One and half years ago, illustrator Ben Hed uploaded a new comic to his Instagram account. In it, a kitty named Pixie got a foster brother -- Brutus, the retired military dog. The Internet instantly fell in love with the adorable duo, so Ben decided to dedicate an entire series to their fun little adventures.
"Honestly, Pixie and Brutus were just another random comic idea I had while at work. I was never planning on making them a series," Hed told Bored Panda in an earlier interview. "I just thought it would be a funny idea to introduce a cute little kitten to a big intimidating war dog. So I made the first Pixie and Brutus cute animal comic and people liked it so much, I just kept making them."
Now, over 2.3 million people follow Ben on Instagram, and Pixie and Brutus contributed to this insane number quite a bit. Whether you're new to the series or know these two very well, their new comics are just as pawesome as the old ones and should really brighten up your day.
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Of course, the series is much more than its main characters. The supporting cast is wonderful, the storytelling is exciting, and the art is beautiful. But the complex, polar opposite stars of the show really take it to another level. “Pixie is a tiny, joyful, energetic kitten,” Ben introduced the beloved feline. “She’s innocent, and also somewhat oblivious to the serious, dangerous stuff around her.”
Brutus, on the contrary, is a large, scar-faced German Shepherd. “He 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 a very serious and intimidating military dog, 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.”
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Keeping up with demand from such a big fan army might pose pressure for some but instead, Hed has been using it to push himself as an artist even more, saying “I do worry about each comic’s performance, but I worried about that before I created Pixie and Brutus too.” Following that interview, his Instagram followers substantially increased, which he said never ceases to amaze him.
To learn more about Ben, Pixie, and Brutus and check out their earlier adventures, fire up Bored Panda's earlier articles here, here, and here.
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Image credits: Ben Hed
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Bonus comic:
