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  1. #1
    THE MARK OF MY DIGNITY Superlad93's Avatar
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    Default Jon Kent's new power (possibly) revealed

    Overview

    So, most of us who are reading Superman right now remember the image of Jon Kent using some sort of purple construct around his arm. We haven't gotten any word on what exactly that was, but given the fact that no one else in that image seems to be doing anything remotely similar to Jon's construct, I feel it's fair to say that it's mostly likely a new power.

    History

    Two CBR posters, Toreador and Jon Clark over in the "SUPERMAN’S ABILITIES UNDER DIFFERENT STAR SYSTEMS AND STAR FORMATIONS" tipped me off to a back-up story in a bronze age story from May 1982, Superman issue #371, where Clark gains a new temporary super power. Basically, he goes near a purple sun on his way home from space, and it ends up giving him the ability to create temporary Green Lantern style constructs.

    Bendis is pretty clearly a fan of bronze age Superman, and he's been known to make allusions to both the bronze and silver age. Rose and Thorn are even coming back in a big way, and the way he teased that on his Instagram was with a bronze age cover of her.

    Continuity link

    So, I'm thinking maybe Bendis has reimagined this one-off power into something the differentiates Jon from other kryptonians. And if Bendis decides to make the obvious link, we might get this to sort of tangentially relate back to Lantern lore, thus allowing him to give a nod to Johns' Lantern mega run.

    Implications

    Is the kid somehow tapping into the emotional electromagnetic spectrum naturally because of his particular genetics? If we work on that assumption then purple construct would indicate "one with great compassion for other beings." Funny enough, Jon is using this (alleged) compassion construct while he and his grandfather are on a mission of peace stopping conflicts across the galaxy. What better color to correspond with not just the son of Superman, but also a character who was essentially acting as a galactic humanitarian?

    Precedent

    It's no secret that, on some level, some aspect of Jon's powers are linked to his emotional state. This is fairly well documented, and came to a head with Jon's solar flare ability being uncontrollable because of his genetics. In Sons of Tomorrow Jon's solar flare actually has it described as Jon "creating some sort of emotional super storm." There's also been other characters with the power to naturally tap into powers similar to a lantern like Argent, Jade, and Barry and Jessica's kids from an alternate future.

    Thoughts? Agree/disagree? If true, what do you think of it going forward?
    Last edited by Kuwagaton; 04-15-2019 at 07:10 PM.
    "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.

  2. #2
    Father Son Kamehameha < Kuwagaton's Avatar
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    Ahhh Superman #371. The one I deliberately skipped for the lousy cover, haha. Apparently it wasn't energy constructs but creating matter. Not to say that this rules out Jon finding a different use or having a different reaction to the same energy. Bendis is quite free to take that liberty but... I'm doubtful of that intention. He's much more likely to confirm something like that after being asked directly instead of directly mentioning it as a reference.

    But it raises a few questions. Is Jor El familiar with the power and fulfilling of the old master trope? It's a pretty sophisticated looking power and generally Clark isn't aware of radiation effects before seeing them firsthand. Since those effects normally wear off, is there any chance it could come up again?
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  3. #3
    Ultimate Member Ascended's Avatar
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    Link to the image isn't working for me.

    This was what, in the early days of Jon's trip right? I think I recall what you're talking about. I just assumed it was some sort of force field provided by Jor-El (plenty of stuff in space can hurt Kryptonians, it'd be foolish not to prepare accordingly). Or maybe an artist mistake of some kind? I dont remember how much detail was included.

    Anyway, the precedent does fit, and tapping into the Indigo light of compassion would be an interesting spin; ignoring the more obvious Blue light of hope. And the history of the Indigo Tribe fits well with the notion that Jon might not grow up to be the best person around (how many evil Jons have we seen now?). It also plays up the Space Prince elements Bendis is building by connecting Jon to the Lanterns, even tangentially. And we know Bendis loves the Lanterns, they've shown up a lot.

    The question then becomes whether Jon can tap into the entire spectrum, or just the single Indigo/compassion part of it. The "emotional super storm" you reference could easily be translated into Jon tapping into Red/rage, for example.

    It would also be a good way to differentiate Jon from the other Supers.

    If its true.....eh, okay? I dont think we really need to separate the Supers with unique powers in the first place. We don't have many of them to begin with and it's a pretty robust powerset with a lot of different options. Rather than giving Jon (or any Super) a unique ability, just let them solve problems differently. And I dunno if Jon needs any more "special snowflake" efforts. He's already the son of Superman, that's special enough for anyone.

    But they could definitely spin it in a way I could get behind. In the same way Conner has/had limited Kryptonian powers but balances it out with TTK, I could be down with Jon using some emotional spectrum powers to make up for being physically weaker than a full-blooded Kryptonian. I would also accept the idea that Jon is a Kryptonian metahuman, and thus has additional powers. But I'll only accept that if the books use it and explore what being a meta-kryptonian is like. I think (?maybe?) they did this a little during World of New Krypton with Nightwing and Flamebird but that's just stuff I heard online, I didnt finish WONK so maybe that was just fan theory at the time?

    I dunno if this really would tie into the emotional spectrum though. We've seen Kryptonian powers altered by different conditions before. Clark's genetics got screwed up and he ended up with electric powers. He learned to expand and control his bio field in All-Star. If this really is Jon showing different powers it could have nothing to do with the emotional spectrum. Hell, given that they were in deep space, it might just be natural abilities under that particular mix of solar radiation.
    "We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another, as if we were one single tribe."

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  4. #4
    Father Son Kamehameha < Kuwagaton's Avatar
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    Here is the scene:



    Rare, but I must admit still a time where I forgot to check the link provided up top. Not a good one, please be careful with those.
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  5. #5
    Ultimate Member Ascended's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kuwagaton View Post
    Here is the scene:



    Rare, but I must admit still a time where I forgot to check the link provided up top. Not a good one, please be careful with those.
    Thanks.

    Definitely not an artist mistake.

    Could still just be some Jor-El tech.

    Or new powers.

    One of the main problems with the "new power" theory is that it hasn't been mentioned at all. Jon's been gone for years, if he had started manifesting new powers that early in his journey, even sporadically, you'd expect him to have mentioned it to his parents by now, in the process of telling the story.

    Of course, Bendis hasn't exactly hit the pacing or plot structure straight on during his run (some of which might be due to Clock restraints, much of which is likely just Bendis) so your theory might still hold, Superlad.
    "We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another, as if we were one single tribe."

    ~ Black Panther.

  6. #6
    THE MARK OF MY DIGNITY Superlad93's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kuwagaton View Post
    Rare, but I must admit still a time where I forgot to check the link provided up top. Not a good one, please be careful with those.
    Thanks for fixing that for me, man. I really should've checked the link again. Sloppy on my part.

    Quote Originally Posted by Ascended View Post
    (how many evil Jons have we seen now?).
    I think that's just two, and both are kind of suspect in terms of "evil." One of the (Sons of Tomorrow) seemed to have accidentally killed himself and a bunch of people when his emotions got out of hand (implied to be possibly due to Damian). Jon Lane Kent is the only other, and he had a full on redemption arc just before he died, and I don't think he's even in continuity anymore. So, technically just a really soft "one."

    And I dunno if Jon needs any more "special snowflake" efforts. He's already the son of Superman, that's special enough for anyone.
    And I'd agree with you if Bendis via Jor-El didn't harp on the fact that Jon being born is a mathematical miracle. In Man of Steel issue 5 Jor-El's on calculations say that Jon shouldn't even be possible. Jor-El then flat out calls him unique. Then in issue 8 of Superman Jor-El again hints at the impossible nature of the situation where he survives Krypton's end and meets his grandson who is a half human/half kryptonian who shouldn't even be possible. Ultraman, in his own twisted way, even thought there's some big cosmic reason why Jon ended up on Earth-3 to reach his potential

    Bendis is basically screaming the word special into a megaphone when it comes to Jon. Plus, ya know, it's Bendis writing a young and stumbling legacy/counterpart to an older established hero. That means he's 100% giving that some sort of ability that their older counterpart doesn't have. We've seen this most famously with Miles and his venom stings and camouflage. But we've also seen it with young Jean Grey and her pink psychic super form. I think chances are high this is a power.

    I would also accept the idea that Jon is a Kryptonian metahuman, and thus has additional powers.
    I'd say given his sensibilities, and the fact that he's referencing a Super Sons crossover that had shades of Dark Phoenix saga in there, there's a good shot he's thinking along the lines of "Kryptonian mutant."
    He even had a post on twitter that characterized Jon's time with Jor-El as "Mr Oz's School for Gifted Youngsters."

    Quote Originally Posted by Ascended View Post
    One of the main problems with the "new power" theory is that it hasn't been mentioned at all. Jon's been gone for years, if he had started manifesting new powers that early in his journey, even sporadically, you'd expect him to have mentioned it to his parents by now, in the process of telling the story.
    Ah, see but the thing is why would he mention it really? His story seemed to focus primarily on "grandpa always meant well, but there's totally something wrong with him", "we helped a lot of people and had a lot of adventures out there in space" and "I got out of Earth-3." Jon clearly glossed over details that didn't play into any of that. But I think we see it so that we ask the question "what the heck is that thing?" I'm guessing Bendis wants to have Jon give a full on demonstration during the big space battle they're about to have, so Clark can have that "whoa" moment.

    Remember how Miles' venom blast were show the first time in issue 2 of Ultimate Comics Ultimate Spider-Man? He hit a bunch of legos, and they flew everywhere. If you didn't already know Miles before going in, you'd have thought that was just super strength. And it wasn't shown again till issue 5 where he uses it in the heat of the moment to take down Electro.
    "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.

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