Superboy Poster # 5 Krypto Superboy #99 (1962) Curt Swan

Description

The Kryptonite Kid and his dog are released from their 5th Dimensional jail, come after Superboy, and have him dead to rights, but agree to spare his life if he will let them kill Krypto. He appears to agree, but instead has Krypto lead them through the crimson cosmic cloud that turns Green Kryptonite into Red K. The Kryptonite Kid and his dog radiate Red Kryptonite wavelengths now, and are reformed. After shaking hands with Superboy, the Kid returns with his dog to space. But Superboy knows that the Red K radiations will wear off in time. Krypto, also known as Krypto the Superdog, is Superman’s pet dog in the various Superman comic books published by DC Comics. Krypto’s first appearance was in a Superboy story in Adventure Comics #210 in March 1955. Although Krypto’s breed is never specifically stated in the comic books, Krypto was drawn as a white dog of generic pedigree. As explained in his first appearance, Krypto was originally the toddler Kal-El’s dog while they were on Krypton. Jor-El, testing prototypes for the rocket that would eventually send Kal-El to Earth, decided to use Krypto as a test subject. However, Krypto’s rocket was knocked off-course; the rocket drifted through space for years until it eventually landed on Earth, where Krypto was reunited with the now-teenaged superhero, Superboy. Due to the environment (Earth’s yellow sun and lower gravity), Krypto possessed the same powers and abilities as his master, although his physical abilities were proportionate to his smaller size and species, similar to an ordinary dog vs. a human. Certain sensory abilities of Krypto’s (senses of smell and hearing) would be more acute than those of Superman, just as an ordinary dog’s senses would be more acute than those of an ordinary human. Krypto also had super-canine intelligence (approximately human level, though with his canine traits and interests still present); the comics expressed this via the use of thought balloons indicating what Krypto was thinking. Superboy is the name of several comic book series published by DC Comics, featuring characters of the same name. The first three titles feature the original Superboy, the legendary hero Superman as a boy. The first series featured the original Superboy, a teenage incarnation of the Man of Steel. It began publication in 1949, four years after the character’s debut in More Fun Comics #101 (January 1945). The majority of the stories were set in the rural town of Smallville during the character’s youth, including tales of his toddlerhood. Comics historian Les Daniels noted that “Many early Superboy stories seemed devoted to extolling the virtues of life in America’s small towns, and covers made Smallville look like a dreamworld where few problems existed…Indeed, the early Superboy might fairly be called the Saturday Evening Post of comic books.” The supporting cast included Superboy’s adoptive parents Jonathan and Martha Kent, his over-inquisitive classmate and neighbor Lana Lang, best friend Pete Ross who was secretly aware of Superboy’s true identity as Clark Kent, Smallville Police Chief Parker, and the super-powered canine Krypto. With the exception of a teenage Lex Luthor, who was a frequent foe of the Boy of Steel, almost none of the featured villains appeared more than once. Douglas Curtis Swan (February 17, 1920 – June 17, 1996) was an American comic book artist. The artist most associated with Superman during the period fans and historians call the Silver Age of comic books, Swan produced hundreds of covers and stories from the 1950s through the 1980s. Initially, Swan drew many different features, including “Tommy Tomorrow” and “Gangbusters”, but slowly he began gravitating towards the Superman line of books. His first job pencilling the iconic character was for Superman #51 (March–April 1948). Many comics of the 1940s and 1950s lacked contributor credits, but research shows that Swan began pencilling the Superboy series with its fifth issue in 1949. Swan always felt that his breakthrough came when he was assigned the art duties on Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen, in 1954. In the view of comics historian Les Daniels, Swan became the definitive artist of Superman in the early 1960s with a “new look” to the character that replaced Wayne Boring’s version. Swan and writer Jim Shooter crafted the story “Superman’s Race With the Flash!” in Superman #199 (Aug. 1967) which featured the first race between the Flash and Superman, two characters known for their super-speed powers. Over the years, Swan was a remarkably consistent and prolific artist, often illustrating two or more titles per month. Swan remained as artist of Superman when Julius Schwartz became the editor of the title with issue #233 (Jan. 1971), and writer Denny O’Neil streamlined the Superman mythos, starting with the elimination of Kryptonite. Among Swan’s contributions to the Superman mythos, he and writer Cary Bates co-created the supervillains Terra-Man and the 1970s version of the Toyman as well as the superhero Vartox. Writer Martin Pasko and Swan created the Master Jailer character in Superman #331(January 1979).