In 1984, the originalGremlinsbecame an instant Hollywood classic, introducing the world to the Mogwai, a mysterious race of teddy bear-like creatures that multiply when exposed to water and turn into something nasty when fed after midnight. And in the film’s comic adaptation,Gremlinsclosed one of its biggest movie plot holes for good.
Successfully mixing dark comedic elements with a hint of horror and a dash of fun, Gremlins, directed by Joe Dante and written by Chris Columbus, was a movie unlike any other, and received a sequel in 1990’s zanyGremlins 2: The New Batch— a film that was unfortunately the end of Gizmo’s exploits for decades to come.
Given to protagonist Billy Peltzer after his father buys the Mogwai from an old Chinese antique shop in the film, Gizmo quickly became a breakout character, and eventually, the source of the evil gremlins he later spawned, with 1984’sGremlins: The Official Comic Strip Adaptationclarifying thatonlywater,notother liquids, can force Mogwais to multiply.
Gremlins’ Mogwai Species Cannot Reproduce if Touched by Liquids Other Than Water
Gremlins: The Official Comic Strip Adaptation - 1984 (Roger McKenzie and Adrian Gonzalez)
Released as a relatively faithfulretelling ofGremlins' story, this comic was one of the better movie adaptations at the time, with this issue hitting all of the film’s major plot beats and scenes using a colorful art style that recreated Joe Dante’s cartoonish visuals and dark tone perfectly, somethingGremlinsmovie fans will no doubt appreciate.
FollowingGremlins' opening act, once the comic introduces Gizmo and the hard-set rules for caring for a Mogwai, specifically when it comes to getting one wet, it’s here where the comic diverges from the movie, with Billy, after the accidental wetting of Gizmo, testing out a theory that his film counterpart never even attempted.
Splashing the newly birthed Mogwai with some orange juice after they sprout from Gizmo’s body, Billy immediately notes how they don’t react to the liquid at all, leading him to conclude that“The juice has no effect. They mustonlymultiply with water,”officially closing a plot hole that the movie never found the time to address.
Gremlins,along withIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,ushered in the need for a PG-13 movie rating.
To further prove Billy’s observation, this adaptation shows Gizmo clearly sipping coffee out of a mug later in the story, proving thatMogwais were always able to drink what they wanted, as long as it’s a less water-filled beverage, like coffee, soda, or juice, and of course, only if consumed before midnight.
Gremlins’ Comic Adaptation Solved One of the Movie’s Biggest Plot Holes, Even if Others Weren’t Addressed
When Does No Feeding Mogwais “After Midnight” Officially End?
Fans have always understood that some extra suspension of disbelief is needed to enjoyGremlins’ iconic but vague Mogwai lore— for example, how do Mogwai bathe if they cannot touch water and when does “after midnight” officially end so that Mogwai can eat again — withthisGremlinsadaptation settling at least one detail that has irked fans for decades.
But since this was a straight movie adaptation rather than a brand-new comic series that had the explicit purpose of expandingGremlinsmovie lore, it makes sense that most people passed over this issue or chalked it up as just another movie tie-in product when it released instead of acknowledging it as the important piece ofGremlinsmythos it is.
While there hasn’t been too muchGremlinscontent in recent years outside of HBO Max’s generally well-receivedGremlins: Secrets of the Mogwaianimated series and its follow-up,Gremlins: The Wild Batch, the fact that a forty-year-old comic adaptation has already answered a much-debated piece ofGremlins’ lore is a detail that fans deserve to be reminded of!
