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  1. #31
    Ultimate Member Jackalope89's Avatar
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    I'll be honest;
    Prior to Young Justice the animated series, I never gave much thought to the term, let alone if Clark had ever been called as such in his younger years. Then YJAS came out, and though not the deepest of character arcs, I still liked Conner.

    Come 2016, I'm finally getting into comics, and though Conner had been on again/off again in continuity, Jon was introduced as Superboy. I did learn that Clark was the first to get it, don't get me wrong. But, like Conner before (if for different reasons), I still enjoyed Jon's adventures. And sometimes misadventures.

    So, take it how you will, long-time die-hards.

  2. #32
    THE MARK OF MY DIGNITY Superlad93's Avatar
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    I'd argue that the original Superboy comic functioned less as anything close to Superman past, but rather far closer to the first ever instance of something akin to an "Ultimate" take on Superman lore and the character.

    As in it was the whole Superman world, but aged down, and geared towards consumption by a younger generation. And for a generation Superboy seemed to be more popular than Superman.

    I'd even say the Post-Crisis reboot for Superman owes more to Superboy than anything else because the generation that made that Superman also grew up on Superboy as their "Ultimate" (as in Marvel's Ultimate Universe) take on the man of steel.
    "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

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  3. #33
    Extraordinary Member Restingvoice's Avatar
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    Ever since I found out it's been done in separate continuities, including portrayal in different media, I automatically ask, which continuity we're talking about before answering this kind of question. So I guess my answer is Depending On Continuity, but if you ask my preference, then I want everything to be in one continuity whenever possible.

  4. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by Superlad93 View Post
    I'd argue that the original Superboy comic functioned less as anything close to Superman past, but rather far closer to the first ever instance of something akin to an "Ultimate" take on Superman lore and the character.

    As in it was the whole Superman world, but aged down, and geared towards consumption by a younger generation. And for a generation Superboy seemed to be more popular than Superman.

    I'd even say the Post-Crisis reboot for Superman owes more to Superboy than anything else because the generation that made that Superman also grew up on Superboy as their "Ultimate" (as in Marvel's Ultimate Universe) take on the man of steel.
    Younger alternate takes on familiar characters was something that was popular back in the 40's and 50's. Archie Comics had their own 'Lil Archie' series. Yeah, notionally, it was a 'prequel' to the regular Archie stories, but since continuity didn't really exist, it didn't matter much. It was just the same status quo, but now tweaked so that everyone's a kid!

    So yeah, I suppose in that sense you're right.

    I don't think Superboy really influenced the Post-Crisis reboot - far from it. Byrne intentionally wanted to hark back to Siegal/Shuster's original story where Clark puts on the cape as an adult. But the Superboy stories did influence the reboot when it came to the Kents. Byrne already felt that killing them off served no real purpose, and seeing how they worked well as supporting characters in the Superboy stories convinced him to keep them alive in the rebooted Superman mythos.

  5. #35
    Extraordinary Member superduperman's Avatar
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    As someone who grew up prior to Conner's creation, it's a little weird to realize there are at least two generations that have never known any other Superboy. That he is a wholly separate character from Superman. The Clark Kent Superboy had his own TV show! And not that long ago either! It's strange to have to explain something that was part of your life to a younger generation.
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  6. #36
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    Quote Originally Posted by superduperman View Post
    As someone who grew up prior to Conner's creation, it's a little weird to realize there are at least two generations that have never known any other Superboy. That he is a wholly separate character from Superman. The Clark Kent Superboy had his own TV show! And not that long ago either! It's strange to have to explain something that was part of your life to a younger generation.
    Yeah, Clark being Superboy hasn't been the norm for over thirty years now, if not longer.

    The Donner movie arguably shaped more people's perceptions of Superman than anything else, and it did not have Superboy (which actually inspired Byrne to retcon him out too). Then, following on from the Byrne reboot, we've had Lois & Clark, Smallville, the DCAU, the DCEU, the Arrowverse etc. all of which have no sign of Superboy.

    Smallville is an interesting case in that its vaguely inspired by the Superboy era of Clark's life, while pretty much getting rid of the concept of a costumed Superboy. It popularized Clark's formative years in Smallville, his upbringing, and his relationships with Ma and Pa, Lex, Lana, Pete etc. with no cape and tights in sight.

    The comics did technically bring back Superboy, to the extent of giving him the suit and having him be part of the Legion...more as a way to get the Legion backstory back than anything else. But its not like they really want to emphasize it either.

  7. #37
    Extraordinary Member superduperman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bat39 View Post
    Yeah, Clark being Superboy hasn't been the norm for over thirty years now, if not longer.

    The Donner movie arguably shaped more people's perceptions of Superman than anything else, and it did not have Superboy (which actually inspired Byrne to retcon him out too). Then, following on from the Byrne reboot, we've had Lois & Clark, Smallville, the DCAU, the DCEU, the Arrowverse etc. all of which have no sign of Superboy.

    Smallville is an interesting case in that its vaguely inspired by the Superboy era of Clark's life, while pretty much getting rid of the concept of a costumed Superboy. It popularized Clark's formative years in Smallville, his upbringing, and his relationships with Ma and Pa, Lex, Lana, Pete etc. with no cape and tights in sight.

    The comics did technically bring back Superboy, to the extent of giving him the suit and having him be part of the Legion...more as a way to get the Legion backstory back than anything else. But its not like they really want to emphasize it either.
    Smallville was a combination of the pre-and post-Crisis versions and I think it works better than both to some degree. If they have to pick a permanent history for Superman, I think they should go with something like this. We know next to nothing about the Arrow-verse Superman other than he had a Legion ring in the Fortress. So who knows. Maybe the new show will go into this a little better.
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  8. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by superduperman View Post
    Smallville was a combination of the pre-and post-Crisis versions and I think it works better than both to some degree. If they have to pick a permanent history for Superman, I think they should go with something like this. We know next to nothing about the Arrow-verse Superman other than he had a Legion ring in the Fortress. So who knows. Maybe the new show will go into this a little better.
    Agreed about the Arrowverse Superman. But from what little I know (I havent even watched Supergirl fully, just a few odd episodes and the crossovers), I think its highly unlikely that he was flying around as Superboy in this continuity. Arrowverse Superman seems to draw largely from the Donner/Reeve movies, the Byrne reboot and L&C.

  9. #39
    Extraordinary Member superduperman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bat39 View Post
    Agreed about the Arrowverse Superman. But from what little I know (I havent even watched Supergirl fully, just a few odd episodes and the crossovers), I think its highly unlikely that he was flying around as Superboy in this continuity. Arrowverse Superman seems to draw largely from the Donner/Reeve movies, the Byrne reboot and L&C.
    IDK if they're planning on doing a lot of flashbacks to his childhood in the new show. Supposedly there is one in the pilot if that leaked script is accurate. But if I had my druthers I'd split the difference and do a Smallville type origin. He had powers as a kid and used them in secret. No costume. It makes sense that way and you still get some adventures to work with in the stories.
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  10. #40
    Incredible Member Jon-El's Avatar
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    Superman as he looked when I first discovered him.
    94040902-32FD-4C2B-A896-FD5222A65080.jpg

    Superboy from the same period.
    506D8EF4-364B-40D6-B542-8B348CF4C321.jpg



    I swear I thought they were different people for awhile! I don’t remember how long it took me to figure it out. Mike Grell drew Superboy to look absolutely 1970’s hip. It took a few months before I thought “oh. Ok they’re the sane person!”

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