Krypto #108: Pocket Universe Krypto

From: Action Comics #591 (August 1987)

I don't think John Byrne is a Krypto fan. First he decides Superman will be the last survivor of Krypton, regardless of species. There is no Krypto on the sole post-Crisis Earth. And then when he explains the Legion discontinuity he's created by imagining a "pocket universe" where Superboy and Krypto indeed lived so they could meet and inspire the Legionnaires, he makes a point of nerfing Krypto. Nonetheless, the Dog of Steel gets some cover copy. Let's take a closer look at canine doings in the issue: It all starts in space, as it so often used to.
Krypto somehow senses his master's in trouble, but once he gets to Smallville, it gets a little confusing:
Even once he knows who's who, Superman's strength is more than up to the challenge of kicking this dog to the curb. But he really wants to help his master, so he heads home...
Bypassing the tunnel he might usually use to get into the Kents' basement (this is urgent!), and choosing to use Gold Kryptonite - which permanently takes away a Kryptonian's powers - he knows he must sacrifice his own to bring it out to Superboy (the radiation is short range, so young Clark should be able to capitalize on it if he sees it out in the yard). Yeah, not the best plan. Especially since...
...Krypto's intelligence was one of his Kryptonian powers. Unable to complete his plan, acting like a common Earth dog, he's found barking senselessly in the basement. And worse, pocket universe Kryptonite doesn't affect Prime Kryptonians. It's all for naught.

Krypto, the Krypto that, in the post-Crisis reality, was a member of the Legion of Super-Pets, Superboy's best friend, is never shown nor heard from again.

But will the post-Crisis universe spawn its own Krypto? Stay tuned.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Much as I admire most of Byrne's work on his Superman Reboot, Pocket-Universe-Krypto's fate makes no sense. Surely it would have been more logical for him to bring Superboy the Gold K in a lead container -- or did he forget unshielded Gold K would removed his master's powers too? Besides this is supposed to be "Krypto Classic", or equivalent, and while we were told from his first appearance on that he had a "Super Brain -- for a dog", his intelligence never seemed to reduce under red suns and such. (I never liked the "Pocket Universe" explanation for Superboy's presence in the Legion anyway -- I found the more recent idea that young Clark had adventures with the LSH before his 20th century debut to be much more satisfying, time paradoxes be damned.)