DC League of Super-Pets: the Junior Novelization (DC League of Super-Pets Movie) Read online

  Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

  By special arrangement with the Jerry Siegel family.

  Copyright © 2022 DC Comics & WBEI. DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS and all related characters and elements © & ™ DC Comics and Warner Bros Entertainment Inc. WB SHIELD: ™ & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s22)

  Published in the United States by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, 1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019, and in Canada by Penguin Random House Canada Limited, Toronto. Random House and the colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

  ISBN 9780593487808 (hc) — ISBN 9780593430781 (pbk.)

  Ebook ISBN 9780593430798

  Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.

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  Contents

  Cover

  Copyright

  Title Page

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Insert

  On the planet Krypton, a white puppy with floppy ears and a big nose scampered across a slippery floor, racing up to a baby boy. SHLURP! The puppy licked the baby’s face. Giggling, the boy hugged the pup, and the two tumbled across the floor, having a wonderful time playing together.

  “We must hurry,” said the boy’s father, a scientist named Jor-El. Scooping the baby up and carrying him across his laboratory, Jor-El told his wife, “The planet won’t survive a moment longer.”

  “Are you sure about this?” Lara asked, worried.

  “I’m afraid it’s the only way,” Jor-El assured her, setting the baby in the snug cockpit of a small spaceship. With tears running down her cheeks, Lara caressed her son’s face. From the ground, the puppy looked up, confused. “Why are they upset? What is happening?” he thought.

  “Krypton is about to die,” the scientist explained to his son.

  “But you, dear son, will live on,” Lara said.

  YIP! YIP! The puppy barked at his little friend. He ran toward the spaceship and jumped—

  But Jor-El caught the enthusiastic canine in his arms. “Krypto, no!”

  The launch sequence began. As the spaceship’s glass hatch slowly started to close, the baby boy reached out to the whimpering puppy.

  Suddenly, the dog wriggled out of Jor-El’s arms and ran toward the ship as fast as his four legs could carry him.

  “Krypto!” Jor-El cried.

  But Lara held her husband back. “No,” she said. “Our boy will need a friend.”

  Krypto leapt into the spaceship’s cockpit, sliding in just before the glass hatch closed. WHOOSH! The ship’s thrusters ignited. It launched into space, leaving Krypton moments before the planet began to break into pieces. Staring through the glass at the galaxy whizzing by, the frightened baby began to cry. Krypto licked his face. Soothed, the boy yawned and fell asleep.

  * * *

  Years later, Superman snored loudly in the bedroom of his Metropolis apartment. ZZZZZ! Krypto, now a full-grown dog, barked at his friend, eager to go on his morning walk.

  “All right, buddy,” the canine was barking in dog language, “It’s walk o’ clock!”

  Holding his leash in his mouth, Krypto thought, “Maybe I should let him sleep.” After about two seconds, he decided, “Okay, time’s up!” He jumped onto the bed and climbed on Superman.

  But the Man of Steel just kept snoring. ZZZZZZ…

  Krypto pawed at his pal’s face, trying to wake him up. He went right on sleeping. The dog gave Superman’s jaw a friendly paw-punch. ZZZZZZ…

  “Hmmm,” Krypto thought. “All right. You asked for it.” He sat on Superman’s face. “This is unpleasant for both of us.” ZZZZZZ…

  Having no choice, Krypto began wiggling his butt.

  Muttering “No, no, no…,” Superman flipped over, sending Krypto flying off the bed. Sitting on the floor, the white dog cocked his head, determined not to lose this battle. He took the cuff of Superman’s pajamas between his teeth and flew into the air above the bed, dangling his friend upside down.

  “Five more minutes,” Superman mumbled, still half asleep.

  Krypto opened his mouth, releasing Superman. WHUMP! He landed on the floor with a thud.

  “And…I’m up,” Superman said, giving in. “Okay, Krypto—we’ll go for a walk.”

  “Good. You’re awake!” Krypto barked happily.

  Moments later, high in the sky above Metropolis, Krypto flew through the clouds, dragging Superman, who was still feeling a little sleepy, along behind him by the leash. The Super-Dog and the Super Hero were best friends, always doing amazing things together as a crime-fighting team. Every day was an adventure.

  They flew between the gleaming skyscrapers of Metropolis, delighting the workers inside, who gaped through the windows, pointing.

  They ran down a gang of bank robbers, bringing them to justice and returning the stolen loot.

  They played tug-of-war with Brainiac’s arms until the evil robot had no choice but to give up.

  They played fetch. When Superman pretended to throw tennis balls and other toys, but hid them behind his back, Krypto used his X-ray vision to find them. Superman wasn’t going to fool him that easily!

  They spotted a railroad bridge with a gap between the tracks, so they hooked their feet on the ends of the tracks, grabbed each other’s hands and paws, and let the train pass over their backs safely. Then they flew into the air and waved at the grateful passengers on the train.

  They zoomed over the Atlantic Ocean to Paris, where Superman ordered a warm croissant while Krypto tapped on the glass of the display case with his paw, letting his friend know he’d appreciate one of the delicious French sausages. Or possibly two.

  After Krypto had finished devouring his sausages, the two friends flew back to Metropolis and landed in a dog park. Superman was still carrying the croissant in one hand. Holding Krypto’s leash in his other hand, he walked over to a park bench and sat next to the reporter Lois Lane, his friend. She had just finished an on-camera report for the TV news.

  “Hey, Lois,” Superman said, holding up the croissant and winking. “I know you like these, so I got you one from actual Paris.” He realized that sounded kind of weird. “I don’t know why I said it like that,” he added sheepishly.

  Krypto noticed that being around Lois made the Man of Steel nervous, but he couldn’t figure out why. “Humans!” he thought.

  Smiling, Lois held up a hot dog. “And I got you one of these from Forty-Third Street, which is, like, a full three blocks out of my way.”

  Taking
the hot dog, Superman looked impressed.

  “During rush hour? Wow, that’s like me flying to Mars!” he said.

  “What, you can fly?” Lois teased. “I always thought the cape was just a cute accessory.”

  “Oh, so you think I’m cute?” Superman asked, grinning.

  “I said the cape was cute,” Lois corrected him.

  Superman looked confident. “You think I’m cute.”

  They leaned toward each other, about to kiss, when—

  Krypto jumped onto the bench and sat right between them!

  “Are we licking faces right now?” Krypto asked eagerly. “Because if we’re licking faces, I gotta get in on this! There is nothing I like more than licking faces!”

  But all Superman and Lois heard was ARF! ARF! ARF! ARF!

  Laughing, Superman reached behind his back and grabbed something. “Ooh,” he said to Krypto. “What do I have here?” He held a squeaky toy dressed like Batman in front of him.

  Immediately, Krypto focused on the toy. “Squeezy Bruce!” Every muscle in his body was ready to run after that toy and fetch it the second Superman threw it. “Don’t play, Supes,” Krypto barked at his friend.

  “FETCH!” Superman shouted, hurling the toy into the air like a rocket.

  “Pup up and away!” Krypto cried as he took off, zooming after the toy like a guided missile.

  Smiling, Superman turned back to Lois. “Okay,” he said, “where were we?” They leaned toward each other again, about to kiss, when—WHOOSH!—Krypto appeared right back between them holding the toy in his mouth.

  “Squeezy Bruce retrieved!” he announced proudly, his words muffled by the toy.

  Shaking his head, Superman gave a little chuckle at his dog’s quick return. “Why don’t you go play with those guys over there, buddy?” He hurled the toy across the park toward a pair of dogs.

  A Boston terrier was telling a story to a poodle. “So, I’m eating my own vomit, and then—”

  SHWOOM! FWOOM! The toy whizzed by, followed closely by Krypto.

  Slightly annoyed by this interruption, the Boston terrier repeated, “So, I’m eating my own vomit—”

  SHWOOM! FWOOM! The toy and Krypto blasted by the dogs again.

  Undaunted, the Boston terrier tried again. “So, I’m eating—”

  SHWOOM! BAM! The squeezy toy whipped by a third time. It lodged deep in the trunk of a tree with a ring of flames crackling around the hole for a moment.

  “I’m—” the Boston terrier began.

  FWOOM! Krypto whooshed in to grab the toy, but his snout wouldn’t fit in the hole, so he easily ripped the entire tree out of the ground!

  “And then I said, ‘If you don’t want me rubbing my butt on the carpet, get hardwood floors,’ ” the Boston terrier said quickly, finally going on with his story.

  With the trunk of the tree in his mouth, Krypto said, “Squeezy Bruce has been retrieved, Super—”

  “Wait,” the poodle said to the Boston terrier, staring at Krypto. “Do you know who this is? It’s Krypto the Super-Dog!”

  Krypto dropped the tree and smiled. “Okay,” he said, pretending to be reluctant. “You can have my paw-tograph.” He dipped his paw in a handy patch of mud and then pressed his paw onto the poodle’s face, leaving a muddy print. “Listen—I’m afraid I’ve got to limit it to just one paw-tograph, or I’ll be signing all day. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some pressing hero business.” He started to pick up the tree and leave.

  Irritated at having his story interrupted so many times, the Boston terrier said, “Hero business? It’s just a squeezy toy!”

  “Ah, wrong,” Krypto corrected. “It’s Superman’s squeezy toy.” He picked up the tree and prepared to fly off.

  “He doesn’t want it,” the poodle pointed out.

  Krypto paused. “I’m sorry, what?” he said, the tree still in his mouth.

  “Mr. Outside Underpants,” the Boston terrier said, meaning Superman. “He doesn’t want that squeezy toy. He’s just trying to get rid of you. So he can be alone with his girlfriend.”

  “What!” Krypto said, dropping the tree. “No way! Superman will never love anyone except me!” Feeling confident, he looked across the park at his best friend—and clearly saw him saying “I love you” to Lois!

  Krypto’s jaw dropped. He suddenly realized how deep Superman’s feelings for Lois were. Glimpses of the couple’s future together flashed through Krypto’s mind….

  Superman and Lois are enjoying a romantic dinner together at the dining table. Looking up from the floor, Krypto is horrified to see Lois eating out of his dog bowl!

  Lois is opening a gift from Superman—which is a giant bone with a bow tied around it!

  Lois is snuggling up to Superman on TV night—taking Krypto’s spot on the couch!

  Superman is removing Krypto’s gold collar and giving it to Lois as a wedding ring!

  Superman has married Lois, and the main headline of the Daily Planet newspaper announces, “MAN FINDS NEW BEST FRIEND!”

  In reality, of course, none of this had happened…yet. Superman and Lois were still sitting on the park bench, kissing. Lois opened one eye and noticed Krypto staring at them. She drew back from Superman and said, “This might sound crazy, but now that we’re together, I think Krypto feels left out.”

  From across the park, Krypto gave them a weird little wave with his paw.

  “Yeah,” Superman agreed. “I guess I’m his only friend.”

  “Maybe we can get him a new friend,” Lois suggested.

  Superman looked intrigued….

  At a Metropolis animal shelter, a hound named Ace smiled out from his cage. Carl, a friendly deliveryman, walked by carrying supplies. “Good morning, little friends,” he said to all the animals in their cages.

  Ace’s smile disappeared as soon as Carl had passed. “So it begins,” he said. “Like clockwork, Carl will try to flirt with Patty.”

  Sure enough, Carl asked Patty, the owner of the animal shelter, “Did you do something new with your hair?”

  “No, I did not!” Patty answered in a chipper voice.

  “But Carl will have zero game,” Ace observed. He held up his paw. All his claws were cut short except one long one. He planned to use it to pick the lock on his cage. “Giving this handsome canine just enough time to—”

  “Whatcha doing, Ace?” interrupted a potbellied pig named PB.

  “I’m bustin’ loose, PB!” Ace replied in a gruff whisper. He shook his head a little to adjust the blue bandanna he always wore around his neck. “I’m sick of this whole cage situation.”

  PB was a huge Wonder Woman fan. She’d lined her cage with Wonder Woman comic strips from the Daily Planet. Eagerly scanning them, she said, “Oh, my goodness! This is just like when Wonder Woman used her Bracelets of Submission to escape Dr. Poison’s secret hideout! Like this!” She tried crossing her arms in a heroic Wonder Woman pose, but her arms were way too short. She ended up tipping over onto her back.

  Chip, a nervous squirrel, hid behind his bushy tail. “What if the rescue lady catches you?” he asked Ace frantically. “And locks you in the back room? Where they only listen to smooth jazz?”

  “Relax, Chip,” Ace told him. “I got my girl, Merton, running lookout.”

  Merton was an old turtle with blurry vision. “These peepers don’t miss a thing,” she said confidently. “I am like a hawk, but a turtle. A turtle-hawk.”

  “Perfect,” Ace said, working the lock with his long nail, “because I’ve almost got myself out of—”

  CLINK! Patty slid the latch on Ace’s cage shut.

  “Oooh, you better be careful, Ace!” she warned. “You almost got out!”

  “I think the rescue lady’s coming,” Merton said way too late.

  “Thanks, Merton,” Ace said dryly. “Good catch.”
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  PB looked sympathetic. “I’m rooting for you, Ace, but don’t you wanna get adopted and feel the warm embrace of a middle-aged person who lives alone?”

  “Yeah,” Chip agreed, “who will be your new best friend?”

  Ace looked as though he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He wasn’t waiting around for some human to show up and take him away from his cage. “You’re my best friends, dummies,” he told the other animals. He got a twinkle in his eye. “And you’re all coming with me to the farm.”

  The farm! Ace had told them about it many times, but they never got tired of hearing about such a wonderful, magical place.

  “Oooh, I love when he talks about the farm!” Chip enthused.

  Ace got an inspired look on his face. “The farm upstate. An untamed paradise, where animals run free. They love and protect one another. And the lettuce grows on trees.”

  Merton perked up a little. She was a big lettuce fan.

  “No shelter lady watching our every move,” Ace continued. “Nope. It’s a one-hundred-percent-animal farm!”

  “Animal farm,” PB echoed dreamily. Although she didn’t really have anything against humans, she liked the sound of that.

  “It’s perfect,” Ace concluded. “And when I get us all out of here, that’s where we’re gonna go.”

  A hairless guinea pig named Lulu emerged from the shadows of her cage. “The dog is right,” she said in a serious voice. “He should seek his freedom.”

  Ace smiled and nodded. “You see that?” he said. “Lulu gets it.”

  “And he must destroy all who stand in his way,” Lulu said mercilessly, her features curdling into an evil sneer as she stared into a dark future that only she could see….