Dispatches from the Fury Road: Krypto

I’m not too proud to admit I’m a Krypto bro.

No, that isn’t a spelling error. I have no interest in cryptocurrency. If I want to invest in imaginary money and dull conversation, I’ll break out the Monopoly set. No, I’m all about Superman’s super dog, Krypto. Turns out the super-pup will appear in the new Superman movie next year, and some fans are not happy.

Originally introduced in the pages of Adventure Comics in 1955, Krypto was intended as a one-off story, but due to popular demand became a regular character. The 50s are a strange and fascinating era for comics. Written by men scarred by their World War 2 experiences, they found themselves at home in the suburbs struggling to define who they were meant to be. No wonder the stories turned inward. He was no longer the socialist champion of the oppressed. Now he was reimagined as a conservative patriarchal figure with an extended group of family and friends just trying to get by.

Superman was as powerful as ever. He could spin planets on his finger, but now he had the same fears as us. He constantly worried that Lois would no longer love him. One issue Superman dealt with the horror of going bald. Another issue he put on so much weight he refers to himself as, “Super-fatso”! This was a Superman written by men in therapy, their fears channeled through the Man of Steel.

(If you find this interesting, I heartily recommend Grant Morrison’s book, “Supergods”)

Of course this was the perfect time to introduce a furry friend. The suburban picket fence dream included a dog in the backyard that you could take for a walk. Young boys could finally relate, especially to Superboy because he was just like them. The only difference was kids played fetch with their dogs at the park, while Superboy did the same thing but on the moon.

These stories never forgot that comics were for kids. Kids! I know. Crazy to think that they’re designed to entertain children when you consider the thousands of message boards enduring the angry rants of grown-ups telling us what is and isn’t acceptable in a superhero story.

Don’t get me wrong, I was one of those zealots in the 80s declaring to skeptical adults that comics weren’t just for kids anymore. As I entered my teenage years I was suddenly unearthing Alan Moore’s “Swamp Thing”, “Miracleman”,’ “V for Vendetta” and of course, “Watchmen”. I was discovering Frank Miller’s “Daredevil”, “The Dark Knight Returns”, and “Ronin”. Art Spieglemen’s Pulitzer Prize winning “Maus: A Survivor’s Tale”. This was the divine moment where low-art attracts brilliant minds to create ground breaking stories free of the spotlight of a mainstream audience. It was a creative revolution, and I had front row tickets. These creators not only entertained me, but also introduced me to Friedrich Nietzsche, Albert Einstein, Franz Kafka, and Kurt Vonnegut. To Dada, post-modernism, chaos theory, and existentialism. My developing brain was being nourished with mind blowing ideas, philosophical musings, and radical theories.

Then like most revolutions the wrong lessons are learned. Comics mistook dark and gritty storytelling to mean mature narratives. Colour palettes were tamped down, and our superheroes became bland conduits for repetitive adventures. Only a few creators remembered that these characters were designed for kids, and continued to push the medium into places where stories could still be ambitious and dreamlike at the same time.

There’s a new Superman movie on the horizon. In recent years we’ve been treated to stories where he’s suddenly evil, and everyone has to fight him. Even Superman allegories continuously take this approach, including The Boys and Brightburn (ironically created with James Gunn’s fingerprints all over it). It’s believed this is the only way the general public can deal with a hokey character. He has to be a super-arsehole for us to want to engage. I would argue he isn’t a bland character, he’s just been written that way. Superman is at his best when he’s living in an amazing world, looking out for all of us. He’s not here to save us. He’s here to pick us up when we fall. He believes in us, and wants us to be our best. When did that become so boring? When creators took the easy way out, and produced cynical, jaded tales.

James Gunn appears to be doing his best to reinvent Superman for a world that needs him more than ever. From the early snippets we’ve been given, Superman will live in a world that is bright, and the incredible can happen. He has friends. He also has a super dog. The backlash I’ve seen online is entertaining, often reduced to comments like, “A super dog is stupid.”. Yes. Of course it is. You know what else is stupid? A man who can fly, shoot lasers out of his eyes, and bend steel with his bare hands. It’s stupid if you apply grown-up logic to the concept. Most children’s stories collapse under the weight of adult cynicism.

I have little interest in superhero movies or comics these days, especially after their mainstream success turned their adventures into “rinse and repeat” narratives. They’re no longer aimed at me, as well they shouldn’t be.

The world is a scary place. Children live in a world where leaders of nations ridicule their fear of climate change. They’re constantly exposed to footage of unjust wars. They live in fear they’ll be murdered in their homes because myopic governments want to retain power at any costs. They practice drills to help them survive a high school shooting while the powerful gun lobby puts its fingers in its ears, so utterly convinced of their righteous beliefs.

In a world like this, who wouldn’t want a noble character like Superman to look up to?

Children are smart and perceptive. They deserve stories that inspire. The corporations that own the production houses should ignore the tedious man-children who declare online what is right and wrong in a superhero story. They’re going to be negative, and bitter no matter what you do. There’s nothing more tedious in the world of fandom than a jaded fanboy.

Let’s create art rather than “content”. I can guarantee young people will respond with an eagerness that will in turn inspire them to become creators who will usher the following generation into new and exciting realms of discovery.

I believe kids deserve uplifting stories. I believe they deserve to be entertained with big ideas and concepts they’ve never encountered before. Most of all, I believe kids deserve a world where they can go to a park, contemplate their place in the world while they play fetch with their dog. Who doesn’t relate to that image?

And that’s why I applaud seeing a Superman who hangs out with his dog, Krypto.

Justin Hamilton

Surry Hills

26th of October, 2024