After Superman (2025) brought DC’s most lovable four-legged superhero back to the big screen, the Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton book offered an in-depth exploration of Superman’s oldest friend. The first two issues featured Krypto on his last voyage from Krypton, before encountering his master’s eventual arch-nemesis, Lex Luthor. Now utterly alone in the world, Krypto is left to his own devices as Ryan North, Mike Norton, Ian Herring, and Lucas Gattoni continue this touching story.
Much like the previous two issues, Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #3 benefits from Mike Norton and Ian Herrin’s artwork. The first four pages lack any dialogue whatsoever, leaving the art to fully communicate all of Krypto’s complicated emotions. His utter loneliness is both palpable and painful, and his body language tells the whole story.
It would have been interesting to see the entire issue portrayed in the same style, and that was somewhat expected. After all, there was not necessarily any need to see thought or dialogue bubbles pop up at any point. Even when Krypto encounters an unexpected friend, silence could have just as easily told this story without relying on words that a dog could never truly understand.
DC Comics
Speaking of understanding, while Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #1 and #2 made full use of clever lettering to communicate Krypto’s attention and understanding, #3 quickly broke conventions. It failed to truly isolate key words and phrases, as previous issues did, and painted entire pages with graywash lettering. It is somewhat unbelievable, after all, that any dog would fail to respond to “good boy”, especially after Lex spent so much of issue #2 alternating between “good dog” and “bad dog”.
Inconsistent lettering aside, the book’s quality remains strong. Though it shares dark qualities, the overall message and tone in Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #3 is considerably lighter than previous releases. Krypto has found his first friend since leaving Krypton, and this is an issue that actually has a semi-happy ending. Hopefully it is a good sign of things to come for Krypto, given that his story has been so devastating so far.
North also does an excellent job of communicating major developments without making it overly obvious. One panel in particular sees Krypto making one giant leap for dog-kind, but it is depicted in an ambiguous manner that leads readers sit and ponder the possibilities for a moment.
In a universe filled with superheroes and talking animals, this is a nice break from grand world-shattering stakes and powers, and it simply offers Krypto the opportunity to be a down-to-earth hero for a change. Even if the yellow sun is starting to change him, Krypto’s good heart remains his best quality.
DC Comics
The issue also offers a nice change of pace, as it finally gives Krypto the chance to meet a friendly face. He has not had any true allies since his family strapped him to a rocket ship and sent him careening out into space, even if it was unintentional. Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #3 gives him a much-needed rest, and it could very well serve as a reminder that not every human being is as abusive as Lex. While not a Superman comic outright, this is still within the Superman franchise, so those reminders are very necessary at times.
Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #3 offers a genuinely emotional narrative, even if it is a somewhat cliché story. Krypto’s mission to save a little girl is a natural step for his character and proves that his natural love for others remains a consistent part of his character, even if Lex spent months tormenting the poor pup.
While enjoyable, Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #3 is a painfully quick read. It can be difficult to justify paying full price for a book that can be read in less than five minutes, but it is still an enjoyable experience. Anyone who has been reading previous issues will love Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #3, especially with more issues to come in the near future. It is definitely worth a read, even if it never quite matches the heights of earlier releases. At this point it’s simply getting more and more difficult to wait for Krypto to reunite with Clark.
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