Out of left field, the collecting world is suddenly drooling over Krypto the Superdog thanks to the latest word from Mr. DC Comics, James Gunn himself.

The buzz stems from a recent interview with The Toronto Sun. Sitting next to Chris Pratt, Gunn said that he would love to add the Star-Lord actor to Superman: Legacy. However, the writer/director isn’t thinking that Pratt would make an awesome Man of Steel. Instead, Gunn suggested he provide the voice to Kal-El’s favorite pet. 

“I was hoping I could cast you as Krypto the Superdog,” Gunn said. “You could do motion capture on set and walk around on your hands and knees, but you can’t talk.”

Although it would seem Gunn was not suggesting that Pratt is being offered the role, the comments have been enough to have speculators thinking Krypto could be part of Superman: Legacy. Gunn had previously said that his Superman flick is not a Guardians of the Galaxy type of comedy, so Krypto wouldn’t seem to fit such a story. However, this is James Gunn we’re talking about, and that makes anything possible, including Krypto.

On the prowl for those Superdog keys? Here are three to get you started.

ADVENTURE COMICS #210

Under the iron fist of the Comics Code Authority, Golden Age comics tend to be watered down to the most basic levels. Famously, the CCA held such a tight restriction on the industry that anything in the mainstream was ordered to be geared toward children. That being said, it was only natural that the Man of Steel was given a super pet since, you know, kids love dogs. However, Krypto was paired with Superboy for their adventures.

The highest grade sold in the past year has been the 6.5. In September of 2022, it brought $7,700. That will be the barometer for any sales we may see in the near future. At the bottom of the pile, the graded 1.5 sold for over $1,100 in January. 

SUPERMAN’S PAL JIMMY OLSEN #29

Although Krypto is most famously associated with Superman, the two didn’t actually have an adventure together until 1958’s Jimmy Olsen #29. By no means will this issue stack up against Krypto’s first appearance in terms of collectability, but this is a fun pickup for any Super Pets fans. 

There haven’t been any graded sales for two years. Back in 2021, a 7.5 brought $700 while a 4.5 sold for $43. In other words, you should be able to find something to fit any budget.

SUPERBOY #82

Being a Superman story, you had to know there would be a Bizarro version of Krypto. I still wonder if we will ever see a live-action Bizarro on the silver screen, and leave it to Gunn to bring in Bizarro Krypto just for laughs. The more likely scenario is that we could see the backwards superdog in animated form at some point. 

How much can you expect to pay? Just this past March, a graded 8.5 sold for $210. Meanwhile, a 7.0 traded hands online for $170.

KRYPTO-CURRENCY

With so much attention on Krypto and his potential for the live-action DCU, there should be more collectors eying these key issues than we’ve seen in years. Whether or not Pratt will provide the voice remains to be seen, but it is an interesting prospect nonetheless.

*Any perceived investment advice is that of the freelance blogger and does not represent advice on behalf of GoCollect.