Superman’s mighty canine companion has been by his side for years, but there was a time when he was lost.  Your Major Spoilers review of Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #1 awaits!

KRYPTO: THE LAST DOG OF KRYPTON #1

Writer: Ryan North
Artist: Mike Norton
Colorist: Ian Herring
Letterer: Lucas Gattoni
Editor: Sabrina Futch
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: June 18th, 2025

Previously in Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton: Krypto is a normal puppy on Krypton, spending each happy, snoozy, endless day alongside his family: Jor-El, Lara, and baby Kal-El. But when a rocket test goes wrong, Krypto finds himself lost in space.

A NEW HOME

Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #1 starts with the titular canine living an idyllic life on the planet Krypton.  While being fed his breakfast, he listens in as Jor-El and Lara discuss their projections for the impending doom of the planet.  While out on a walk, Krypto meets another dog while Lara tries to convince another woman that the Science Council is wrong and that the earthquakes are very serious.  Back at home, it’s decided that they need to test out their rockets that are designed to get as many people off the planet as possible.  Krypto is placed into a rocket and fired into space.  At first, the test is going fine, until a rogue wormhole appears, sucking the rocket in.  At the other side of the wormhole, Krypto suddenly finds himself on a new planet, in the city of Metropolis.

FAMILIAR GROUND

Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #1 essentially tells the story of the final days of Krypton, a story that has been told many times before.  It does shake things up a little by putting Krypto as the POV character, but we don’t really get his perspective or see his understanding of the situation.  It’s more like the story plays out normally, except that the camera is just always pointed at Krypto.  The back quarter of this issue is more interesting, though, as it shifts the setting to Earth.  The most intriguing part of this is that, based on the car designs and some of the settings, this looks to be set in the original 1930s era of Superman.  Even though the plot doesn’t venture into a lot of uncharted territory, there are some great emotional moments regardless.  Seeing Krypto curl up next to an infant Kal-El or Jor-El’s final message to the dog when it’s clear he’s not coming home are both enough to really pull on your heartstrings.  While these moments are a bit sappy, they come off as genuine, and when paired with the scenes of peril, have the effect of instantly making the reader care about Krypto.

SPEAKING VOLUMES

In case you weren’t aware, Krypto doesn’t typically talk, such is the case here in Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #1.  That doesn’t mean he can’t convey messages, though, especially when drawn with a deft hand.  There are multiple sequences in this book where there is no dialogue, just a series of reaction shots of Krypto, and yet, we can see a whole range of emotions going on.  None of these, though, feel like they go beyond the limits of an actual dog, which keeps this issue feeling grounded.  The coloring of this issue leans towards a flatter approach also, when Krypto ends up on Earth, you start to see some more comic book stylings, which is a nice touch.

BOTTOM LINE:  AN ENGAGING READ, ALBEIT NOT VERY ORIGINAL

The retelling of the final days of Krypton here is not an especially unique take on the events.  This is mostly due to an underutilization of the POV character.  Once you get past these scenes, things pick up and the issue ends on an interesting pseudo-cliffhanger. Along the way, there are some strong emotional scenes that really hit home, primarily due to the visuals and the characterization of Krypto.  3.5 out of 5 stars.

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Krytp: The Last Dog of Krypton 31

73%

73%

Good Dog

Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #1 is an emotional and harrowing comic. It does re-tell a story that’s been told a lot and doesn’t do anything unique with it though. There’s a good hook here and it ends in an interesting place, so there’s still a lot of potential in this series.

• Writing

  6
• Art

  8
• Coloring

  8
• User Ratings (0 Votes)
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