is a dog" issue is Iron Man on?

I'm dead serious.
Gordon | Email | Homepage | 02.01.07 - 2:55 pm | #

Given that the Inhumans a) are an absolute monarchy with apparently no democratic instututions, and b) kept an artificially-bred slave race well into the 20th century, I have no problems believing that they'd treat a poor unfortunate like a dog. After all, they make pretty harsh value judgements about everyone else, as the recent minis have made clear...
Dave White | Email | 02.01.07 - 3:05 pm | #

All this talk of Pirate Batman, and no mention of the official Pirate Batman action figure (complete with Pirate Two-Face)?
Loren | Homepage | 02.01.07 - 3:13 pm | #

Who is side are you on? Jumping Jesus on a pogo stick, Marvel has co-opted Bizarro for their marketing department!
De Baisch | Email | Homepage | 02.01.07 - 6:28 pm | #

I'm betting Iron Man says Lockjaw isn't just a dog, because if he was, then they couldn't hold him liable to register.

Wait, are Inhumans supposed to register? They're not really from, you know, Earth.
Dru | Homepage | 02.01.07 - 7:33 pm | #

And why had Lockjaw never spoke before. "Never had anything to say, Ben."
Redhead Fangirl | Email | Homepage | 02.01.07 - 7:43 pm | #

I dunno. On one hand, I disagree with Iron Man's Black Goliath-killing policy, but on the other hand, I am aching for some grammar correction.
T. Derscheid | Email | Homepage | 02.04.07 - 9:53 am | #