No, not Crisis on Infinite Earths. And not Identity Crisis either. No, I'm talking about Zero Hour: Crisis in Time.
Yes, that crisis.
I was reading through some Superboy comics today, partially for nostalgia's sake, partially because I hadn't read them yet, and partially because issue #9 introduces Aquaman's new riding partner, King Shark. Incidentally, if you're looking for a wonderful mourning issue, check out Superboy #4, which has our dear, departed Kon-El, his late girlfriend Tana Moon, and art by the sorely-missed Mike Parobeck.
Anyway, I read Superboy #8, where a time-anomaly Silver Age Superboy happens upon our modern protagonist in Smallville. Reading this first clash of the Superboys really resonates once you've seen Infinite Crisis. Check it out:
The obligatory superhero fight
You can enlarge this one, but here's the dialogue:
Conner: Eat chain, [???] poser--that's exactly who I am! And here's a hint for you wanna-be's--gonna pass yourself off as the genuine article? Wait 'til I'm DEAD!
Clark: Which shouldn't be long at the rate you're going.
Oy, way to foreshadow there, Kon. I guess Superboy-Prime just got tired of waiting.
Oh Superboy, that's for the courts and the Siegels to decide.
Now, imagine that with the Anti-Monitor's armor...
Too bad the latest meeting couldn't have ended like this. Especially when they both started the same way:
3 comments:
I remember those issues where Conner encountered the young Clark Kent. I enjoyed how they actually seemed to get along so that rather than reading a fight, you could see the contrast between the morals and values of Clark and the modern, but not compromised, values of Conner.
I don't remember, though, that they ever stated the Clark Superboy was Superboy Prime. I always assumed that although this Superboy might be similar in character and period to Superboy Prime, it wasn't actually him.
Oh, it wasn't Superboy-Prime, but a Silver Age Superboy. I was just showing the parallels between this, Conner's first encounter with a pre-Crisis Superboy, and his last such encounter.
Yeah, I remember that one. The Robin Zero Hour issue had old, Dick Grayson Robin and new Tim; pretty solid issue there too. But this Superboy-Prime business has left me cold: I'm old enough to remember it was a dumb idea in the first place. Earth 1 or 2 or Q I could handle, but not this.
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