Superboy: Who's your favourite?

[C-Dot]

More likely it is because Geoff Johns is the Chief Creative Officer of DC Comics

I chalk it up to just basing it on the current DC, but when you have some things like Amanda Spence being a scientist when she wasn't one (just like Johns original Superboy pitch) and other things, it does seem he had a lil part in it just like the Smallville thing.

[C-Dot]

Not really, Greg Weisman himself said the only real influence Johns had on the show was the father of Aqualad. Most of the shows production was well underway before Johns became CCO. Johns origin is just easier for a writer/producer to introduce in a shared universe. Less characters are required to be introduced and makes Superboy have a direct connection to Superman's #1 villain. Same with Supergirl in the DCAU, her costume at first was based on the Linda Danvers version, but her origins were still the most simple and streamlined version, she was Kara-Zor-El, Superman's cousin.

Supergirl in DCAU was Kara In-Ze and not Zor-El. She wasn't related to Superman and her origin wasn't the Zor-El one at all. She was actually different than Kara Zor-El and Linda Danvers.

To say it's easier for someone to use the Johns one isn't exactly accurate. When it comes to a creative business, you can use the Kesel version just like you can use the Johns one or even a time displaced alt universe Clark Kent or a future Superman like Kell-El. It's all in execution and what you use. And the Kesel one has enough to put in a shared universe or to create a damn good series. The original Young Justice with Tim, Bart, Kon, Cassie, Secret, and the other team members would have made a good series too.

And not every character has to be connected to Superman. He can have his own villians and the original Match is definitely villain material. Thing is you can have something original without the character being a Superman (no pun intended) clone.

[Neutrino]

I've never had any trouble syncing Kesel's Superboy with Johns', since David's Young Justice makes a very convincing turn toward maturity for me, and I never really bought the degree of Kon's wannabe playboy-ness. In my mind, much of Superboy's personality at the beginning of the Kesel run is assumed: he was just born, and he's playing the part of the strictly independent adult hero which Cadmus intended him to become ("don't ever call me Superboy!"). His direction in Kesel's second run (I've really never sat down and read much of the original series besides Kesel and Kelly) was far more mature, as he took responsibility within Cadmus and also became humanity's liason with the Animal-Men (or whatever those guys were called). Black Zero, an excellent story, made him confront the power within his grasp and decide the direction he wished to go in the future. His libido also seemed to relax a little after Tana died... as I remember, he didn't have another girlfriend until Cassie.

Young Justice placed him in more trying circumstances, among his superpowered equals, and he also went through some major **** during that period, including Our Worlds At War (love the Superboy tie-in by Kelly) and the whole Secret saga. I've never read Graduation Day, but I'm sure the tragedies which accompanied that and led him to live with the Kents were also instrumental in his transformation.

As for the Luthor retcon, I think the difference between knowing of Luthor's contribution versus Westfield, who was just kind-of a lecherous dick, but nothing major, against a serious, true evil, would be enough to produce doubts as yet unseen. Also, Luthor activated a sleeper command in Conner's brain, which would seriously shake his confidence in being free and autonomous. Overall, he began to really consider the legacy he was now bearing, and as indicated by that neat 'checklist' plot device in Adventure Comics, he was making intentional steps to being closer to Clark and further from Luthor.

So, while I haven't read as much peripheral material about Conner as many of you, I think the change to his Titans version was organic. Whether you like it or not is really what I think is affecting the opinions of some. I didn't like Bart's change one bit, but I still feel it made sense given the trauma (Johns' main calling card) which he suffers.

Edit: Also, avatar notwithstanding, I prefer the Kesel Superboy by a slight margin. Adventure Comics Conner comes very close, though.

[custodes]

Mort Weisinger was the man.

Curt Swan , John Sikela, George Pap, Kurt Schaffenberger, Al Plastino on the art. Otto Bender and Jerry Siegel and Ed Hamilton on the writing.

Like the black T-Shirt/ YJ TV version too.

[Zoch]

Im pretty new to Superboy Can't comment other Superboys, but I like new DCnU Superboy I think powers unique and cool sets him apart other Supers I see his personality start developing more, I really like Tron S costume its really badass and cool, much pefer it to his jeans and t-shirt look I really hope keep his Tron S costume once Nowhere arc done.

[paulski]

I kinda like all of them.

But I grew up with the pre-Crisis/member of the LSH Superboy, so I guess he gets my vote.

[Theozilla]

Supergirl in DCAU was Kara In-Ze and not Zor-El. She wasn't related to Superman and her origin wasn't the Zor-El one at all. She was actually different than Kara Zor-El and Linda Danvers.

Ah, my mistake, I mixed up the names. But the DCAU Supergirl is still full kryptonian and another surviving kryptonian and IMO that is more similar to Kara Zor-El than Linda Danvers/Matrix Supergirl.

[coconutphone]

[WhiteEyedWonder]

As much as I like John's version of Superboy, DCNu Superboy is really growing on me.

So I'll have to go with the underdog here :)

[Superlad93]

Ah, my mistake, I mixed up the names. But the DCAU Supergirl is still full kryptonian and another surviving kryptonian and IMO that is more similar to Kara Zor-El than Linda Danvers/Matrix Supergirl.

Yea but you're still sorta right you know. If you look at Supergirl in JLU she is just called "Superman's kid cousin" not "the orphan that Superman saved that one time, so now he thinks of her as family"

Like you said it's a shared universe so you keep things streamed lined and never only focus one one character.

So "Superman's half clone" or "Superman's clone" is much more accessible to people who have never read about him or even ever read a comic book, than "Human clone made to mimic Superman". The former instills a stronger link to the Superman world for people who have never read or seen Superboy (everyone that's not us) than the latter.

Also it's pretty interesting to note that Superboy was only human (in the 90s) because of the editorial mandate in the 80s that Superman should be the only kryptonian. This is also the only reason Matrix Supergirl was not kryptonian.

[C-Dot]

Yea but you're still sorta right you know. If you look at Supergirl in JLU she is just called "Superman's kid cousin" not "the orphan that Superman saved that one time, so now he thinks of her as family"

Like you said it's a shared universe so you keep things streamed lined and never only focus one one character.

So "Superman's half clone" or "Superman's clone" is much more accessible to people who have never read about him or even ever read a comic book, than "Human clone made to mimic Superman". The former instills a stronger link to the Superman world for people who have never read or seen Superboy (everyone that's not us) than the latter.

1. She wasn't "Superman's kid cousin". They weren't even blood related. Kara Kent, her alias, was related to Clark. The whole point is that In-Ze was not Zor-El and she was different. They could have just brought Kara in, but chose not to and went in a different direction. She has Superman's powers but was different.

2. *sigh* This "more accessible" thing is not fact when you're dealing with individuals who are not a single minded collective. You speak like no one would get this idea or no one ever did get the idea when it's science fiction (where you deal with stories that are not "simplistic"). And the idea is not even close to being complex or hard to understand like you're making it out to be. Many people got the character, new and old, for it to be a successful comic. If they didn't, the new readers would have just dropped it. If you really think comics and media based on comics have to be "simplistic", then you're in the wrong media when simplistic rarely happens. It could have been simplistic to make Superman a superhuman. Or Batman a Bat-man. Or Wonder Woman a human. Come on now....."

And again, Superboy's genetics are owed all to Superman. He's a clone based on Superman, made to be like Superman, and had his own distinct powers to be the NEXT Superman. Key word: "Superman". He already had a link to the Superman world without being a literal clone. So Steel should be Kryptonian or the Eradicator should be a literal Kryptonian just to make them connected to Superman? Geez....

Also it's pretty interesting to note that Superboy was only human (in the 90s) because of the editorial mandate in the 80s that Superman should be the only kryptonian. This is also the only reason Matrix Supergirl was not kryptonian.

Actually, one of the Supermen, the Cyborg, was the only true genetic clone of Superman and was for years. Mind of a human, body of Kryptonian flesh and Kryptonian steel. There literally was another Kryptonian running around so that "mandate" wasn't exactly stopping them for that to happen. If they wanted to, they could have made him a literal clone. From Karl Kesel's mouth, the idea for Superboy was out of a brainstorming session when they suggested ways that Superman could come back from the dead and one idea was a clone. They took the clone idea combined with Grummett's drawing and the rest was history.

[C-Dot]

Ah, my mistake, I mixed up the names. But the DCAU Supergirl is still full kryptonian and another surviving kryptonian and IMO that is more similar to Kara Zor-El than Linda Danvers/Matrix Supergirl.

She was the "last daughter of Argo" (planet) and did have Superman's abilities, but she was not Kara-Zor-El in personality. They did an original take for her and it came out pretty good. They could have just made Kara, but they chose to go another route with few similarities to Linda and Kara Zor-El. If that works for Kara, I don't see how that can't work for Kon being different. And while DCAU Steel was based heavily on his comics incarnation, that works for Kon as well. In fact, look at Adventures of The DC Universe comic series. It was based on the DCAU and Superboy, the Kesel version, was there in a featured story vs The Flash. They went with a streamlined version of his origin that stayed true to the mainstream comics version.

[Mr. Holmes]

So, while I haven't read as much peripheral material about Conner as many of you, I think the change to his Titans version was organic. Whether you like it or not is really what I think is affecting the opinions of some. I didn't like Bart's change one bit, but I still feel it made sense given the trauma (Johns' main calling card) which he suffers.

It was not organic. We've already been through these same arguments, so I won't do it again. When you put it under scrutiny, Johns's changes don't hold up at all as in synch with what was before.

[Fused]

Lots of old school fans in here. I couldn't get into him in the 90s. That get up he had on was just too out there.
T-shirt n' jeans Connor bored me. No hate on the old-school fans, but this is the first time I've ever bought a Superboy comic and as you can see form my avatar, still dig it.

[TomorrowTeen]

The Superboy in the first few issues of Adventure Comics was my fav. Looked like an attempt to link Kesel's Superboy with Johns's version a bit. Wish Geoff Johns and Manapul kept it going.