Krypto the Superdog is the greatest idea ever, ahead of fire, Hamlet, quantum mechanics and Eli Whitney's cotton gin. All of human history was a prelude to the creation of the Dog of Steel, and everything after has been more or less pointless.

I mean, he had a doghouse on an asteroid! He chased comets like other dogs chase cars! He had his own secret identity as "Spot"! It's all so monumentally great it's hard to believe Bob Haney himself didn't come up with it.

And don't get me started on my love for Ace the Bat-Hound.

Then again, according to the link, the author of that book also lists the original Wes Dodds Sandman--one of the coolest superheroes of all time--as a lame character, because he had no powers. The Sandman could wear a green, yellow, brown and purple costume and still look like a bad-ass. He had the creepiest poem as a calling card. He had a fucking *wire-poon* gun. Dian Belmont on his right arm. He didn't need any superpowers.
Cole Odell | Email | 12.14.04 - 6:38 am | #

Apparently this author has never heard of Stilt Man.
Josh | Email | Homepage | 12.14.04 - 7:04 am | #

"I'd bet it's a franchise just waiting to happen for DC, who could use some more female lead characters"

They sure could. At the rate they're going, they'll run out of strong female characters to rape, maim, bend, fold, spindle and mutilate within a year or two. Ugh. Maybe it's good that all these Gold and Silver Age creators are dying lately, so they don't have to witness this.

And anyway, they've already done quite enough over the years to ruin Amethyst as it is. As long as she's in Comic Book Limbo, she's relatively safe.
Bill Doughty | Email | Homepage | 12.14.04 - 7:38 am | #

Heh heh. "Matter-Eater Lad".
d_dee | Email | Homepage | 12.14.04 - 7:42 am | #

The only Super Pet thats that were ever worth a damn were Lockheed the Dragon and Lockjaw, the Inhuman's teleporting dog.

--m4
mojo_iv | Email | Homepage | 12.14.04 - 8:45 am | #

But... Ace the Bat-Hound wore a mask to protect his identity. AS ANOTHER DOG.

And hey, if super-pets like Radar from SUPREME are wrong, I don't want to be right. (I'm very fond of the issue where Radar... discovers love... and fathers a couple hundred litters of superpuppies in one night.)
DougBot | Homepage | 12.14.04 - 8:52 am | #

I suppose it's only a matter of time before the comic book / superhero movie and talking animal movie fads combine to give us Krypto on the big screen.
Fred | Homepage | 12.14.04 - 11:49 am | #

Marvel animals are better...to poop on!

Lockheed was so lame he didn't even have a cape. The best thing about him was that he didn't talk, which instantly made him Chris Claremont's best-written character.

Lockjaw at least had the Kirby thing going for him.

But no, there are no Marvel animals that can hold a candle to DC's menagerie. Beppo the Super-Monkey alone is cooler than all the Marvel animals put together. Come on! A naughty flying monkey in a cape and diapers!

Silver Age Marvel may have been better at characterization, plotting, continuity, etc. but when it came to totally awesome superhero animals in capes, DC had it all over them. Anyone who says otherwise is just embarrassing themselves.
Cole Odell | Email | 12.14.04 - 11:54 am | #

Mr. Odell -- them's fightin' words!

--m4 (worlds biggest Kitty Pryde fan, 1988-1996)
mojo_iv | Email | Homepage | 12.14.04 - 2:06 pm | #

Fred - we're apparently getting a Krypto cartoon...is that close enough?
Mikester | Homepage | 12.14.04 - 6:18 pm | #

The Krypto cartoon: how there am I? *So incredibly there*.

I'm not one for those "who could beat up who" debates, but not only could Krypto take down Lockjaw *and* Lockheed and any other Marvel pet with a "lock" in its name, but he's so phenomenally cool, he wouldn't even bother. Of course, he'd probably be too busy wondering why his master Superboy didn't seem to love him anymore, just before discovering that Superboy was only tricking him into thinking he hated him, in order to fool the bank robbers with the kryptonite.
Cole Odell | Email | 12.14.04 - 9:19 pm | #

Krypto will be on this season of Smallville. Oh, yes...
David M | 12.14.04 - 9:48 pm | #

Hey, I got one...

Niels the Cat -- Speedball's pseudo-sidekick. There's nothing in the world like a completely invulnerable but otherwise normal cat.

--m4
mojo_iv | Email | Homepage | 12.15.04 - 11:40 am | #

I bet poop flying at you at superspeed would hurt like the Dickens.
Shane | Homepage | 12.15.04 - 9:27 pm | #

Please tell me I didn't just see a comment about "superspeed poop."


Mikester | Homepage | 12.15.04 - 10:40 pm | #

What about TITANO the gorilla with kryptonite vision?
Rob | Email | Homepage | 12.16.04 - 5:36 am | #

I'm already dreading Identity Crisis 2, where Iris Allen trains Krypto S.S.-style to rape Carol Ferris to death.

I can't believe I just wrote that. However, I do now believe DC would publish it.
Cole Odell | Email | 12.16.04 - 1:17 pm | #