Krypto is back, plus new DC Superman series

What happened to Krypto, Superman's super-powered dog? That flying canine, the return of Mon-El and Bizarro, plus a new series, "Superman Confidential," highlight DC Comics stories through the end of the year.

Although Krypto has his own grade-school-audience oriented cartoon show on TV and a new children's comic book series, the dog of steel vanished from the regular Superman comic books after the "Infinite Crisis," without explanation.

In "Superman" No. 659, on sale, Dec. 13, the fate of Krypto will be provided and DC states it will lay "the groundwork for Krypto's surprising future." The cover of this comic shows Krypto flying away from his Smallville home.

On Dec. 27, "Supergirl and the Legion of the Super-Heroes" No. 25 hits comic book stories and tells how "a longtime fan-favorite hero has escaped his centuries-long exile from the Phantom Zone and owes a tremendous debt to those who set him free." This sounds like Mon-El, a Daxamite hero who has powers similar to Superman's but has a vulnerability to lead. The image of the comic book cover looks like Mon-El, too.

Apparently, it is not the Legion who sets Mon-El free.

In the two months prior to December, another familiar Legion member returns and Supergirl's origin in the 31st Century is also critical to threats the team faces.

Bizarro, an imperfect clone of Superman, returns in two different versions during November and December. First, he appears in "Superman" No. 658 on Nov. 15, in a story where DC states in previews, "Clark Kent and Lois Lane make one of the most heartbreaking decision of their lives. Plus, what does Lex Luthor have to do with all of this?"

Next, Bizarro is in "All Star Superman" No. 7 (a different version of the Man of Steel than in the other DC comics), as two mismatched Supermen go toe-to-toe.

"Superman Confidential" is a new six-part series that begins Nov. 1 and sells for $2.99 per issue. It tells stories from key moments in the history of the Man of Steel. First up: the secrets of Kryptonite.

New secret identities, new villains and a new mystery beneath the Fortress of Solitude confront Superman in "Action Comics" No. 846, on sale Dec. 27.

DC states, "Superman's life reaches a turning point as he confronts an evil power twenty times greater than his own in a battle that threatens not only his planet, but the boy from Krypton!"