#she's probably my favorite supporting character in Kon's solo

[isfjmel-phleg]

This is a Serling Roquette appreciation post.

Is sixteen and has a doctorate. But not a driver's license.

Shows up for her first day of work in a leopard-print vest, striped skirt, knee-high pink platform heels, and giant yellow smiley face earrings.

Is at odds with her mom on matters of independence, so she gets a live-in job at a shady cloning institution with such high security that her mom can't follow her there. As one does.

Is EXCITED about SCIENCE. Cadmus is "on the cutting edge of research," so she arrives full of confidence that she'll fit in there.

Interned at a place where all her colleagues were elderly and thus developed a taste for all things retro.

Listens to "garbage" that scandalizes her mom: Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holliday, Louis Prima, and the Brian Setzer Orchestra!

Unironically uses expressions like "the bee's knees," "the cat's pajamas," and "holy hand grenade!"

Unironically uses "quantum" as an expression of admiration.

Collects Pez dispensers and Seuss memorabilia. When Kon takes her to Hawaii on a visit, she wants a Honolulu snow globe.

Attended only eight grades between kindergarten and grad school.

As a prodigy, has been thrust into adult roles and expectations that are a lot of pressure for someone her age. (Sound familiar?)

Rises to the occasion with performing whatever scientific/medical feat is required of her, but it's repeatedly clear that she's anxious: “All right—think! I’m a child prodigy—I can do it! I need help…”

During the "Sins of Youth" storyline, gets put on the spot to resolve the seemingly uncorrectable problem of Kon's inability to age. If she fails, he could die. If she succeeds, the boy she's developed feelings for will now be too old to be interested in her (but old enough for the ex-girlfriend who has just returned). Very emotionally compromising circumstances, but she still operates--and succeeds.

(The narrative doesn't really highlight how hard this must have been for her on multiple levels, but she deserves credit for it.)

This panel! The parallels! The bonding over comparable traumas!

(for context, this is after he has reencountered Knockout, a woman who groomed and abused him. it's unclear whom Serling is referring to from her own experience--this doesn't sound like Guardian, her initial object of interest at Cadmus, who is too decent to reveal a "darker" level to a minor.)

Continues to develop clarity about herself and her motivations, like realizing that her interest in Guardian was not so much as a crush as an identification of him (a clone of a hero from the 1940s) with the generation of people she grew up around, reminding her of "when I was little, when everything was fun and easy."

Clinging to her youth while still trying to assert an identity as an independent "adult" with an intellectually demanding job is a recurring theme for her. She's pushing the bounds of scientific probability on an apparently daily basis, but at the end of the day she still returns to a room full of her carefully saved childhood possessions and listens to an old transistor radio that belonged to her mom--who never does show up at Cadmus to supervise her daughter.

[gothellewoods]

3, 6, 8, and 13 for the ask game? Or any combination thereof? 👀👀

3) Favorite superhero film?

I’m picking top 3 here. I think my favorite is probably into the spider-verse. It’s so well animated, stylistically interesting, and I adore miles morales. I’d been so nervous about this movie, and I had been keeping track of everything since the moment it was announced, but I was terrified the whole time since Sony pictures animation doesn’t have a great track record. The teaser trailer gave me hope, though. I don’t go to the movies that often, but I went to watch it the day it dropped and it honestly exceeded my expectations.

The second film is Venom. The first venom film, the sequel is fun, but there was something so insane about the way the first one came out that it just has a special place in my heart. I love the venom comics, and I was still thoroughly obsessing over Mike Costa’s venom run when this movie was coming out, but I’m gonna be honest, when I saw the trailer I completely disregarded it. It looked over the top edgy in a 90s comic kinda way. I almost never disregard a movie by trailer alone, but they made the movie look like another BvS or Suicide Squad (2016) (derogatory). I genuinely thought it would be like how Morbius turned out. I was so surprised when the reviews dropped and they all said pretty much the same thing— this movie sucks, but it’s sure as fuck fun to watch. I though, hey! That’s my favorite type of movie!! So I gave it a chance, and they were so right. I saw this movie 5 times while it was still in theaters (mostly pirating, but still).

The last movie is The Batman (2022). I actually had a lot of hope for this movie going in, considering how Matt Reeves studied under Jeph Loeb and cited The Long Halloween as a major influence, but I was still a little wary. I really hate the dark knight returns (and frank miller in general), and most Batman movies are to some extent an adaptation of this work. Which sucks. I was really pleasantly surprised by the hopeful turn the movie took, how it denounced miller’s Batman through the use of the Riddler as a parallel. Plus, the cast were all excellent and the visuals were beautiful. I’m looking forward to the sequel and hoping they include robin!

6) Favorite Side Character

I really miss Roxy Leech from Superboy’s solo run. All of kon’s supporting cast disappeared after his solo ended and it sucks. She was like a sister figure to him and she’d bring a lot to comics now. I also love Bernard Dowd. He left such an impression in the few issues he appears in, and now he’s back as Tim’s Boyfriend!! That’s huge! He hasn’t had a chance to shine yet recently, I hope he’s still an absolute bitch. I also miss prudence wood, from Tim’s Red Robin run. She had so much potential, bring her back dc!

(A few months ago I’d have probably had spider-punk on this list, but he’s got a solo now!! Not a side character anymore lol)

8) Favorite team up

Young Justice!!!! YJ 1998 my beloved! What a team! I don’t really care for the animated series, it’s totally unrelated to the comics and I can’t get behind their adaptation of kon. He’s so bland and whiny. YJ 1998 is so funny, the characters are so bizarre and they’re all completely unhinged about each other. Love those guys

13) A villain who genuinely scared you

I don’t know that any particular villain has ever like, really scared me? But I do find something viscerally horrifying about like, all of Al Ewing’s immortal hulk. It’s such a good run. It tackles a lot of heavy themes well. (Shame the artist turned out to be a shitbag, but I refuse to let that ruin the story for me. He didn’t write it, after all.)

I guess I could say the joker here, not because the character himself particularly scares me, but because of what he’s come to mean to incels and those types. It’s dangerous when a character can become a symbol for such hateful groups to rally under.

Ask game

[isfjmel-phleg]

Now that I've finished screenshotting my way through Kon's solo, have something literally no one asked for: my opinions on the various writers. Because how bad it is really does depend on who's writing.

Karl Kesel (#1-10, 12-19, 21-30, 50-79, 100, Annual 1): Wrote or co-wrote most of the series. He co-created the character and thus does write him very well--witty and surprisingly complex, perhaps more so than with any of the other writers. The plots are frequently weird as heck but can be emotionally impactful. However, the narrative seldom seems aware of or willing to acknowledge just how messed up the situations Kon ends up in are. The intended tone and the actual content are at odds with each other.

Eddie Berganza (#11, 20, 31, Annual 4, 87-90, 92-93): Guest-wrote a few issues during Kesel's first run and then co-wrote several more with Joe Kelly later. I can't really pin down a uniting quality for his stories (not-so-great handling of female characters? but that's typical for this series), although the co-written ones are particularly incomprehensible.

Ron Marz (#32-42, 45-47): Took over as head writer between Kesel's runs. Plots included Kon's getting back together with Tana, the creation of Match, continued love triangle drama, Kon's deterioration and the cure that freezes him at age sixteen, and Tana's breaking up with him. In a similar vein as Kesel, with no apparent awareness of problematic implications, and the dialogue is less distinctive.

Barbara Kesel (Annual 2 [co-written], Annual 3, #43-44, 48-49): Only wrote a few issues but managed to do things like toning down Kon's flirting, acknowledging that he is being exploited and thereby hurt, and fleshing out female supporting roles. The only one on this list whose work I consistently like, and it's a shame she didn't get to guest-write more often.

Jay Faerber (#80-82): Only wrote three issues. Could have done better with writing Serling's response to Kon's unreadiness to date her so soon after Tana's death, but otherwise has a refreshing emphasis on compassion in his stories.

Joe Kelly (#83-93): Took over as head writer briefly after Kesel's final run, frequently cowriting with Berganza. Has a jarringly different style from previous writers, almost stream-of-consciousness, with a heavy emphasis on humor, but also angst. I struggle with most of his issues. Half the time I can't follow them, and I don't care for how he writes female characters or even Kon himself sometimes (noticeably sleazier and kind of mean). But when Kelly gets Kon right, he gets him right. #91 is incredibly insightful, probably one of my favorite issues. So why was everything else so uneven?

Jimmy Palmiotti and Dan DiDio (#94-100): In a series full of questionable writing, these two stand out as the most questionable of the lot. The situations get worse but are treated as wacky hijinks, and any depth of character Kon ever had has all but vanished--he's mostly reduced to quips and creepy behavior (mostly to Cassie, who in turn is inexplicably judgmental of him when he is literally homeless). The best thing that happens during this run is that it ends with Clark finally doing what he should have ages ago: bringing Kon to live with his parents.

[gothellewoods]

Okay here we go I have a whole list for the salty ask game

6, 7, 11, 25, 32, 33, 51, and 52!

6. Worst coloring error you've seen?

I could probably come up with something better if I thought about this for a while, but for now here's some panels from Immortal Hulk where they accidentally gave captain America a red suit for no reason

7. What “throwaway” character could they have done more with

I’m going to be honest and say that, had I been talking about throw away characters I would love to see again pre ul#4 I totally would’ve said Bernard Dowd, but now that he’s back I think they should bring back his other friends! Where’s Ives, dc? Also maybe like, Dana winters? Tim’s stepmom? Because honestly she’s the most positive parental type relationship he really gets and she was written out in the worst way. I think Jack Drake kinda sucked as a father and Dana seemed genuinely nice. I wish we got to see how having that kind of support for Tim could’ve helped him.

They should also bring back bat cow in main canon. Not for any specific reason, just because I said so. And maybe Amy Rohrbach, seeing as she could’ve been like Dick’s own Jim Gordon if his original 90s nightwing run in bludhaven hadn’t crashed and burned so hard. They could bring her back now, though! It could work.

And they could bring back Brenda Miller. Let Cass have a civilian friend again!! Ok there’s probably more but I’m done for now

11. What’s the worst art you’ve seen?

This

Or maybe this

25. Has fanon or canon been worse to [x]

Thistle, you gotta give me a character here. I need something to work with

32. Which character has gotten a solo that didn’t deserve one?

The joker. Fuck him

33. Which character that deserves a solo run didn’t get one?

Spider-punk, my beloved. Also Cassie Sandsmark (she only got a 6 issue mini series, that doesn’t count)

51. Who’s the most misunderstood character?

Every character I like. I’m the only one with good takes on them, plus anyone who agrees with me and whoever my favorite writer of the day is.

Lmao jk but like, this is a hard question. Like, I think in both canon and fanon I see Tim being really heavily misinterpreted, to the point that his only characteristic becomes sadboy coffee addict, which is just annoying. I think he’s the most widely misinterpreted in that regard? But like, in a semi-unintentional way stemming from ignorance. I think kon-el is less misinterpreted in source material/fanon, but every adaptation of the character seems to be completely different from everything I hold dear about the original, which I cannot understand. Like, I feel like the people making these adaptations just don’t like kon at which point, why include him? Why not include another character? Literally only the animated reign of the supermen film gets it right. I also think Batman gets very misinterpreted by like, the hardcore frank miller tdkr fans especially and I’m sick of that take.

52. What’s the most confusing plot point you’ve tried to understand to get to the good stuff?

Whatever the hell was going on with Peter’s maybe-sister in Chip Zdarsky’s Peter Parker: Spectacular Spider-Man run when I jumped in after not having read any spider-man for years. Also whatever the hell is going on in spider-man right now. I have no clue what’s happening, I just wanna catch up