Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #4
Scheduled to arrive in stores: September 17, 2025
Cover date: October 2025
“Chapter Four: Spring”
Writer: Ryan North
Artist: Mike Norton
Cover: Jae Lee
Variant Covers: Karl Kerschl and Dan Mora
Reviewed by: JP Rocha
The story starts with Krypto scavenging for food outside of a food shelter. He meets and befriends a small stray. They wander back to the fields and forest outside of Metropolis. In the morning, they find a small group of four kids playing. The kids make friends and name Krypto Sweetie and his friend Brownie.
While playing, the kids and their new friends stumble upon an old robot with a Brainiac symbol on its helmet. The kids awaken the robot, who identify itself as Brainiac 0. He identifies his mission as two parts: phase 1, gather data about the planet and evaluate whether it could be a threat, and then report the findings; phase 2: once that data is transmitted, sterilize the planet so that no new threats or data are generated. Believing Krypto to be an ordinary dog, the Brainiac detects no threat in him, his friend, or the kids.
The kids see now that the Brainiac is a threat. So they try to cut the power, but the robot has already adapted its design to overcome the flaw that left it dormant since its arrival on Earth. The Brainiac robot, annoyed with the kids, moves to attract. Krypto and Brownie jump to their rescue. Although they are successful in saving the kids, they both get knocked back from the robot’s counterattack.
While Krypto remains unharmed, Brownie is not as lucky. The punch was too much for the little dog. This awakens Krypto’s powers for the first time, which he uses to dismantle the Brainiac robot. During the fight, the kids left to find help. When they return, Krypto, Brownie, and the robot are gone.
Krypto is again left alone in the wilderness.
Story – 4: The season is now Spring. Krypto, after finding friends, is again alone. The theme of this mini-series so far is loss. Each issue has been a standalone story in Krypto’s adventures on Earth. Each issue is filled with emotion, leaving the reader sad. We know that the consolation in the end will be the reuniting of Krypto with Cark Kent, his family.
The uncertainty can finally be laid to rest. Cars and buildings look to be modern. So the assumption is that this story takes place in the main DC universe’s Superman.Art – 4: More great art with even greater art-driven storytelling. The spotlight page is the splash page reveal of the decaying Brainiac Robot. The page has an insert panel that reveals the passage of time with Krypto, Brownie, and the kids silhouetted as they run and play. The discovery of the robot is revealed to us through the reaction of the kids who stumble upon the Brainiac remains.Cover Art – 4: This next cover in the series from Jae Lee is fun and fresh, as is the issue’s theme, Spring. Krypto is playing with some birds. We also observe various types of vegetation, including plants, flowers, and mushrooms.
The variant cover by Karl Kerschl is a fun juxtaposition of Krypto flying over Metropolis along Shuster Avenue, as a crowd of dogs looks up. Wait, I thought dogs cannot look up.
The final variant cover is a spotlight of Dan Mora’s Corner Box art for the Krypto book.
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