Infinite Crisis extra--Superboy-Prime lowdown
With Infinite Crisis issue 4 scheduled to hit stores next week (Jan.18) and with Superboy-Prime having been revealed as a major player at the end of Infinite Crisis issue 3, and since FanBoyWonder is old enough to have read the original Crisis on Infinite Earths when it came out in 1985, we thought it would be helpful for many our younger fanboys (and girls) to share some of our insights and our memories of the pre-CRISIS multiverse...since everything old is now new again.
SPOILER WARNING -- If you have not yet read Infinite Crisis #3 continue reading at your own peril!!!!!!!!!!!
Prior to appearing with The Golden Age/Earth-2 Superman (Kal-L) and Alexander Luthor (of Earth-3) and the Earth-2 Lois Lane-Kent in the pages of Infinite Crisis after disappearing for what we thought was forever at the end of the first CRISIS, the Superboy of Earth-Prime did not have a very long and even less distinguished history.
Superboy-Prime first appeared in the pages of DC Comics Presents issue 87 (cover dated Nov. 1985), a CRISIS cross over.
Click on this link to see the cover of DC Comics Presents issue 87
http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=40603&zoom=4
I long ago lost or gave away my copy of DC Comics Presents 87 so I'm going by memory but as I recall the details, this Superboy hailed in the multiverse from the paralell Earth known as Earth Prime--the Earth where superheros, including Superman, existed only in comic books.
SBP's origin was similar to those of the other Supermen but with distinct differences. On Krypton-prime, the planet was dying but not from groundquakes or an explosing building from the planet's core but from Krypton's red sun going nova.
As it played out in other realities, scientist Jor-El was struggling to get his only son Kal-El to safety off planet..in this reality it was not a rocket ship but a teleporter that would take the last son of Krypton to Earth but a teleporter.
Baby Kal-El was beamed off planet just as the red sun exploded destroying Krypton where he appeared in the woods and was happened upon a yuppie couple named Kent who named their newfound son "Clark."
Young Clark Kent having the same name as the world famous comic book character grew up powerless but the butt of many jokes. While wearing a Superboy costume for a costume party and I think while observing the red skies (tele-tale preview of the universe-killing anti-matter wave) his powers kicked in.
He promptly met the Earth-1 Superman who somehow happened into the Earth-Prime dimension, they fought and beat some alien bad guys then Superboy-Prime went off with his older counterpart to fight the Anti-Monitor and presumably never saw his Earth again.
SBP played a negligible role in the CRISIS. Marv Wolfman and George Perez in a recent interview in Wizard magazine revealed that they didn't even know about Superboy-Prime until they had to shoehorn him into CRISIS issue 10.
Superboy-Prime didn't distinguish himself in battle and pretty much got kicked around by the Anti-Montor while the Earth-2 Superman delivered the killing blow. He went off into the limbo with Superman-2, his wife and Alex Luthor never to be seen again until Infinite Crisis.
The end of Infinite Crisis issue 3 revealed SBP to be the individual who ambushed the Martian Manhunter in the JLA watchtower, who along with Alex Luthor appear to have their own ideas in reshaping Earth and or bringing back the multiverse.
Something that occurred to me during Infinite Crisis # 3, Superboy-Prime said to Alex Luthor "You know what I can do when I'm in that yellow sun."
In DC Comics Presents #87, I seem to recall when the aliens attempted to trap SBP and the Earth-1 Superman in some contraption that radiated red sun radiation, Superman-1's powers were neutralized but Superboy somehow retained his strength and punched his way out of the trap.
This was never explained (the character was never around long enough) but I theorized at the time because this Kal-El's Krypton was destroyed by a nova red sun and because he was teleported that is had his molecules broken down and reassembled on the other side of the universe, this may have re-giggered his powers.
Something else to think about, since SBP, like Superman-2 is from a pre-Crisis alternate reality, their powers and weaknesses will likely work in a different order--such as when the "modern" Batman attempted to bring down Superman-2 with the kryptonite ring only for Kal-L to note that the kryptonite wasn't from "his Krypton" and had no affect on him. Should be interesting to watch. Stay tuned. --CW
SPOILER WARNING -- If you have not yet read Infinite Crisis #3 continue reading at your own peril!!!!!!!!!!!
Prior to appearing with The Golden Age/Earth-2 Superman (Kal-L) and Alexander Luthor (of Earth-3) and the Earth-2 Lois Lane-Kent in the pages of Infinite Crisis after disappearing for what we thought was forever at the end of the first CRISIS, the Superboy of Earth-Prime did not have a very long and even less distinguished history.
Superboy-Prime first appeared in the pages of DC Comics Presents issue 87 (cover dated Nov. 1985), a CRISIS cross over.
Click on this link to see the cover of DC Comics Presents issue 87
http://www.comics.org/coverview.lasso?id=40603&zoom=4
I long ago lost or gave away my copy of DC Comics Presents 87 so I'm going by memory but as I recall the details, this Superboy hailed in the multiverse from the paralell Earth known as Earth Prime--the Earth where superheros, including Superman, existed only in comic books.
SBP's origin was similar to those of the other Supermen but with distinct differences. On Krypton-prime, the planet was dying but not from groundquakes or an explosing building from the planet's core but from Krypton's red sun going nova.
As it played out in other realities, scientist Jor-El was struggling to get his only son Kal-El to safety off planet..in this reality it was not a rocket ship but a teleporter that would take the last son of Krypton to Earth but a teleporter.
Baby Kal-El was beamed off planet just as the red sun exploded destroying Krypton where he appeared in the woods and was happened upon a yuppie couple named Kent who named their newfound son "Clark."
Young Clark Kent having the same name as the world famous comic book character grew up powerless but the butt of many jokes. While wearing a Superboy costume for a costume party and I think while observing the red skies (tele-tale preview of the universe-killing anti-matter wave) his powers kicked in.
He promptly met the Earth-1 Superman who somehow happened into the Earth-Prime dimension, they fought and beat some alien bad guys then Superboy-Prime went off with his older counterpart to fight the Anti-Monitor and presumably never saw his Earth again.
SBP played a negligible role in the CRISIS. Marv Wolfman and George Perez in a recent interview in Wizard magazine revealed that they didn't even know about Superboy-Prime until they had to shoehorn him into CRISIS issue 10.
Superboy-Prime didn't distinguish himself in battle and pretty much got kicked around by the Anti-Montor while the Earth-2 Superman delivered the killing blow. He went off into the limbo with Superman-2, his wife and Alex Luthor never to be seen again until Infinite Crisis.
The end of Infinite Crisis issue 3 revealed SBP to be the individual who ambushed the Martian Manhunter in the JLA watchtower, who along with Alex Luthor appear to have their own ideas in reshaping Earth and or bringing back the multiverse.
Something that occurred to me during Infinite Crisis # 3, Superboy-Prime said to Alex Luthor "You know what I can do when I'm in that yellow sun."
In DC Comics Presents #87, I seem to recall when the aliens attempted to trap SBP and the Earth-1 Superman in some contraption that radiated red sun radiation, Superman-1's powers were neutralized but Superboy somehow retained his strength and punched his way out of the trap.
This was never explained (the character was never around long enough) but I theorized at the time because this Kal-El's Krypton was destroyed by a nova red sun and because he was teleported that is had his molecules broken down and reassembled on the other side of the universe, this may have re-giggered his powers.
Something else to think about, since SBP, like Superman-2 is from a pre-Crisis alternate reality, their powers and weaknesses will likely work in a different order--such as when the "modern" Batman attempted to bring down Superman-2 with the kryptonite ring only for Kal-L to note that the kryptonite wasn't from "his Krypton" and had no affect on him. Should be interesting to watch. Stay tuned. --CW
posted by FanBoyWonder at 4:58 PM
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