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Webcomic / Black Mudpuppy

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Black Mudpuppy is a fantasy/superhero webcomic telling the adventures and misadventures of Aztec god Xolotl. After being banished into the body of an axolotl for more than 400 years, he is offered the opportunity to regain his godhood status by doing good deeds among mortals.

Read the comic here.


This webcomic contains examples of:

  • Abnormal Limb Rotation Range: One of Xolotl's powers is the ability to rotate his feet 180 degrees. There's a mythological basis for this.
  • Action Duo: Xolotl and Simon. Even after losing most of his powers, Xolotl is relatively competent at fighting, but Simon is a non-athletic human.
  • Action Pet: His small size and blindness notwithstanding, Chumbles can be quite protective when it counts, even willing to attack the God of the Dead to protect Simon.
  • Action Survivor: Simon has almost no action skills of his own, but is generally calm about all the crazy adventures he gets caught up in and usually survives these ordeals. Subverted, however, as he does get killed twice. He is brought back from the dead the first time, but in "All Bleeding Stops, Eventually", he dies permanently.
  • All-Powerful Bystander: Quetzalcoatl is evidently very powerful, but he prefers to prod Xolotl (and occasionally Simon) in the right direction from the sidelines rather than directly interfere in their misadventures. Justified as he is trying to give Xolotl the chance to redeem himself (or rather, re-teach him virtue after he lost most of his memories as a salamander). Subverted in "Salamanders from Hell", in which the stakes are high enough that Quetzalcoatl does get himself involved. Naturally, in this case the Big Bad is so powerful that even he can't resolve things so readily.
  • Alt Text: Most pages had one prior to the entire comic migrating to a new platform on Tapastic. The comic was restored later on at its original site, but the Alt Text was not saved. Newer pages added after this event continue to have Alt Text, however.
  • Always a Bigger Fish: As demonstrated by the anglerfish-like demons in the Underworld.
  • Amphibian Assault: Xolotl and the other psychopomps that assume salamander forms are certainly large enough to be physical threats, and that's without considering their godly powers.
  • Amphibian at Large: Various psychopomps take the form of giant amphibians when they leave the Underworld.
  • Anthropomorphic Shift: Inverted. Xolotl's form post-reboot is much more like a giant salamander turned bipedal, as opposed to the humanoid with some token salamander features he was before.
  • Anti-Hero: Xolotl.
  • Appropriated Appellation: "Chumbles" was a generic derogatory address habitually used by Xolotl, but has become a semi-official name for Simon's mother's chihuahua.
  • Arc Villain: Up until the introduction of Hel, each chapter featured its own villain who would be defeated by the end of the story arc.
  • An Arm and a Leg:
    • Xolotl gets an arm ripped off while fighting a squid monster, but his regeneration powers partially mitigate the problem. In addition, the torn-off arm continues to retain a mind of its own.
    • Done much more dramatically when Mictlantecuhtli takes the White Waterdog's leg to replace his own, which Chumbles had torn away earlier.
    • True to mythology, Tezcatlipoca is missing a leg, having lost it to Cipactli.
  • Artistic License – Biology: Slider-Man was supposedly raised by turtles, most of which don't practice parental care.
  • Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: Hellbender. Xolotl inflicts this upon himself with iodine to combat her. He wins, but Siren had been counting on that.
  • Authority Equals Asskicking: Hel is the leader among the disused psychopomps and appears to be the most powerful.
  • Back from the Dead: "Psychopomp & Circumstance" and "Hel Hath No Fury" are about Xolotl's journey to bring Simon back to the mortal world.
  • Badass Cape: Quetzalcoatl wears a cape in his humanoid form that matches the color of his wings.
  • The Bad Guy Wins: The ending to "Salamanders from Hell".
  • Barred from the Afterlife: When Mictlantecuhtli is in the mortal world, almost everyone left is killed, but they are unable to pass on.
  • Big Bad: In Cycle One, almost every story arc has one, but the only ones that lasted multiple chapters were Hel/Siren and Mictlantecuhtli.
  • Big Damn Heroes: Xolotl returns just in time in "Hitlersaurus". His hand does it in "Doctor Hypochondria". He's a little too late in "The B-Vengers", but Simon survives anyway.
  • Bittersweet Ending:
    • At the end of "Hel Hath No Fury", Simon is successfully brought back to life, but has no memory of Xolotl, who is stuck in the underworld with only a mostly-mindless salamander body linking him to the mortal world. Also, Hel and the other disused psychopomps learn of the method to enter the mortal world and prepare to wreak havoc.
    • In "The B-Vengers", Xolotl makes his way back up from the underworld when he realizes that Simon is about to be killed by an explosion, but he is too late. Simon does survive, though only due to a Heroic Sacrifice by Slider-Man.
    • At the end of "All Bleeding Stops, Eventually", Simon is killed for real and Mictlantecuhtli has desolated so much of the world that Xolotl is forced to become the sun and reboot the universe, potentially destroying himself. However, Mictlantecuhtli is defeated, the world is renewed, and Xolotl managed to survive.
  • Bratty Half-Pint: Quetzalcoatl was like this in his youth. He still retains some of this attitude as an adult, though it is less obvious than Xolotl in part because his true motives were not made clear until the reveal of the Black Mudpuppy's real origin.
  • Butt-Monkey: Chumbles the Chihuahua.
  • Card-Carrying Villain: Dr. Hypochondria with his particular vision of world domination.
  • Chekhov's Gun:
    • Xolotl's severed hand.
    • Xolotl only has enough magic for one chihuahua duplicate left...
  • Chekhov's Gunman: The quail seen in Xolotl's flashback later shows up and helps the heroes save the White Waterdog and battle Mictlantecuhtli.
  • Chekhov's Skill: Xolotl's chihuahua duplication powers and ability to rotate his feet 180 degrees.
  • Cliffhanger: Almost every chapter from "Dr. Hypochondria" onwards ends on one.
  • Color Character: The Black Mudpuppy and, later, the White Waterdog. Also Simon's alter-ego, the Red Eft.
  • Color-Coded Wizardry: Siren's magic is green, Quetzalcoatl's is blue, and Mictlantecuhtli's is pale yellow.
  • Curb-Stomp Battle:
    • Quetzalcoatl makes short work of a big swarm of mooks.
    • The White Waterdog attempts to take on Aneides. Keyword being "attempt".
  • Dark Action Girl: Siren is immensely powerful, to the point where not even Quetzalcoatl can stop her directly.
  • Darker and Edgier: The comic has always had dark themes interwoven with the comedy, but the ending of "Dr. Hypochondria" probably marks the first phase of this transition, as it involves the death of a main character. Then "Mexican Standoff" really ups the ante, as appropriate for the introduction of Mictlantecuhtli.
    Alt Text: This page is serious business. Why are you reading the hover text?
  • Deadpan Snarker: Xolotl and Quetzalcoatl share this trait.
  • Death Seeker: Siren is tired of being immortal.
  • Defeat Equals Explosion: The quail generates a massive explosion when Xolotl knocks it into a canyon.
  • Dem Bones: Charon and Mictlantecuhtli.
  • Deus Exit Machina: Quetzalcoatl pulls a Screw This, I'm Outta Here in "Salamanders from Hell" just long enough for Xolotl to get captured.
  • Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?: Even after all his potential allies have either fled or been taken out, the White Waterdog still has the composure to insult Mictlantecuhtli. Mictlantecuhtli rips his leg off in retaliation.
  • Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?:
    • Xolotl taking down Cipactli with the obsidian dagger. Downplayed because Xolotl is a god himself, but the fact that he's mostly powerless at the time means the trope still applies. In addition, Cipactli is feared even by other, less impaired gods like Tezcatlipoca.
    • Xolotl destroys Mictlantecuhtli by turning into the sun and using his bones to recreate humanity.
  • Disney Death:
    • The quail explodes after Xolotl defeats it, but is shown capable of recovering from this when it turns up again after Mictlantecuhtli takes over the mortal realm.
    • Xolotl after he turns into the sun and remakes the universe.
  • Does Not Know His Own Strength: At the beginning of Cycle Two after Xolotl has regained his powers, he is confronted by a bunch of soldiers and prepares to shoot slime at them... only to set their heads on fire.
  • A Dog Named "Dog": The psychopomps take on the names of the type of salamander they turn into after entering the mortal world.
  • Don't Fear the Reaper: Many death-associated gods are featured in this comic, thus this trope applies (or doesn't apply) to each of them in different ways.
    • Xolotl is a Jerkass, but ultimately a good guy.
    • Charon is shown to be irritable in his early appearances, but it's hard to blame him when he's sharing most of his screentime with Xolotl. He's otherwise shown to be a good person merely doing his job, even volunteering to help defeat Mictlantecuhtli and implicitly agreeing not to take Simon's life while Xolotl was negotiating with Cipactli for a way out of Mictlan.
    • Mercury is heroic after his transformation into the White Waterdog.
    • Hel and her followers are evil, though she has a reason for it.
    • Mictlantecuhtli averts this entirely by being very much a nasty person for no apparent reason.
  • Dying Moment of Awesome: Simon taking Mictlantecuhtli's magic blast for Xolotl. In addition, just moments before that, he was shown helping to fight Mictlantecuhtli's skeleton army, one of the few times he ever partakes in an action sequence.
  • Elite Mook: The other psychopomps, towards Hel/Siren.
  • Enemy Mine: The heroes free Siren from Mictlantecuhtli and she helps them fight off his guards. Siren actually begins aiding the protagonists in secret long before they decide to help her, using her power over Mictlan spiders to guide Xolotl on the right path.
  • "Everybody Dies" Ending: During the climax of "All Bleeding Stops, Eventually", Simon is permanently killed by Mictlantecuhtli, Xolotl sacrifices himself to renew the universe, destroying Siren (per her wishes) and Mictlantecuhtli in the process, and Charon takes all of Xolotl's surviving allies to the Underworld to avoid the same destruction (essentially killing them, though presumably allowing them to be brought back later). Subverted in that Xolotl survived the aftermath after all.
  • Everybody's Dead, Dave: When Xolotl, Simon, and Chumbles return from Mictlan, they find that Mictlantecuhtli has devastated the planet. The only survivors seem to be the White Waterdog, Siren, and the quail.
  • Eye Scream:
    • The Invisible Death Mime's MO is poking eyes out.
    • "I may need to remove everyone's eyes."
    • Quetzalcoatl convinces Xolotl to continue his journey to save Simon by threatening to eat his eyes.
  • Feathered Fiend: The quail in Mictlan. Subverted, as it is not malicious when unprovoked.
  • The Ferryman: Xolotl keeps calling him Karen. He is not amused.
  • Flipping Helpless: Slider-Man's weakness.
  • Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Xolotl is foolish, Quetzalcoatl is (more) responsible, though his Deus Exit Machina tendencies annoy the protagonists.
  • Gods Need Prayer Badly: Word of God is that deities in this universe operate on this principle and that nearly all the Aztec gods shown are significantly less powerful than they were in their prime.
  • Good All Along:
    • As his real backstory shows, Xolotl was an irresponsible, inconsiderate goof, but he was never actually evil.
    • The quail from Mictlan is not evil; it only attacked Xolotl during their first encounter after he insulted it. After the White Waterdog loses his limbs, the quail is the one who keeps him alive by bringing him food. For four years.
  • Hair-Trigger Temper: Some people have a Berserk Button. Hel has more of a Berserk Keyboard.
    Characteri Bio: She could be described as "bipolar" in the same way that molten lava could be described as "somewhat hot."
  • Headbutting Heroes: Black Mudpuppy and White Waterdog don't start out on good terms. They get over this eventually though.
  • Healing Factor:
    • Xolotl has regeneration powers, but they have some unreliable side effects in his mostly depowered state. The one time he is shown using them in Cycle One, he grew an extra, uncontrollable arm in addition to the one he'd been trying to restore.
    • The White Waterdog has this as well. It appears to be a side effect of the salamander body. He also demonstrates that the power is not without limits, as Mictlantecuhtli takes his limbs until he can't grow any more.
  • The Heart: Simon rarely contributes in practical terms, but he serves an important role by being Xolotl's Morality Pet. It is through having to rescue Simon and occasionally receiving pep talks from him that Xolotl rediscovers his moral center.
  • Heart Is an Awesome Power: Among the first powers Xolotl gets back are chihuahua duplication and Abnormal Limb Rotation Range, both of which appear decidedly useless at first glance but end up being useful.
  • Heel–Face Turn: Mercury, as the White Waterdog.
  • Helping Hands: Xolotl's hand apparently has a will of its own after his arm gets ripped off by a squid monster.
  • Heroic BSoD: When Xolotl is convinced by Dr. Hypochondria that he is dying from disease.
  • Heroic Sacrifice:
    • At the end of "The B-Vengers", Slider-Man takes the brunt of the explosion so the others can survive.
    • Xolotl chooses to remain as a mindless axolotl in his corporeal form in exchange for sending Simon back to the mortal world.
    • Simon taking a fatal magic blast for Xolotl.
    • Xolotl becomes the sun at the end of "All Bleeding Stops, Eventually" with full awareness that it will probably destroy him. The last page hints that he managed to survive, however, which is later confirmed in Cycle Two.
  • Hidden Heart of Gold: Although appearing selfish in nature, the Black Mudpuppy allows Quetzalcoatl to trap him once again in an axolotl body in order to rescue his friend from hell.

    We also see this in his interactions with Quetzalcoatl, especially once he starts getting his memories back: he is clearly affected when Quetzalcoatl is killed, and in his youth, he was quick to confess when Quetzalcoatl tried to take the blame for breaking the bones meant to be used for making new people.
  • Hoist by His Own Petard: Mictlantecuhtli's decision to not kill Siren so he can torture her more works against him, as it gives her time to secretly guide Xolotl back to the mortal world.
  • Hope Spot: In "Salamanders from Hell", Xolotl stops Hellbender's rampage, only to find that Siren had intended him to. There's also Quetzalcoatl joining the fight, which ends up not doing much good at all.
  • Hypocritical Heartwarming: After Simon is killed by mutant axolotls, Xolotl declares that "Nobody kills my sidekick but me."
  • I Meant to Do That: Xolotl shoots slime at Aneides, only to hit his captured victim. He claims he did that so she wouldn't see anything else that might alarm her.
  • Idiot Ball: Xolotl challenges the other decommissioned psychopomps to a game that he's never played before as part of a wager. He loses.
  • Idiot Hero: "White Waterdog is kinda dumb."
  • Immortal Immaturity: The very reason Xolotl was banished (though not as directly as we're initially led to believe). He does not seem to improve much after becoming a superhero.
    Alt Text on page 40 of "Salamanders from Hell": I like to imagine ageless deities all act like middle schoolers.
  • Immune to Bullets: Slider-Man's shell is bulletproof. Sadly, it does not quite save him from the explosion set by the Diamond Back Terrorpin, but it does take enough of the blast for the rest of the B-Vengers to survive.
  • Invisible Jerkass: The Invisible Death Mime.
  • Iron Butt Monkey: "Chumbles cannot be killed."
  • It Amused Me: The moment when Quetzalcoatl has enough of Xolotl's attitude in the retconned origin story.
  • Jackass Genie: The Sacred Platypus.
  • Jerkass Gods: Xolotl (prior to Character Development), Hel, and especially Mictlantecuhtli.
  • Killed Off for Real: Mictlantecuhtli permanently kills Simon.
  • Killer Rabbit: "Beware of Quail".
  • Knight of Cerebus: Mictlantecuhtli.
  • Lady Looks Like a Dude: Oxface is female, but is referred to as a male in her early appearances due to the other characters thinking otherwise.
  • Laser-Guided Amnesia: Being turned into a salamander removed most of Xolotl's memories. His actual recollections of his past are almost entirely false.
  • Lions and Tigers and Humans... Oh, My!: This world is inhabited by humans, gods trapped in the bodies of anthropomorphic animals, non-anthropomorphic animals, and actual anthropomorphic animals.
  • Literal Genie: The Sacred Platypus and Charon.
  • The Load: Simon spends most of his time on adventures needing to be saved by Xolotl. However, it is through these mishaps that Xolotl redeems himself, so this seemingly detrimental role actually becomes important to the hero's journey.
  • Loophole Abuse: Cipactli tells Xolotl that he is allowed to summon a single teammate to play against her in the Mesoamerican ballgame. Xolotl summons Charon, then requests that he summon a full team of undead players for him.
  • Losing Your Head: Charon's head is knocked off in a low-clearance tunnel. He subsequently reattaches it.
  • Mentor Occupational Hazard: Quetzalcoatl is killed by Mictlantecuhtli, leaving Xolotl to figure out how to regain his godhood on his own.
  • Mirror Character: We are led to believe that Quetzalcoatl gives Xolotl a hard time as part of the latter's punishment, but the reveal that Xolotl's banishment was for entirely different reasons suggests that Quetzalcoatl was being difficult partly out of amusement, showing that he also displays Immortal Immaturity. They are twin brothers, after all.
  • Multiple Head Case: Aneides.
  • Mood Whiplash: "The B-Vengers" starts out with various comedic hijinks as Simon joins a group of superheroes who have impractical superpowers and Xolotl tries to find his way back to the mortal world. It ends with Simon and the superheroes nearly being killed, and one of them making a Heroic Sacrifice to save the others.
  • Mook Horror Show: Quetzalcoatl vs. a bunch of demons.
  • Morality Pet: Simon becomes Xolotl's.
  • Necronomicon: The Black Mudpuppy inadvertently opens up an alternate dimension by mistaking it for children's reading material.
  • Never Smile at a Crocodile: Cipactli is a giant caiman with an excessive number of eyes, mouths, and limbs.
  • Non-Action Guy: Simon spends most action scenes on the sidelines or needing to be rescued. He does break out of this mold a couple times, notably putting up a fight against Hitlersaurus and helping battle Mictlantecuhtli's skeleton guards.
  • Oh, Crap!: When Xolotl announces that he will use Mictlantecuhtli's bones to remake the world. It's one of the few times the death god is ever shown losing his composure.
  • Only Mostly Dead: Word of God is that gods cannot be permanently killed in this universe, but can be banished to realms almost impossible to return from.
  • Power Nullifier: Appears to be one of Siren's powers. She shrinks Quetzalcoatl into a harmless small pterosaur form and is able to return Xolotl to his regular size after he uses iodine as a growth formula.
  • Powered Armor: Colima Dog shapeshifts into one for the limbless White Waterdog.
  • Raptor Attack: The ferryman of Dinosaur Hell is a Jurassic Park-esque Velociraptor.
  • Real Life Writes the Plot: The artist had been working under the misconception that Xolotl was the Aztec God of the Dead when he first began the comic. Learning of his mistake inspired the ultimate reveal in "Salamanders from Hell".
  • Redemption Equals Death: Siren helps Xolotl return to the mortal world and face off against Mictlantecuhtli, leading to Xolotl rebooting the universe and the destruction of everything on Earth, including her. This actually works to her advantage, as she had intended on dying in the first place.
  • Remembered Too Late: When Xolotl wins the Mesoamerican ballgame against Cipactli, he recalls that he is the patron god of the game... but not that it is the winner of the game who gets sacrificed, not the loser.
  • The Reveal:
    • Quetzalcoatl is Xolotl's brother. Though this one would not surprise the mythologically-savvy.
    • Quetzalcoatl's battle form.
    • The identity of the White Waterdog: Mercury.
    • Hel/Siren is also an Aztec deity, Mictlancihuatl.
    • Xolotl is not the Aztec God of the Dead. Once again, it pays to be well-versed in Aztec Mythology.
    • "Blood, Smoke, and Mirrors" introduces Tezcatlipoca's obsidian dagger, which serves as a flashback tool for Xolotl and reveals much more information about his past, both to him and the readers.
    • In "All Bleeding Stops, Eventually", the obsidian dagger reveals that the Black Mudpuppy's entire origin story never happened. Quetzalcoatl did transform Xolotl into a salamander, but he did it to hide his brother from the wrath of the other deities rather than as a punishment. The transformation caused Xolotl to lose most of his memories, hence why he does not remember his actual history.
  • Roaring Rampage of Revenge: After Mictlantecuhtli kills Simon, Xolotl goes berserk and manages to knock the death god to the ground. He then transforms into the sun and blows everything up.
  • Rock Bottom: As the Alt Text on page 17 of "Hel Hath No Fury" put it, "Never complain that something is the worst pain imaginable."
  • Rock Monster: One appears in "Blood, Smoke, and Mirrors".
  • Romantic False Lead: Xolotl Ship Teases Simon and Postal at the end of "The B-Vengers", but it doesn't work out.
  • Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Quetzalcoatl poofs away after getting tired of helping the heroes in "Salamanders from Hell", though he returns later.
  • Shout-Out: Too many to list.
  • Shown Their Work: There are a good number of herpetology references throughout the comic. It's also clear that the artist has read up on Aztec Mythology.
  • Sickly Green Glow: Siren's magic aura is portrayed this way.
  • Sleep-Mode Size: Quetzalcoatl's miniature flying form is small enough to perch on Simon's shoulder or ride on Chumbles. Unlike many examples of this trope, it is not a fully depowered state as he can still use at least some magic, but it probably still qualifies as his most harmless state, considering that after Siren blasts him, he is implicitly forced to remain in the form up until his untimely death.
  • Small Role, Big Impact: Cihuacoatl and Tezcatlipoca only appear briefly and their motivations are not made clear. However, the former provides Xolotl with an essential ally in Colima Dog and the latter gives him the obsidian dagger that allows him to regain his memories.
  • Small Taxonomy Pools: Somewhat averted. Axolotls and other exotic animals are featured here.
  • Snake Talk: Cipactli talks like this.
    WHO ISSSSSSSS IT?!
  • Soft Reboot: Starting in April 2016, all the previously released chapters were archived as "Cycle One" and subsequent storylines were released as "Cycle Two". Though the events of Cycle One remain canon, the setting and narrative drivers of Cycle Two are very different due to Xolotl rebooting the universe and regaining his powers, with Xolotl being the only returning character so far.
  • Sudden Principled Stand: Quetzalcoatl follows up on his distaste for sacrifices when Ometeotl orders him to sacrifice Xolotl. It also marks the moment we see him transition from Bratty Half-Pint to his present-day wiser (but still somewhat trollish) persona.
  • Summon Magic: Xolotl appears to be able to summon Charon at will. There are various rituals for summoning other deities as well, as seen when Simon and Xolotl need Quetzalcoatl's help.
  • Superhero Origin: Lampshaded and presented early on in the comic. It's almost entirely false. The real story is later revealed in "All Bleeding Stops Eventually".
  • Take Our Word for It: The first thing both Xolotl and Simon notice at the studio is... the (unseen) craft services table.
    Alt Text: To be fair, the craft services table is just off-screen and really impressive.
  • Taking the Bullet: During the final battle against Mictlantecuhtli, Simon throws himself in front of a magic blast aimed at Xolotl and is incinerated.
  • Talking the Monster to Death: Quetzalcoatl tries to talk both Siren and Mictlantecuhtli out of their nefarious intentions. Not only do both attempts fail, they backfire quite horribly. Siren blasts him with an attack that implicitly nullifies his powers, while Mictlantecuhtli responds by killing him.
  • Thinking Up Portals: Xolotl can open portals to the Underworld, but, after he loses most of his powers, he can't remember how to get back. When he gets trapped in Mictlan, he ends up having to negotiate with Cipactli, the only Aztec god remaining who can travel between Mictlan and the mortal world at will. Charon, as a still functioning psychopomp, can enter any Underworld from the mortal world, including Mictlan.
  • Throw the Dog a Bone: Cihuacoatl restores Chumbles's eyesight.
  • To Hell and Back: "Psychopomp & Circumstance" and "Hel Hath No Fury". Beginning in "Mexican Standoff" up to "All Bleeding Stops, Eventually", the heroes go through the Aztec equivalent, trying to return to the mortal world from Mictlan.
  • Too Many Mouths: Cipactli has additional mouths at each elbow and knee.
  • Took a Level in Badass:
    • The White Waterdog's attempted heroics don't amount to much, but after Xolotl and Simon's return from Mictlan, Colima Dog forms a Powered Armor suit for him, which makes him very effective at decimating Mictlantecuhtli's guards.
    • Xolotl remembering how to turn into the sun.
  • Top God: Quetzalcoatl is introduced as the highest of the Aztec gods, but we eventually learn that things are more complicated than that, as Mictlancihuatl and Mictlantecuhtli are capable of subduing him. Ometeotl seems to play this role more clearly, at least when Xolotl and Quetzalcoatl were young.
  • Trickster Mentor: Quetzalcoatl generally only pops in now and then when Xolotl is being overly irresponsible or to give him a status update on the regaining of his godhood, instead of directly instructing him or assisting him in times of danger. In light of the real reasons behind Xolotl's transformation, this seems to be as much part of his plan to reform Xolotl as it is Quetzalcoatl annoying his brother on purpose.
  • Turtle Power: Slider-Man, as well as his nemesis the Diamond Backed Terrorpin.
  • Unreliable Narrator: A short story set outside of the main storyline has the Black Mudpuppy tell a modified version of his backstory, seemingly retconning several elements established at the beginning of the comic. Quetzalcoatl shows up at the end, claiming that Xolotl's version still isn't the full story. A flashback in "All Bleeding Stops Eventually" shows what actually happened. However, it's hard to blame Xolotl for this, as his memories were severely altered as a result of his transformation.
  • Unsound Effect: On several occasions.
  • Villainous Rescue: Xolotl brings in Stego-Stalin to stop Hitlersaurus.
  • Voluntary Shapeshifting:
    • Quetzalcoatl readily switches a humanoid and a flying form. He also has a gigantic serpent form for use in battle.
    • Hel is able to further accentuate her demonic appearance this way.
    • Colima Dog can transform into a variety of shapes, including Powered Armor.
  • Walking Spoiler: Mictlantecuhtli, the real God of the Dead.
  • Wham Episode:
    • Siren neutralizing Quetzalcoatl, as up to that point Quetzalcoatl had been portrayed as likely the most powerful character in the comic, and at least her equal.
    • The end of "Salamanders from Hell". Siren succeeds in her evil plan, and brings Mictlantecuhtli, the God of the Dead, to the mortal world.
    • The beginning of "Mexican Standoff" easily tops everything that came before, as Mictlantecuhtli's first act is to essentially curb-stomp everybody. He renders Siren unconscious, kills Quetzalcoatl, rips off Mercury's leg, and forces Xolotl, Simon, and Chumbles to flee to Mictlan.
    • The flashback in "All Bleeding Stops Eventually" retcons the Black Mudpuppy's origin story and reveals the real reason Quetzalcoatl transformed him into a salamander.
  • What Happened to the Mouse?:
    • Charon disappears in the middle of "Hel Hath No Fury" and doesn't show up again until Xolotl summons him in "The B-Vengers".
    • After capturing Xolotl, Aneides is never seen again.
  • What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?: In general, the powers of the B-Vengers. Only Slider-Man is shown to be even remotely effective in battle.
  • Who Wants to Live Forever?: Siren's main motivation behind her schemes. The problem is that she has no qualms about wiping out the rest of the world as well in the progress. In addition, her plan does not quite work the way she intended, as Mictlantecuhtli refuses to kill her after he shows up. She gets her wish at last when Xolotl becomes the sun and reboots the universe.
  • Woman Scorned: Hel. Hence "Hel Hath No Fury".
  • The Worf Effect:
    • Up until "Salamanders from Hell", Quetzalcoatl almost never directly interfered with the heroes' exploits, but it was always evident that he possesses considerable power. When the main characters are cornered by a vast group of demon salamanders, they realize that Quetzalcoatl is their only hope and summon him to their aid, upon which he confirms his prowess by curb-stomping the entire army. Then a number of pages later, he goes up against the Big Bad, who he describes as being equal in power to himself. He is promptly incapacitated.
    • Siren herself immediately gets this turned on her by Mictlantecuhtli in "Mexican Standoff". It only gets worse for the already weakened Quetzalcoatl, however - when Mictlantecuhtli attacks him, he gets killed.
  • Xanatos Gambit: Siren's plan hinges on wreaking enough havoc to allow Mictlantecuhtli to cross over to the mortal world. To do this, she has Hellbender go on a rampage. But she also allows Xolotl to escape and try to stop Hellbender, because the only way he can do so is to grow large enough to fight the giant salamander, which he does... thus creating sufficient destruction through collateral damage to further Siren's goals.
  • Your Size May Vary: Hellbender, according to Alt Text.

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