This review could be boiled down to one word – Awwwww.
I’ve always been a fan of the Dog of Steel. Well, the real one anyway, not the post-Crisis lizard thing or the grumpy Super-Marmaduke. There’s only one Krypto, and he’s a small fella of indeterminate breed.
And that’s official!
Published to coincide with Krypto’s upcoming starring role on the big screen, this mini-series looks at his earliest years. So where else to begin than on his namesake world, Krypton?
Life with the Els looks lovely, but there’s trouble on the horizon. Or rather, underground.
Jor-El and Lara have been designing a rocket system in the hopes of making a space ark to save as many Kryptonians as possible. They can only get so far, though, without a live test subject.
I’ve never been comfortable with animals being used for test flights. I’m for skipping that stage and going straight to a human volunteer. But, Krypto’s origin has been Krypto’s origin for 70 years and no one is changing it now.
So credit to writer Ryan North of the fantastic Fantastic Four for showing that while Krypto is ‘volunteered’, the humans rook the decision reluctantly, and are scared for their friend’s safety. Krypto himself seemed pretty chill, and once ignition occurs, positively excited, as you’ll see in a glorious splash.
Superman’s birth parents don’t sound like their traditional selves, they’re urban US in their speech patterns, but why should they always sound like stiff Brits? Their easy warmth makes it easier to accept that they see Krypto as a pal, not their son’s dog, ready to be slotted into an experiment.
Having grown up with a fully cognisant Krypto, I’d have been fine with him having a few thought balloons here, but North keeps him silent. And I’m good with that because Mike Norton is a great dog artist. Whether it’s Krypto’s yappy tongue or flappy ears – have no doubt, that boy is listening – the pup’s emotions are on display. Perhaps later issues, when he’s become Super, will see Krypto develop a more human mind, but right now, this approach works.
So far as the humans go, Jor-El looks fantastic with his cape and kneepads in a familiar shape, while Lara looks regal, but also kind. Little Kal-El is almost as adorable as Krypto. Krypton looks suitably sci-fi, generally – the Els’ kitchen is very down to Earth. And veteran readers will recognise baby Kal-El’s plush.
I love those crazy Thought Beasts.
Ian Herring’s attractive colours help mark the change between Krypton and Earth, which Krypto reaches in the final pages. The lettering is baffling. I don’t know what note the talented Lucas Gattoni was given but most of the words are written in lower case, Marvel Ultimates-style, but occasionally it’s all upper case, though Krypto’s name is in full caps even when the dialogue around it is storybook style; and it’s not a case of whispering, regular speech and shouting, it’s seemingly random. I bet OCD types find it most annoying. Not me, er, obvs.
The cover by illustrator Jae Lee and colourist June Chung is gorgeous, its Art Deco style not matching the interiors but gorgeously nodding to an earlier Pulps style. I love it, and that logo with the dog tag is very cute indeed.
In terms of story, there’s not really anything new here, but in terms of execution. Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton is a fresh delight.
Too Dangerous For a Girl 2 
Those really don’t look like very comfortable around-the-house clothes Jor and Lara are wearing.
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But are they not stylish!
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My thought about the lettering — I think KRYPTO is written in all caps because that’s a word Krypto understands. Sort of like that old Far Side cartoon showing the difference between what we say and what dogs hear, which is “blah blah blah blah ROVER blah blah blah blah.” I bet in the future, we might get caps for commands like STAY and SIT. (Or maybe they’re in this issue, too? Despite how charming it looks, I won’t be reading this till it’s online next month, so I don’t know for sure.)
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That makes sense. It could have been clearer, apparently! Heck, given how well we know this story they could have Othmared the dialogue, as in that Far Side classic.
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I’ve seen the review (with some more art) at The Beat, and I think my theory bears out. We see Lara saying THERE’S A GOOD BOY, and Jor-El saying LEAVE IT, KRYPTO, LEAVE IT and RELEASE! in all caps. The caps let us know what Krypto understands.
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Rob, you are a VERY GOOD BOY!
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Ha! Only sometimes…
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It’s a nice issue. I’m surprised you didn’t mention Jae Lee’s incredible cover. I prefer his earlier styles but he drew a real attractive attention getter.
Personally, I wish we had gotten thought balloons. A dog that acts and thinks like a dog with Superman’s power set is a nightmare to me. This is one thing I can’t suspend disbelief on. He’d accidentally slaughter untold amounts of people trying to play and then be put down with Green K.
Oh and why is Jor-El’s sister-in-law pretending to be Lara?
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Oh, they’ve been giving us a blonde Lara for 20 years, I’ve harped on about it a lot.
Do you have a different penultimate par? ‘The cover by illustrator Jae Lee and colourist June Chung is gorgeous, its Art Deco style not matching the interiors but gorgeously nodding to an earlier Pulps style. I love it, and that logo with the dog tag is very cute indeed.’
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Art by Norton is excellent! Dialogue by North is atrocious! It would’ve been better without any words except Krypto’s “yips.” Storytelling didn’t need any words. Didn’t like the ending.
-Matthew Lloyd
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You may be right, Matthew!
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Oh my gosh, no! A comic without words is not my jam at all. It’s not even a comic, in my mind. I *love* how comics mix words with pictures. Take away the pictures and all you have is a short story. Take away the words and you have a wordless picture book. It would take a really really really talented creative team to craft a wordless comic that would to hold my interest. In theory (as I haven’t come across one yet).
Beyond that, I found the story to be super enjoyable. The ancillary super books (Action Comics, Supergirl, Krypto) are really firing on all cylinders right now! Gimme another Jimmy Olsen series in the style of Fraction and Leiber and I’ll be a happy reader.
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I agree with you about comics without words. It’s be like TV without pictures. I loved Hickman’s text page addendums he started with the Krakoan Era but dropped his F4 for good when he ended an issue with a text page that ended the story.
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