Superboy Appreciation

[Neutrino]

lol good point. I know this probably won't happen but he's got a wealth of cool supporting characters imo (superboy) that I kind of miss. WHatever did happen to Dubbilex though

I believe he died in the Jimmy Olsen Special, forget which one. It would be nice to see him again, or at least have Conner, you know, mourn him. But it's not like Tana is ever mentioned these days.

[Froggy]

I believe he died in the Jimmy Olsen Special, forget which one. It would be nice to see him again, or at least have Conner, you know, mourn him. But it's not like Tana is ever mentioned these days.

lots of people don't seem to get mourned. I just remember him and Dubbilex being kinda fun together IMO

and sam makoa for the short while I saw him

[Free-Man]

Superboy from his TV debut......not liking the boots.

[AdamYJ]

lol good point. I know this probably won't happen but he's got a wealth of cool supporting characters imo (superboy) that I kind of miss. WHatever did happen to Dubbilex though

Last I checked, Dubbilex died in a Jimmy Olsen special that James Robinson wrote a while back.

Then again, as far as I know, there's always an opening to bring Dubbilex back. What with all the Cadmus cloning and stuff.

[Neutrino]

Superboy from his TV debut......not liking the boots.

There are so many problems I have with that image, but Kon looks fine, IMO. Oh, except with YJ he'll probably have to wait like a decade before he gets a real costume. Kinda like the combat boots though, they're actually practical and cargo pants are a better for fighting then jeans, not that it matters when you're Kryptonian.

(What I wouldn't give to have Tim and Bart...sigh.)

[TonyStark1012]

One of the coolest characters ever created. I got into the character after he first appeared after the death of superman and I haven't stop digging him since.

[maniacthw]

Am I the only one who would love to see Bart and Superboy create their own identities and join Tim on a new team book?

[Neutrino]

Am I the only one who would love to see Bart and Superboy create their own identities and join Tim on a new team book?

Why don't we add Wonder Girl, (repowered) Secret and Arrowette and call it Young Justice? Give Conner a costume and have Bart bump his head and lose all the knowledge he gained.

To be honest, I think Tim really has matured more then the other Titans. He'd belong better with the JSA or a rebooted Outsiders. He could get with Stargirl?

[Jimmy Bond]

To be honest, I think Tim really has matured more then the other Titans. He'd belong better with the JSA or a rebooted Outsiders. He could get with Stargirl?

I think TPTB has realized this, which is why Damian is on Teen Titans. But also a lot of it has to do with the fact that the whole Batman Family had a climbing up the ladder moment.

Bart Allen has supposedly matured, but really he's just become blander. They could have made him smarter and more mature without losing his unique personality.

I don't know much about Superboy, since I never had the chance to read his character beyond Reign of the Supermen, and then some of the stuff recent events he's been featured in like Infinite Crisis, Legion of 3 Worlds, Blackest Night, etc.

[Chase_Stein]

One of my favs too. Never thought I'd like Krypto, but I now I do!

Wonderful! Thanks!

[nj06]

Love Krypto, hard to believe anyone ever disliked him. :)



So what do you guys think about the new Superboy book being based in Smallville? Lemire loves it, he's into the rural towns and stuff. Robinson made it work in the Blackest Night thingy. But is there going to be enough steam in Smallville to keep the constant jobs for Conner from feeling contrived?

I couldn't help but think during the preview in Action, I'm going to become very disinterested if I need to read about the week's latest threat to Smallville. Furthermore, I like my super supporting characters, not terribly into the normies. There isn't any reason to believe it's going to be like that though so I'll keep my mouth shut :P.

It would be awesome is Kon moved back to Hawaii, but at least for the time being, we'll be seeing some Americana. Anybody have any thoughts?

I'm not sure how I feel about Smallville either, but I'm optimistic I just assumed that eh would be in Metropolis with Superman and Supergirl but I guess it would be too crowded with all three of them there.

I am glad to see Conner with his own series though and I would like to see more super-powered supporting cast members. Maybe he can have a run-in with the Ravers or create a new team of Ravers that he can mentor. I hope though that nothing is done with Lori Luther, the niece of Lex. I especially hope that there isn't anything romantic between them either seeing as how they are practically cousins.

But I still look forward to this and hope its well written and well received.

[Neutrino]

I am glad to see Conner with his own series though and I would like to see more super-powered supporting cast members. Maybe he can have a run-in with the Ravers or create a new team of Ravers that he can mentor. I hope though that nothing is done with Lori Luther, the niece of Lex. I especially hope that there isn't anything romantic between them either seeing as how they are practically cousins.

Heh, wasn't Conner grossed out when he realised? Nothing lies that way, I think. I never read any Ravers, is the series good? Not sure where I can find it...but I guess I can look around.

[coconutphone]

I'm fine with it being in Smallville. It's a nice change of pace from the other books and I'm sure the writer can find plenty for him to do there.

[Neutrino]

I saw this on the DC blogs. Hopefully you all enjoy as much as I did!

maniacthw found this one first, but I like it. It has the same colourist as All-Star Superman and the art certainly looks pretty. This is the Lemire article over at The Source. If I didn't have so much studying to do, I might even get to read it. :/

“Hey Jeff, this is Geoff Johns!” That’s not what I expect to hear when I pick up the telephone. But it’s exactly what I did hear a few months ago. I’d been working away on inks for an issue of Sweet Tooth (the Vertigo series that I write and draw) one afternoon when my wife passed me the phone. “Who is it?” I mimed to her, annoyed at the disturbance. She just shrugged. I rolled my eyes, put down my brush and answered. “Hello?”

“Hey Jeff, this is Geoff Johns!”

And that’s how I ended up writing The Atom co-feature in Adventure Comics and then the new monthly Superboy series. Well, truth is told there was a bit more to it than that. I had to pitch and develop my ideas for both characters with DC Editors and all around great guys, Matt Idelson and Brian Cunnigham, over the course of a three or four month period. But really it all kind of happened rather quickly.

I never really set out to write superhero comics. Don’t get me wrong, I love them, always have. But my work has always tended to skew pretty far from the mainstream. I started out self-publishing my own mini-comics, and from there went on to do a number of indie graphic novels like the Essex County Trilogy. I was, and am perfectly happy working on these more personal projects. So I never expected, or lobbied to get writing gigs in the DCU. But when Geoff called and offered me the chance to do it, I didn’t hesitate for a minute.

I grew up reading DC comics. Wolfman and Perez’s Teen Titans and Levitz and Giffen’s Legion of Superheroes were the duo-bibles of my own personal religion as a kid. I know the DCU in and out. So the opportunity to put my stamp on one or two DC characters was too good to pass up. And luckily I’m a really fast artist, so figured I’d still able to balance my “personal” work like Sweet Tooth, with Superboy, The Atom and whatever else came up at DC. Boy was I ever wrong.

Again, don’t get the wrong idea, I am able to keep up with, and in most cases stay way ahead of, all my deadlines. What I was wrong about was presuming I’d never care as much about the DCU stuff as my creator-owned work. Because as soon as I started digging in the rich old soil of Smallville, and messing around with Superboy’s life, I knew that this project was going to be every bit as important to me as anything I’d ever done before.

I grew up on a farm, in a really small town in Canada that may as well have been Smallville. So it isn’t hard for me to inject some of that experience into the book. And I love the idea of telling truly rural superhero stories. So many of today’s comics are set in urban centers, especially superhero comics. So it is really important to me to allow the new Superboy book to fully exploit it’s country setting and hopefully bring a unique point-of-view to the monthly comic racks.

But what about Superboy himself? What do I hope to say about the character of Conner Kent anyway? What makes him unique, other than the where he lives? Well , to me Kon-el is the ultimate outsider. He never had anything resembling a childhood, or a real family or parents. He was born in a lab and missed out on all of that. And. As a result he’s never had anyplace to truly call home. So, as our series starts, he’s finally trying to allow himself to find both of those things, family and community, in Smallville.

Community…that leads us to the supporting cast of the book…and to Geoff Johns again. In Geoff and Francis Manapul’s amazing Adventure Comics run with Superboy they set up some great new characters in Simon Valentine and Lori Luthor. Basically they gave me two incredible gifts. Simon is brilliant young man who is either destined to become Superboy’s greatest friend, or his greatest enemy. And Lori is Lex’s niece, so she and Conner are (sort of ) cousins, yet clearly have some unresolved feelings for each other. This is more rich soil to farm with. So expect them to be a BIG part of Conner’s life and adventures moving forward.

And then there’s THE PHANTOM STRANGER. One of my all-time favorite DC characters ever since he showed up in the classic Alan Moore Swamp Thing run, which I worshipped as a kid (and still do). You might not expect a dark and mysterious guy like The Stranger to pop up in pastoral Smallville. But he’ s going to be there a lot. Which might clue you in that there are a few dark and sinister things going on under that small town veneer that are going to make Superboy’s life even more interesting as my first year on the book unfolds.
All that and Krypto too. What more can a writer ask for?

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Pier Gallo, the artist on Superboy — and colorist Jamie Grant. He is simply fantastic. He’s enthusiastic, passionate and talented. He brings an insane amount of detail into each panel, but never loses sight of the importance of clear storytelling. He has a singular voice to be sure, with a real European influence in his drawing. Between the two of us, I really think that Superboy is going to be a very unique comic.
The book hits in November, and If Pier and I do our jobs right, you’ll become as passionate about the new adventures of Superboy as we have. And if not, I’ll sic The Phantom Stranger on you.

See you in November, and until then, be sure to check out The Atom in Adventure Comics!

[nj06]

Which villains do you want to see in this upcoming series?

I would love for Superman villains like Metallo or Atlas to appear in this series to give Superboy a good run for his money.

I would also love to see Preus appear in the comic and see what he thinks of Superboy.

Also, in the last 6th issue of Adventure comics, wasn't it hinted that Braniac and Luthor had created a new clone for Luthor?