These missed opportunities can be traced to bendisI'm one of those fans who just generally loves Jon, but I do prefer when he was a cheerful kid because there's a dearth of those in the DCU right now and I prefer Clark as Superman.
I never wanted him to be a child forever, I'd be fine if he was a teen in ten years or something (and dragged the Batbrat along with him) but we just didn't get there in a manner that was fun or particularly interesting.
Jon in the Legion? I love that idea! I like that all the Els went to the future like some summer camp in their teen years and that was their Summer of, well, maybe love but definitely adventure. But throwing out Clark's history with them sucks big time.
The biggest problem with Jon wasn't the age up, it's that everyone's narrative had to shift to give him something. Rather than use the age up to tell his story, they used it to retell other people's stories with Jon in that spot. I think that's the biggest problem. You guys who didn't like the age up, I don't know if all of you would have been swayed but I feel many would had they gone and did unique things with Jon that made the trade worthwhile.
As it is, I like the kid a lot, but I do feel there's a mountain of missed opportunities in how we got to where we are.