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eliyesThere is a story. It's called "How Superboy Got His Groove Back". It's an issue of Kon-el's first on-going series. It introduces a new costume. It has a random tachikoma toy. It has a lot of funny moments.
It murders Kon's character.
The premise of the story is that Kon feels he's lost his cool. He's losing himself in work but actually kind of apathetic about it in that he's really not feeling much joie de vivre. Considering he'd just had a really incredibly crappy few months -- almost died, got stuck at apparent age of 16 for life, replaced by evil clone and teammates didn't notice, girlfriend murdered while hugging him, regained ability to age, lost powers, was enslaved again (this time by space aliens), best friend/sister figure nearly died, got powers back... Superman suggests that Kon is focussing on the things he can control in his life (his work, his image) to avoid dealing with the stuff he can't control and his emotions, etc., but he shouldn't take how people see him so much to heart since he is not his image. Or something like that. Kon doesn't get the message, really. Instead he goes to the snobby hipster who's dissing of him triggered this particular teenage freakout and asks her to help him get his mojo back. After a lot of really intensive programming in being an aloof sarcasmo steeped in the very latest pop culture, Kon ends up with a new costume, turns down the girl's advances on the basis of her being "superficial, shallow, and not a very nice person" who doesn't actually care about the guy behind the costume. We get a panel that implies that she intended him to do that, as a final proof he has his mojo back, and then we have him cheerily bantering with some monster primates pre-fight and are supposed to accept that he's really got his groove back.
It's all kind of forced, though. He's not actually happy. The very next issue is called "Rage". It starts with Kon beating the shit out of training robot dopplegangers of the Justice League, actually impaling the Bat-bot, which gets him some understandable flack from his trainer, Guardian. He smartmouths The Wall, and then screams insults at her. He says incredibly unkind things to Serling, with whom he shares an attraction (but he previously asked her if they could not pursue it until he could get his head on straight about losing Tana), a friendship, and a working relationship. People go around making comments about how he needs to show some fucking compassion, and if it weren't a .cbr I would throw down the comic in disgust.
Yes, he's grieving. I understand that. He met Tana when he was two days old and fell for her like a sack of bricks off a bridge, and loved her from that moment on, and then couldn't save her from having her head blown off when he was holding her in his arms. I understand that he has issues! He has a right to be angry and fucked up! But Superboy -- this Superboy -- has two overriding character traits: his stubborn refusal to give up even in the face of insurmountable odds*, and his compassion. At this point he is experienced enough to know that dodging the bolt from the bad guy means looping back to save the civilians who might get hit by it. At this point he has let Batman strap him to a nuclear bomb that is going to go off with him on it in the hope of saving the world. At this point he has fucking proved he knows how to think and be sensitive and just arrrrrgh! *tears at hair*
I liked Kon. I liked his innate goodness. I liked his "boy scoutiness". But no. They had to make him an "edgy", aloof ragaholic in a darker-schemed leather costume who alienates all his friends and colleagues and fans and GEE, I WONDER WHY THE BOOK GOT CANCELLED.
*points at DC* I'm watching you. This new Superboy on-going is actually fairly promising, but the Teen Titans book seems to have a lot of frigging bullshit. Don't fuck this up, again.
* "You were fighting an enemy you couldn't touch and who repeatedly caused you excruciating pain -- but you didn't give up. That's heroism."
It murders Kon's character.
The premise of the story is that Kon feels he's lost his cool. He's losing himself in work but actually kind of apathetic about it in that he's really not feeling much joie de vivre. Considering he'd just had a really incredibly crappy few months -- almost died, got stuck at apparent age of 16 for life, replaced by evil clone and teammates didn't notice, girlfriend murdered while hugging him, regained ability to age, lost powers, was enslaved again (this time by space aliens), best friend/sister figure nearly died, got powers back... Superman suggests that Kon is focussing on the things he can control in his life (his work, his image) to avoid dealing with the stuff he can't control and his emotions, etc., but he shouldn't take how people see him so much to heart since he is not his image. Or something like that. Kon doesn't get the message, really. Instead he goes to the snobby hipster who's dissing of him triggered this particular teenage freakout and asks her to help him get his mojo back. After a lot of really intensive programming in being an aloof sarcasmo steeped in the very latest pop culture, Kon ends up with a new costume, turns down the girl's advances on the basis of her being "superficial, shallow, and not a very nice person" who doesn't actually care about the guy behind the costume. We get a panel that implies that she intended him to do that, as a final proof he has his mojo back, and then we have him cheerily bantering with some monster primates pre-fight and are supposed to accept that he's really got his groove back.
It's all kind of forced, though. He's not actually happy. The very next issue is called "Rage". It starts with Kon beating the shit out of training robot dopplegangers of the Justice League, actually impaling the Bat-bot, which gets him some understandable flack from his trainer, Guardian. He smartmouths The Wall, and then screams insults at her. He says incredibly unkind things to Serling, with whom he shares an attraction (but he previously asked her if they could not pursue it until he could get his head on straight about losing Tana), a friendship, and a working relationship. People go around making comments about how he needs to show some fucking compassion, and if it weren't a .cbr I would throw down the comic in disgust.
Yes, he's grieving. I understand that. He met Tana when he was two days old and fell for her like a sack of bricks off a bridge, and loved her from that moment on, and then couldn't save her from having her head blown off when he was holding her in his arms. I understand that he has issues! He has a right to be angry and fucked up! But Superboy -- this Superboy -- has two overriding character traits: his stubborn refusal to give up even in the face of insurmountable odds*, and his compassion. At this point he is experienced enough to know that dodging the bolt from the bad guy means looping back to save the civilians who might get hit by it. At this point he has let Batman strap him to a nuclear bomb that is going to go off with him on it in the hope of saving the world. At this point he has fucking proved he knows how to think and be sensitive and just arrrrrgh! *tears at hair*
I liked Kon. I liked his innate goodness. I liked his "boy scoutiness". But no. They had to make him an "edgy", aloof ragaholic in a darker-schemed leather costume who alienates all his friends and colleagues and fans and GEE, I WONDER WHY THE BOOK GOT CANCELLED.
*points at DC* I'm watching you. This new Superboy on-going is actually fairly promising, but the Teen Titans book seems to have a lot of frigging bullshit. Don't fuck this up, again.
* "You were fighting an enemy you couldn't touch and who repeatedly caused you excruciating pain -- but you didn't give up. That's heroism."
(no subject)
Date: 2011-05-25 09:28 am (UTC)And why I wanted you to read Reign of the Supermen (well, a major reason anyway).
I'm going to point out one flaw here: DC has already gone this route and fucked him up again or did you forget the whole bullshit with the Luthor thing and how Kon -- after the Legion stint which I can't even in this context -- said fuckitall I'm worthless and sulked and moped with the Kents and bitched and moaned? Infinite Crisis kicks off with that very thing! It's what let Superboy-Prime finish rotting in the head, Alexander (oh what fucking irony) feeding the sight of Kon getting on like that into Prime's head.
Of course, Infinite Crisis also gave Kon the most epic redemption in the history of seeing-the-enlightenment-hammer redemptions.
I mean hell, look at my current wallpaper. "I can't believe I ever hated Smallville." But in those same Adventure issues he was still making the list, even if he mercifully and rightfully tossed the thing.
Fuck the Titans book. Kon's current ongoing is made of awesome. But DC seems to take a joy in beating Kon down -- and there's a certain irony in that the one place the beating failed to actually break him is in the hands of, of all people, fucking Abnet and Lanning.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-05-25 07:52 pm (UTC)I know, I know, rubbertree plant...
I wonder if maybe snapping him back to hang with the Legion wouldn't be a good plan. Only problem being it's not his Legion. However, technically he's a time traveller at this point -- he's existing twice at once, and has come back in time to do so since his resurrection -- do we know if that Barry Allen alt went after Kon like he went after Bart...?
(no subject)
Date: 2011-05-25 09:08 pm (UTC)I wonder if it counts as existing twice at once for picky DC purposes, given the condition he's in so to speak. I don't recall any sign of the alt going after him, but the Flash horde seem to really only be concerned with the Flash horde these days -- writers probably wouldn't have even bothered. (which is a good thing imo, and avoids complications.)
(no subject)
Date: 2011-05-26 07:36 am (UTC)I suppose that Barry was mostly concerned with people who could use the speed force to steal "chronal energy" or whatever (which should, by the previously demonstrated logic of the DCU, have actually been all about making old people young, but whatever, Zoom is evil). So that's not Kon, so much.