27 pages • 54-minute read
The Bad Guys: Episode 1
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Themes
Being Misunderstood and Fighting Stereotypes
Stereotypes lead to misunderstanding, and being misunderstood or judged based on appearances can be devastating. The four characters in The Bad Guys, especially Mr. Wolf, see value in trying to change how others see them; they want to be judged for their actions, rather than how they look. The graphic novel opens with Mr. Wolf launching into a speech about how awful it is to be feared and seen as “bad.” He is determined to make others see him differently. This is no easy feat, so he employs the help of three unlikely friends who all have the same bad reputation. Initially, Blabey casts doubt on Mr. Wolf’s true intentions and whether he is capable of change by depicting him as a dark and sinister figure on the first page. Mr. Wolf, however, knows he has been the villain in many famous stories and decides that this story must be different. With Mr. Wolf’s determination and the teamwork of his fellow predators, Blabey promotes the need to push back against stereotypes and fight against being misunderstood.
At first, Mr. Wolf’s predator friends aren’t interested in changing themselves or the way they are seen. They hop in Mr. Wolf’s car with him because they are curious about what might happen, not because they are interested in changing their image. Their first adventure, however, illustrates the need for them to change their actions and their image. When they encounter a cat trapped in a tree, it takes one look at them and screams, seeing them as predators and believing that these animals are likely to eat him. Mr. Shark tries to smile at the cat, but all this does is reveal his rows of massive sharp teeth and scare the cat even more. With this scene, Blabey reveals that changing one’s image is harder than it might first appear, especially when others are too frightened to see past the surface appearance.
Recognizing this obstacle, Mr. Wolf puts on a disguise, employing his classic trick from fairy tales, hoping that he and the others can “fake it ‘til they make it.” He believes that changing their clothing will be enough to change others’ minds about them and insists that they wear black suits and white cowboy hats (though Mr. Wolf is the only one who keeps wearing them). However, the new outfits do very little to improve their reputation, and the dogs that they free from the pound are all terrified of their rescuers. Mr. Wolf doesn’t realize this at first and proclaims, “We’ve changed their lives! And they’ll love us forever!” (128). However, it soon becomes clear that it will take more than one or two acts of goodwill to change the way the world sees wolves, snakes, sharks, and piranhas. The scene at the end, however, offers hope for the friends—Mr. Wolf has convinced them all that doing good is worth it, and they commit to changing their ways, opening the door for future growth and an opportunity to shift their reputations.
Transformation and Going Against One’s Nature
The challenge of going against one’s nature is central to The Bad Guys and its characters. Each of the main characters—Mr. Wolf, Mr. Snake, Mr. Piranha, and Mr. Shark—is a well-known predator with a history of eating other creatures, usually innocent ones. Mr. Wolf is the only one who seems eager to change, insisting that he and his friends become “good guys” and change their reputation, but the rest of the group doesn’t share his enthusiasm. Mr. Wolf introduces his friends one by one, and they all have one priority: food. Mr. Piranha complains, “I’ve come all the way from Bolivia, hermanos. And I’m hungry! So where’s the meat?” (31), while Mr. Snake immediately asks when he can go eat some mice. From the beginning, Mr. Wolf’s vision is clearly at odds with the nature of his teammates; while he is interested in choosing a different path, his friends are more interested in following their usual route.
Using humor to make its point, the book illustrates how transformation isn’t easy, especially when instincts and habits are deeply ingrained. Mr. Wolf tries to distract the team with cake instead of meat, and later puts white cowboy hats on everyone, saying, “Let’s go do some good!” (59). Mr. Wolf’s plans always succeed, but always in the most unconventional ways. When attempting to rescue a cat from a tree, the team ends up in chaos. Mr. Snake swallows Mr. Piranha out of frustration, and Mr. Wolf has to violently swing Mr. Snake around until Mr. Piranha flies out and lands on the cat, terrifying it out of the tree. Mr. Wolf calls this method “gentle,” showing that he still has a lot to learn about what being gentle means. This scene illustrates that even though he wants to break out of his old behavior, his instincts (to take charge of a pack, to be aggressive, and to use disguises) haven’t really changed.
Even when the group accomplishes their mission of freeing 200 dogs from the pound, the dogs still see them as dangerous animals, highlighting how transformation is a slow and gradual process. Mr. Piranha, in particular, is still described as “possibly some kind of vampire sardine” (129), highlighting how the world cannot seem to separate their identities from their species and consider their current actions. Regardless of how the world sees them, the bad guys feel inspired by their acts of good. After the mission, Mr. Wolf asks, “Doesn’t that just make you feel awesome?!” (131). One by one, they agree it felt good to help. By the end, the predators haven’t completely changed, but they’ve taken the first step: they want to keep doing good. With their example, the novel highlights that the key to change is having both the desire to do it and the perseverance to continue toward the goal, even if others at first don’t accept your changes.
Teamwork Amongst Unlikely Allies
The Bad Guys explores the development of teamwork among unlikely allies. The central group is made up of classic villains: Mr. Wolf, Mr. Snake, Mr. Shark, and Mr. Piranha. Each one has a criminal record and a history of terrifying behavior. At first, they are quite dysfunctional as a team. They deal with each other’s sarcasm, impatience, flatulence, and eating one another. Mr. Snake, especially, always seems to think everything is less important than eating. Despite everything, the group learns to cooperate through a shared curiosity for what might happen and because of an unspoken understanding between them. They accept one another’s flaws as simple problems to work on solving, rather than dismissing one another, highlighting that part of successful teamwork is accepting all the members of the team.
The bad guys’ attempt to rescue a cat from a tree is their first venture as a team. Although in the end, they are successful, their teamwork is still a work in progress. When they stack themselves into a tower to reach the cat, Mr. Snake swallows Mr. Piranha, and Mr. Wolf has to hurl him out. Mr. Wolf says, “I happen to know a gentle, harmless technique that’ll fix this right up” (85), and then he violently swings him around. Mr. Snake and Mr. Piranha tolerate all of this without complaint, while Mr. Shark watches from the sidelines. The terrified cat leaps out of the tree, achieving their goal in the most ridiculous and unplanned way possible. It’s not a heroic rescue in the traditional sense, but it proves that even a flawed rookie team can get the job done when they work together.
As the team continues, they gain more trust in each other and their ability to work as a team. Their second mission at the dog pound is even more chaotic but also more successful, as their plan unfolds essentially as it was meant to. Mr. Shark wears a dress to distract the guard, while Mr. Snake and Mr. Piranha are attached to a grappling hook and repeatedly smashed into a wall as Mr. Wolf tries to throw them through a window. The plan eventually works, and they manage to free the dogs. Afterward, they sit around eating and drinking, celebrating their achievement and basking in the glory of a good deed. They all feel that although the rescue wasn’t perfect, they are on their way to being an effective team. This suggests that teamwork doesn’t require perfect harmony; instead, it thrives through shared experience, trial and error, and the slow building of trust.
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