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Superboy |
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| Alias: Kon-El, Conner Kent |
Titans Member
Joined: Teen Titans (third series) #1 [2003] |
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| Superboy Quick Bio: In an attempt to clone Superman, Cadmus Labs combined the Kryptonian DNA of Superman with the human DNA of Lex Luthor. The impetuous clone escaped the lab and later became known as the hero, Superboy. The Teen of Steel later was welcomed to live in Smallville as "Conner Kent" and joined the Teen Titans while he came to grips with his true lineage. Tragically, Superboy sacrificed his own life to save the universe during the Infinite Crisis. |
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FIRST APPEARANCE OF SUPERBOY |
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SUPERBOY'S SECOND COSTUME |
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I Think I'm A Clone Now
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| Superboy in Project Cadmus |
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Superboy was created by scientists at Project Cadmus with what he believed was DNA from Project Director Paul Westfield. One of several clones that were created to replace Superman after his "death," Superboy was the only clone to survive. He was aided in escaping Cadmus by the Newsboy Legion.
The exact nature of Project: Superboy is still somewhat of a mystery, but what is known is that scientists were incapable of successfully cloning Superman. After several failed experiments, they grafted what they could of Superman's DNA onto human DNA and that process stabilized the extraterrestrial genes - thus Superboy was born, fifty percent Kryptonian and fifty percent human.
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| Superboy escapes from Cadmus - as retold in SUPERBOY #0 [1994] |
After some time in Metropolis, the Kid of Steel finally accepted the nom-de-guerre of Superboy. Seeking fame and fortune, he embarked on a world tour with his unscrupulous manager, Rex Leech and his daughter, Roxy. The tour only got as far as Hawaii, where Superboy decided to stay - partially because Hawaiian reporter Tana Moon caught his roving eye.
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Superboy, Dubbilex, Rex and Roxy Leech
are Hawaii-bound in SUPERBOY #1 [1994]. |
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Impetuous and headstrong, Superboy quickly learned the ropes of being a super hero after being manipulated by Knockout, his female companion at the time. Superboy began to date Tana Moon, who had apprehensions about their relationship, despite an obvious mutual attraction. Just as his life seemed to be going well, Superboy's genetic structure began to literally melt down as a result of tampering by a group called the Agenda, which also created Match, a clone of Superboy. The only way to save Superboy was to speed up the cell degeneration and then rebuild it using a donor's template. The kid was saved thanks to the donation of genetic material from his friend, Roxy Leech, which stabilized his DNA. However, Superboy's aging process halted, leaving him at the physical age of 16.
Young Justice forms in JLA: WORLD WITHOUT GROWN-UPS #2 [1998] |
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Not long after this, Superman shared memories of Krypton with Superboy, who he came to regard as a member of his family, considering the genesis of the Teen of Steel. Superboy received his Kryptonian name, Kon-EI, from Superman at that time.
Following the reorganization of Cadmus under its new director, Mickey Cannon, and Colonel Adam Winterbourne, Superboy returned to Cadmus to become their special field agent. His assignments included tracking down escaped Cadmus monsters and heading Cadmus investigative teams. Superboy also served as a founding member of Young Justice, with Impulse and Robin.
Hard Times
Unknown to his teammates and friends, Superboy had been held captive by the sinister Agenda. In his place, the evil duplicate Match successfully duped Superboy's peers in Young Justice. Meanwhile, genetic think tank Project Cadmus was also systematically infiltrated by clones loyal to the Agenda. Though substantially weakened, the real Superboy freed himself and joined the battle to liberate Cadmus from Match and the Agenda's doppelgangers.
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Tana's tragic last moments with Superboy -
from SUPERBOY #74. |
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But young Kon-EI's victory was not without great losses. Mysteriously stricken, Superboy was temporarily aged to adulthood by Cadmus to spare his life. Furthermore, Kon-EI's reunion with long-lost paramour Tana Moon was cut tragically short by the Agenda's Amanda Spence, who murdered Tana to fulfill her own personal vendetta against Superboy.
When Superboy returned to his normal age, he learned that he was no longer frozen at the age of 16. This gave Superboy renewed hope that he could possibly one day grow to become Superman. Recovering from the tragedy of Tana's death, Superboy adopted a new costume and began to notice the affection of his Young Justice teammate, Wonder Girl. Later, Superboy was taken in by Superman's Earth parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent, under the guise of Conner Kent, cousin to Clark. Now enrolled in SmalIville High, Conner is attempting to live a more normal life, though he finds it incredibly boring.
Teen Titans
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Superboy ponders his lineage
in TEEN TITANS (third series) #6 [2004] |
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A conglomerate known as Optitron offered to sponsor the Titans and Young Justice after summoning them to San Francisco. Before any decisions could be made, a mysterious cybernetic girl known as Indigo emerged from the future. Unwittingly, she somehow activated a rogue Superman android, resulting in the apparent deaths of Troia and Omen. At Troia's funeral, Nightwing disbanded the Titans.
Meanwhile, members of Young Justice, especially Wonder Girl, felt responsible for the tragic deaths. This led Wonder Girl, Robin, Impulse and Superboy to form a new group of Teen Titans under the guidance of the more experienced Cyborg, Starfire and Beast Boy.
My Two Dads
Soon after joining the Teen Titans, Superboy received a mysterious e-mail detailing the truth behind his genesis. This documentation revealed that half of Superboy's DNA was from Superman, but the other half was that of criminal mastermind Lex Luthor. Superboy began to fear the effects of his Luthor genes.
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Superboy and Wonder Girl share an intimate
moment - unaware of the tragedy that awaits - in
TEEN TITANS (third series) ANNUAL #1 [2006]. |
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Those fears were realized when Luthor caused Superboy to go berserk by using a trigger word. After brutally attacking his teammates, Superboy was eventually freed from Luthor's control. But these events left Superboy shaken - which prompted the Teen of Steel to take a leave of absence from the Teen Titans. It was during this time that Wonder Girl and Superboy grew closer than ever before - and took their relationship to the next level.
Infinite Crisis and the Ultimate Sacrifice
Superboy from Earth-Prime and Alexander Luthor from Earth Three - survivors of the original Crisis on Infinite Earths - returned in a misguided plan to restore the multiverse and create a new "perfect earth." Superboy was summoned back into battle when the delusional Superboy-Prime attacked him.
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Superboy makes the ultimate sacrifice
in INFINITE CRISIS #6 [2006]. |
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Nightwing and Superboy later teamed up to ambush Alexander Luthor's cosmic tower, the source of of Luthor's twisted plan that created a multi-universal cataclysm. Locked in savage combat, Superboy and Superboy-Prime collided into Luthor's tower, creating a huge explosion. When the smoke cleared, the tower was destroyed, but Superboy was suffering critical wounds. As Wonder Girl rushed to his side, Superboy died in her arms, having sacrificed his own life to save the universe.
Because he is not an exact clone of Superman, Superboy's abilities differ. His primary power is a limited form of telekinesis that mimics super-strength and flight. He is also able to disassemble objects with a touch. As he's aged, Superboy has manifested a certain amount of non-psychically derived super-strength.
Superboy later developed heat vision, X-Ray vision and super-hearing, similar to his mentor's abilities.
DC Universe Role-Playing Games: Sourcebooks and Manuals [ West End Games], DC Secret Files, supplemented by titanstower.com
Top of Page
Adventures of Superman #500 (June 1993): "Life After Death: First Sighting" As the Newsboys help the stranger escape, one of them (Tommy) offers a leather jacket, while another (Scrappy) wishes him, "good luck, Superbo--" when the youngest contender for the Superman trademark suddenly whirls around and shouts, "Don't ever call me SUPERBOY!" First appearance of Superboy.
Adventures of Superman #501 (June 1993): "The Adventures of Superman As A Boy"
Adventures of Superman #502 (July 1993): "Boy Meets Girl" Superboy meets Supergirl. Kesel introduces Superboy to another member of the Superman family in Adventures of Superman #502 as he comes face to chest with Supergirl. Between manipulations by Lex Luthor, Vincent Edge, and Rex Leech, Superboy and Supergirl are drawn into a deadly battle with a villain calling himself Stinger.
Superboy #1 [1994]: "Trouble In Paradise" Superboy was launched into his self-titled series. The first issue introduces the new setting of Hawaii, establishes the supporting cast and sets up the tone of humorous adventure as Superboy encounters (again and for the first time) the villain Sidearm.
Superboy Annual #2: In Superboy Annual #2 (co-written by Karl and wife Barbara Kesel with pencils by David Brewer, assisted by several inkers) we finally learn the answer to Superboy's DNA template. Superboy is summoned back to Cadmus, which has discovered the lab containing the twelve prior failed attempts to clone Superman. Superboy learns that his cell-stock came from the slimy and now deceased former director of Cadmus, Paul Westfield
Superboy #59: Another notable issue is Superboy #59, where Superman has the Kid visit Krypton via virtual reality and gives him the Kryptonian name of Kon-El (both an obvious anagram of klone and a nod to the Silver Age Superboy's friend, Mon-el).
Superboy #70-75:The next story arc creates further significant changes for Superboy as the Agenda returns to take over Cadmus ("The Evil Factory" in Superboy #70-74) featuring the return and death of Superboy's first love, Tana Moon, and the loss of Superboy's powers. Superboy's personal upheaval continues over the next several issues, with his powers returning in Superboy #79 as Kesel and Grummett wind down their notable second run on the title.
Superboy #83: Writer Joe Kelly took over the Superboy title starting with issue #83 with Kelly's trademark emphasis on humor. That issue also has Superboy changing to a new costume in a desperate search to be cool after his looks are dissed by some teenage girls.
Teen Titans #1 [2003]: What do teenage super-heroes do on the weekends? They hang with the Teen Titans! The invitations go out to a handful of reluctant heroes: Superboy, Robin, Impulse and Wonder Girl. Walk into the new Titans Tower with Cyborg and Starfire as they gather together the next generation of Titans. First Superboy as a Teen Titan. Superboy learns his DNA is a combination of Superman and Lex Luthor.
Teen Titans #24-25, Outsiders #24-25 [2005]: The Insiders," a 4-part crossover between the TEEN TITANS and OUTSIDERS. The Titans and the Outsiders are rocked to the core as they face two of the most powerful villains in the DCU - Lex Luthor and Brainiac - in an all-out war to destroy the young teams! Luthor uses a trigger word to turn Superboy against his friends, while Indigo is revealed as a Brainiac plant from the very beginning.
Teen Titans (third series) Annual #1 [2006]: Having narrowly survived the death and destruction of the Infinite Crisis, Superboy and Wonder Girl find some time alone in Smallville. Superboy and Wonder Girl take their relationship to the next level.
Infinite Crisis #1-6, Teen Titans #32-33 [2005-2006]: Superboy-Prime confronts Superboy. Nightwing and Superboy team up to ambush Alexander Luthor's cosmic tower. Locked in savage combat, Superboy and Superboy-Prime collide into Luthor's tower, creating a huge explosion. When the smoke clears, Superboy lay dead, having sacrificed his own life to save the universe. Death of Superboy in Infinite Crisis #6.
Top of Page
Not The Superboy
Is this the real Superman? Meet Superman - not Superboy - taking on the Adventures of Superman
An article from Comics Scene Magazine #34 [1993]
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A 2007 con sketch of Superboy by Jon Bogdanove. |
Being mistaken for Superboy can make a hero cranky, but writer Karl Kesel wouldn't describe his teenage-looking Superman as annoyed. He's kind of like the Rebel-Without-a-Cause Superman," he explains. ‘He does get annoyed when people call him Superboy because he is Superman. He's a clone of Superman."Kesel certainly isn't annoyed about his part in the return of Superman and actually petitioned to get the teenage version for his run of Adventures of Superman beginning with #501.
"A few weeks after I took the assignment, there was a Superman summit where we figured out how to bring him back from the dead" he remembers. "I thought it would he nice if each of the Supermen somehow reflected the titles of their books. I remembered that the tagline from the old Superboy comic was ‘the adventures of Superman when he was a boy' and I thought Superboy should he the character in Adventures.
"I thought no one would go for it, but at the summit, we had a huge list of all the possible ways Superman could come back and Superboy was one of them. I really stomped to get it. I'm really happy that penciller Tom Grummett and I ended up with this Superman because he's a really fun character."
As revealed in Adventures #500, the teenage clone comes from the Cadmus Project, although he was supposed to have reached full maturity. "He shouldn't be loose, but he is. He has normal teenage attitudes. He thinks he's indestructible, partly because he is, and he thinks he knows how to do everything. Most times, he's right, but a few times, he's tragically wrong."
The creative team is assuming that Superman's innate goodness and ethical stands were ingrained in his cellular structure and copied into the clone. However, access to the original's mind was impossible and the clone has none of Kal-EI's personal recollections. Thus, encounters with old friends will have a strange twist. "I just finished a sequence where he specifically asks Lois Lane why she's not covering his stories anymore." Kesel reveals, "He's basically wondering why he isn't getting better press - he wants page one headlines. He does a few things which are pretty disquieting to her.
"Lois, Jimmy, Perry and the Daily Planet are all very good characters, but my Superman really has little to do with them after the first issue because lie moves on to a totally different world. He associates himself with a TV station because television is the method of communication for the ‘90s. There will be a very fine line between PR and news in his mind."
Kesel also says his hero won't have a secret identity because he revels in being Superman. As for the other three entities claiming to be Superman, his character thinks ‘they're all poseurs. He just discounts them."
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A 2004 con sketch of Superboy by Karl Kesel,
courtesy of Scott Redding
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Although Kesel knows the final resolution to the "Reign of the Supermen," he'll only offer a hint at the answer. "All I'll say is that every single one of these four Supermen think they're Superman or at least say they are,'' he states. "It's a really exciting, big, full story that's going to take a while to play out. We're going to keep people on their toes guessing. There's really close planning and we've got a chart for the next six months. It's very specific about what must take place in each issue for everything to happen like clockwork."
While there's very tight continuity between the four titles, Kesel feels people can read his book by itself. "Each of my issues so far are fairly self-contained, with beginnings, middles and endings," he says. "If you read all four titles, you get a much richer texture and it's more satisfying, but you could just read Adventures and have a good time. One of the things [editor] Mike Carlin insisted was that every major event that happens to any character happens in the book that deals with that character."
Kesel is mostly known for inking such projects as John Byrne's Superman and the Hawk and Dove mini-series, but he has always had an interest in writing. "When I was inking Superman over John, I would keep throwing ideas at him and a few of mine showed up during his run. I co-wrote the Hawk and Dove regular and mini-series with my wife, Barbara. Also, I have this Indiana Jones mini-series I'm doing all by myself for Dark Horse, probably out in another year. And I did some small stories with the Guardian and the Newsboy Legion during Jerry Ordway's run on Superman. Little by little, I've been getting my feet more into that pond."
In fact, he's pleased to be following in Ordway's footsteps on Adventures of Superman because "Jerry and I have always been pals and we have similar interests. When he needed a little bit of a break, he would say, ‘Have Karl do some Guardian stories.' Also, Jerry started off some really cool stuff and much of it is probably going to be played up, maybe not exactly like he would have, but pretty similar."
There's no doubt that Karl Kesel is pleased to be part of the Superman saga. ‘Tom Grummett and I are really excited about this teenage Superman, and hope the response is phenomenal. He's the kind of character I enjoy and I think the fans will like him, too. So far, I've enjoyed doing every page. I've already got ideas I would love to do six months down the road. Because of the continuity between the four books, it depends on what the others think, but I have ideas that could keep Adventures of Superman going for a couple of years. People should read it because it's going to be a hell of a lot of fun. What more do you want from a comic book?"
Top of Page
Superboy: A Series Retrospective
courtesy of http://www.supermanhomepage.com
Superman: Special Reports
Author: Sean Hogan (shogan@buckho.com)
"Don't Ever Call Me SUPERBOY!"
The current version of Superboy first appeared in 1993, following the death
of Superman. At the end of Adventures of Superman #500, after Pa Kent (who
was having his own near death experience at the time) seemingly rescues Clark
from the afterlife, five new contenders for the S-shield suddenly appeared.
We now know those five as Cyborg, Eradicator, Steel, Superboy, and Bibbo.
Okay, so Bibbo wasn't much of a contender -- but he did his best. He also
made an important contribution to Superboy's supporting cast.
Superboy's story begins in the secret Cadmus Project, located outside Metropolis.
The Guardian and Cadmus soldiers rush to answer an alarm at the mysterious
Experiment 13. Blasting open the door, they find a broken glass container
-- empty except for a shredded piece of Superman's cape. Hearing a shout,
the Guardian and Cadmus Director Paul Westfield find scientist Carl Packard
hanging from above, with steel pipes bow-tied around him.
Packard explains that the Newsboy Legion broke "Thirteen" loose before the
code words to control him could be implanted: "We have absolutely no control
over him!"
As the Newsboys help the stranger escape, one of them (Tommy) offers a leather
jacket, while another (Scrappy) wishes him, "good luck, Superbo--" when the
youngest contender for the Superman trademark suddenly whirls around and shouts,
"Don't ever call me SUPERBOY!"
Clearly the intention in designing Superboy's original costume is to distinguish
him from the Silver Age Superboy and give him a more modern outfit. The costume
includes a high collared neck, several straps around the waist, thigh, and
boots, as well as oversized gloves and a leather jacket. Superboy's first
full story is in Adventures of Superman #501. From the start, and for most
of Superboy's career, his tale is told by Karl Kesel, with pencils by Tom
Grummett and inks by Doug Hazlewood. Grummett and Hazlewood's crisp and clean
art highlight Kesel's dynamic and humorous stories.
I'm not going to review the "Reign of the Supermen" stories in detail since
most readers will be familiar with the tale (and for those that aren't - make
sure that you treat yourselves to the three trade paperbacks, "The Death of
Superman", "World Without A Superman", and "The Return of Superman", which
comprise some of the best Superman stories ever told).
In short order, Kesel sets up the basic elements to the Superboy character
and storylines. Superboy is presented as a hormone-driven and impulsive but
good-hearted teenager with an attitude (especially to anyone calling him Superboy
instead of Superman).
The Clone Of Steel
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Superboy's first meeting with Dubbilex - as
retold in SUPERBOY #100. |
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Kesel quickly has Superboy meet Superman's supporting cast (including Lois
-- whom he greets with, "Wow! My death really aged you, huh, Lois?") while
introducing a new cast including Tana Moon, Rex and Roxy Leech, and even Krypto
(saved from a drowning death by Bibbo). Kesel even has Superboy rent an apartment
at 344 Clinton Street, Apartment 3B -- left empty by the presumed death of
Clark Kent.
This first issue (#501) also raises the mystery as to Superboy's origin (is
he a clone of Superman?) and powers. Although he has flight and strength powers,
Superboy has no vision powers. When he smashes open the stormdrain gate to
escape Cadmus, Big Words notes that Superboy's punch left the gate practically
undamaged. Although he seems invulnerable to bullets and buses, heat from
fires can injure him.
Superboy's first serious lesson is brought to him by Steel in Superman The
Man Of Steel #22 (by Louise Simonson with art by Jon Bogdanove and Dennis
Janke). While dodging gangland fire, Superboy doesn't notice the Daily Planet
helicopter take the hit aimed at him -- killing the pilot and nearly killing
Lois Lane, who is saved by Steel. Superboy learns his lesson and accepts responsibility
for his actions.
Kesel introduces Superboy to another member of the Superman family in Adventures
of Superman #502 as he comes face to chest with Supergirl. Between manipulations
by Lex Luthor, Vincent Edge, and Rex Leech, Superboy and Supergirl are drawn
into a deadly battle with a villain calling himself Stinger. To escape, Stinger
destroys one of Metropolis' bridges -- killing and injuring numerous victims.
Edge also arranges for Superboy to accept Leech as his manager and to corner
the copyright on the Superman name and symbol. However, Edge's manipulations
cause an uneasy Tana to leave Metropolis.
The battle against the Cyborg and Mongul give Superboy the chance to show
his heroism and grit as he joins the returned Superman and saves Metropolis
from a deadly bomb.
Tactile Telekinesis
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| A 2004 commission of Superboy by Joe Phillips. |
At the conclusion of the death and return story arc, Kesel sets up a new
direction for Superboy in Adventures of Superman #506. Superman rescues Superboy
from some Cadmus DNAliens and the two, along with the Guardian, decide to
return and confront the Cadmus brass to get some answers on Superboy's origins
and powers.
The Cadmus scientists explain that Superboy is not a real clone of Superman
because they were unable to clone his alien, invulnerable physiology. Instead,
they genetically altered a clone and "translated" the aura surrounding
Superman's body into a telekinetic field.
"That's how you can fly or deflect any solid object the instant it touches
you. You can't deflect energy, say fire or lasers. Sorry. But you can do other
things. You can extend the field and lift heavy objects ... or take things
apart ... bend things into any shape you picture mentally." (during this
explanation, Superboy shapes a rope into a woman's outline).
When he is told, "Still -- you are the closest we came to a successful clone
of Superman!", Superboy answers, "But, bottom line -- I'm not his clone, right?
So -- whose clone am I?" That question won't be answered for a while, as Cadmus'
bad guy Director, Paul Westfield, bursts in to stop the session.
The rest of the issue quickly sets the new course as Dubbilex is assigned
to shepherd Superboy and as Rex Leech is 'convinced' to return the Superman
trademark back to Superman. Superman offers a compromise that, "if half the
profits go to charity, you can use the symbol and the kid can call himself
...
"... Superboy. I think he's earned the name."
Superboy's initial reaction is hilarious. Grummett and Hazlewood draw a great
shocked expression on his face (especially the mismatched eyes) as the Kid
shouts, "Superboy? SUPERBOY?! That name's a joke! It's what I've been trying
to live down since this whole mess started! Thanks! Thanks a lot! Thanks for
nothing!"
As he bursts out of the room, Superboy tells himself, "Yes. That was very
mature. Maybe ... maybe I over-reacted a little." Stopping some criminals,
he tells them, "You punks must think anyone can wear this 'S' shield! Yeah,
I'm Superboy -- but I earned that name!"
Superman meets up with Superboy again and tells him of Rex's plans for a
world tour to establish the new name, adding "and, uh, if you're not keeping
your apartment, I have this friend ... ".
Superboy flies off with the classic quote"second star from the right and
straight on 'til morning ... " When Superman adds, "Peter Pan. How appropriate.",
Superboy replies, "Huh? What're you talkin' about? Captain Kirk said that!"
Hero of Hawaii
Shortly afterwards, Superboy was launched into his self-titled series. The
first issue introduces the new setting of Hawaii, establishes the supporting
cast and sets up the tone of humorous adventure as Superboy encounters (again
and for the first time) the villain Sidearm.
Y'know, there are just some villains who cannot be taken seriously. Sidearm
is one. As Superboy battles the inept villain (calling him everything but
his codename - Sideswipe, Sideboard, Backside, Sidecar etc), our hero uses,
for the first time, the phrase most associated with his powers"Ever hear of
tactile telekinesis? Mentally moving whatever you touch ... or whatever touches
you? Lets you fly ... lift cars ... shoot sand up from the beach ... take
apart robot arms ... Major power. Guess who's got it?!"
Kesel sets up the major elements of his new series by introducing the supporting
cast and some villains as well as showcasing the comic's trademarks of action
and humour..
Although readers had never met Sidearm before, the first issue was filled
with references to their earlier meeting. Some 8 months later, in Superboy
#0, we meet Sidearm again, along with Prof. Emil Hamilton (in town to work
at the local STAR Labs). Superboy later reviews his origins for Prof. Hamilton.
He explains that his first memory is of a cartoon show, and then Cadmus Director
Westfield and Dr. Packard discussing his memory implants. Superboy adds, "And
all this happened real fast! I mean, I went from single-cell to single-guy
in under a week!".
He then reviews his rescue by the Newsboy Legion, his escape and his meeting
with his very first villain, Sidearm (using tentacles that make him look like
Spider-Man's pal, Doctor Octopus). Superboy #0 also has one of my favorite
one-liners, as Superboy tries out various headgear for the x-ray glasses made
for him by Hamilton. It's a visual joke, so you'll have to read the issue
to understand, but the line is, "Look, bobbing in the water -- it's Super-buoy!"
Maybe it's just me.
Original & Origin
Kesel's first run on Superboy (up to issue #30) was well regarded and had
lots of fans. Two notable stories during this period are the Zero Hour issue,
Superboy #8, and the 1995 Year One themed Superboy Annual #2.
With all of the strange events happening during Zero Hour, probably the most
welcome was the return of the Silver Age Superboy. A freak storm forces a
plane carrying Superboy, Dubbilex, and Krypto to land outside Smallville.
The original Boy of Steel materializes and helps rescue the plane. With neither
Superboy aware of the other, they both head into Smallville. While the current
model shows off for the locals, young Clark Kent strolls down the street to
encounter all kinds of strange changes, including an adult Lana Lang. It's
a 'fight and team up' story with a nostalgic and tragic twist as the young
hero realizes that he is the anomaly and that by his very presence is causing
changes to this reality.
Standing by the Kents' farmhouse, the Boy of Steel says goodbye to the Teen
of Teek as he stops fighting the forces trying to pull him away and, with
heroic sacrifice, allows himself to vanish. Superboy, after a brief introduction
to Ma and Pa Kent, heads off to help save the universe from the Zero Hour
crisis.
In Superboy Annual #2 (co-written by Karl and wife Barbara Kesel with pencils
by David Brewer, assisted by several inkers) we finally learn the answer to
Superboy's DNA template. Superboy is summoned back to Cadmus, which has discovered
the lab containing the twelve prior failed attempts to clone Superman.
The first clone, still in stasis, is accidentally released. The reason that
clone had never been activated was that it had been created using a "flawed
process" -- the one used by Dr. Teng which created the first Bizarro. Superboy
and Bizarro Superboy take the usual fight and team approach (as Bizarro returns
Superboy's punch he says, "Ha! Me understand! Me must show am worthy of name
Superboy! Clever test! Me not fail!)
The scientists also find some of the original genetic material used to make
the clones and some videotapes. Superboy learns that his cell-stock came from
the slimy and now deceased former director of Cadmus, Paul Westfield (killed
by Dabney Donovan in Superman #90 -- although since Donovan salvaged an ear,
it's always possible that Westfield could reappear -- no pun intended).
Superboy understandably doesn't take the news well, but comes to terms with
the revelation after a pep-talk by Superman and a surprise first birthday
party thrown for him by his friends.
Team Player
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| Superboy sees Knockout's true colors in SUPERBOY #30. |
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Although Superboy starred in solo adventures in his own title, he has also
been a member of several team groups, including Team Superman, the Legion
of Super-Heroes, Superboy and the Ravers, and Young Justice. Kesel reconnected
Superboy to Legion lore by having him save a dying Lar Gand in Superboy #18-19.
Similar to the original pre-Crisis version, Superboy saves Lar (known pre-Crisis
as Mon-el and post-Crisis as Valor and later M'Onel) from lead poisoning by
sending him into a 'stasis zone' where he stays for the next 1,000 years until
being freed and healed by the Legion. Superboy meets the Legion when they
travel to his time to get information allowing them to save Lar in the story
arc titled "Future Tense" (Superboy #21, Legion of Super-Heroes #74, and Legionnaires
#31). This fun arc ends with the Legion giving Superboy a flight ring and
granting him honorary member status.
While the series Superboy And The Ravers died as of issue #19 and topped
the 'worst Superman family title' award towards the end of its run, it started
out with great promise and had some enjoyable stories.
The opening arc in issues #1-4 is a good self-contained introduction to the
series and cast with terrific art by Paul Pelletier and Dan Davis. Also great
fun was the three part "Road Trip" in issues #7-9, where Superboy and his
pals travel America and meet Impulse (for the first time), stop in at Guy
Gardner's Warriors club, and finally meet Superman in Metropolis.
Superboy met his other Young Justice partner, Robin, in the two-issue prestige
series WF3: World's Finest 3. When Metallo shows up in Gotham while both Batman
and Superman are away, Robin puts in a call to Superboy. Superboy, expecting
to meet Batman, isn't terribly impressed by the junior partner, making remarks
like, "So, I've only got one question -- who are you?" and "Batman -- impressive.
But 'boy wonder'?" When Superboy falls under the control of Poison Ivy, Robin
saves the day and proves that Superboy's physiology is sufficiently similar
to Superman's that the Kid can be harmed by Kryptonite.
Superboy, Robin & Impulse first teamed up in the two-issue prestige series,
JLA: World Without Grown-Ups, which led to their ongoing Young Justice series
(and for those interested, Robin and Impulse meet in the hilarious Robin +
Impulse #1 special written by Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn, and featuring
great art by John Royle and Rob Leigh). Young Justice writer, Peter David,
continues the humour and action found in both Superboy's and Impulse's series
(although later mixed with serious, dramatic stories).
For those looking for an introduction to Young Justice, you can pick up the
trade paperback collections, Young Justice: A League Of Their Own (collecting
the first seven issues of the series) and Young Justice: Sins Of Youth (collecting
the enjoyable series that reversed the ages of the youth and adult heroes
of the DC Universe).
Eternal Youth
Ron Marz' run on Superboy (issues #32-47) made a significant contribution
to the ongoing saga with the five part "Meltdown" storyline, which began in
Superboy #38 (with part 4 in Superboy And The Ravers #10). Superboy's genetic
structure is literally melting as a result of tampering by a group called
the Agenda, which created Match, a clone of Superboy (Superboy #35-36).
The story comes to a climax in Superboy #41 when Roxy Leech volunteers to
risk her life. The only way to save Superboy is to speed up the cell degeneration
and then rebuild it using a donor's template. The catch is that the donor
has to undergo the same process. Since the donor must be close to Superboy's
physical age of 16, Roxy is the only compatible volunteer.
Some tense pages later, Superboy and Roxy are both back and whole and they
seal their resurrection with a big kiss. The process changes the relationship
between the two. Roxy explains that when she kissed Superboy, she knew things
were different and that although they were now closer, it was, "as if S.B.
and I are ... family." Superboy tells Tana that Roxy is, "part of me now,
and I'm glad she is. But ... as far as being my best babe ... it's always
been you and that's the way it's always gonna be."
Or not.
The other news, which Superboy doesn't take as well, is that his rejuvenated
body is now frozen at the age of 16. Superboy's dream was that one day, Superman
will retire and then the grown Superboy would become the next Superman.
Once again, it's Superman who helps the Kid come to terms with his newest
change. Appearing during his electric Superman Blue phase, he reminds Superboy
that life is not always predictable, "especially in our line of work". Superman
adds that his changes weren't something he expected or wanted, but he is making
the best of it. Pointing to the S on Superboy's chest, he says that to him
the symbol means, "doing your best all the time, and coming out on top. No
matter what's standing in your way."
Marz doesn't gloss over the change or have Superboy fully accept the loss
of his dream, as Superboy says, "It's gonna take a lot of thinking on my part,
but you're right Supes ... the never ending battle goes on!"
Return Of The Creators
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A con sketch of Superboy by Tom Grummett,
courtesy of Scott Redding
. |
Shortly afterwards, the news came out that Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett were
going to return to the Superboy title as of issue #50. To prepare for the
new direction Karl wanted to go, his wife Barbara Kesel came aboard as guest
writer to clear the existing slate.
In Superboy #49, as Roxy searches for a missing Superboy, the main cast heads
off in different directions. Tana (no longer an item with Superboy) heads
out for a mysterious job offer, Dubbilex is recalled to Cadmus, and Roxy leaves
to help her father Rex, who is once again in some kind of trouble. The only
main cast member to remain on the island is Krypto -- who is left behind in
the care of Superboy's school classmate, Hillary Chang.
With the cast sent its various ways, the original Superboy creative team
(minus inker Doug Hazlewood) returned with the four-part "The Last Boy On
Earth" in Superboy #50-53 (with a half issue epilogue in Superboy #54). Kesel
returns to humour and action with generous helpings of characters and inspirations
from legendary comics creator, Jack Kirby. Even if you aren't familiar with
Kirby's classic series, Kamandi, the fun story and wonderful art make the
issues very worthwhile. However, the homages to the original "last boy on
Earth", the supporting cast and story devices are an extra treat to Kirby's
fans.
The story arc also sets up the new direction for the series with Superboy
as an agent of Cadmus, working with the Guardian. The new supporting cast
is quickly established in the next few issues.
Another notable issue is Superboy #59, where Superman has the Kid visit Krypton
via virtual reality and gives him the Kryptonian name of Kon-El (both an obvious
anagram of klone and a nod to the Silver Age Superboy's friend, Mon-el).
The next significant story arc is the five part "Hypertension" in Superboy
#60-64 (with an epilogue in Superboy #65).
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Superboy and Guardian:
Protectors of Cadmus! |
|
Hypertime, the concept of alternate realities where everything and anything
has or is happening somewhere, was introduced in the 1999 Mark Waid written
specials, The Kingdom. Karl Kesel was given the task of further exploring
Hypertime and starts his saga with a dying Superboy warning the JLA about
a threat to all reality. Realizing that the dead youth is an alternate version
of their Superboy, the JLA enlists Superboy, since only he can use the Hyperjacket
that allowed the other Superboy into their universe.
Over the course of the story arc, Superboy meets alternate versions of himself,
including the Zero Hour Superboy (whom he learns has the secret identity of
Clark Kent) and the villainous adult clone threatening all reality who calls
himself Black Zero. The combined might of the multitude of alternate Superboys
saves the day, and with the help of the Challengers of the Unknown, Superboy
is able to return back to his own universe. Superman finally confides his
secret identity to Superboy in the Superman Jr. & Superboy Sr. issue of the
Young Justice: Sins Of Youth special (collected in trade paperback).
The next story arc creates further significant changes for Superboy as the
Agenda returns to take over Cadmus ("The Evil Factory" in Superboy #70-74)
featuring the return and death of Superboy's first love, Tana Moon, and the
loss of Superboy's powers. Superboy's personal upheaval continues over the
next several issues, with his powers returning in Superboy #79 as Kesel and
Grummett wind down their notable second run on the title.
The Continuing Adventures?
Writer Joe Kelly took over the Superboy title starting with issue #83 with
Kelly's trademark emphasis on humour. That issue also has Superboy changing
to a new costume in a desperate search to be cool after his looks are dissed
by some teenage girls. The new costume is similar to the old one, with a darker
red, red over the shoulders and a similarly styled jacket and red glasses.
Jimmy Palmiotti and Dan DiDio took over from Kelly starting with issue #94.
Palmiotti described his plans as "a brand-new chapter in the life of Superboy."
"Dan and my plans are to take the amazing job Joe Kelly has done with the
book and take it a little more down to earth and simplify the basics of the
character," Palmiotti said. "Really go in and make #94 a great time to pick
up the series if you never read it, and an even better time if you have."
Most of that issue deals with Superboy finding a new apartment. Sight gags,
sitcom-style humor and a light touch permeated the new direction of the book.
However, in the end it wasn't villains, only poor sales figures that finally
did Superboy in. While Superboy's own series ends with issue #100, you can
still find him in Young Justice as well as frequent guest appearances as a
member of Team Superman in the Superman titles.
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GEOFF JOHNS TALKS SUPERBOY IN "TEEN TITANS"
by Arune Singh, Staff Writer
Posted: April 7, 2004
courtesy of www.comicbookresources.com
|
A 2006 con sketch of Superboy by Mike McKone. |
This ain't your Daddy's Superboy. Heck, he might not even be the Superboy that many returning comic book fans remember. But under the guidance of DC Comics' "Teen Titans" writer Geoff Johns, the new Superboy (first seen a decade ago in the "Reign of The Supermen" storyline) has seen a definite resurgence in popularity. With the exciting events surrounding the Teen of Steel, CBR News' Superman Celebration squad caught up with California Kid Geoff Johns and his role in "Teen Titans."
"He's a central figure, right up there with Robin," says Johns of Superboy's role in the team full of many "jr" members. "But Superboy's more of our homegrown jock, a tough kid who's maturing a bit but like everyone else, still trying to find his way. The greatest thing about these young characters is that their future is wide open, and it's about what direction they're going to go in -- getting on the wrong path often and trying to find the right one. To me Superboy embodies this literally for us. We don't want him to be a junior boy scout -- we want him to get in trouble, to make bad decisions to learn what the good ones are. And the whole time he's thinking 'Superman never made a mistake. Why do I make so many?'"
Now this Superboy isn't a young Clark Kent… in a way. Johns was happy to bring readers up to speed on "The Kid's" origin. "Superboy was created by Cadmus Labs in an attempt to clone Superman. Unable to grasp the details of Kryptonian D.N.A. they altered human D.N.A. and mixed it in with what they could of Kryptonian. The results were Superboy. A being genetically designed to resemble Superman in every way. Unfortunately, he "escaped" before he could be fully grown. Superboy is now living with the Kents in Smallville, under the guise of Clark's cousin Conner. He recently learned the human donor was Lex Luthor. How and why have yet to be revealed.
"Superboy is brash, a little cocky at times, enthusiastic and occasionally very serious -- especially when it comes to exploring his purpose."
Now the obvious CK in Superboy's real name may be cute to fans, but Johns explains he chose it because, "We liked the name. It was better than Clancy Kent. And it was a play of off the Kryptonian name Superman gave him -- Kon-El."
While he may be seen by some readers as "Superman Jr," Superboy is a distinct character in the mind of Johns, who has written Superman on many occasions and with quite some acclaim, and explains, "Superboy is much different, and that is obvious. He's still relatively new to all of this, he puts immense pressure on his own shoulders. His views of how Superman is and how he thinks are skewed. Superboy thinks Superman is perfect. This guy who doesn't have a single bad thought in his head. No one's like that. And Conner's going to have to learn to accept that he has faults. But his faults are going to be a hell of a lot more challenging than most."
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Superboy character design by Mike McKone. |
In writer Peter David's "Young Justice" series, a precursor of sorts to "Teen Titans," Superboy and Wonder Girl were established as being somewhat of an item, albeit with the repressed feelings of teenagers their age. "I can't tell you where it's going because that's part of the story, but Superboy has always been attracted to girls -- any pretty girl," says Johns. "Wonder Girl to me, is the first girl his own age that he really respects and admires and likes not because she's beautiful but because she's strong, caring and confident."
Further adding his own twist to the relationship of the younger "World's Finest" (the older ones considered to be Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman), Superboy's best friend is Robin and Johns' own experience with his brother- who co-writes stories with Johns on occasion- was a big influence on how he portrayed these two best friends. "Sure. But it's going to continue to evolve. I think Robin and Superboy are the cornerstone dynamic for Teen Titans and despite what's going on with Robin right now, or in conjunction with it, that will become even more apparent. Superboy relies on Robin a lot, he's the only other Titan that knows the truth about his genetics, and yet he still only knows Tim's [Drake, Robin's current identity] first name."
While Johns has loved working on Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman in various tales, he freely admits to having more creative freedom with their partners. "That's obvious, of course. The changes we're putting the kids through, the stories they're dealing with, they're all just going on through. We don't have a checklist to hit due to outside media influence -- even with the prominence of Cyborg, Starfire, Raven and Beast Boy in the cartoon, we're pretty free to move these characters in any direction we want. Additionally, no one has their own book as of now, so we can develop and change the characters within 'Teen Titans.' It's a luxury we have over in 'JSA' as well."
To many readers, it seems like Superboy's story in "Titans" focuses more on maturity and his place in the world more so than any of the other characters. There's an irony to some as it is believed Superman is a very grounded person, but Johns isn't sure he sees that. "Maybe, but if you think Superman's grounded then...I don't know, I don't think that's necessarily the case with Superman. He's well adjusted, obviously, but he's still got issues. He just deals with them privately -- he doesn't talk to Superboy when he feels like an outsider or if he's over-burdened by all of this pressure. For me, Superboy never sees that side of Superman and that adds extra weight to his shoulders. He should be able to handle anything and nothing should bother him, but that's not the case with anyone -- even Superman."
Another side of Superman that hasn't been seen is the reaction to Conner's genes- something that has been kept a secret from The Man Of Steel. "It'll be developing as we go," explains Johns of the storyline. "It's all been planned out since Day One, as to the how's, why's and where it all connects with everything else Superboy has gone through. The clues are there, since his first appearance. It's going to be a big story, it's going to involve more than just the Titans."
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Geoff Johns on The Death of Superboy
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A 2006 convention sketch of Superboy
by Phil Jimenez and Andy Lanning. |
from Infinite Crisis Hardcover: "Infinite Discussions"
An interview with Inifinite Crisis Writer Geoff Johns, Artist Phil Jimenez, Editor Eddie Berganaza, and Assistant Editor Jeanine Schaefer.
DC: The ending of this issue really hit a lot of people hard, with the death of Superboy.
GEOFF: We originally talked about killing Nightwing. That was always Dan's plan.
EDDIE: But we didn't want [Nightwing] to die.
GEOFF: We wanted to have issue #6 be about bringing the Trinity back. Dan focused on offing Nightwing, but we all felt it was just the wrong character.
PHIL: Though I can't think of a character who would have a greater impact than Nightwing dying.
GEOFF: True, but it's Dick Grayson. My mom knows who he is. Nightwing would've been a mistake. Superboy was the best choice.
PHIL: Just in terms of links to other characters, though. Dick has so many connections to other characters. In many ways, even more than Superman or Batman, Nightwing is the soul, the linchpin, of the DCU. He's well respected by everyone, known to the JLA, the Titans, the Outsiders, Birds of Prey - everyone looks to him for advice, for friendship, for his skills. He's the natural leader of the DCU. His loss would devastate everyone and create ripples through the DCU. If it wasn't him, it had to be a hero that really impacted so many.
GEOFF: Well, what other character? Not Wonder Girl. Enough women have died in the DCU. Superboy was my favorite Titan. And I literally had to offer him as a sacrificial lamb.
DC: You killed your favorite Titan? That must have been hard to write.
JEANINE: I literally had tears in my eyes when the pages came in.
GEOFF: I really fought to have Conner in TEEN TITANS. He gave the title a dynamic the book never had before.
JEANINE: It's one of the reasons [his death] worked so well and became such a powerful scene. I remember talking to Geoff when the decision was made, and he was, correctly, really adamant that it matter.
GEOFF: And Phil did such a great job with facial expressions there, depicting everyone's sorrow.
EDDIE: We were hoping to save both Nightwing AND Superboy. But at the end of the day, if we were going to do something really impactful, we really had to go all the way. It just worked for the whole story.
JEANINE- "Deaths are meaningless." But you couldn't not care about this.
from "A TITAN LOOKS BACK: GEOFF JOHNS ON LEAVING TEEN TITANS"
by Vaneta Rogers - courtesy of http://forum.newsarama.com - 02-01-2007
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A Mike McKone character sketch of "Dark" Superboy. |
NRAMA: And One Year Later, even the tone seemed to change a little. There was more humor as you went back to the basics of building a team again.
GJ: Yeah, there's a specific reason for that. When we first launched the book, it was coming off Young Justice, so we wanted to make the book more serious. We wanted to ground it and go a different way, otherwise there was no reason to do a new book. And also those kids were getting a little older. You know, at the end of Issue #2, Impulse got shot in the kneecap. And I think that was the first time he ever bled. And it was just supposed to say, there are serious stakes here.
And as we progressed, the team grew. They went through a lot of darker periods and lighter periods, but with One Year Later, there was a conscious effort to put more humor in there because they were dealing with such huge and heavy issues. There is humor, but it balances with the fact that Superboy's dead. They've lost one of their best friends, and there had to be a lot more humor in there. Kid Devil brought some, Ravager brought some, and the situation they were in brought a lot of that. But it was a balance because we needed to delve into such heavy territory.
NRAMA: Knowing how you feel about Superboy, it must have been so difficult for you to have to write his death and then lose him from your title.
GJ: It was. I loved the character. It's like, I thought he wasn't the smartest kid in the room, and he wasn't the dumbest, but he just had a good heart and a good soul, and that's why I just loved him. He was a nice, normal kid despite the crazy background, and he had so much growing to do.
You know, I think if Superboy was still in the book, I'd probably still be writing it.
NRAMA: You mean that?
GJ: [laughs] I said probably. We'll never know.
NRAMA: Well, this is comics. If you ever write these characters, you could just bring Conner back!
GJ: That's true. I'd want to. But when Superboy died, Tony and I took it as a challenge. We thought, look, if we're losing Superboy and Kid Flash, who are arguably our favorite characters on the team -- you know, Superboy was mine and Kid Flash was his -- we were losing two fantastic characters because of what they wanted to do. We needed to replace them with characters that we would have as much interest in working on or at least be excited to find out and explore who they are. We needed to introduce new characters and new blood on the team to get us excited about it.
from "Geoff Johns: Graduation Day"
By Ben Morse - Posted February 1, 2007 - at www.wizarduniverse.com
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A 2006 Mike McKone commission: A tribute to a fallen friend,
courtesy of Marcus Mebes. |
Going back to Superboy, you were the one who ended up killing him in Infinite Crisis, but how hard did you fight for that not to happen?
JOHNS: We fought pretty hard. [Editor] Eddie [Berganza] and I didn’t want him to die, Tony didn’t either. We went back and forth on the story and ultimately decided it was a good death. I got to write it and we got to build to it; I would have been more upset if I hadn’t gotten to do it, if somebody else had just offed him.
What were your plans for Superboy if he hadn’t died?
JOHNS: We were going to have the Titans from “Titans Tomorrow” come back and he’d fight himself and rejoin the team, but plans always change. I had plans for Flash that never happened, I had plans for Hawkman that never happened.
Of all the comics you’ve written, I think that the Superboy-Wonder Girl romance is the first relationship you really got to explore in depth and build—Wally West and Linda Park and even Hawkman and Hawkgirl seemed more inherited. I always felt it was one of the better romances in recent years in comics—how did you approach it?
JOHNS: Well, they started to date a little bit when Peter David was writing them in Young Justice. As an aside, the reason Wonder Girl is a great character is strictly because of Peter David. I think Wonder Girl more than any other character benefited from Young Justice. It’s young love—I feel you have to have that in a Titans book. Again, so many stories revolved around Superboy. That romance was kind of imperative and it grew out of the characters.
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