Superheroes are also people (at least the ones who aren't aliens!), and like most people, superheroes have beloved pets. In fact, in many cases, these pets are so beloved that superheroes will utilize them in their battles against evil! In this tour, we'll take a look at some of these crime-busting pets who have accompanied DC heroes throughout the years!
We'll start the tour with one of the most recognized superhero pets of all time... Krypto the Superdog! Krypto debuted in Adventure Comics #210 (cover date March 1955). He was created by Otto Binder and Curt Swan.
It turns out that on Krypton, many animals evolved exactly the same way they did on Earth... domesticated dogs being one of them. One dog in particular was the pet of baby Kal-El. And just as so many children on Earth name their dogs Eartho, many children on Krypton named their dogs Krypto. Or, maybe baby Kal-El thought his dog was a planet? In any event, Jor-El, being the kind-hearted parent that he was, decided to use the household dog as a test subject for is burgeoning rocket-testing pastime. One day toddler Kal-El went looking for his beloved pet but he was gone. Dad had sent him into space!
Krypto's rocket ship was knocked off course, so he didn't end up reaching Earth until Kal-El was a teenager... a teenager also known as Superboy (and later Superman)!
Beginning in 1975, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) would acquire an alien sentient plant animal as a pet! Itty typically sat on Hal's shoulder and he communicated through vibrations. His first appearance was in The Flash (vol. 1) #238 (December 1975) in "The Day of the Falling Sky" written by Dennis O'Neill and drawn by Mike Grell. His species is referred to as the Ayries.
By 1978, Itty would molt into a different form and head off into the stars.
DC, hoping to cash in on the popularity of television's Rin-Tin-Tin, eventually gave Streak the starring role on the cover of Green Lantern's own title! It was ultimately to no avail. The original volume of Green Lantern was canceled with issue #38... Streak as the only cover star!
Green Lantern's (Alan Scott) fellow Justice Society member, Dr. Mid-Nite also had a companion! Dr. Mid-Nite conducted his crime-fighting with the help of Hooty, the owl. Hooty was an American Wood Owl whom Dr. Mid-Nit would often use for scouting out locations. He would appear in over 60 different comic book adventures. It would later be revealed that Dr. Mid-Nite actually had several owls over the years, always naming them Hooty. One such successor was identified as Hooty XIV and this Hooty had a bond with Dr. Beth Chapel (Dr. Mid-Nite II).
The original Hooty debuted in All-American Comics #25 (April 1941). He was the creation of Charles Reizenstein and Stan Aschmeier.
The next pet on our journey wasn't actually created for DC but instead was created by E. Nelson Bridwell and Alex Toth for the Hanna-Barbera animated film studio. Wonder Dog would be featured in the first season of the Super Friends cartoon which debuted on the ABC network in 1973. He was the pet of the junior Super Friends, Wendy and Marvin. Based on the shared green cape, it seems likely that Wonder Dog belonged to Marvin (both characters were voiced by Frank Welker).
Wonder Dog would eventually find his way into the pages of DC Comics, first in Super Friends title in1976, and later in a revised fashion in the pages of Teen Titans (volume 3) in 2008. The less mentioned about the latter version of Wonder Dog, the better! He would end up killing Marvin and seriously injuring Wendy. Yikes!
Another mighty "pet" in the pantheon of the Superman Family is Comet the Superhorse! He makes his debut in a Superboy story in Adventure Comics #293 (Feb. 1962). In the tale The Legion of Super Traitors readers were introduced to the Superhorse, and in an editorial note, informed that this is a pet that Supergirl will own someday in the future. The Super Horse was created by Jerry Siegel and Curt Swan.
It wouldn't be until The Super-Steed of Steel story in Action Comics #292 (Sept 1962) that Supergirl would finally meet this Super Horse, and name him Comet. The following issue, Comet's origin would be revealed. He was originally a centaur (half man/half horse) named Biron who lived in ancient Greece. The sorceress Circe intended to turn him into a complete man, but accidentally turned him into a complete horse. To make up for her error, she created a formula that would grant him the might of Jove, the speed of Mercury, the wisdom of Athena, and the telepathic powers of Neptune. Along with these powers, she endowed him with immortality. Comet would eventually find Supergirl and be her companion. He would appear regularly throughout the Silver Age of DC Comics.
Aquaman, being a resident of the ocean depths, offered fertile ground for DC to create many water-dwelling pets! One such pet was Storm, a giant domesticated seahorse that Aquaman would often be seen straddling and "riding" in the deep blue! Storm originally appeared in Aquaman (vol.1) #35 (Aug 1967). Storm was created by Bob Haney and Nick Cardy.
Storm was not featured prominently in comic books, but he was featured heavily in the Filmation Aquaman cartoons that originally aired on Saturday mornings in 1967 and 1968. It seems a bit ironic that Atlanteans would use a seahorse for transportation, given that regular-size seahorses are rather slow-moving creatures! But hey, it's an exiting visual!
Just a few months following the successful reception of Krypto in the Superman titles, DC would add Ace the Bat-Hound to Batman's cast. He would debut in Batman #92 (June 1955). He was the creation of Bill Finger and Sheldon Moldoff.
Bruce and Dick see a dog struggling in the water. They take him back to Wayne Manor and place ads with the dog's picture in the newspaper. Soon it is discovered that the dog belongs to John Wilker, a Gotham resident who has been kidnapped. Batman allows the dog to assist him and Robin, but finds it necessary to give this Bat-Hound a mask because of a distinctive star-shaped marking on the dog's head. A marking that could be easily identified as the same as the dog that Bruce Wayne has advertised. In his debut story, Ace eventually helps the dynamic duo find his kidnapped master.
Later, Batman and Robin would request Ace's assistance from Mr. Wilkerson. When this became an inconvenient plot point, Wilker was given a new job that required him to leave Ace in the care of Bruce Wayne! Ace would be featured regularly until 1965 when Julius Schwartz took over editorship of Batman in 1964.
In the various post-Crisis on Infinite Earths continuities, there have been several other versions of Ace that have popped up from time to time.
A couple decades before DC readers were introduced to Cliff Steele, the Robotman of the Doom Patrol, the company published the adventures of a different Robotman. The original Robotman was Robert Crane. He debuted in Star-Spangled Comics #7 (April 1942), the creation of Jerry Siegel and Leo Nowak. Two years after his adventures began being published, Robotman decided he needed a canine partner, so he built Robbie the Robot Dog! Unlike living dogs, Robbie had full control of the English language and could converse with Robotman... or anyone else! Robbie first appeared in Star-Spangled Comics #29 in a tale by Jimmy Thompson. Robbie would accompany Robotman through the rest of his adventures in this title. Those adventures would end in 1948.
It could be debated whether the next entry is a pet or a sidekick! Zook accompanied the Martian Manhunter throughout many of J'onn's Silver-Age stories. While the Martian Manhunter calls him Zook, it should be noted that zook is the name for its entire species! The zooks are mischievous creatures who reside in another dimension. I guess if you can have a dog from Krpyton named Krypto... it's not that much of a stretch to have a zook named Zook!
Zook would demonstrate various helpful abilities as he assisted the Martian Manhunter. Among them were shape-changing and stretching, a heightened sense of tracking, and a control over temperature.
Though Zook was regularly featured in the Martian Manhunter's solo adventures beginning in Detective Comics #311 (January 1963), he was never seen in the pages of Justice League of America, in which the Martian Manhunter was a founding member.
Zook is credited as the creation of Jack Miller and Joe Certa.
Though they were not featured often, it was established in the Golden-Age that there were a species of large kangaroo type creatures that were called kangas. The kangas actually came from outer space and were given to the Amazons as a gift from aliens called the Sky Riders of Nebulosa. The Amazons rode them in sports and games, and the kangas also helped with work on Paradise Island.
Princess Diana named her pet kanga Jumpa. Jumpa was created by William Moulton Marston and Harry G. Peter. She made her debut in Sensation Comics #6 (June 1942). Jumpa and other kangas were featured in a 1978 episode of the Challenge of the Super Friends cartoon series!
A more recent pet made his debut in the New 52 Continuity. Aquadog appears to be a Golden Retriever. He was rescued by Aquaman from a feeding cocoon belonging to the evil entities known as the Trench. Aquaman and Mera decide to adopt him. Aquadog (a name jokingly suggested by a local deputy, because the dog can't swim) resides with Aquaman and Mera in their lighthouse home in Amnesty Bay, Maine. Aquadog was created by Geoff Johns and debuted in Aquaman (vol. 7) #2 in 2011.
The "pet" status of our next entry is a little debatable! We've learned already that the planet Krypton had dogs that seemed to perfectly resemble their counterparts on Earth. As it turns out... it was the same for monkeys! Krypto the Superdog was quite a success with readers, so the powers that be at DC decided to continue increasing the Superman Family. Cousin Supergirl arrived in early 1959, and later that year Beppo the Supermonkey would make his debut! In Superboy (vol. 1) #76, young Clark Kent tells the story of how when he was a toddler he discovered that a monkey from Krypton had stowed away in the rocket that brought him to Earth. It would turn out that the monkey was one of Jor-El's (Superboy's Kryptonian father) scientific test animals!
After Kal-El's rocket crashed on Earth, Beppo quickly departed before anyone would see him. He would somehow make his way from Kansas to a jungle! He eventually reconnected with baby Kal-El, but ended up being more of a pest than a pet. He left into space at the end of his first tale, but Clark states that it was not the last time he would encounter Beppo.
When the Legion of Super-Heroes (a future hero group) became a popular feature in Adventure Comics, a Legion of Super-Pets was created. One of its members would be Beppo. For that reason, he's included in this tour! Beppo was created by Otto Binder and George Papp.
Titus is the creation of Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason.
Imp's first comic appearance was in Aquaman (vol. 1) #20 in 1965.
The Baker's pet cat, Socks, is originally shown as a normal house cat. He would eventually become an avatar for the Red and later still a totem of the Red. During this time, Socks can speak in English to the Bakers.
Socks first appeared in Animal Man (vol. 2) #4, dated February 2012. He was the creation of Jeff Lemire and Travel Foreman.
In the far-flung DC future, there is a team of teenage superheroes who travel back in time, meet Superboy, tell them that he is their inspiration, and then get him to travel to the future once every month for years so that he can be a member of their super club, the Legion of Super-Heroes!
Created as a one-off story in 1958, the Legion of Super-Heroes would go from occasional guest appearances in Super Family titles of the era to taking over Adventure Comics as its main feature in 1962. They would become costars in Superboy's title in the 1970s, and in the 1980s their own eponymous title would be one of DC's top-selling publications.
One of the earliest members of the team was a hero known as Chameleon Boy. His real name is Reep Daggle, originally from the planet Durla. On Durla, all citizens can shape-shift, assuming any form. During the early (silver-age) years of the Legion's adventures, Chameleon Boy would often be accompanied by a pale protoplasmic blob that he referred to as his "pet", Proty. Proty would often be seen sitting on Chameleon Boy's shoulder. Proty could shapeshift, just like his "master". He was the creation of Edmond Hamilton and John Forte.
The original Proty would sacrifice his life to assist the Legion in bringing fallen Legionnaire, Lightning Lad, back to life. (Adventure Comics #312, 1963). Chameleon Boy quickly replaced Proty with Proty II, who would go on to be a member of the Legion of Super-Pets!
In the 1980s, Proty II would assist his species in establishing independent sentient recognition, rather than being seen as animals or pets.
In the 1990s, during the fourth volume of the Legion's adventures... in a "Five Years Later (5YL)" continuity, it would be revealed that Lightning Lad had never really been resurrected. Instead, the original Proty had simply assumed Lightning Lad's identity and carried on for decades pretending to be him. It was a very interesting twist, but it was ultimately negated when the entire 5YL Legion continuity was erased from existence.
Smokey first appeared in Cyborg (vol. 1) #2 (October 2015) and is the creation of David Walker and Ivan Reis.
The Shining Knight was a DC hero who had a fairly popular run in Adventure Comics from 1941 through 1951. He was a member of a hero team called the Seven Soldiers of Victory and he was retroactively given membership in the All-Star Squadron. The Shining Knight used a winged steed as his crimefighting companion. That horse was named Victory, and often called Winged Victory. Winged Victory was the creation of Henry Lynne Perkins and Creig Flessel and made his debut in Adventure Comics #66 (Sept. 1941). He would appear in over 300 issues of DC comics.
When the folks at Hanna-Barbera decided to produce a second go-around with a Super Friends cartoon in 1977, it would be titled The All-New Super Friends Hour. Junior sleuths Wendy and Marvin, and their canine pal Wonder Dog, were out. This new version of Super Friends would feature junior members Zan and Jayna, two Wonder Twins from outer space, each possessing a different superpower. Zan could transform his body into any form of H2O, and Jayna could transform into any known animal. The twins had a pet monkey named Gleek. Gleek would sport a costume similar to his twin owners, and he had a fully prehensile tail which he could also stretch to several meters.
Though his debut was on ABC television, Gleek would eventually find his way to the printed pages of DC Comics. His first appearance was in Super Friends #7 (Oct. 1977). The title would flesh out an origin for him and the Wonder Twins, and give us their home planet name, which is Exxor.
The original Golden-Age Hawkman and Hawkgirl would often employ the assistance of Big Red, a large brown hawk. Big Red came from a hidden valley that contained a large number of highly intelligent birds. Hawkman would learn to "speak" with them, learning their language. Big Red would often be used for reconnaissance. Big Red was the creation of Gardner Fox and Everett E. Hibbard and he was first seen in Flash Comics #23 (Nov. 1941).
The Silver-Age version of Hawkman and Hawkgirl originally also had a large brown hawk named Big Red, but he disappeared after 5 appearances.
We've seen the giant seahorses that Aquaman and Aqualad would use in their adventures. Many other sea creatures would also assist the royals of Atlantis. One very popular character was Topo, an octopus with higher-than-normal intelligence. Topo has limited telepathic abilities and can play 5 instruments at once!
Topo is the creation of Ramona Fradon and first appeared in Adventure Comics #229 (Oct. 1956).
Streaky is an Earth-born feline who would be given temporary Kryptonian-like powers when exposed to a specific form of kryptonite called X-kryptonite. Streaky was the pet of Linda (Supergirl) Lee. Streaky would occasionally accompany Supergirl on her adventures and also serve as a member of the previously discussed Legion of Super Pets.
In a 1971 Superman story (Superman Breaks Loose from Superman #233), all the kryptonite on Earth is turned to iron. This would include X-Kryptonite. Streaky would not be seen again in the pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths continuity.
Supergirl once ran into a descendant of Streaky while visiting the 30th century to work with the Legion of Super-Heroes. The descendant's name is Whizzy. Whizzy has the same markings as Streaky and sports a red cape like Streaky did. Whizzy also had telepathic abilities allowing him to communicate with Supergirl. How Whizzy was able to "inherit" powers that Streaky didn't really have is another in a long line of unanswered conundrums of the land of superheroes!
Elmo first appeared in Doll Man #31 (Dec. 1950) and was the creation of Bill Quackenbush. Doll Man, Doll Girl, and Elmo were all characters originally published by Quality Comics. When Quality folded, these characters were sold to DC Comics.
Iron Jaws was originally the pet timber wolf of Little Fawn, a Pawnee Indian child. Her tribe was intentionally exposed to, and largely wiped out by, smallpox. Jonah Hex had been a friend to the tribe and to Little Fawn. Upon her passing, Hex would take over the care of Iron Jaws. Iron Jaws' time with Hex was short-lived. He was bitten by a rattlesnake shortly after becoming a companion to Jonah Hex. His final act was that of saving Jonah's life.
As Manhunter, Dan would often share his adventures with Thor the Thunderdog. Thor made his debut in Police Comics #9 (May 1942). Based on credits, I'm assuming that Thor was the creation of Alex Kotzky.
The feline is reluctantly taken in by Power Girl, and ultimately given the name Stinky because he farts so much!! Stinky would appear in over 50 issues of DC comics!
Stinky made his debut in Justice League America #35 (Feb. 1990). He is the creation of Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis.
Stinky closes out my tour of the pets of DC superheroes. Did I miss one you love or remember? Just send me a comment and I'll work to update accordingly!
I don't know about you, but I think pets are essential to learning and understanding "unconditional love". It's great to think that this type of understanding translates into the imaginary heroes of DC Comics!
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