DC’s The Source blog has the cover of Adventure Comics #4 up on the site currently and it seems like most of the fans are thinking the same thing I am: Why? Just…why?
Superboy/man Prime is a character who would have been a great one-off character in Infinite Crisis, I think, and whose continued use has diminished him with each go-’round. At the end of Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds, only a couple of weeks ago, I thought to myself, “Why in hell do we need a cliffhanger here? Why do we need to be told that, yep, he’ll be back soon?” And now, seeing that they can’t keep in their pants for six months? That they can’t keep him out of a single big crossover event?
This character has become the Sylar of DC Comics. Ugh.
August 5th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
Is anyone really shocked that Superman-Prime, Johns’ favorite way at taking (deserved) potshots at fans, is showing up in a John’s comic that ties in to another Johns’ comic?
August 5th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
Had Lo3W come out on time, he would have been gone for a year, or longer.
Doesn’t matter to me, though. I love me some SBP!
August 5th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
1. Is it SBP or is it Connor in the outfit? It doesn’t have the same murderous look in his eyes at the fact that some hack writer just contradicted his years of RPing the character on some LJ.
2. I thought the end of L3W wasn’t that cliffhanger-y. He was confined to his basement with his longboxes and internet access, shunned by his parents and his ex-gf. Not much after that.
August 5th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
“Why? Just…why?”
Bad writers writing bad comics badly.
August 5th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
@Alan: But with red eyes and the implication he’d murdered or at least done something horrible to his (ex-?) girlfriend, I thought the notion that he was just trapped and no longer a threat was pretty much off the table.
August 5th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
@Russ – and then he starts posting on the DCU saying that was how they wouldn’t get rid of him.
Probably will be SBP, but until it comes out, I’m gonna just tell myself it’s Connor putting on the AntiMonitor suit.
August 5th, 2009 at 6:19 pm
I’m just getting back into DC after being away for awhile, but it does seem like this character has been used a bit too much. He would have made more of an impact if he hadn’t been brought up time and time again. However, I do like his use as a “Oh, just shut up and deal with the continuity glitches” device. I’m actually looking forward to ADVENTURE COMICS. I like that Connor Kent is getting a spotlight again.
August 5th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
I reacted the same way, but I think Alan might be on to something. This looks like Connor living out his worst nightmare, not the return of SBP.
August 5th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
Sylar!
LOVE IT!
August 5th, 2009 at 8:00 pm
@Ryan Higgins, who wrote: “Had Lo3W come out on time, he would have been gone for a year, or longer.”
Hu-what? Legion of 3 Worlds was announced in April of 2008, and was scheduled to launch in August of last year in a 5-issue monthly miniseries format, wasn’t it? So even if it had come out monthly (as planned), that would have had it finishing up in December of last year. Isn’t Adventure Comics # 4 due out in November of this year? So how is that possibly “a year, or longer”? Or did I miss something?
Anyway, I agree with the column-writer’s sentiments… enough with the Superboy-Prime (if that’s who it really is on the cover), already!
August 5th, 2009 at 10:05 pm
@Kimota94 – Jeez, pardon me. I was off by a month or two. Should have said “around a year.”
August 6th, 2009 at 12:22 am
Going all the way back up to what Josh first commented on… why would you say that SBP is Johns’ personal way of taking potshots at fans?
Serious question. I’m curious.
August 6th, 2009 at 12:50 am
@MrWesley – It’s something that goes way back to IC: Fans and critics started to notice that SBP was a whiny little bastard who wanted things His Way and talked about how the current way characters and stories were being handled was “ruining everything.” I can’t remember if Johns has openly acknowledged it or not (prior to Lo3W), but it became clear pretty quickly that Prime was voicing some of the same concerns–and in many of the same self-absorbed and immature ways–as hardcore fans were doing on message boards. Making him childish, whiny and irritating was Johns’ way of castrating those who disagreed with his way of doing things, painting them as naive and incapable of viewing the complex world outside of their own little black-and-white box. There are specific examples that I’m too tired and lazy to go find, but I’m sure you could Google it. So then, in case anyone missed the somewhat more subtle ways that this was being done in previous stories, the end of LEGION OF THREE WORLDS had him literally GOING TO THE DC COMICS MESSAGE BOARDS TO BITCH. That was a little on the nose for my taste, but I guess Geoff has to get his frustration out somewhere.
August 6th, 2009 at 1:25 am
You people do realize that getting you to complain about Superboy-Prime is just what is intended, right?
I think it’s especially fitting that Johns chose a character from Earth-Prime to be the one being a whiny dick because going by the internet, everybody on Earth-Prime sure is a whiny dick.
Also, further proof that Master Higgins has the taste of kings.
August 6th, 2009 at 1:37 am
Well, Justin, whatever Johns’ intent is, DC is intent on playing this thing straight. Alex Segura’s headline on the blog post was “Guess who’s back,” which to me implies that his being back (was he ever really gone?) is a good thing. Not so much for me, a reader.
August 6th, 2009 at 6:56 am
I have no idea why Johns likes SBP so much. I think he’s a serviceable bad guy who is ruined by being the most overused villain in the DCU (outdistancing even the Joker). I can’t say I’m enthused by his rapid return, but I am at the same time very much looking ahead to the return of Kon-El next week, so I can’t complain too much.
And at least Sylar benefits from Zachary Quinto’s acting skills. The only thing left I liked about Heroes was Sylar. Too bad comics don’t have actors to save weak characters.
August 6th, 2009 at 7:23 am
I think it’s Conner. Looks at the image he’s breaking through. It’s Superman back to back with Lex luthor. Both of those guys are Connor’s “parents”.
August 6th, 2009 at 8:13 am
It’s not Conner. It’s Superwhine-Prime. Johns said he would be back in Adventure Comics #4 at the Comic-Con.
And he is the worst character ever created. He is not fun as Johns tends to think. Much less funny. He is just painful to read about. And just like Mongul at GLC, he should be put to rest for a few years.
August 6th, 2009 at 8:18 am
This character has become the Sylar of DC Comics.
Thank you! I didn’t realize that I had made that connection subconsciously until you pointed it out. That would have been bugging me for a long time and I never would have known it.
August 6th, 2009 at 10:16 am
“And he is the worst character ever created.”
Let’s remember that Johns’ characterization is completely at odds with what we saw of his initial appearances during Crisis on Infinite Earths. It’s not fair to blame good creators for what bad ones do decades later.
August 6th, 2009 at 10:24 am
wow. you fanbois whine more than i do. laaaaaaame.
sylar sucks krypto-wang… i’m actually entertaining and unique. i may hate geoff johns for depicting me to be the villain — when i’m clearly the hero in these books — but i actually enjoy reading his books.
so yeah, looking forward to adventure comics #4. looking forward to the return of me. and looking forward to more of you guys whining about me.
much love,
-The REAL Superboy
ps.
you guys friggin’ suck.
August 6th, 2009 at 10:29 am
AMBUSH BUG IS COMPLAINING ABOUT ME? AMBUSH FRIGGIN’ BUG?
whoa… i just got a friggin’ meta-headache.
hey, irwin, at least my book finally came out on time… when’s you’re book finishing?
YUP. THOUGHT SO.
-the REAL Superboy
ps.
I rule.
August 9th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
“I can’t remember if Johns has openly acknowledged it or not (prior to Lo3W), but it became clear pretty quickly that Prime was voicing some of the same concerns–and in many of the same self-absorbed and immature ways–as hardcore fans were doing on message boards.”
Except it’s Didio (mostly) and Company (Dwayne McDuffie & Gail Simone not included) that are doing self-absorbed stuff more that the folks on message boards.
Call me when the egotistical BS at DC’s gone.