#shoutout to kon

[volkbeetle]

he thinks he is a guest at our dinner table

(do not use or repost)

[mamawasatesttube]

@ravendraculina sent me a version of this w the titans and i was compelled. (but also i had to remake the template from scratch bc the og was so full of jpeg artifacts sfjlkd) anywhoozies um. well. yeah

[buniyaad]

pls look at my childhood friends-to-lovers otp only rivaled by smallville’s chlark and earth 616’s kurt and kitty. they’re so ugly and so in love, mashallah.

[superboysuperzine]

Very excited to have  Domnorian here with us, bringing their Kon ideas and designs to life! 

Check out their Tumblr here for more great art! @domnorian​ 

Domnorian - SFW Artist

What Makes You Love Superboy?

I honestly love everything about Superboy. His character arc, his attitude, his style, the whole concept behind his creation. He's a little mischievous man who stole my heart and won't give it back until I make enough content about him

[sunsingersart]

@kerosceene​ wrote a fic Lipstick On The Glass, in which Kon does some gender exploration, and the story was so beautifully written and the scenes so vivid and captivating that it took over my brain and wouldn’t let go until I drew this.

[anthyies]

trackpad doodle collection but they vary wildly in quality and also where they’re drawn

[somebody-person]

“Kryptonians might come from the sky, but Kon is a child of the earth.”

I saw @necer0s post and the haiku bot and went feral. sorry guys. I started this at 3am and then stopped doodling at like 6... If literally anyone shows interest to see a more refined version of this I WILL ink and actually color it lmao

[majestic-salad]

🌙 mijne is toeter, of , en dit is geen echt woord maar hoe een duitse vriend dacht dat je het spelde, pinderkaas

Oei moeilijk. Serieus antwoord: schrijnend. vooral omdat de engelse vertaling ZO slecht is!! hallo wat voor woord is 'poignant'??? hoe kan je het gevoel van schrijnend voelen als het enige woord dat je hebt poignant is. Dat vind ik nou echt schrijnend :/

Niet zo serieus antwoord: trut. Wat een top woord. Oh en pot (als in lesbo) wat een iconisch woord. iconische oorsprong.

[kinkandkreep]

So I went to A-Kon this weekend

And aside from the positively shitty cell reception and the initial problems with the scheduling/navigation, it was so fun, truly a worthwhile experience.

The fact that I was going by myself, on top of the fact that this was my very first con had me wary that I wouldn't get to enjoy the experience as much as say, if I had one of my homegirls that also was fond of anime and whatnot wit me.

But, it ended up being a fairly good thing going alone, since I didn't have to coordinate my schedule around anyone else's. I'm more of a loner too anyway so the freedom was nice. I would say having a friend could be very beneficial though, when it comes to waiting lines and things like that.

But even the time I just sat in line for, I kid you not, AN HOUR AND A HALF just to get into a panel or other event wasn't bad at all. I just sat on my phone and watched the people in their cosplays come and go. It was like sitting outside of Walmart during the late night to early morning hours. 😂😂

I went to some cool panels, got some autographs, didn't make many friends per say but the people were willing to help. (I also didn't get to attend a few of the panels I'd have liked to because so many of the things I wanted to join happened concurrently, but that's not so much the fault of the con or anything like that, and I do know it was possible to hit multiple spots back to back, I was just hesitant to move too much since, again, I was new and alone.)

A really big shout out to the people with Vocal Booth to Go and the Tonari Animation reps. They were super chill and accommodating and helpful, and overall seemed very organized.

The guys with Voices Carey did an amazing panel full of genuinely helpful information, and I even got to do a little voice work with them and receive pointers, which was so much fun.

It was also really nice to see the voice actors/actresses there be comfortable enough with the environment to just casually walk around and enjoy the event without the need for 4 armed guards surrounding them at all times. 🙃 I was so glad they could just chill and talk amongst themselves and with others without being bombarded by fans.

Speaking of the voice talent that was there (who have been tagged below), the ones I did get a chance to speak too were such genuine, kind, chill people, it was seriously one of the best experiences of my life, and not just because they're well-known. Everyone was so genuinely appreciative of the support they were shown and it really seemed that they cared for you as a person, not just as a fan or a customer. 😊

Also, I got to sit and eat and chat with KHOI DAO!??!??#?@?# Quite literally one of the BEST experiences of my life, not even joking.

He...was the epitome of cool and friendly and chill and funny and genuine, I honestly felt like he was my friend by the time our interactions were over.

It was so easy to talk to him and even though I was super anxious and a lil' self-conscious, it was easy to feel comfortable around him, like I could relax and be myself, and that I didn't have to be...ion no, some sort of perfect being to even be in his presence.

The Charity Banquet with the Stars event was a really nice touch, and on top of it being a great opportunity to mingle with some of your favs in a very atmospheric, causal setting, the money also went to a good cause, I believe this year it was the Scottish Rite Children's Hopsital.

The venue for the event overall, the Irving Convention Center at Los Colinas and that whole little area was pretty nice, since nothing was particularly far away from anything else, so the walking was fairly minimal, at least outside.

All in all, a 10/10 experience, would highly recommend to anyone who's contemplating going next year. 😁

[mysterycitrus]

top 5 dc writers & top 5 dick grayson writers pretty plssss

i feel like this q has to come with a big * beside each name because most of these writers have written twice as many terrible comics as they have good. like chuck dixon is a foundational writer for dick (and tim and connor) and he’s also a violent turbo-fascist who’s made the industry indescribably more toxic. devin grayson’s run on nightwing 1996 is an exercise in her weird racist fetish, but she also wrote for titans 1999, one of the better fab 5 comics. grant morrison wrote batman and robin 2009, and irreversibly butchered the popular interpretation of talia al ghul, etc.

so take these with a grain of salt —

1. mark waid — this should be obvious imo. there’s really no competition. the writing (for dick in specific) in worlds finest blows everything else out of the water rn. he can balance large casts well, his version of the titans was fun, he has an obvious knowledge of comic canon. i wish he’d pick up the ongoing nightwing solo and give back dick’s personality.

2. kelley puckett - unironically wrote the best run of all time. no one has done it like him before or since. i need him to come back and write for cass again (or damian). would love to see him write the dick + damian + talia dynamic.

3. scott snyder — this man wrote black mirror (the best dickbats story) and court of owls (which ruined everything). he's three dimensional. he is my enemy. he is not allowed to worldbuild unsupervised.

4. greg rucka — i met him at a con once and he was a very chill dude. he's an ally. he's always wearing a hat. no man's land, u will always be famous.

5. judd winick — this man either writes something that changes the status quo (utrh) or one of the worst books ever (titans 2008). no inbetween. he's a freak. he wants tim drake and kon-el to kiss. honorary ment for being another guy that ruined talia. he does get points for writing outsiders (2003).

also a shoutout to jeff lemire and amy wolfram

[mytimeinthesun]

Ok I tried to do this earlier but the post seems to have been eaten. Sooo here we go take 2 for Kawaii Kon day:

First! Met another Dimple cosplayer, who went the stage play route! I LOVE the iridescent fabric they used, it was super cool!

Since I was only there Friday, I pretty much just went to meticulously comb the dealer’s room/artist’s alley for 4+ hours, spend all my money, then go for the rooftop for a photoshoot, the results of this are:

This one was really funny to me bc it looks like an engagement announcement lol:

And this one was extra sassy with our eye lines aligning:

I got these super cute keychains of Mob and Reigen from JYK Doodles! It’s hard to see but Reigen is on some Morton’s salt and it’s very glittery 👍

All in all, super fun day! Wish I could’ve gone the full three but maybe it’s best for my wallet that I had other plans for the weekend lol

(Also shoutout to @acorviart ! Not Mob Psycho related but I spent like $100+ at their booth and their art is excellent!)

[lemontongues]

tim design as rook! this isn't a big departure from his previous looks bc im not trying to make any major character development leaps with it, more just playing around with a design that would get him back out of the robin rut lol

some thoughts/explanations below the cut!

i really have fun combining elements of other designs when i make a costume, so:

-red mask with more face coverage which attaches directly to the head/neck piece

-head/neck piece provides full coverage for the back of his head and neck as a little reference to that time he was caught in an explosion and scarred

-longer red robin-esque hair, pulled up into a lil ponytail to make the head/neck piece easier to put on :]

-collar and belt heavily inspired by his original robin costume

-symbol/chest piece and the details on the vertical belt borrowed from his red robin costume

-heavily padded shoulders for impact absorbtion but mostly to help him cut a more imposing figure lol (he's a short king! 5'6, maybe 5'7 in his boots)

-all-black cape for stealth/intimidation

-arm belts inspired by his n52 look

-gloves are a combo of his first and second robin looks + inverted finger stripes as a nightwing shoutout. in my head the black parts above the wrist are more heavily reinforced to make the spikes more viable as a defense/weapon lol

-thigh strap is a kon shoutout ♡

[mamawasatesttube]

hi do you have any kon comics recs?

oh boy do i!!!!! ♥

for his origins, you'll want to read "reign of the supermen" (probably easiest to read it as a tpb, because the individual issues are all over the place). this details his creation and escape from cadmus, his relationships with clark and john henry irons, and his early attitudes!

after that, of course. well. superboy (1994). i love this comic. it is deeply flawed. it's 100 issues long, so it's a bit of an undertaking, but in my opinion it's essential reading to actually understand kon as a character. he gets groomed and exploited in many ways in this book, and it is not handled well because it's treated as acceptable as the fantasy of any teenage boy (the grooming and sexual abuse), or played for comedic effect (the financial exploitation). but understanding those facets of kon's backstory are vital to get a read on him as a character. sb94 also does a really great job of establishing him as someone kind, creative, and incredibly lonely and depressed. he's passively suicidal for pretty much the entire run. he's a really good boy. and some of his relationships with his supporting cast (roxy, serling, dubbilex, guardian) are just sooo <333

next up: young justice (1998)! this is the fun one with a lot of shenanigans. the depth here is mostly understated for characters like kon, tim, and bart (who have their own solos outside of it) and i'd say the kon experience here is enhanced by having read sb94 first, because there are certain arcs that follow up on things going on at cadmus and stuff. after yj98 is teen titans/young justice: graduation day, which basically shows how yj disbands after donna troy's death.

after that is the unfortunate mess that is teen titans (2003). this comic is not good, but it is important. this is where the lex retcon happens, the mind control arc happens, and the tie-ins to infinite crisis all happen. kon dies in infinite crisis, returns in final crisis, and rejoins the team towards the end of tt03.

next up is adventure comics (2009), the first six issues of which get into what kon does in the wake of his resurrection. superboy (2011) (i) (not to be confused with the n52 superboy solo) follows up on some of these themes and shows his adventures in smallville! both are pretty solid.

if you Really wanna dig into everything going on towards the end of postcrisis continuity, i'd rec getting into a tpb of the new krypton arcs! kon isn't around for everything there (he's dead for the first parts), but by last stand of new krypton, he's back and running around with the legion (this includes the last few issues of adventure comics '09, too).

in n52 kon is just. not there. the "kon-el" in n52 is just straight up an entirely different guy. (incidentally, this guy is where the edgy "kon means abomination" thing comes from. this is a retcon. kon's name originally is the name of a dead cousin of clark's that clark says he would be honored if superboy would accept.)

if you want to read anything post flashpoint, he gets reintroduced to continuity in young justice (2019). then the house of kent arc in action comics sort of explains his situation in prime earth continuity. stuff like yjdc (which i have not and will not be reading, so i certainly can't recommend it) takes place after this, and kon appears some in various other action comics arcs going on lately, but none of those are major appearances really. he did have his recent mini solo superboy: man of tomorrow, which was... fine. nothing spectacular imo, but the covers are cute and i have all six issues sitting on my desk because kon <3!

i know this is kind of long. my bad i love to ramble about kon kjsdhf but!! if you have any questions or anything i'm happy to elaborate or clarify further!! but in the meantime. go forth, and happy kon reading ❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜🩷💖

[burins]

as promised the separate comics/graphic novels roundup for 2023! this is a normal post until May when I realized I could (as a graphic novel librarian) become an Eisner voter and read 54 comics in a month (and then slightly less so in August when the Harveys came up.) below a cut because it's heinously long. I'll include my little write-ups and some panels right after my faves

JANUARY

Under the Red Hood by Judd Winick and Doug Mahnke I read this January second. Begin as you mean to go on! For all its flaws (Dick's Squidward face) the emotional arc of this story puts me right into the pit about Jason Todd.

Superman: Reign of the Supermen by Dan Jurgens and others

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest (ongoing) by Mark Waid, Dan Mora, and Travis Moore First off Dan Mora draws everyone like the most beautiful people in the world, which never hurts to look at. But also this is just a really fun comic! The action is fun the characters are very sweet and we get an honest to god Superbat gem fusion

Young Justice (1998) by Peter David and Todd Nauck MY CHILDREN! I was finishing up my Tim readthrough and was so delighted to meet Kon and Cassie and Bart and Cissie and Anita (I still don't care for Lobo.) Nauck's art is cartoony in a way that fits the comic really well.

Red Robin by Christopher Yost, Fabian Nicieza, Ramón Bachs, and Marcus To THEEEEE ARC for Tim. Everyone says read Red Robin. Yes read Red Robin but also understand this is him at his worst and most scrungly. This is not normal Tim. This is Tim's failgirl era.

Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day by Judd Winick and Ale Garza

MARCH

You and a Bike and a Road by Eleanor Davis Beautiful little memoir comic about biking across the US, and also about borders and travel and isolation/togetherness.

Superman for All Seasons by Jeph Loeb, Tim Sale, and Bjarne Hansen I love this comic. Tim Sale draws Clark like the biggest, softest person you've ever seen, and Bjarne Hansen's colors are so gentle. (if you remember the rock metaphor from mission parameters, it's inspired by this scene from Book 1: Spring)

APRIL

Superman: Lost by Christopher Priest and Carlos Parlaguyan (ongoing) This series cuts right to the horror of being Superman and also the horror of being Lois Lane SO deftly. a few plot points I don't love but overall God it makes me miserable

Birds of Maine by Michael Deforge A delightful, dreamy collection of comics about birds living in a utopian society on the moon. The art is weird, the story is weird, everything about it is lovely.

MAY

Divinity v1-2 by Matt Kindt and Trevor Hairsine

The City of Belgium by Brecht Evans This is not a perfect graphic novel but the stuff it does with art and page and rhythm is so so phenomenal.

Lights, Planets, People! by Lizzy Stewart and Molly Naylor

Killadelphia v1-3 by Rodney Barnes, Jason Shawn Alexander, and Christopher Mitten

The Department of Truth v1-4 by James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds This is a book about conspiracy theories and it is DEEPLY unsettling. Martin Simmonds' art makes me legitimately queasy to look at. Really really good but also it did send me into a little spiral for a bit.

Supergirl Woman of Tomorrow by Tom King and Bilquis Evely (Mat Lopes' colors also deserve a shoutout) This book made me cry! Also I have yet to read another Kara comic because this one was so good and I'm afraid the others won't be. She's sharp and angry in all the best ways and also deeply deeply caring and good. Capes meets space fantasy at its best. I would die for Ruthye

Nightwing (2016) v1-2 by Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo

Batman: One Bad Day: The Riddler by Tom King and Mitch Gerads

She-Hulk (2022) v1-2 by Rainbow Rowell, Luca Maresca, Rogê Antônio, and Takeshi Miyazawa

Superman: Space Age by Mike Russell and Michael Allred

Revenge of the Librarians by Tom Gauld

Pinball: A Graphic History of the Silver Ball by Jon Chad

Down to the Bone: A Leukemia Story by Catherine Pioli

So Much for Love: How I Survived a Toxic Relationship by Sophie Lambda

Welcome to St. Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure by Lewis Hancox 

Chef’s Kiss by Jarrett Melendez and Danica Brine

Wash Day Diaries by Jamila Rowser and Robyn Smith

Animal Castle v1 by Xavier Dorison and Felix Delep

Bungleton Green and the Mystic Commandos by Jay Jackson

Flung Out of Space: Inspired by the Indecent Adventures of Patricia Highsmith by Grace Ellis and Hannah Templer Masterclass in writing a biopic that doesn't shy away from its subject's being kind of a wretched person while also producing art that is deeply meaningful to many, many people.

Rain by Joe Hill and Zoe Thorogood

Tiki: A Very Ruff Year by David Azencot and Fred Leclerc

Ten Days in a Madhouse by Nellie Bly, adapted by Brad Ricca and Courtney Sieh

Ultrasound by Conor Stechschulte

Tori Amos: Little Earthquakes, The Graphic Album (various)

A Visit to Moscow by Rabbi Rafael Grossman, adapted by Anna Olswanger and Yevgenia Nayberg

Look Back by Tatsuki Fujimoto

Shuna’s Journey by Hayao Miyazaki

Come Over Come Over by Lynda Barry

It’s So Magic by Lynda Barry

My Perfect Life by Lynda Barry What a lovely collection of comics. Barry captures being a teen in all its mess and glory.

Macanudo: Welcome to Elsewhere by Liniers

Always Never by Jordi Lafebre

The Pass by Espé

Mary Jane and Black Cat Beyond

Moon Knight: Black, White and Blood by Jed Mackay and Carlos Villa

The Nice House on the Lake v1-2 by James Tynion IV and Álvaro Martínez Bueno (Jordie Bellaire colors) I know Tynion can do horror, but he really really can do horror. This is like Glass Onion meets the worst nightmare you've ever had, and the way it unfolds is masterful. Martínez Bueno's art is dreamy and unsettling, especially combined with Bellaire who colors like she's painting oil slicks.

A Vicious Circle by Mattson Tomlin and Lee Bermejo

Booster Gold (1986) by Dan Jurgens Booster my friend Booster. I really didn't expect this to be as FUN as it is! There are occasional storylines that drag but overall a delight.

The Human Target v1-2 by Tom King and Greg Smallwood

Heartstopper v2-4 by Alice Oseman

Killer Queens by David Booher and Claudia Balboni

I Hate This Place v1 by Kyle Starks and Artyom Topilin I really need to read v2 because this was so fun. Queer backwoods horror, sarcastic, delightful, and never heavy-handed. I read this right after Killer Queens, which read like someone fed a bunch of Drag Race episodes and 2012 tumblr posts into a comics generator, and Heartstopper, which was so blandly unobjectionable I actually forgot I'd read it, so I Hate This Place felt refreshing as hell. (actually while looking up screencaps I remember why I didn't read v2 which is that v1 has a LOT of gore and body horror and I gotta be careful with that stuff. however if you like a slasher go forth)

It’s Lonely at the Center of the Earth by Zoe Thorogood Gut punch on every page. Thorogood's art is weird and wild. It does feel a bit as though she's opened up her ribs for us to peruse.

Chivalry by Neil Gaiman and Colleen Doran

Sensory: Life on the Spectrum (various)

Cryptid Club by Sarah Andersen

Public Domain v1 by Chip Zdarsky

Love Everlasting v1 by Tom King and Elsa Charretier

Mazebook by Jeff Lemire A twisting fable about grief and the paths it takes you down. A lot of the Eisner noms had dead wives or daughters which I began to resent, but I gave this a pass because it was really, really beautiful.

Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton Everyone has told you it's good! oh it's good. Beaton's style, which I associate more with her humor work, at first feels somewhat at war with the subject matter, but it ended up really working for me.

Days of Sand by Aimee DeJongh

Talk to My Back by Yamada Murasaki This was one of my favorite books of the whole year. Beautiful meditation on the compromises of marriage and motherhood in beautiful, sparse drawings that lingered with me long after I'd finished reading.

Crushing by Sophie Burrows

JUNE

Do a Powerbomb by Daniel Warren Johnson Do you like wrestling? I don't really care about it, but I do love weird wacky stories about grief and trying to fight your way through the afterlife to get your mom back. Both hilarious and poignant. The art is as bombastic as it needs to be.

The Night Eaters v1 by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda Liu and Takeda are back! This time with some horror about a pair of siblings and their fucked up parents. Great stuff.

Ripple Effects by Jordan Hart and Bruno Chiroleu

Superman: Up in the Sky by Tom King and Andy Kubert Oh the Clark Kent of it all. the panel where Clark is calling home from alien customs because he has flown to the ends of the universe for one little girl is really what got me in this one

Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross

Superman: American Alien by Max Landis and various artists

Superman Red and Blue (anthology) This is a whole lot of writers and a whole lot of artists and all of them are excellent. Once again the Clark Kent emotion is happening to me.

JULY

Superman: Birthright by Mark Waid and Leinil Francis Yu

Superman (2011) v5-6 by Greg Pak and Aaron Kuder

Superman: Warworld by Philip Kennedy Johnson and various artists

Justice League International by Keith Giffen, J. M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire Booster my friend Booster is here and also so are all of my other new friends. I loved the initial run (though it has its weak spots) but then I had to slog through a lot of very bad later stuff.

AUGUST

Blue and Gold by Dan Jurgens and Ryan Sook

New Teen Titans (various Brother Blood issues) by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez

Acting Class by Nick Drnaso

Follow Me Down: A Reckless Book by Ed Brubaker

Girl Juice by Benji Nate

Little Monsters v1 by Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen

Mimosa by Archie Bongiovanni

Who Will Make the Pancakes by Megan Kelso

Cat + Gamer by Wataru Nadatani

Goodbye, Eri by Tatsuki Fujimoto

Spy x Family v1-2 by Tatsuya Endo

Alice on the Run: One Child’s Journey Through the Rwandan Civil War by Gaspard Talmasse

Ashes by Álvaro Ortiz

The Extraordinary Part: Book One: Orsay’s Hands by Florent Ruppert and Jérôme Mulot The art and story here are simply so fabulous. A better world is possible and sometimes you have to take direct action to make it!

SEPTEMBER

Batman RIP by Grant Morrison and Tony S. Daniel

Batman Incorporated by Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham

Batman and Robin (2011) by Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason I've talked about this one before but I think it is truly one of my favorite depictions of Bruce as father in all the ways he succeeds and all the ways he fails. John Kalisz's luminous colors also deserve a shoutout.

OCTOBER

Batman: Failsafe and Gotham War by literally everyone currently working in DC but especially Zdarsky

Birds of Prey (1999) by Chuck Dixon and then Gail Simone and a number of other people (this continued into November and December) This made the worms in my brain wriggle so bad that I wrote a whole yuri zine piece about Dinah and Babs, coming to a PDF (or physical copy!) near you soon!

DECEMBER

Dungeon Meshi v1-11 by Ryoko Kui Is it romantic to devour and be devoured in turn? Ryoko Kui sure thinks so. I was hungry the whole time I was making these my bedtime reading.

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll Emily Carroll is among the best to ever do it. This collection of stories is her at her unsettling best.

When I Arrived at the Castle by Emily Carroll

Batgirl (2000) v1-3 by Kelley Puckett and Damion Scott thanks to Mssrs Puckett and Scott I am now fully unhinged about Cass Cain and her quest for immolation. the art in this is so stylized but so well-done, especially given how little text is in much of the series. when the paneling hits it HITS.

Bruce Wayne Murderer/Fugitive by everyone working at DC in 2002 When a good crossover storyline works, it really really works. I love to see Bruce completely blow up his life because he doesn't see any point in existing outside the cowl anymore. Even more do I love to see the fallout from this on everyone who loves him! delight delight delight.

and that's everything I read this year!! god there was a lot of it. I liked a lot of the stuff I didn't bold, but also I hated some of it. please feel free to talk to me about any of it!!!

[superboysuperzine]

Hey there Clone Boy Fans! It's time to start our contributor shout outs! First up, @tamdrry​ as an artist on our SFW Zine! 🎉 Check out their work over on their Instagram! 

What Makes You Love Superboy?

There's so much to love about him. He struggles and doubts himself, but ultimately he's looking to be better, constantly finding himself and making his own path, pushing through with a charming smile. I admire that of him a lot

[arunneronthird]

Our of all the outfit variations there have been, which hero has your favorite costume ?

i hope u know this has to be the hardest question ive ever had to answer

i think if im being honest with myself, its one of damians suits specifically, the one with the long strap

this one!

shoutout to the current tims suit with short sleeves, and n52s red robin and the original robin one too!

i have a soft spot for kons suit with the leather jacket and yellow belts, incredibly good shit, barbaras violet suit with the brackets for the cape and honestly? all batman suits, they are simple but weirdly scary and crazy dramatic

also and this is gonna be bewildering, the spiderman suit with the hoodie