Boy's Lives
These days it’s all Superboy, all the time. Hints that teenaged Clark Kent wore a familiar costume in the re-jiggered timeline could come back to haunt DC (and other parts of TimeWarner), if a federal court’s ruling holds up on appeal. Meanwhile, the events of Infinite Crisis #6 have centered around the fates of its two Superboys.
Still, I continue to wonder whether the Superman legend wouldn’t be better served without a Boy of Steel. It’s not that I have problems with the character, or indeed the very idea, of Superboy – it’s just that the practical aspects of his existence can get a little tricky.
In the old days B.C. (Before Continuity), this was not a big deal. Superboy was a Superman spinoff – a prequel, perhaps – and the Superboy stories offered a different perspective on the mythology. However, fitting those stories into an overall Superman timeline raises questions about its very underpinnings.
Essentially, the costume makes Superman “Superman.” Without it he’s Tom Welling – great guy, faster, more powerful, etc., don’t get me wrong – but he’s not “in character” as Superman. Besides, underlying “Smallville’s” philosophy of no tights, no flights is the path Clark takes to the costume. The Superman persona, so we are told, is Clark’s solution to all the issues surrounding the public use of his powers – and the persona finds expression primarily through the costume.
Therefore, putting on the costume as a teenager necessarily involves a different set of decisions than putting it on as an adult. Various versions of the origin also provide different circumstances surrounding the decision. In the Golden Age, Clark created his dual identity after the Kents died. In the 1978 movie, the costume went on after 12 years in the Fortress of Solitude. In the 1986 revamp, Clark being mobbed led to the creation of “Superman.” If I had to guess, I would say “Smallville’s” Big Costume Moment will come after some resolution of Clark’s Kryptonian and Earthbound destinies.
However, on Earth-1, the decision for Clark to become Superboy was a collaborative process involving Ma and Pa Kent. While the analogous 1986 sequence in Man of Steel #1 can be seen as a compressed version of the same process, that decision still resulted from a single event. On Earth-1, though, the decision apparently stemmed from the Kent family’s general desire that Clark use his powers for good. If “Superboy” is re-inserted into present-day continuity, it will require a re-examination both of the events surrounding Superman’s genesis and the decisions proceeding from those events. Yet another version of the origin story may even be necessary to give this Superboy the full range of powers, because the 1986 revamp described Clark’s powers developing gradually over time.
(Just an aside: It does seem easier to swallow a costumed teenager than a costumed adult, but it’s also a little creepy to see the teenager wearing the same costume, just stretched out, well into adulthood. I’m sure the Fortress had a very capable Kryptonian laundry, but still.)
Of course, these issues can largely be avoided by creating a Superboy who is not Clark Kent. DC did this in “Reign of the Supermen!,” the 1993 intertitle crossover which brought Supes back from the dead. As a metatextual commentary on then-current superhero trends, this Superboy was loaded with “hip” elements – a leather jacket, sunglasses, an earring, and extra belts – designed for maximum marketing appeal. “Reign,” like many of the other 1990s-era “replacement hero” storylines, was intended to show fans how impervious the replace-ee was was to such ephemeral trends. It was probably fitting, then, that this Superboy entered the comics with no other identity but Superman’s clone, and no other purpose but to show how effectively he could step into the late Man of Steel’s boots.
After Superman was revived, Superboy went from “Reign” into his own title, which was filled with equal parts innocence and testosterone, and set initially in Hawaii. Later, Superboy returned to his birthplace, Metropolis’ Cadmus Project, so the creators could revisit the milieu of Jack Kirby’s 1970s Jimmy Olsen stories. Eventually Superman gave him the Kryptonian name of Kon-El, and later the secret identity of Connor Kent. He even met a version of the Earth-1 Superboy a couple of times.
Kon-El was played mostly for laughs in the pages of his own title and in Young Justice, but when the latter gave way to a new Teen Titans, he became more serious. Having discovered that he was built partly from Lex Luthor’s genes, he went from being largely happy-go-lucky to wondering whether his evil side would take over completely. For a character who began as a blank slate, having a choice between clearly divergent paths was arguably a step up. (It also presented a nature vs. nurture opportunity to contrast Connor and Clark’s upbringings, but I don’t know how much that was explored.)
Unfortunately, even if Connor had survived Infinite Crisis and was free of the Luthor influence, there was no guarantee he would ever become Superman. If I were in a nastier mood, I might opine that this Superboy was, in the end, nothing more than DC’s disposable experiment with a teenaged addition to the Superman franchise. Whether Kon-El could have been a sustainable character, able to mature and develop alongside his “cousin,” is a question that may never be answered. An adult Kon-El would probably be seen as “transcending artificial origins and evil creators,” but that makes him sound more like the Vision or the Red Tornado than Superman.
As it is, Kon-El was still entertaining, especially in the hands of original writer Karl Kesel and Young Justice’s Peter David. He might never have grown into being Superman, but he always was mindful of Superman’s example. If the Earth-1 Superboy was “raised right” by the Kents, the Kon-El Superboy may have spoken more to the effects of many influences, good and bad, upon the proverbial impressionable teen. I am resisting the urge to say it took a Project to raise this character, but actually, a fairly big supporting cast combined over several years to produce this latest Superboy.
Ultimately, though, it all comes back to Superboy being a reflection of Superman. Making him Superman’s younger self removes a certain element of suspense from his adventures. Making him independent means balancing his distinctiveness against connections to Superman. Maybe “Smallville’s” more circuitous path to Clark’s caped future is the most viable approach for now. If it turns out that “Smallville” isn’t about Superboy, I think DC could live with that too.
Still, I continue to wonder whether the Superman legend wouldn’t be better served without a Boy of Steel. It’s not that I have problems with the character, or indeed the very idea, of Superboy – it’s just that the practical aspects of his existence can get a little tricky.
In the old days B.C. (Before Continuity), this was not a big deal. Superboy was a Superman spinoff – a prequel, perhaps – and the Superboy stories offered a different perspective on the mythology. However, fitting those stories into an overall Superman timeline raises questions about its very underpinnings.
Essentially, the costume makes Superman “Superman.” Without it he’s Tom Welling – great guy, faster, more powerful, etc., don’t get me wrong – but he’s not “in character” as Superman. Besides, underlying “Smallville’s” philosophy of no tights, no flights is the path Clark takes to the costume. The Superman persona, so we are told, is Clark’s solution to all the issues surrounding the public use of his powers – and the persona finds expression primarily through the costume.
Therefore, putting on the costume as a teenager necessarily involves a different set of decisions than putting it on as an adult. Various versions of the origin also provide different circumstances surrounding the decision. In the Golden Age, Clark created his dual identity after the Kents died. In the 1978 movie, the costume went on after 12 years in the Fortress of Solitude. In the 1986 revamp, Clark being mobbed led to the creation of “Superman.” If I had to guess, I would say “Smallville’s” Big Costume Moment will come after some resolution of Clark’s Kryptonian and Earthbound destinies.
However, on Earth-1, the decision for Clark to become Superboy was a collaborative process involving Ma and Pa Kent. While the analogous 1986 sequence in Man of Steel #1 can be seen as a compressed version of the same process, that decision still resulted from a single event. On Earth-1, though, the decision apparently stemmed from the Kent family’s general desire that Clark use his powers for good. If “Superboy” is re-inserted into present-day continuity, it will require a re-examination both of the events surrounding Superman’s genesis and the decisions proceeding from those events. Yet another version of the origin story may even be necessary to give this Superboy the full range of powers, because the 1986 revamp described Clark’s powers developing gradually over time.
(Just an aside: It does seem easier to swallow a costumed teenager than a costumed adult, but it’s also a little creepy to see the teenager wearing the same costume, just stretched out, well into adulthood. I’m sure the Fortress had a very capable Kryptonian laundry, but still.)
Of course, these issues can largely be avoided by creating a Superboy who is not Clark Kent. DC did this in “Reign of the Supermen!,” the 1993 intertitle crossover which brought Supes back from the dead. As a metatextual commentary on then-current superhero trends, this Superboy was loaded with “hip” elements – a leather jacket, sunglasses, an earring, and extra belts – designed for maximum marketing appeal. “Reign,” like many of the other 1990s-era “replacement hero” storylines, was intended to show fans how impervious the replace-ee was was to such ephemeral trends. It was probably fitting, then, that this Superboy entered the comics with no other identity but Superman’s clone, and no other purpose but to show how effectively he could step into the late Man of Steel’s boots.
After Superman was revived, Superboy went from “Reign” into his own title, which was filled with equal parts innocence and testosterone, and set initially in Hawaii. Later, Superboy returned to his birthplace, Metropolis’ Cadmus Project, so the creators could revisit the milieu of Jack Kirby’s 1970s Jimmy Olsen stories. Eventually Superman gave him the Kryptonian name of Kon-El, and later the secret identity of Connor Kent. He even met a version of the Earth-1 Superboy a couple of times.
Kon-El was played mostly for laughs in the pages of his own title and in Young Justice, but when the latter gave way to a new Teen Titans, he became more serious. Having discovered that he was built partly from Lex Luthor’s genes, he went from being largely happy-go-lucky to wondering whether his evil side would take over completely. For a character who began as a blank slate, having a choice between clearly divergent paths was arguably a step up. (It also presented a nature vs. nurture opportunity to contrast Connor and Clark’s upbringings, but I don’t know how much that was explored.)
Unfortunately, even if Connor had survived Infinite Crisis and was free of the Luthor influence, there was no guarantee he would ever become Superman. If I were in a nastier mood, I might opine that this Superboy was, in the end, nothing more than DC’s disposable experiment with a teenaged addition to the Superman franchise. Whether Kon-El could have been a sustainable character, able to mature and develop alongside his “cousin,” is a question that may never be answered. An adult Kon-El would probably be seen as “transcending artificial origins and evil creators,” but that makes him sound more like the Vision or the Red Tornado than Superman.
As it is, Kon-El was still entertaining, especially in the hands of original writer Karl Kesel and Young Justice’s Peter David. He might never have grown into being Superman, but he always was mindful of Superman’s example. If the Earth-1 Superboy was “raised right” by the Kents, the Kon-El Superboy may have spoken more to the effects of many influences, good and bad, upon the proverbial impressionable teen. I am resisting the urge to say it took a Project to raise this character, but actually, a fairly big supporting cast combined over several years to produce this latest Superboy.
Ultimately, though, it all comes back to Superboy being a reflection of Superman. Making him Superman’s younger self removes a certain element of suspense from his adventures. Making him independent means balancing his distinctiveness against connections to Superman. Maybe “Smallville’s” more circuitous path to Clark’s caped future is the most viable approach for now. If it turns out that “Smallville” isn’t about Superboy, I think DC could live with that too.
posted by Tom Bondurant @ 3:15 PM
4 Comments:
There's one thing we forget when we talk about the current DCU's Superman: he was not the first hero. The Supermen of Earth 1 and Earth 2 were depicted as being the first hero. They inspired all who came after; how and when they first put on that costume is significant and momentous.
Now, current writers can come up with interesting stories about Clark first wearing the big S, but he's following a tradition on his Earth that was established before World War II with heroes such as Green Lantern, Hawkman, and the Flash. I'm not sure what the timeline will look like after Infinite Chrisis is over, but its quite possible he first dons the costume after Hal Jordan and Barry Allen arrive to begin the second wave of heroing. Regardless, his decision to wear a costume and struggle against evil is following precedent, not making precedent.
"If I were in a nastier mood, I might opine that this Superboy was, in the end, nothing more than DC’s disposable experiment with a teenaged addition to the Superman franchise."
If you were even nastier, you might say that Supergirl gave them 2 'teenage additions', and they decided they really only needed one.
At one point I was going to talk about the Earth-1 costumed heroes who preceded Superboy (Captain Comet, Zatara, Plastic Man, Sargon, TNT & Dan the Dyna-Mite, and probably some others I'm forgetting), and from there discuss Kal-El's proper place in history, but it just wasn't working in the context of the essay. I agree that Superman is supposed to be the inspiration, and even when there are forerunners he still gets to be special. I suppose nowadays Supes mends all the political fences and makes superheroes OK again, after decades of having the Justice Society in retirement. Wasn't that the point of a Crimson Avenger origin story in a Secret Files a few years back?
weren't most of those caracters originally Earth 2 characters who migrated to Earth 1 later on? Certainly most were in the All-Star Squadron.
Yes, but they were still on Earth-1 before Superboy. Captain Comet was definitely an Earth-1 native, and I think Zatara was too.
I used this timeline, and looking at it I see I forgot the Golden Age Guardian and Manhunter.
Anyway, I don't think even the E1 Superboy can get away with being the *very first* costumed hero, but again, I do think the first costumed appearance of Kal-El is special.
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