Well, he wasn’t really. Desperate to complete the escape
rocket before Krypton explodes, he needs a live subject to test a prototype.
Baby Kal-el’s puppy Krypto was the only animal available. So I guess we have to
cut him a break, but isn’t that image of Kal-el sobbing when his puppy is taken
away downright heartbreaking?
Anyway, in Adventure
Comics #210 (March 1955),Krypto’s rocket is knocked into deep space by a
meteor and eventually ends up on Earth. (In fact, he lands near Smallville.
What are the odds of that happening?)
Krypto’s grown into a
full-sized dog by then, but (despite a measure of super-intelligence) his
dog-like tendencies are soon causing Superboy no end of trouble.
That pretty much defines the story—Krypto causes trouble and
Superboy has to fix things. Otto Binder was the perfect writer for this—his
quirky sense of humor is what makes this story work.
It ends with Krypto flying off into space to romp around the
“backyard” of the universe.
But the idea of a super-powered dog will turn out to be too
cool to ignore. Krypto will show up on Earth again from time to time, becoming
a founding member of the Legion of Super Pets and often flying through the time
barrier to spend time in the 30th Century.
I don’t care how silly it is—Krypto is a fantastic idea and
one of my favorite additions to Superman’s mythology. I know the Super Pets tip
the Suspension of Disbelief scales for some readers, but I just love the
idea. Who wouldn’t want a loyal dog with heat vision? Okay, yes, his tendency to rip planes out of the air when he’s
feeling playful could be construed as a serious problem, but any pet owner
knows you have to take the occasional bad with the good if you own a pet that loves
you.
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