It’s no secret that I love animals. Especially cats and dogs. And while it’s fun to draw cats, as they’re beautiful and sleek creatures, and I’ve always had cats as companions (not only because they’re such wonderful, loving animals, but they’re also much less ‘high-maintenance’ than dogs are)– I’ve always enjoyed drawing (and looking at) dogs much, much more. No offense meant to my much beloved little cat Charlie, whom I think is just gorgeous (I’m a biased Pop, of course)– but for sheer character and variety of expression, dogs have it all over cats. Some dogs are more expressive than others; for instance, a Golden Retriever is probably one of the most expressive of all canines. You can almost read their mind just by looking at their face….. it’s just amazing. And so dogs make for fun drawing material, and one of my favorite comic book dogs is KRYPTO. Of all of SUPERMAN’S veritable zoo of animal sidekicks from over the years, KRYPTO is the one that has stood the test of time and struck a chord with SUPERMAN fans. One of my favorite recent KRYPTO appearances was in issue 91 of DC’s SUPERBOY book from 2001. It was an aftermath issue of the WORLDS AT WAR storyline that ran through the SUPERMAN family of books. That crossover, in and of itself, was rather forgettable, but this particular issue of SUPERBOY, written by Joe Kelly and drawn by the amazing Pascual Ferry, was a wonderful story. It followed SUPERBOY, GUARDIAN, and (of most interest to me) KRYPTO, each in individual stories, as they deal with mopping up operations in the battle for Earth and its inhabitants. It was a very touching issue that dealt with all three heroes– but I loved the spotlight that it put on KRYPTO’S bravery, loyalty and tenacity. It’s a wonderful comic book, and I’d recommend everyone seeking it out. It’s not necessary to have read the rest of the crossover issues to appreciate the sentiments put forth in this story titled ‘WAR LETTERS’. It stands on it’s own.

I used to tell then SUPERMAN Group Editor Eddie Berganza when I was working on ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN that I’d love to do a KRYPTO mini series. I don’t think he ever took me seriously when I would suggest it. Some times he would just chuckle…. or sometimes say something like “Yeah…. maybe one day we can do something like that.” But I was serious then, and I’m STILL serious. I’d love to one day draw a KRYPTO mini series. He’s a great, noble character who deserves his own comic book.

This is Entry 141.

Mike