Krypto, The Super Dog #3
	Writer: Jesse Leon McCann Penciller: Min S. Ku Inker: Jeff Albercht Colorist: Dave Tanguay Letterer: Dave Tanguay Cover by : Scott Jeralds Asst. Editor: Rachel Gluckstein Editor: Joan Hilty Published by: DC Comics
	Reviewed by: Bruce Logan

Month three issue three and with the return of the Dark ‘Pooch-Knight’ a.k.a. Bathound, I too have returned to the pages of this six issue mini. Don’t worry, the whole Pooch-Knight bit, that isn’t a phrase from the story but rather just another growth from my fertile imagination. Others titles in the running were, Dark Hound, Caped Canine-Crusader…yeah well, I said it was fertile, I did not say that I had anything useful or deep planted in it.

This mini in a way is different from its three DCAU-based-comics counterparts (Justice League Unlimited, Teen Titans Go! and The Batman Strikes!), and it is not only in the way that the focus here is on the costumed-heroes of the four legged kind. Apart from the odd appearance or two (as in this issue) by Supes, the only humans getting any sizeable screen time are Krypto’s owner Kid-whatisname and his younger sister Baby-whatsherface, I mean Kevin and Melanie. That and the general tone of the story telling is aimed to a demographic that is younger than the ones watching the JLU animated series (and now reading the comic), at least that is how it comes across to me.

There are two stories here, one with Kyrpto in the lead with that raggedy cat Streaky and her fellow walking-hairballs making up both the supporting cast and the bad guys. From Mechanikat to his Muttley (from the Hanna-Barbera cartoon) Snooky-Wookums to the chumps they hypnotize to do their dirty work (stealing), its cats up the waazoo. Based around a stealing artifacts to sell them on alien worlds this story is acceptable enough on the funny front, but in the ‘cool’ factor it doesn’t even come as a competition to the second half of the issue.

Starring, Ace, the Bathound, this story or rather this character is the only reason I picked up this issue. (I have #1 too but passed on #2 as it had no Ace-in-the-Hole in it). Ace-in-the-Hole, that is just what Ace is, be it his personal jet powered Bat-Sled or his very own Bat-Utility Belt, uh, Collar. The bad guy here is a the dastardly (no not the Dastardly who is Muttley’s partner/master) penguin, Waddles. See, just the name is enough to send shivers down one’s spine. Then again, that this story is set in the super cold artic region (in and around Supes’ Fortress of Solitude) and that even as I type it is snowing outside the window might have some part in the whole shiver down the spine bit. After going penguin equivalent of what happened to Jim Carey in the Batman Forever movie, Waddles set out to, well, what do you expect…he sets out to conquer the world. Oh, how original. Then again, he is a penguin, a super intelligent, super powered Penguin. Rushing to the rescue the two canine heroes get beat at first but through teamwork they not only free Supes which allows him to save them from boiling Green Kryptonite, they also apprehend Waddles and return him to his original dumb bumbling self.

Conclusion: Although not for the grownups (read: old farts including yours truly), this story as with the two before it and the three to come after, is a good buy n’ read for the young ‘uns (read: them damn kids).

RATING: 7.5/10