Original Art Auctions to Benefit Writer Steve Niles’ Sick Dog

DC Comics may have left Clark Kent's longtime super-pet to a grim fate on the planet Krypton as part of their New 52 Superman continuity shakeup, but Krypto's spirit lives on in Sonny, the beloved canine companion of comics writer Steve Niles (30 Days of Night, Criminal Macabre). An 8-year-old greyhound mix, Sonny is the spitting image of the classic superhero dog, and is even known to wear the signature red cape on occasion. Unfortunately, Sonny is suffering from lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system. On his blog, Niles writes that Sonny's prognosis is good, but that treatments are enormously expensive. To help out, some of Niles' artistically gifted friends in the comics industry have created and donated original artwork whose auctions will go toward paying for Sonny's medical bills.

You can learn more about Sonny and check out some of the available work after the cut, including pieces by Bernie Wrightson, Kelley Jones, Jill Thompson, Fiona Staples and more.

"[Sonny] has an auto-immune disorder that he was able to survive three years ago," wrote Niles on his website. "Now he's battling cancer and any help we can get with his hospital bills can go a long way. His chances are good, we seem to have caught it very early, but he has a long road to travel. So far, he has gone through three chemos, with many more to come!"

Artists like Evan Dorkin, Mike Mignola, Stephanie Buscema, Kelley Jones and JK Woodward have donated excellent pieces of original artwork to auction off and help pay Sonny's medical bills, but even more touching is what Niles is calling "The Sonny Project," whereby artists create original works based on Sonny (or Krypto, if you like, given the striking resemblance). Aside from being a truly heartwarming act for a friend and adorable animal, "The Sonny Project" is made up of some really great art. Along those lines, Niles intends to compile it into some kind of book or perhaps prints, the sales of which will also go towards helping Sonny in his fight with cancer.

As Sonny's treatment is ongoing, more artwork continues to come in all the time so some of the following pieces have already been sold or are not yet available for auction. To keep up with all of the Sonny sales, bookmark Steve Niles' eBay sales page and follow the writer on Twitter. You can also directly via PayPal. Details here.