Actually, I think Conner at Smallville High actually helped distinguish him from Superman in some cool ways. Clark grew up in Smallville, but left it behind for a faster paced life in Metropolis. Conner started his life obsessed with the attention and action of the rest of the world, but came to love the slow pace of Smallville and view it as a home for himself. He discovered a zen and a piece of mind there that he couldn't of imagined perviously, and it seemed like that discovery was how he'd forge path independent of Clark and Lex, as both of them left Smallville behind. I'm not sure Lemire's Conner would ever want to.