#but I hope that they go for a more 'Clark and Kon's relationship doesn't really need a label' thing. because that's what I prefer

[cluescorner]

KON KON KON KON KON KON KON MY FUCKINGGG BOY

First images from season 3 of MAWS!

(Images credits: ToonamiSquad & FanboyFighter)

[honeyplus]

Hi hello, Damian pulling a Talia-esque move with his own child is INSANE/pos. But with that devastating concept I wonder: would the child be like Damian and be able to pick out Jon in a building with hundreds of people in it- or be like Jon in the sense that he had no idea that he wasn't fully human for so long,let alone who his other bio parent is? Damian raising his kid knowing that Jon's involvement would be like his own relationship with his father, impossibly distant no matter the proximity. Damian raising his child angry at the thought of Jon treating their child like Clark did Kon,even if he's more like Lois than anyone.

Like.. Damian canonically KNOWS he's loved but he doesn't really FEEL loved by Bruce most of the time. Would he refuse the same fate extended to his child,his flesh and blood due to that gut-wrenching feeling alone? Or would he do it seeing Jon chase his father's shadow years into adulthood,knowing he would never be his father's equal but his little lanky farm boy forever and ever... Not wanting either dynamic for his beloved baby,even if it will hurt everyone around him at the betrayal.

Omg Clark and Lois not knowing they're grandparents. Clark not knowing the person he distrusts most in his son's life is his grandchild's-Jon's kid- father. Lois missing the opportunity to see another child of hers grow up,to be the grandparent her parents never were... The absolute meltdown Jon will have because Damian,his tether,his other half- didn't think HE would be a good dad for their kid even as they float after a running dog and Damian struggling to coach them through the method of flying .. My mind is plagued now thanks/pos HORRIFIC ENDING THOUGHT: would the kid look more like Damian like he looks like Talia,so much so that Jon wouldn't recognize himself in them like Bruce did? God I'm throwing up😭😭

My HC is like in Invincible, even the tiniest bit of kryptonian DNA can make a very powerful person. So the kid definitely has powers from the start but Damian hopes the kid doesn’t.

But besides that I honestly think Damian would make a great father. My idea is that the child looks EXACTLY like him so it’s hard for anyone who doesn’t know to guess that it’s also Jon’s.

Damian considers the baby his, it’s got his DNA, it’s his kid and no one is taking them away. I’m not into the whole Damian ending up as Batman and I think if he had a child that child would take priority over EVERYTHING else, including hero business.

Jon is flighty and also Superman. Damian is worried he wouldn’t be there enough, that (like you said) the child would have a torn relationship with him. And what if they did break up? He’d have to give up his kid certain days of the week? What if Clark didn’t consider him a good enough parent and suddenly Damian is having to prove himself. So in his head him not telling Jon is justified.

And to his credit, he’s an excellent parent but it does make him guilty. It’s awful watching Jon go around oblivious to everything. And if you consider how Damian would have to lie it could wreck any romantic relationship because it could involve a third party (a woman Damian hooked up perhaps)

And yeah, Jon would totally freak the hell out because by time he knows the kid is old enough for it to matter. And suddenly the entire thing Damian was trying to avoided happens, his kid and their father have a giant space between them and it’s all his fault.

[lorbanery]

I just need to talk about Dick Grayson and Jon Kent's relationship for a minute

Just 'cause I keep seeing people file it under the typical Super-Bats dichotomy (Bruce and Clark, Tim and Kon, Jason and Bizarro, Damian and Jon)

BUT

Have you considered: Dick is the Superman to Jon's Robin?

Just

Just listen

There's the obvious justification that's just "Dick is much older than Jon", sure. But there's more nuance here.

Dick is different people to different generations of heroes.

To his own generation he's the responsible best friend everyone knows they can rely on, but also know better than to think of him as superhuman because they've all seen him at his worst (and by worst I don't just mean "most depressed" I mean most "shouting at his four year old niece" bitchy asshole).

I'm skipping Jason because he doesn't have his own generation he just kind of awkwardly pilfers people from Dick's and Tim's until they'd willingly shank Batman for him.

To Tim's generation he's a legend who they quickly realized is actually almost as out-of-touch as the first gen heroes. They're like a big queer friend group and he's the one kid's kind of square straight older brother. He's cool, he's supportive, he's always willing to drive them places, covers for them when they ditch class or are out past curfew, and he WILL throw down with anyone's homophobic parents; but he always has a lecture ready about underage drinking and while he laughs along with their "I'm too gay for this" jokes, you can tell he doesn't really get them. At least he's always excited for Pride. He buys himself a new "ally" shirt every year.

(Disclaimer: Previous paragraph was meant merely as a demonstrative metaphor and not to express any definitive opinion on Dick Grayson's sexuality. @ DC Comics let that boy be bi)

But to Damian's generation? Dick Grayson is a parental figure. When Damian and Jon were first starting out their superhero careers, Dick was not only acting as Batman, but as Damian's guardian, two roles most people, in-universe, expected him to be in permanently. And for Jon Dick wasn't just his friend's dad; when Clark had to leave Earth, forcing Jon to step into the role of Superman, and Jon expressed concern over being up to the job, Clark specifically told Jon to seek out Dick.

Because Jon, of course, was a teenager facing down not only the responsibility of being a superhero, but of bearing the weight of being a famous figure of hope. Something Dick had already done as the first Robin, and had helped at least a little two other teenagers navigate.

Now, I'm going to take a little tangent here to explain why Dick is the Clark in this situation.

When we talk about Dick's tragic backstory, a lot of little details change from retelling to retelling; but the one thing that stays consistent is the fact that Bruce took him in because Dick reminded him of himself. They both watched their parents get murdered at a young age (sometimes the exact same age, depending on the retelling); neither of them had any immediate family to take them in; both of them were only children who suddenly found themselves with the burden of being the sole carrier of their family's significant legacy. But that's pretty much where the similarities end.

Bruce was raised in a wealthy family, in a mansion in a major metropolitan city where his family had deep roots all the way back to its founding. Dick was raised by a very much working class family that lived out of a trailer/wagon/train most of, if not the entire year, traveling all across the country and/or globe. If they had a permanent residence anywhere, it was probably one of the suburbs around Tampa that were historically the off-season homes for circus performers (at least that's where I would put it).

Bruce was able to stay in his childhood home with a guardian who'd known him his whole life, who knew his family history and legacy. He was able to step into his family's legacy when he grew up and even expand it well beyond what his parents did.

Dick had to leave not only the circus he grew up in, he had to leave behind the entire community and culture and ended up being raised in a world that was completely different from it. Raised by a man who certainly respected his family and their history, but didn't know much about it or what their hopes and expectations had been for Dick.

While the path that eventually led him to becoming Batman began, for Bruce, that night when his parents were murdered, he didn't actually start seriously working towards and mentally taking on that responsibility until he was much older. In some cases he was in high school, in some not until after he graduated. But he taught himself and learned how to be a hero as an adult. He was in his twenties when he was taking the responsibility of other people's lives onto his own shoulders; when he was learning how to be most effective; when he was learning in real time the consequences of doing something wrong.

Dick started training and/or working as Robin the moment he became a permanent member of the Wayne household. He was anywhere between roughly 8 and 16, depending on the retelling, but in every version he was very a child or teenager taking on that responsibility of other people's lives, learning in real time the consequences of doing something wrong. He was trying to navigate school and a social life while feeling that responsibility for other people's safety and having this huge secret he couldn't talk about. He was given these special skills from his birth family's legacy that his adoptive parent warned him to hide from people lest they guess his secret. He had this overdeveloped strength and fighting skills that meant he had to consciously hold back when he fought bullies in school.

But while that doesn't describe Bruce, it does describe someone else in Dick's life: Clark. He lost his parents at a very young age leading him to be raised in a completely different culture and world by his adoptive parents. They respected his birth family and their culture, but knew nothing about them. They were a working class family, who lived in a small town. He developed his powers when he was just a kid. They were a part of his family legacy that his adoptive parents encouraged him to hide to keep his secret. They created a sense of responsibility in him at a young age to use them to help and protect people. They made it so that he had to hold back when he fought bullies in school. He had to learn how to navigate school and a social life while feeling that responsibility, while having this huge secret, and learning the consequences of doing something wrong when he was trying to protect people.

Clark related to Dick as a kid/teenager in ways that Bruce never really could. Clark understood a lot of the struggles Dick was facing, the weight on his shoulders. That's one of the many reasons he was, typically, very friendly and supportive of Dick; why he treated him as a respected colleague ; why he was always happy to spend time with and chat with Dick, even when Bruce wasn't around. He became a second trusted mentor to Dick, someone who understood what it was like to dedicate your entire life to protecting people; to spending your entire life as someone potentially dangerous to normal people; to being removed from your family legacy and their culture and taking up that of your adoptive family instead.

That's why, when Dick finds himself in situations where his life is drastically changing, one of his first stops is always Metropolis. That's why, when his life drastically changes and he doesn't come to Metropolis, Clark comes to check in on him. And Clark doesn't always have good advice to share to help Dick find his way. But he has enough similar life experience that it makes him pretty much the only mentor figure in Dick's life that Dick can really talk to who best understands him and his unique struggles.

Back to Jon.

When Jon was forced to become Superman, he was worried about how to be Superman. How to take on that kind of responsibility when he was so young. Clark sent him to Dick not just because he had a unique perspective on what Superman needs to be as someone who's been a fan, a colleague, and a friend; not just because he could teach Jon how to fight and protect himself and others even without his powers; not just because he's an excellent teacher. But because no other non-super has as much experience navigating the complex life of being a high profile kid superhero.

And Dick taught him. He trained him, and he told him about his father and his legacy, about who Superman was to the people who cared about him and worked with him.

And well after Dick's gone back to being Nightwing, even when he's not a constant fixture in Damian's life anymore, even when he's off in Bludhaven, when Jon finds himself struggling to navigate a new situation as a superhero, one of the first things he does is seek out Dick. Dick doesn't always have good advice to give him, but he does have similar experiences that help him understand Jon and his unique struggles.

[kryptonianclone]

13. what themes/motifs do you hope other people notice most about your character?

Questions for muns || Accepting

Oh man where to begin. With writing Kon my core themes that I always try to touch on is, understanding personhood, found family, nature vs nurture, bodily anonymity and consent, identity, legacy, paternal relationships and the ethics of cloning.

With Kon I think identity and family are the core of his character. All Kon ever wanted was to have parents. A family. For a good portion of his life he was just called Sup.erb.oy. I like to touch on things that are brought up in his solo series but never really fully explored or touched on again. Kon struggles with being a clone in his early days with people repeatedly not understanding how he could be so young but look sixteen or the fact that he doesn't have a real name or a family. Greta brings up in young justice that Kon just can't understand something because he never had parents and I think that's something that cut him very deeply. Clone rights and the ethics of cloning comes up too but they're never touched on in a way that's meaningful. I like to delve in to that and write about how he struggles with this aspect of life.

Kon spends a good portion of his solo dating adult women, that fact is something that fandom shys away from because it's uncomfortable. They'd rather erase it from Kon than do something with it. Consent is an issue that comes up with Kon over and over. Superboy 1994 is written as a young boy's power fantasy. He's cool, he's dating cool older women, he's so powerful. But erasing this aspect of Kon's life to me feels cheap. To me it feels like erasing this aspect of Kon's life would be saying that men can't be victims too. I will always view his solo as a story about a young boy who was taken advantage of from many angles. Not just romantically/sexually. This exploitation of his youth and his nieaveness really shaped Kon and how he views the world. I like to explore that. He has to come to terms with what happened to him but also he has to come to terms that he can never get any kind of justice for how he was taken advantage of. Kon has to find away to make peace with this and find a way to heal from it.

With family Kon's always wanted parents and specifically he's always looking for a strong paternal relationship. He has dubbliex and to a lesser extent Guardian in his early days but he feels very strong ties to Clark because Clark was where he came from, he was made in Clark's image to replace him. Who even is Kon if he doesn't grow up to become Sup.er.man? Kon kind of lacks an identity of his own and when he thinks he's figured himself out his world comes crashing down again when he finds out his other DNA donor was Lex. What does that make him now? Good? Evil? and you see this happen during his storyline the rejection that he faces when this is brought up. Kon feels very tied to his genetics and I really like exploring the ideas of just because your parents made you doesn't mean you have to follow their footsteps.

Working through and finding yourself and having to do it in such a short space of time is just a really fascinating aspect to me and adding being a clone of someone else who has an impossible legacy and huge shoes to fill is so intriguing and interesting and you can do so much with that. Kon knows who he is as superboy but he has no idea how to be Conner Kent. And writing the struggle of that balance is interesting to me. Kon's platonic and found family relationship with young justice is also incredibly interesting. I would have really loved to see just more with the team on their off time. Strong platonic bonds is always going to be one of my favourite things to write. Kon is a character that has a lot of love to give and really just wants to be loved back. We get this fantastic issue of how Kon's mind works and how he views all of his personal connects and how he deals with the guilt of not only his ex girlfriends dying but almost losing bart too. Going in and exploring how Kon handles that kind of grief and the fallout is something that is so rarely touched on and in fandom unless you're a specific shipper i never gets touched on.

And kon not only had to come to terms with the loss of a friend he has to also come to terms with the fact that he isn't as untouchable as he thought he was with his own death too. Exploring the fallout of these losses, the loss of a friend, a lover, your childhood that you only had for the briefest of moments is just something that Kon doesn't really get to talk about with anyone but it's something that I can explore. The Kon I write has gone through it all and I try not to shy away from what happened to him and I try my best to handle everything I write with care but these are the kinds of things that really makes me enjoy writing kon. Sorry this got so long I've just been writing him for so long that I have a lot to say and a lot that I find interesting.

[radioactive-earthshine]

Wait.

Conner was homeless and Cassie didn't help him?

Weren't they dating at the time?

Where was Clark?

Tim?

Bart?

I have so many questions.

I avoided reading all of Superboy because of the unforgivable sexism but now I'm figuring that might have been a mistake.

1.) Conner was homeless and Cassie didn't help him?

Nope. Dan Didio did her extremely dirty.

Superboy #94 I don't even want to show the whole page of this because it is severely gross, but Cassie basically tells Kon to leave, despite Young Justice's HQs being more than large enough to accommodate him, and for some reason he was sharing a room with Slo-bo.... when it was more than large enough to house him.... idk.

"Stop depending on others" when you are BOTH sixteen and are in a TEAM where you HAVE to depend on each other to me sounds out of character for her, or at least in poor taste as it strips the compassion from her.

Didio decided this was the route to go with her, I'm not sure if he forgot these were sixteen year olds, or if he just didn't care, because either way it's not fair of a move to pull. You can argue that it's definitely something a teenager would pull but I think Cassie would at least have compassion here for Kon, even if she is a little high strung at this time and also dealing with PTSD (likely).

Cassie did recognize later in the issue that she was "rough" on him and it ends on a hopeful note that a new start for Kon would be good, but it doesn't bode to be a positive experience. His move was done on a sinking raft.

In a hypothetical situation where things go better and Cassie recognizes that it is unfair to demand that Kon leave when she herself has a home, a mother, and a large support system to protect her, I feel like she would allow Kon to stay at Young Justice like she allowed Slo-bo to stay.

2.) Weren't they dating at the time?

Nope. They didn't get together until later, they were flirting at this time in varying intensity. They both clearly liked each other but neither really made the push to make it anything more than being friends and annoying the hell out each other.

3. ) Where was Clark?

When Kon was actually homeless and looking for a place to live he was not present. A relator thought Superman was logically Kon's father but Kon quickly corrected that assumption and it cost him a place to live.

In issue #100 Clark reveals that sometime during the time Kon took up residency in Metropolis in the apartment complex he was working/living at, he had Jimmy filling him in on the chaotic events going on, but other than that he was not involved.

Clark did here what he should have done a long, long time ago. You can write a lot of meta, analysis and critiques for why it took Clark so long to act in this moment, and it would all be fair, but in the end he did finally help Kon.

Clark does eventually involve himself and save Kon from exploitation and a second homeless situation, thus ending Kon's comic series. He was too late, but he did solve the issue.

4.) Tim?

He had taken a leave of absence from Young Justice directly after the Our World at War story arc that preceded Kon's homelessness, so it's likely he didn't even KNOW this was going on.

Kon and Tim got into a huge fight as well, and it contributed to Tim's motivation for quitting because he didn't want to stay where he wasn't trusted (PTSD thanks to Granny Goodness as well).

Kon also did not know Tim's identity at this time, and he doesn't find it out until after The World Without Young Justice arc that takes place around Superboy #99. They're not really on speaking terms here from issues #94-#98, and in the majority of Young Justice they have more of a peer-based relationship than a friendly one. They do CARE about each other, but it's not this deep wholesome best friend relationship that Geoff John's made it into in TTv3 right out of the gate. They're not there, yet.

Tim comes back on the team AFTER the World Without Young Justice arc when his identity is revealed via Matt Stewart's meddling with events, by this time Kon is in Kansas with Ma and Pa Kent and the situation is over, his series is over.

In the hypothetical situation where Tim did know that Kon was homeless, I'd think he'd probably reach out to Dick over Bruce at this time and ask what they should do. Tim more often sought Dick out for these sorts of things than he did Bruce, and I feel like it would remind Dick of when Donna was homeless during his time as a Titan.

It would go from there I think, and Kon might have actually had a swifter response from Clark or maybe Kara or someone else with Dick sounding the alarm, but that's just one angle and all a "what if" and we cannot hold this as fact because... it's hypothetical.

It would make a GREAT premise for a fix-it fanfic.

TLDR: He just likely didn't know and they weren't close enough for Tim to know, but if he did he'd most likely ask Dick "WHAT DO?"

5.) Bart?

Bart left Young Justice at the same time as Tim did due to PTSD, however Kon knew exactly who Bart was at this time and they were very close friends. Out of everyone on Young Justice, they were the closest. Even so, Bart (likely) would not have known that this was going on with Kon as he had distanced himself from his teammates.

There was a point during one of the Impulse comics that Bart needed help for one of his cases, and he briefly considered reaching out to Young Justice but STOPPED because he had quit, he felt it was not a viable option, therefore it is logical to assume he was not communicating with anyone from his team.

Also to note, during this period of time of 2002, cellphones were not readily available (yet) and email, instant messaging and direct (expensive!) phone calls would have been the primary way to keep in touch over long distance, for them they of course could just meet up and chat but the comics don't show this happening when Bart left the team.

Kon likely never reached out for help, because Cassie told him to "stop depending on others" and it pushed a button for Kon to be stubborn and try to fix his own situation so he probably didn't even think to say "Oh hey btw I'm homeless!" (in fact the word 'homeless' doesn't even come up).

Had Bart known Kon was homeless and needed help, he might have asked Max for advice on what to do like Tim might with Dick, and Max has shown that when children are in peril (like with Cissie being abused by her mother) he will act.

I feel like Max would probably pull what Bruce did with Clark in YJA and tell him that he NEEDS to be there for him, NOW. It would likely be a push to get a more prompt reaction. Again though, this did not happen and is speculative.

Also, Max's 'death' almost overlaps Kon's homeless situation so another factor that can contribute to Bart not being able to help, or knowing, was that Bart himself was in crisis and in a full new transition from one household to another.

TLDR: Bart and Kon were extremely close at this time, but due to personal circumstances they likely just did not communicate well enough to convey the situation.

6.) I have so many questions.

Me too, why was Didio allowed to write anything, why couldn't he just remain a producer? He produced the Orion solo and that was amazing.

7.) I avoided reading all of Superboy because of the unforgivable sexism but now I'm figuring that might have been a mistake.

No, not a mistake. Not wanting to come across a lot of the more gross and unsavory themes that are depicted all throughout Kon's comics are a valid reason to skip it, however it is unfortunate that in order to really grasp him it would be extremely advisable to read it. If you are really deeply triggered by those gross themes, then don't hurt yourself, but if it is something you can consume to glean the rest of the events that are formative to Kon, I would suggest it.

[thevindicativevordan]

On Kong Kenan/Super-Man

It should've been him. He should've been the Superman of 5G/Future State/right now not Jon, and he should be the one getting an HBO Max series not Val. Hell he should be getting a movie!

God this dude is literally the best legacy character Superman has ever gotten, wholly his own person with his own lore and status quo while still building on the idea of "Superman". I am so pissed at DC for essentially just dropping him after his ongoing ended, what the hell Lee? You keep trying to make the Wildstorm characters happen, I need you to get my man Yang another Kenan book.

Have to admit I was a bit nervous at first about whether or not Kenan would be a worthwhile character. Yang's New 52 Superman run had been a disappointment to me overall, with only the the arc where Superman has underground wrestling matches against forgotten gods really sticking with me. Now he was introducing a brand new Superman? Didn't feel like he had "earned" that yet. But from the first issue I was hooked on this new character.

Kenan was unlike any other member of the Superfamily. He wasn't kind or sweet, he was an asshole! He was a bully! He was fantastic! Right from the start Kenan was set up to undergo a very different kind of character journey than the other members of the Superfamily. Empathy, humility, respect for people weaker than himself, these are all traits most heroes wearing the S-shield already posses by the time they first don the crest, but not Kenan.

Like all bullies he was even a bit of a coward himself at first, trying to bail on the experiment meant to give him Superman's powers right as it begins. After "saving" Lixin (the kid he bullies and steals lunch from every day) from Blue Condor he demands all the money Lixin has on him as payment. He's not courageous or selfless either at the start, Kenan is as much of an opposite of Superman as you can get short of being Bizarro. Learning the appeal of these traits formed the basis for his growth over the course of his series.

Seeing Yang bring in a lot of recognizable "Superman" elements in the series, but with a twist, was also great. Kenan is the one who bullies "Luo Lixin" rather than the traditional Clark/Lex friendship of Pre-Crisis and Birthright. Initially Kenan develops a crush on intrepid reporter for Primetime Shanghai, Laney Lan, but she dismisses him as too young and Kenan eventually ends up pursuing Avery Ho (Flash) instead. Baxi the Bat-Man of China has a similar relationship with Kenan as the traditional Superman/Batman in terms of being vitriolic best buds, however Baxi is the one who has the most respect for authority while Kenan is the rebel. Kenan is a part of the "Justice League of China" which does not meet with the approval of the already established Chinese superheroes, the Great Ten. That contrasts nicely with the good relationship the Justice Society and Justice League have, as well as seeing Yang lampshade the "Chinese copy" trope and incorporate that into his storytelling.

One of the funniest differences is how Kenan chooses to immediately reveal his identity as Super-Man to the world by taking off the compliance visor he was forced to wear, contrasting with Clark's choice to hide his identity. He was so eager to impress people that he never gave any thought to the danger he could put himself or his family in by revealing his identity until it was too late, something Clark is well aware of and has taken great pains to keep his identity secret. Was a missed opportunity for DC to have Kenan comment on Clark copying him for once when he outed himself under Bendis.

But one of the most poignant differences between Clark and Kenan is the gulf in separation between their relationship with their parents. Clark has a loving relationship with Ma and Pa Kent, trying to live up to their lessons as best he can. In contrast Kenan's mom was believed to have died in an airplane crash when he was just a child, and he never really knew her. His father was distant from him after that and the two weren't really close despite Kenan's attempts to impress him. So Kenan lacks that strong connection while still clearly loving both of them.

Pa Kent's death is one of the most tragic examples of Clark's love for his parents, and I've always been a fan of takes where Clark promises his father to fight for the powerless on Pa's deathbed. Kenan gets a similar scene at the start of his career, his dad "dies" (after being exposed as Flying General Dragon, a pro-democracy "supervillain" from the Chinese authorities perspective) and wants Kenan to promise he'll fight for Truth, Justice, and Democracy. But because Kenan's dad never really bonded with him, Kenan doesn't know what those mean, and can only promise that he never wants to see people die, something his father takes comfort in at least. In classic comic book fashion it's revealed that Dr. Omen, Kenan's "boss" and the one who gave him his powers, saved Kenan's father, because she is Kenan's mother! Kenan's relationship with his parents forms a lot of the crux of his character arc, and seeing how Yang utilizes the classic Superman concept of family kept the storytelling exciting.

Yang's brilliant exploration of the concept of "Superman" through the prism of Chinese culture was a great way to differentiate Kenan as well.

I absolutely freaking love how he tied to the concept of Qi to the S-shield in particular. Connecting the shape of the shield with the way Kenan has acquired his powers along the path of the Bagua (eight trigrams used in Taoism that represent the fundamental principles of reality), with his octagon S-shield outline representing all eight principles together, was mindblowing! So was the idea of restricting Kenan's access to his powers unless he was actually acting in a Superman manner, that tied his character growth to his power growth in an entertaining manner. There were so many characters and concepts that meshed Chinese and DC lore together, like how Emperor Super-Man was Kenan's "Doomsday", they even recreated that iconic dual kill shot! The Chinese Wonder Woman Peng Deilan, being based on the Chinese Legend of the White Snake! There was even some Korean mythology referenced with the Aqua-Man member of the JLC "Dragonson".

Yang also managed to do a Superman Blue/Superman Red story with Super-Man Yin/Super-Man Yang!

Shameful that it took me a while to realize what Gene Yang was doing but once I caught on I was touched. You can tell how much Yang loved Superman and his mythology, and how he was excited to incorporate as much from Clark as he could, while still using it in a way that was solidly Kenan's. And not just Superman's mythology, but the history and lore of the entire DC Universe. I-Ching got to be brought in, fleshed out, and used as Kenan's mentor! The "Yellow Peril" villain from Detective Comics #1, the comic DC gets its name from was brought in and revamped as I-Ching's twin brother All-Yang! Hats off to Yang for taking a racist caricature and attempting to make him into something more.

This series was a beautiful attempt by Gene Yang to build a space for Asian heroes and villains where they could be more than stereotypes, Kenan himself being a defiant mold-breaker in every regard as the complete opposite of most Asian characters in Western media (a jock, a bully, loves his dad but not on great terms with him, a powerhouse as a hero, etc). So much thought and hard work was poured into this by Yang and his team of artist collaborators.

Especially the costumes, man Kenan had so many great looks. From his starting outfit (which is my favorite Superman variant not worn by Clark himself), to the one with the Yin/Yang shield he acquired later on, to his Super-Man Yin & Super-Man Yang outfits, Kenan looked damn cool. Part of me is bummed they didn't go with the Chinese character shield they toyed around with, but I loved how Yang used the "s-shield" as a plot point, so I'm not too broken up over it.

All that great work Yang did to build that space up has been more or less forgotten sadly. It was nice to see Kenan in the DC Asian Month Celebration issue. Avery is going to be in Justice Incarnate at least (unsurprising considering she was created by Williamson). So fucking bummed that Superman Family Adventures cartoon didn't happen, they were going to have Kenan and John Henry Irons in it! Would've been a dream come true for me to see Irons in animation again, and Kenan making the jump to outside media! Maybe that would've encouraged DC to let Yang keep writing New Super-Man, or at least encouraged them to use him elsewhere instead of allowing him fall into Limbo.

Unfortunately I'm not sure what the future holds for Kenan. Jon is being pushed as Clark's replacement in the comics, with DC keeping all the other contenders such as Kon benched. Calvin is leading the Justice Incarnate team likely due to the upcoming Coates reboot that will make Clark black. Val will probably get something once Taylor leaves Jon's book or once they officially announce the HBO Max show is happening. So where does that leave Kenan, my new favorite PoC legacy hero? Currently my only hope is that Yang is working on something for DC involving him. Yang left Batman/Superman, where I was hoping to see a Baxi/Kenan team up, to go work on "exciting other opportunities" per his Twitter. So fingers crossed that there's something in the works for Kenan!

One day I hope he gets his day in the sun again.

[radioactive-earthshine]

is2g finding a konbart shipper is like unicorn hunting please tell me you have hcs or fics bc i'm starved for bartkontent

I'm starved too bee. I only have headcanons atm because I work 40 hour weeks and even doing my Tumblr posts at times are exhausting. Here are some Konbart headcanons. Many are AU dependent (obviously) and a lot were generated with @fire-fira who is my fiance who I forced to ship them too. Here's a few. 1.) Bart was the one to ask Kon out. He asked him out in a treehouse he made on impulse. 2.) They play "extreme hide and seek" where they pick an entire state for which to play in. They have to rely on their select powers and patience to find the other (and in Kon's case listening for Bart's heart.) 3.) Bart cheats at this. He will actively keep an eye on Kon and move to an area he had already checked. 4.) Kon caught him at it and shamed him on social media for being the one who cheated at fucking hide and seek. 5.) Kon uses his TTK as compression for Bart when he needs it to help derail and soothe overstimulation. 6.) Bart loves to go flying with Kon, and he loves it when Kon drops him so he can free-fall. He always knows he will catch him. 7.) Bart always knows when Kon needs help and is confused why their hero community never notices when Kon is literally drowning. 8.) They both like retro super nintendo games over more modern games. 9.) They both were officially adopted around the same time. 10.) They bond over their own awkwardness in not having a real childhood and general mistrust over being in labs. 11.) They're both pansexual and they bond over mutual bird watching and it's not weird to them. 12.) Bart's pronouns are he/him they/them. Kon was the first to know. 13.) Interlac has no pronouns so Bart was at first very confused by them but after learning about them settled that he preferred he/they. 14.) They really will spend all night texting each other and Max has taken Bart's phone away on numerous situations. 15.) Their first official meeting was an unofficial date (canon divergence from how their canon meeting occurred) and they both felt silly when they realized it. 16.) They both made out with Tim before getting together on separate occasions and both considered dating him but wanted to wait for Tim to ask first. Tim never did and it didn't go anywhere. 17.) Bart hates sushi but will go to sushi restaurants for Kon because its his favorite food. 18.) One of Kon's main social issues he addresses constantly on his social media is homelessness. Both he and Bart will remove homeless spikes at any opportunity. The League has talked to them about this. 19.) Kon's favorite animal is a sea turtle. 20.) Bart is actually a little scared of horses. 21.) Kon taught Bart how to swim in Hawaii. 22.) Bart plays songs for Kon on his guitar when Kon feels. 23.) Bart calls Kon his "sunshine". Kon does not know that's what his mother calls him, Bart hopes he won't find out. 24.) When they sleep over at Ma and Pa Kent's they refuse to let them share a bed while in the house, this is not due to homophobia but they wouldn't even let Clark share his bed with friends. Kon and Bart get around this by sleeping on an old hide-a-bed in the loft of their barn. And one more very very very sad one... 25.) Bart throws his whole heart into their relationship and cherishes every second because he doesn't really have confidence that when he eventually dies he will get to the same heaven Kon will because of the Speedforce.