Krypto the Superdog is one of, if not the single best super-pet in all of DC, even all of comics. He’s the most loyal dog you’ll ever meet, always standing beside his Super-owner and the rest of the Superman Family no matter who or what they are facing. Before all of that, though, he used to be just a normal dog on Krypton, the pet of the brilliant and doomed Lara and Jor-El, companion to baby Kal-El. As a part of DC’s Summer of Superman event, they are gifting us with a miniseries detailing Krypto’s arrival on Earth. It’s as wholesome as it is heartbreaking, but what sticks out the most is that when Krypto first crash-landed on Earth, he wasn’t found by Superman, but instead by his worst enemy. Krypto’s first owner on Earth was Lex Luthor, and oh boy, is that a deadly course of events.
Krypto the Normal Dog, Mostly
Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #1 shows us that before he could bite through steel and chase his own tail faster than a speeding bullet, Krypto was just the Els’ family dog. They taught him commands and took him on walks, where he would obediently not touch his food till told and sniff other dogs’ butts. We see a day through his eyes, staring when he wakes up at the call of breakfast, to his evening spent cuddling with the baby who would one day rechristen himself Superman. Krypto is messy, excitable, and loves his family more than anything, going to show that no matter where you are in the universe, dogs will just act like dogs. Mike Norton’s art is beautiful all the way through, spending panel after panel perfectly crafting expressions and mannerisms of a dog that has no idea what’s happening around him, but is just happy to be here.
Of course, Ryan North’s script deserves just as much praise. Before even getting into the plot, one thing I have to praise is how amazingly the comic plays into Krypto’s perspective of the world. He lacks thought bubbles himself, and when other people speak most of their words are greyed out, except for words that Krypto himself understands. His name, food, and similar phrases he would know are all bolded and black text, allowing the audience to see the story as we should see it, but also how Krypto understands it. That story itself is also heartbreaking. The Els are attempting to create the spaceship that will one day ferry Kal-El to safety as Krypton explodes behind him, but of course you don’t just launch your only child up in a ship without tests. At a certain point in their research, the parents needed a living test subject to gauge the results, and with their limited resources, they chose Krypto as their lab dog.
A Bumpy Arrival to a New Home
Krypto’s pod is launched into space. At first, everything seems to be going smoothly, until a wormhole appears and sucks his ship inside. Krypto, unaware of what’s going on, lays down to take a nap. He wakes up when his ship crashes into a river on Earth, years into the future. Always a positive creature, Krypto swims to shore, shakes himself dry, licks himself a bit, and starts walking. He soon after finds his way to the city of Metropolis, but unfortunately for the loveable pooch, he is a stranger in a very strange land. Krypto is eating some garbage when a homeless man kicks him away. He scratches his neck on a fence and runs into the street, where a car has to swerve into a light pole to barely avoid running him over. Krypto races through the street, lost and confused, until a gentle hand stretches out and calms him down. A young Lex Luthor promises Krypto that he doesn’t have to be afraid, and that he will protect him.
So Krypto is hanging with Lex, which could be a huge problem. Given Lex’s age and the fact that he still has hair, this is well before his villainous obsession with Superman has taken hold of his life. Still, even a young Lex can only be trusted to handle a soon-to-be-super dog, given that from a young age he was known to experiment with Kryptonite. Krypto hasn’t had enough time to actually absorb much yellow sun yet, but if he starts demonstrating powers around Lex Luthor of all people, then things could get very hairy, very fast. Lex is an opportunist at heart, and never throws away something that can give him an edge.
Of course, this could be not as bad as it appears at first. The current Superman run has shown that when Lex first appeared in Metropolis he became a superhero, and he did legitimately seem to care for the scared pup. Lex could even bring Krypto with him back to Smallville, where the Dog of Steel would ultimately find his real home with Clark and the Kents. No matter what happens though, I just pray that Lex doesn’t do anything to hurt our adorable dog, because he does not deserve to be experimented on by a mad scientist by any stretch of the imagination. Krypto is a good boy, and should be treated like one.
Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #1 is on sale now!
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