Kon-El Superboy Appreciation 2019

[13th Superman]

Regardimg the first image, I guess this is Geoff trying to converge Superboy's two origins.

Cadmus try to modify human DNA to create a Superman clone, but it was Lex who used his DNA and Superman DNA to create Conner.

However, it just say they try to mimic Superman abilities with the human DNA modified. It doesn't say the human DNA will be physically identical to Clark.


Regarding the second image, if I'm not mistaken, that's before Geoff retcon. At that moment, Kon was a human clone modifie to look like Superman.

True but there's no reason to think that changed until it's explicitly stated that's the case.

[13th Superman]

I'm talking about Conner when he was teen being bigger than Clark was as a teen. That seems pretty uniform across all artist during the Johns era.

Like I said up to, it's just speculation till something conclusive and clear is said on the page. I tend to go back and forth on what I think depending on what take I'm looking at.

Clark has depicted at times as being pretty big as a teen too. Man of Steel with John Bryne has Clark looking pretty big at 18. The same with Tim Sale in All Seasons. It varies with the artist.

[Superlad93]

But then in Adventures Comics Johns had Manapul draw Clark much smaller than Conner, and Clark was fairly average sized in Johns' Secret Origin. I only bring these up because they're both Johns books, thus likely clear in his intent for both characters looks and such.

[13th Superman]

But then in Adventures Comics Johns had Manapul draw Clark much smaller than Conner, and Clark was fairly average sized in Johns' Secret Origin. I only bring these up because they're both Johns books, thus likely clear in his intent for both characters looks and such.

Yes but I doubt he was 16. He looked like he was 13-14. Where Conner was roughly 17-18. Enough time for a guy to grow.

[Frontier]

I don't know. That was never explicitly mentioned. Even in Johns retcon, the human dna was altered to mimic Kryptonian dna. The goal was to recreate Superman. In YJ the show, he looks like a teenage Superman even with the gaps in his DNA filled with human dna. Match still looked identical to him. In other media he has some of Lex's features. In Smallville he started looking like Lex with Clark's hair but according to the Smallville Comic behind the scenes it's noted his physical have changed to be more like Clark's. In Reign he has Lex's grey eyes.
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I think Lex in the Reign movie outright said that the plan was that Superboy would inherit all of Superman's physicality but with Lex's intellectual mind, which was to drive the point home that at the time Lex didn't see anything of himself (and anything worth keeping) in Superboy.

I don't think they were planning on him also keeping the receding hairline .

[Superlad93]

Yes but I doubt he was 16. He looked like he was 13-14. Where Conner was roughly 17-18. Enough time for a guy to grow.

I'd say he was around 16 in those flashbacks, and in the second issue of SO. Conner's age before and after he came back were always so strange during the Johns era. At one point I think he was said to be almost 20 before he died. But after he got back he seemed to be around 17.

But I since Johns never really showed us what he thought Clark looked like at 17, there's not much of an argument for me to put up.

[Kon93]

It states right there in lexs monolge that it took human DNA that was already changed to be as kryptonain as possible to fuse with Real kryptonain DNA, which means 1 side was Clark's DNA and the other was the closest fascinle of that DNA. To me that means he would be as close to being like Clark than almost anything besides a full kryptonain DNA clone.

SB has always had his hair different than Clark's to make them look different, every version besides the 1st look has taken outbthe spit curl and made it straight or spikey, so I don't think he was getting lex characteristics at all, just a kid paranoid, as was obvious with the book he kept.

[Superlad93]

It states right there in lexs monolge that it took human DNA that was already changed to be as kryptonain as possible to fuse with Real kryptonain DNA, which means 1 side was Clark's DNA and the other was the closest fascinle of that DNA. To me that means he would be as close to being like Clark than almost anything besides a full kryptonain DNA clone.

I read that, but that doesn't definitively say the same thing as cosmetic changes to me. I always read that as being done so that the DNA would even be compatible. It for sure can also mean cosmetic epression, but when you have the simple fact that half of him is Superman, you could just say that most of the resemblance comes from the strength of that DNA. That's why I don't think the wording is so definitive, but still perfectly fine.

It's like, with things like the Reign movie, you have a Conner who is clearly predominately Clark, but some of that Lex genetic expression is there too. That's basically an interpretation of Johns' take. Young Justice pull hard in the other direction where Conner is literally just Clark but younger.

Personally speaking, I always liked the idea that Conner would worry about his hairline and that he'd look a tiny bit like a younger Lex while looking predominately like Clark. That's how I tended to read most of Johns work regarding the possibility.

[Konja7]

As I said, that panel of Lex explaining the creation of Conner is because Geoff wants to converge Conner's two origins.

That said, Bendis will likely be more simple in YJ with Superboy being a hybrid clone.

I think Lex in the Reign movie outright said that the plan was that Superboy would inherit all of Superman's physicality but with Lex's intellectual mind, which was to drive the point home that at the time Lex didn't see anything of himself (and anything worth keeping) in Superboy.

I don't think they were planning on him also keeping the receding hairline .

In the case of Reign, I think Lex expecting Conner to inherit Superman's physically means his super-strenght and other powers, not an exact clone.

Also, Reign Superboy has the eyes color of Lex.

[Kon93]

Cadmus was moving ahead with their own clone, a clone that if lex didn't interfere would have been like the original SB, a human who in every single way was made to be like superman, that's what he would have been, and you guys are forgetting this one morsel of fact, it wouldn't have mattered who's human DNA he had, he would have turned out exactly looking like superman.now you add the real thing and guess what you get an even closer almost perfect clone of Superman, who looks EXACTLY like superman.

He was ALWAYS gonna look like Superman no matter what, it doesnt matter how anybody concocts a theory, it will always end up wrong, because BOTH sides of the experiment that made SB was going to look exactly like superman.

Sorry folks.


And yeah I liked that the Reign SB had lexs eyes, BUT it was a movie, and NOT in the Comics

[Superlad93]

I'm not even trying to present a particularly compelling argument for Conner not looking identical to Superman. All I brought up was an idea that it seemed like Johns may or may not have been toying with and what I thought of it.

In reality I think he looks like Clark. I don't think there's much more thought past that.

[Kon93]

I'm not even trying to present a particularly compelling argument for Conner not looking identical to Superman. All I brought up was an idea that it seemed like Johns may or may not have been toying with and what I thought of it.

In reality I think he looks like Clark. I don't think there's much more thought past that.

That's good to bring up your observation, and it's good that I did 2,nothing wrong with it.

I just remember the panel where SB says "ppl think I look just like you", and superman says " they were just being nice" sarcasm of course.

[Konja7]

Cadmus was moving ahead with their own clone, a clone that if lex didn't interfere would have been like the original SB, a human who in every single way was made to be like superman, that's what he would have been, and you guys are forgetting this one morsel of fact, it wouldn't have mattered who's human DNA he had, he would have turned out exactly looking like superman.now you add the real thing and guess what you get an even closer almost perfect clone of Superman, who looks EXACTLY like superman.

He was ALWAYS gonna look like Superman no matter what, it doesnt matter how anybody concocts a theory, it will always end up wrong, because BOTH sides of the experiment that made SB was going to look exactly like superman.

Sorry folks.

The Lex DNA in Conner can be modified to mimic krytonian DNA, but it's still identified as Lex DNA. Tim made the test in Teen Titans #6 of Geoff Johns (Tim also mentioned Conner could inherit Lex baldness).

So, according to Geoff retcon, the 50‰ of Conner DNA isn't like Clark.

And yeah I liked that the Reign SB had lexs eyes, BUT it was a movie, and NOT in the Comics

I bring the topic because with retcons happening in comic, it would not be strange for Bendis to give Conner some traits of Lex.

That's why I mention that Geoff tried to converge Conner's two origins, because he needed a explanation for the change in his origin.

However, Bendis won't need this explanation (due to the retcons), so he will probably ignore the modification of the human DNA of Conner.

[Kon93]

The Lex DNA in Conner can be modified to mimic krytonian DNA, but it's still identified as Lex DNA. Tim made the test in Teen Titans #6 of Geoff Johns (Tim also mentioned Conner could inherit Lex baldness).

So, according to Geoff retcon, the 50‰ of Conner DNA isn't like Clark.




I bring the topic because with retcons happening in comic, it would not be strange for Bendis to give Conner some traits of Lex.

That's why I mention that Geoff tried to converge Conner's two origins, because he needed a explanation for the change in his origin.

However, Bendis won't need this explanation (due to the retcons), so he will probably ignore the modification of the human DNA of Conner.

I get your reasoning, but even back when the original was a human SUPER clone his DNA still registered as Paul Westfield, so his DNA coming up as lexs is not proving anything, besides the place he got the DNA in the 1st place.

Look even though I think we need to take in to account what cadmus was doing with the human DNA, I personally like SB to get some lex traits, as in eyes,intelligence, and a different view on how to be a hero than supermans.

[Midnighter]

Do you guys think that when Conner returns from Gemworld that Clark , Lois and Jon will know him due to "Superman Reborn"?

What do you think Jor-el will think of him?