Krypto #61: Red-Furred and For Sale

From: Superboy #123 (September 1965), plus Superman #179 (August 1965)

Ok, so there's the kid at Smallville High who isn't just stinking rich, he's snooty about it too. After this Ronnie Vayle (Ronnie Vayle-Ron-Ron-Ronnie Vayle) almost gets into accident showing off his new roadster, Clark decides to teach him a lesson... by selling him his dog. Hey Krypto, come here boy, this paint can't hurt you!
Superboy paints Krypto orange (I'm sorry, "tan") and proceeds to make his blue-blooded school chum interested enough to buy him for a 100$. From then on, "Sport" is a saboteur in Ronnie's midst.
Show him that driving too fast? Check.
Show him that having all the best toys isn't any reason to laugh at poorer kids (i.e. everyone else)? Check.
Show him that bragging is foolish? Check.

But spending time with Ronnie allows Krypto to see another side of him, and figuring the kid just doesn't understand he's going about making friends the wrong way, he flies to his trophy stash in space and comes back with a crystal that allows you to hear things from far away. That way, Ronnie can hear what people REALLY think of him and are just too nice to tell him to his face.
Gee, thanks Krypto. That night, as Ronnie reflects on the douchebag he is, the sound amplifier crystal tunes him onto a robbery going on at the school (keep lots of cash in the safe, do they?) and he investigates. Once the robbers punch him out, the Supers spring into action and beat everyone up, but let Ronnie have the credit. Miracle: He doesn't use this turn of events to boast. They did it. Clark can buy his dog back now.
You know, these guys should look at themselves with the same critical eye. I'm not just talking about how both of them are crazy for medals and parades, and are so often driven by insecurities about others loving them, I'm talking about even this simple trophy collection concept. What does a being with perfect recall NEED with souvenirs except to some day use them to show off and brag about past adventures? Because there are a lot of stories where Superman does this, guys. I'm not exactly extrapolating. And speaking of trophy collections...

Around this time, in Superman #179, the story of that sentient piece of narrating Kryptonite continues, this time turning it into Gold K, which strips Kryptonians of theirs powers permanently, the prize item in Superman's trophy collection, the bottled city of Kandor, is witness to the elemental chance and two of its denizens make an exit to project the stone into the Phantom Zone before Superman shows up at the Fortress and loses all his powers. They manage it, but lose their powers, and lest they pollute the Kandorian gene pool by having kids with no power potential, they choose to live their diminutive lives on Earth. Among the things they do to feel relevant is hitch a ride on Krypto's back to stop one of Luthor's jail break plots.
These two end up married and living in a doll house in Clark Kent's apartment. I kid you not.

Comments

I guess the marriage and move into the dollhouse happens in this story? (I'm really hoping you tell me they actually revisit the mini-Kandorians in a future issue...!)
Siskoid said…
Yeah it happens here. You can bet I'm gonna research their fate!
Bradley Walker said…
Despite the teaser at the end of the story, this was the last we saw of the sentient Kryptonite and of the doll-sized Kandorians.
Siskoid said…
Noooooooooooooooo! Damn, that's creepy.
Anonymous said…
Read this issue as a child, was always creeped out by the fate of the expatriate Kandorians. Also, IIRC, the projection of the Gold K into the Phantom Zone was also stated to have stripped the super-powers from all the Zone residents (Or at least all of Kryptonian descent -- I imagine Mon-El was safe). This, of course, contradicts any number of later stories where Zone prisoners make it to Earth with powers intact. Continuity? The Silver Age don't need no stinking continuity!