Comic fans are different than most fans.
We don't care if a certain character isn't that great, or if their history is too hard to follow. Once we decide we like a character, we won't ever stop supporting them.
With me, that character is Superboy. That might be strange to people reading my reviews because nowadays I mostly read Marvel and Image comics. And when I'm not reading comics, I tend to read a lot of political stuff.
Superboy, or Conner Kent, is so far away from anything I like, but when I first got into comics, it was this character that hooked me. After Superman was killed by Doomsday, four other Supermen stepped in to take his place. The storyline, The Reign of the Supermen, made me insane for comics.
My favorite Superman, Superboy, was a 15-year-old clone of the last son of Krypton and was a smartass, punk kid. He had (*gasp*) an earing! And a cool leather jacket! This second grader was powerless...
Even after Reign ended, the adventures of Superboy continued. My mom even recalls me discussing plotlines over dinner about the Superboy comic. The series was written by Karl Kesel and drawn brilliantly by Tom Grummett. It was a playful introduction to comics.
Of course, not everyone felt the same way about the character. He was the opposite of Peter Parker - he actually seemed, even if he wasn't written that way, to be the guy that beat you up in high school.
About two years ago, DC Comics killed him off in one of their big crossover events. I was crushed. But, apparently, a lot of other people were too.
Imagine our collective excitement when one of the best writers in comics, Geoff Johns (sorry for dissing you a few posts back), has revived the character through the latest crossover, Final Crisis.
To make things even sweeter, Superboy now has a new series called Adventure Comics that is written by Johns. DC even managed to get an amazing new artist named Francis Manapul to draw it!
The first issue doesn't disappoint. Conner struggles with his dual-linage (a few years ago we found out he was also a clone of Lex Luther) and seems to have a new attitude: humility. Conner just spent the past 1,000 years in a machine to revive him after being killed. He doesn't know where he fits in the world - is he Clark Kent or Lex Luther?
I would support Conner either way the character developed. But, I am thrilled that he seems to be growing up with his fans.
My hopes for the new series:
- Conner will still live in Smallville. The first issue seems to be channeling the TV show back when it was good (seasons 2-5).
- He will go, at least a little bit, to the dark side. A surprise at the end of this first issue points to him trying to be like Lex.
- New characters. Superboy has long suffered from a bad supporting cast. Aside from Lex, Clark, and Ma Kent, I say get rid of all of the others.
- Wonder Girl will be in it. Conner was dating this protege of Wonder Woman before dying. Sort of the same problem as Conner coming off as a jock. I don't think him dating a flying daughter of Zues is very appealing to readers. Plus, the few comics I have seen with her in it involve her crying a lot and being boring. In Adventure Comics #1 he seems to have his eye on a Smallville girl. I hope it sticks.
- That he rejoins the Teen Titans. Back when Superboy got cancelled, the Teen Titans series gave the character a home. I'm not a huge fan of the greater DC universe, so hopefully now that he has his own title, we won't need to deal with all the lame Titans characters.
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