We’ve all been through the awkward teenage years, but imagine struggling through the uncomfortable and often embarrassing problems of youth while also learning to control superpowers. Such was the case of young Clark Kent when Superboy was introduced 80 years ago.
Based on the character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Superboy was introduced by Siegel and Don Cameron in More Fun Comics #101 (January 1945). Superboy is the preteen/teenage version of the Man of Steel, with most of his adventures taking place in the fictional town of Smallville. Siegel originally pitched the idea of a Superboy comic in late 1938, but DC passed on the idea. Once Robin the Boy Wonder and other teenage sidekicks became popular with comic readers, DC changed their stance on the comic, greenlighting a Superboy character and eventual series.
His story began with the Superman mythos, when his father Jor-El discovered that their home planet Krypton was going to be destroyed. When the Science Council of Krypton disregarded his concerns, Jor-El decided to create rockets that his family could use to escape the planet. Unfortunately, the planet started to come apart before Jor-El could build a rocket large enough to save the whole family. Instead, he was only able to save baby Kal-El.
Superboy was sent to Earth where he was found by Jonathan and Martha Kent who later adopted him and named him Clark Kent. Raising baby Clark proved harder than they would have imagined when his powers began to emerge. They had to teach Clark how to control his incredible abilities while also keeping his identity a secret at all costs. He was able to maintain his secret identity by using tunnels around town that connected to his parents’ basement and store. He built robots of Clark Kent and Superboy to cover for both of his identities.
As he gained more command over his abilities, Jonathan and Martha instilled in Clark the importance of using his powers for the benefit of others rather than for a reward. Around this time, the Kents relocated from the family farm to the town of Smallville proper and Clark adopted a mild-mannered demeanor and began wearing glasses to conceal his identity. On his eighth birthday, Martha made Clark an indestructible costume created from the Kryptonian blankets with which he arrived on Earth. At this time, Clark became the costumed superhero Superboy and began learning about his Kryptonian origin.
Most of his superhero outings occurred in Smallville, where he became a hometown hero. Superboy also became famous for his heroics around the country and the world, and he would eventually get his own emergency signal in both Smallville and for all of the US. As Superboy’s adventures took him into interstellar space, he gained fame in other worlds as well.
While this series featured many similarities to other Superman stories, it also introduced new characters and themes. Among those was Clark’s neighbor and close friend Lana Lang, who became a love interest for both Superboy and the grown-up Superman. Despite his heroic alter ego, Clark’s mild-mannered persona made him the target of many bullies. For a time, Superboy was the only superhero who had a well-known public profile. This changed with periodic adventures with Aquaboy and the introduction of Krypto the Superdog.
Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, and Lightning Lad traveled back in time from the 30th century to recruit him for the Legion of Super-Heroes. He traveled to the future multiple times to battle villains that were attacking Earth and the United Planets. Not only was he a core member of the Legion, he was their Deputy Leader twice.
Shortly after joining the Legion, Superboy’s life was threatened by a Green Kryptonite meteor. He was saved by a Smallville farm boy named Lex Luthor, who just so happened to be a science prodigy. The pair became fast friends, with Superboy even building Luthor a fully stocked laboratory to conduct his experiments. After a fire broke out that destroyed the lab and all of Luthor’s hair, he blamed Superboy and dedicated his life to destroying the superhero.
After Clark graduated from high school, his parents went on vacation in the Caribbean and contracted a rare disease. Superboy tried to save them, but could not cure the illness and Martha died with Clark by her side. Just before Jonathan died, he made Clark promise that he would only use his abilities for good. With his parents gone, Clark decided to leave Smallville to attend Metropolis University.
At college, Clark made friends with kids in his dorm, and as Superboy he became a guardian for the city. He revealed his secret identity to his friend Billy, giving the young man a supersonic whistle he could use to call Superboy for help. He was in a relationship with classmate Lori Lemaris who was actually a mermaid from Atlantis in disguise.
When Billy ended up trapped in a burning building, he tried to summon Superboy, but the hero was on an island saving thousands from a tsunami. Clark was so upset about not being there for his friend, that he went into exile. When Perry White used the whistle to call him for help, Superboy returned to being a hero and for his final year of college. Now at the age of 21, Clark was finally ready to evolve from Superboy to Superman.
