DC writer Tom King has just given fans a glimpse of an unused Superboy design, describing it as part of a revival of Superboy's New 52 incarnation that never happened. The Batman and Sherriff of Babylon author had little to add about why the series never made it to print or what it would have involved, except that he was meant to write it. Presumably, Teen Titans illustrator Kenneth Rocafort would have been the artist for the uncompleted series.

This would have been the Kon-El version of Superboy, originally created in the 90s as a half-Kryptonian clone of Superman to replace him after he died. The New 52 reboot tweaked this to add some characters from the Wildstorm Universe, which the reboot folded into main continuity, but the character remains the same: a lab-grown teenager with vague connections to a hero he doesn't know and isn't sure he wants to emulate. He starred in a Superboy series from Red Hood and the Outlaws team Scott Lobdell and RB Silva for a few years, then floated from the pages of Supergirl to Teen Titans. After DC Rebirth, Kon-El entered relative obscurity thanks to the rise of Jon Kent, Superman's biological son who used the Superboy name more prominently.

Related: Superboy Reborn as DC's New WARLORD in Young Justice

King's Instagram post shows off the concept art that presents us with a new take on Conner Kent. The design pulls from a number of sources, including Connor's black T-shirt and jeans that fans of the Young Justice animated series are familiar with, as well as the white T-shirt Supergirl wore in the DC Animated Universe, complete with a more angular S-shield that resembles that used by New 52's Supergirl.

Kon-El's heat vision becomes a ring of energy around his fists, which does a good job of visualizing the "tactile telekinesis" energy field that makes Superboy's powers work. The sweatshirt and forearm-length sleeves are reminiscent of Jon Kent's look as a young Superboy which debuted years later, suggesting a coincidentally similar approach to making Superman's outfit look youthful and modern. This is a departure from the glowing black suit Superboy wore at the time; it looks like it would have been more like the Superboy fans from pre-New 52 followed, while still being a unique take that fit in with the slick yet angular 90s-revival aesthetic that the New 52 books tended to adopt.

Readers who want to know what the book would have been like will have to settle for 2014's Teen Titans Annual #1, which starred Superboy and was written by Tom King and Catwoman's Will Pfeifer. Fortunately, both creators have moved on to greener pastures: King is currently writing for the upcoming DC series Strange Adventures and Rocafort is bringing his talents to Valiant's Doctor Tomorrow.

More: Tom King Reveals Mitch Gerads' First Mister Miracle Design Concept

Source: Tom King