Conner Kent, the original Superboy from the 1990s is finally returning to DC Comics, and his leather jacket look is getting even more punk rock when he does. The costume may not be everyone's cup of tea, but the long-awaited return of the "true" Superboy to an entire generation is absolutely good news.
The return of Conner Kent, a.k.a. Kon-El, a.k.a. "The Metropolis Kid" is more than just a throwback to the famous Death and Return of Superman era of DC Comics. Superboy's reboot and return to DC continuity was announced during New York Comic Con, but he'll be making his return under a new imprint - and with his best friends Bart Allen and Tim Drake at his side.
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Conner is expected to return in January, with the trio of Young Justice stars just a handful of the larger roster of younger DC heroes being relaunched as part of Wonder Comics, a new imprint overseen by Brian Michael Bendis and targeting teenage comic readers. And with a new take on Bart, Conner, and Tim, new costumes are in order, courtesy of Patrick Gleason:
As the official designs released by DC show, Gleason isn't straying too far from the original - some might even say dated - costume cooked up by his creators, Karl Kesel Tom Grummett back in 1993. But then, one person's idea of outdated is someone else's nostalgia, and the same rules applies to all three heroes included. We'll reserve judgement until we hear the explanation for Conner's shoulder spikes, sunglasses, Superman patches, and Solo-style hip holster in the comics themselves. What these designs will force fans to ask more than anything is how this new Young Justice will be worked into the existing canon.
DC has been dropping more and more hints about a possible return of Conner Kent's Superboy, ever since the beginning of Rebirth started to rewrite the changes made with the launch of the New 52. When the old and new versions of Superman merged into the current version, his memories of the "Rise of The Supermen" came fading back into canon... but with Superboy nowhere to be seen. Will the launch of Wonder Comics and this new Young Justice begin to tell that story of DC canon being restored once more?
For now we would advise fans hold off on getting their hopes up. While this Superboy is featured in the Wonder Comics announcement artwork by Jamal Campbell, the cirumstances of his reintroduction are as vague as the heroes surrounding him. And Dan DiDio's explanation of their return during a NYCC panel - alongside Bendis - implied a larger, in-the-works story may not have been the plan at all:
People have been asking for them over and over again... But we don’t want to bring them back and have nothing to do with them. It wasn’t until Brian came back and said he wanted to do Young Justice that we decided it was time to bring them back.
The confusion isn't a sign of quality at this point, since there are likely to be just as many fans who would want a fresh start for this Superboy redux as a return of Superman's successor (especially with Superman's son Jonathan acting as current Superboy). And is the Bart Allen beside him the same Impulse who returned from the Speed Force in Flash War?
What lies ahead for the future of Conner Kent, Young Justice, and the rest of the Wonder Comics books has yet to be revealed. But rest assured, we'll keep fans updated as more official details are released.
Superboy is expected to make his Wonder Comics return in January 2019.
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Source: DC Comics