I also like Kid Superman. I started thinking of Superman Child.
Maybe worth mentioning that in his Den of Geek interview regarding Jon's return in issue 7, Bendis never once calls him Superboy. Calls him Jon almost exclusively, and he specifically says "he's (Jon) immensely proud of himself for getting home. He kind of shows you what kind of Superman he is, and then he's going to describe that in the flashbacks."
And also "you're going to find out what kind of man Jon is becoming"
That's not to say that he's totally independent or not in need of a guiding hand from his parents (he says as much during the interview), but, in no uncertain terms, Bendis seems to make it clear that a very real threshold has been crossed, and Jon is no longer a Superboy/child. This is why I think him electing to continue to call himself Superboy (or any child-like identifier) would be wildly inappropriate.
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In a sense I see some parallels between this and most versions of Spider-Man (be it Peter or Miles). The idea that even though the characters start their journeys as children who sidestep the greater responsibility that comes with being an adult, some inciting incident occurs that makes them rise to the occasion of manhood regardless of age.
Or as the Main Man (HA! I see what you did there Bendis) put it: "yer a man when you decide ta be. Ain't no one handin' out certificates or nothin'. Decide to"
For classic Peter in particular, he had to decide to be a man the day his uncle died. His aunt was always sick, bills needed to be payed, and they were all they had. He couldn't just continue in the blissful ignorance of being an awkward teen.
The similarities are there with Jon. He was lost, in an awful place, separated from his last authority figure, and alone. At that moment he was made to decide if he wanted to get back to what was important to him, and what he had to become to do it.
That's why Peter and Miles were never Spider-Boy, and that's I honestly think Jon is no longer Superboy. He decided not to be.
Last edited by Superlad93; 02-22-2019 at 09:53 AM.
"Mark my words! This drill will open a hole in the universe. And that hole will become a path for those that follow after us. The dreams of those who have fallen. The hopes of those who will follow. Those two sets of dreams weave together into a double helix, drilling a path towards tomorrow. THAT's Tengen Toppa! THAT'S Gurren Lagann! MY DRILL IS THE DRILL THAT CREATES THE HEAVENS!" - The Digger
We walk on the path to Secher Nbiw. Though hard fought, we walk the Golden Path.
This might feel like I'm beating a dead horse here, but as long as none of the Superboys start to call himself Superman, I'm fine with this. One Superman is special. Unique even. To turn him into a legacy character would diminish him in ways I could not even begin to describe. And yes, I took that quote from Star Trek: The Next Generation because it fits this topic perfectly.
I don't think Jon's gonna call himself Superman. I think he's gonna go by Jon Kent The Son of Superman to the public and greater galaxy.
That said, Superman is pretty well established under Bendis as both the man and as a fully functioning legacy now. That's what these last two issues of Superman have gotten across on basically ever level. As Jon implies that he was feeling the very real weight of that legacy the second he put on the suit, and he knew that one day he'd have to be "that guy."
Jon: "A lot --a lot of people are going to be wanting a lot of things from me. They already do because of him (Clark). And I don't--I mean, I want to be that guy, but...."
Clark may have not intended it, nor even noticed it, but he's created a symbol through his actions and deeds. He's transformed Krypton's House of El's crest into something now first and foremost recognized as the symbol of the Superman of Earth. And in finding love and bringing in an offspring into the world, he's created legacy. Pure and simple. And it's just a weight that they all have to deal with on one level or another.
Notice how Bendis has every character that meets Jon address him specifically as "Son of Superman" or "young Superman" or "little Superman." And the fact that Jor-El says that to the rest of the galaxy, Superman and his family are basically royalty, and they are expected to hold to the same standard Clark set, as we saw with how people begged for Lois' help because she was the wife of Superman and wore her crest accordingly.
Again, I don't think Jon's gonna go by anything other than Jon Kent (like Luke Cage or Jessica Jones) going forward, I think it would be holding your head in the sand to not think of Superman as a legacy character on some level given his deeds, status, and the fact that he has an actual heir.
I think Bendis explains his feelings on the matter best by using Spider-Man (a character who wouldn't strike one as "legacy" on first glance)
I assume Clark and Jon are gonna have a similar conversation about how Jon had to really step-up these past few years, and how Clark feels about it (given he initially didn't actually want Jon to be a hero).
Notice how Peter explains that he didn't even realize that he created a legacy till it was already upon him. He gets how much pressure that is, and wouldn't wish that on someone else. He later goes on to say that he's proud that if anything ever happened to him Miles would be there, but it's bittersweet because, again, he knows the pressure associated with being Spider-Man.
"Mark my words! This drill will open a hole in the universe. And that hole will become a path for those that follow after us. The dreams of those who have fallen. The hopes of those who will follow. Those two sets of dreams weave together into a double helix, drilling a path towards tomorrow. THAT's Tengen Toppa! THAT'S Gurren Lagann! MY DRILL IS THE DRILL THAT CREATES THE HEAVENS!" - The Digger
We walk on the path to Secher Nbiw. Though hard fought, we walk the Golden Path.
He can't go around calling himself Jon Kent, Son of Superman. The surname would give away Clark's secret identity.
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Yes, I'm aware of that.
It's a theory that could derail this thread, so to keep it short: I think the upcoming new status quo, as teased by Bendis in his Den of Geek interview, will be that it will publicly come out that Jon Kent is Superman and Lois' son.....and Clark Kent is and always has been his stepfather.
I mean, it's not like they can continue to say that their son is away for the summer. He looks not even remotely close to an 11 or even 13 year old. And he has a very distinctive scar on his right cheek (I think Bendis put it there deliberately to hammer away any chances of a secret identity).
Thus, I think he'll function closer to the likes of Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, or the Fantastic Four (this includes Franklin Richards, a similar young hero just back from years in space) where everyone will know who they are, and they'll function just fine.
"Mark my words! This drill will open a hole in the universe. And that hole will become a path for those that follow after us. The dreams of those who have fallen. The hopes of those who will follow. Those two sets of dreams weave together into a double helix, drilling a path towards tomorrow. THAT's Tengen Toppa! THAT'S Gurren Lagann! MY DRILL IS THE DRILL THAT CREATES THE HEAVENS!" - The Digger
We walk on the path to Secher Nbiw. Though hard fought, we walk the Golden Path.
Superlad your idea would SUCK for Clark Kent the man.
I really wish SB was the one getting the new name and look treatment,seems they are keeping SB in amber aslong as they can.
Why? I think, depending on how it's framed, it'll work out pretty well. I mean, as far as the public knows, Lois Lane 100% used to have a thing with Superman. It's the world's biggest open secret. But then she ended up falling for mild mannered Clark Kent in the end. When it all came down to it, she married Clark the guy in full view of the world.
What I'm suggesting/theorizing is that while Lois and Clark were on the very real break before they got married (this is a real thing that happened, and Jurgens wrote it), Lois and Superman rekindled an old flame, but it didn't go anywhere, and Lois and Clark got married. 9 months in: Jon's here, and Clark being secure with himself and madly in love with his wife, raises the boy along side her. But, that doesn't mean Superman is slacking either. It's well documented that Superman has been training the mysterious new Superboy for the last year (a statue was even made in their honor in Hamilton just upstate of Metropolis), so he's still very much in the boy's life.
But since being a blended family can sometimes get awkward, Clark and Superman don't tend to cross paths, and no one blames them
"Mark my words! This drill will open a hole in the universe. And that hole will become a path for those that follow after us. The dreams of those who have fallen. The hopes of those who will follow. Those two sets of dreams weave together into a double helix, drilling a path towards tomorrow. THAT's Tengen Toppa! THAT'S Gurren Lagann! MY DRILL IS THE DRILL THAT CREATES THE HEAVENS!" - The Digger
We walk on the path to Secher Nbiw. Though hard fought, we walk the Golden Path.
So Lois will be in more danger than she usually is? How? In issue 1002 of Action Comics it's firmly established that no one says the name "Lois Lane" because it's an open secret that she's very close with Superman. All this would do is confirm that and change nothing, but the idea that TWO astonishingly powerful men with super hearing are always vigilant for her well-being. If anything, it's a "back the hell off" sign in neon lights.
Same would logically go for Clark given he's the boy's father. They'd have to add the name "Clark Kent" to the do not say list.
"Mark my words! This drill will open a hole in the universe. And that hole will become a path for those that follow after us. The dreams of those who have fallen. The hopes of those who will follow. Those two sets of dreams weave together into a double helix, drilling a path towards tomorrow. THAT's Tengen Toppa! THAT'S Gurren Lagann! MY DRILL IS THE DRILL THAT CREATES THE HEAVENS!" - The Digger
We walk on the path to Secher Nbiw. Though hard fought, we walk the Golden Path.