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There is a lot of news coming out about the upcoming Batman V Superman movie regarding various characters who may or may not be in the film. Wonder Woman is confirmed, Aquaman and Doomsday are heavily rumored and even secondary Batman villain KGBeast might make an appearance. However, I couldn’t help but notice that a certain super-powered canine was missing from the rumor mill.

Krypto, also known as Superdog, was brought to life by award-winning comic book creators Otto Binder and Curt Swan. His first appearance was in Adventure Comics #210 in March of 1955. Krypto was toddler Superman’s dog on Krypton, and was actually sent to Earth first, but his rocket ship malfunctioned, which kept him in space for a long time, preventing him from arriving on Earth until Superman was a teenager.

Krypto is known as one of the more campier aspects of the Superman mythology, but he has survived the test of time and is beloved by fans. While his breed is not known, he is illustrated as a white dog of general pedigree. When Krypto is fighting crime, he dons a red cape with a yellow s-shield in the center which is attached to a yellow collar around his neck, which also sports a yellow s-shield.

Krypto has the same powers as Superman which include: super strength, flight, x-ray vision, heat vision, super breath and invulnerability. These powers have been known to get Krypto into all sorts of shenanigans because a dog’s sensory abilities of smell and hearing are more acute than a human’s.

Now, just imagine your dog with these abilities super-enhanced. Yeah, that would be a huge investment in dog food!

While chocolate is canine Kryptonite, the glowing green rock is Krypto’s only true weakness. His intelligence equates to that of a human and he is a lovable dog who will help anyone in a moment’s notice.

Krypto has appeared in everything from movies to video games and has even had his very own cartoon series. He is also the influence behind the very popular Superman dog costumes you see around Halloween.

If you’re looking for a real earnest story featuring the Dog of Steel, look no further than Superman #680, written by James Robinson, and published in 2008. Superman has been beaten and humiliated by Atlas, a villain whose powers are based on magic, which is a weakness of Superman. Krypto, however, doesn’t have that particular vulnerability.

James Robinson and artist Renato Guedes created a memorable epic that shows Krypto at his most heroic. The hulking Atlas takes his four-legged foe lightly until he learns otherwise. Atlas turns up the heat, and Krypto not only makes a good showing of himself, but matches him blow for blow. Guedes’ illustrations profoundly invoked the emotion that Robinson exquisitely conveyed.

Krypto protected Superman at all costs and did so with an inspiring grace that epitomizes the notion that a dog is man’s best friend.

I’ve always been a dog person, I just didn’t realize how much of a dog person I was until my lovely wife brought an amazing Boston Terrier / Chihuahua mix pup into my life. Our little guy has quite the personality and he is also very protective of us. It’s touching, but also funny, considering how small he is. In the end, after observing his actions on a regular basis, I’ve come to accept the undeniable fact that our little guy has a little bit of Krypto in him.

Categories: Comic Books