Better choice for a favourite: Superboy Prime or Black Adam

[Dcnewb]

Hi. I’m kind of new to DC and I’m trying to figure out a character to follow.

Out of Black Adam and Superboy Prime who would you say is more prominently featured and a more enjoyable character to follow?

thanks in advance

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

Black Adam has a cooler hook and better stories to me.

[Captain Nostalgia]

Depends what you like, Superboy Prime is usually a straight up villain, while Black Adam is an anti hero.

Black Adam is getting more of a push comic wise, and is a more interesting character in my opinion, but if you like reading big prior events from the past, you can find a lot of Superboy Prime floating around.

I would go with Black Adam.

[Timothy Hunter]

Superboy Prime is an insufferable character whose only purpose was to make fun of critics of Dan DiDio's handing of the DC Universe.
Whether it be Infinite Crisis or Sinestro Corps War, Superboy Prime was always the worst part about the he was featured in. Fans absolutely hated him during his heyday.

Meanwhile, Geoff Johns was able to turn Black Adam into an incredibly rich and tragic character starting in the pages of Johns' JSA and continuing into 52 and concluding in Black Adam The Dark Age.

[krazijoe]

Superboy Prime is an incredibly annoying character whose only purpose was to make of critics of Dan DiDio's handing of the DC Universe
Whether it be Infinite Crisis or Sinestro Corps War, Superboy Prime was always the worst part about the he was featured in. Fans absolutely hated him during his heyday.

Meanwhile, Geoff Johns was able to turn Black Adam into an incredibly rich and tragic character starting in the pages of Johns' JSA and continuing into 52 and concluding in Black Adam The Dark Age.

I liked Prime, I just ignored or was ignorant of the Meta...

[HsssH]

Superboy Prime is an insufferable character whose only purpose was to make fun of critics of Dan DiDio's handing of the DC Universe.
Whether it be Infinite Crisis or Sinestro Corps War, Superboy Prime was always the worst part about the he was featured in. Fans absolutely hated him during his heyday.

Meanwhile, Geoff Johns was able to turn Black Adam into an incredibly rich and tragic character starting in the pages of Johns' JSA and continuing into 52 and concluding in Black Adam The Dark Age.

I like how you managed to make it sound like Superboy Prime wasn't created and almost exclusively written by Geoff Johns.

But yeah, Black Adam is a bit better and has an interesting miniseries currently written by Priest.

[exile001]

I like how you managed to make it sound like Superboy Prime wasn't created and almost exclusively written by Geoff Johns.

TH framed it poorly, as it was Johns being defensive of himself and Didio and attacking fans who couldn't let go of the Pre-Crisis stuff (including Barry) but what he's saying is still 100% on point. Superboy Prime was created and written as a transparent shot at fans. That was the point of the character.

You can like him outside of that but to a lot of us he's a bad, obvious character who was only written to appease a thin skinned creator/editor who routinely ignored fan criticism (valid and otherwise).

To OP, read Black Adam. As mentioned previously, you can chart his story arc over years and there are some damn fine stories starring him.

Superboy Prime does have his moments, but most of the stories he is in suck (Infinite Crisis, Countdown, Blackest Night tie-in, Legion of Three Worlds), he is the weakest part of them (Sinestro War), and he's just the villain anyway.

That said, Superboy Prime's Death Metal tie-in was, ironically, the only good issue in that absolute mess.

[Restingvoice]

Black Adam
Leader of his own country with his own standard remind me of Dr. Doom in concept and produce interesting dynamic with both heroes and villains

Superboy Prime was supposed to be left in peace
Good thing he's now redeemed

[Dcnewb]

Thanks guys!

Has Superboy prime ever had his own series? If not then how often is he featured in stories?

[Bruce Wayne]

Superboy Prime is an insufferable character whose only purpose was to make fun of critics of Dan DiDio's handing of the DC Universe.

Doubt.

https://www.tcj.com/2020-report-day-...-interviews/3/

Didio would get so angry he would throw things and shout and slam doors – the door frame to his co-publisher office had a crack around it because he’d slammed it so many times. I once saw him throw lettering copy at an associate editor in a rage. He threw his office phone to the ground once and then was so angry about it being broken that you could hear him bellowing for his assistant down the hall to get him a new phone.

Anyway, Didio found out we were putting “kiddy ****” in mainstream Batman comics, and he lost his mind. Someone, I don’t remember who, popped into my office and told me that Dan was furious upon seeing the lettering and that he was going to come down to scream at me. Marts told me to leave for the day (it was already like 5 anyway) and that he would handle it, so I scampered. Marts got the brunt of the ranting and screaming that was meant for me. I felt guilty but also relieved, you know? I don’t hold up well under screaming.

Reminds you of anyone? Given Didio's hatred of post-crisis DC and how was pissed at people criticizing him online (ex. Herald), I think there is a case to be made that SBP is based more on the mentality of certain people at DC. Not to mention Johns suddenly retires the character after Dan is suddenly out the door.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

Superboy-Prime reminds me of Doomsday. They are a cool idea but limited potential. It would be cool to use him to critique fan culture but Control Freak from the Teen Titans is a better take on the same idea.

He'd be a fun villian for Jon Kent tho.

[Dcnewb]

Just for clarification: who has more comic appearances of the two character?

[MajorHoy]

Actually, Superboy of Earth-Prime was a great character when he was first introduced.

It was when Johns got his hands on him for Infinite Crisis that it all went down hill from there.

[HsssH]

Just for clarification: who has more comic appearances of the two character?

Black Adam.

[Dcnewb]

Black Adam.

Cheers, because I want a favourite that I can follow each year and not once every decade haha