Character/DC
Clark Kent / Kal-El
Part of the Superboy mantle · 2 known bearers →
Superboy first appeared in More Fun Comics #101 (1945-01), published by DC. 1,147 appearances are indexed across 60 series.
Decades ago, the planet Krypton exploded. Moments before that happened, a scientist named Jor-El and his wife Lara (sometimes Lora) placed their toddler son, Kal-El, in a small rocketship and sent him into space. The craft landed in a field outside of the rural town of Smallville. A couple named the Kents witnessed the crash and found the child inside, completely unharmed. They named him Clark and adopted him as their own son. The Kents soon discovered he possessed remarkable powers, and concluded that they should keep it a secret. When Clark was a young boy, he donned a colorful costume and became the hero named Superboy. During his teen years, Clark was friends with Lana Lang, who often attempted to prove that Clark was Superboy. When he reached adulthood, Clark changed his codename to Superman. Superboy's powers include: invulnerability, super-strength, flight, super-speed, super-senses (x-ray, telescopic, microscopic, and infrared vision; super-hearing; super-smell; super-taste; super-touch), heat vision, super-breath and freeze-breath, super-hypnosis, faster-than-light space-travel, and time-travel. Superboy's weaknesses include: green kryptonite (pain and weakness, followed by death), gold kryptonite (permanent loss of powers), red kryptonite (unpredictable effects), red solar radiation (loss of solar-based powers), high gravity (loss of gravity-based powers), and magic.
Character history
Across the catalog
#6
1974-01-00
The New Adventures of Superboy
1980–1984
33 issues →
Infinite Crisis
2005–2006
5 issues →
Green Lantern
2005–2011
5 issues →
Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds
2008–2009
5 issues →
Dark Nights: Death Metal
2020–2021
5 issues →
Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen
1954–1974
4 issues →
Legion of Super-Heroes
1973–1973
4 issues →
The Legion of Super-Heroes Archives
1991–2012
4 issues →
Showcase Presents: Legion of Super-Heroes
2007–2014
4 issues →
Shazam!
2019–2020
4 issues →
Superman Supacomic
1959–1976
3 issues →
Limited Collectors' Edition
1972–1978
3 issues →
100-Page Super Spectacular
1973–1973
3 issues →
DC Comics Presents
1978–1986
3 issues →
Secrets of the Legion of Super-Heroes
1981–1981
3 issues →
Crisis on Infinite Earths
1985–1986
3 issues →
Secret Origins
1986–1990
3 issues →
Adventures of Superman
1987–2006
3 issues →
The Adventures of Superboy
1991–1992
3 issues →
52
2006–2007
3 issues →
Legion of Super-Heroes: The Silver Age Omnibus
2017–2020
3 issues →
Batman
1940–2011
2 issues →
Super Adventure Comic
1950–1960
2 issues →
The Brave and the Bold
1955–1983
2 issues →
Adventure Comics
1960–1960
2 issues →
Superman Presents Wonder Comic Monthly
1965–1975
2 issues →
Secret Origins
1973–1974
2 issues →
DC Special Series
1977–1981
2 issues →
The Legion of Super-Heroes Annual
1982–1984
2 issues →
Superman
1987–2006
2 issues →
Legion of Super-Heroes: The Great Darkness Saga
1989–1989
2 issues →
DC's Greatest Imaginary Stories
2005–2010
2 issues →
Showcase Presents: Superman
2005–2008
2 issues →
Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War
2008–2008
2 issues →
Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War
2009–2009
2 issues →
New History of the DC Universe
2025–2025
2 issues →
Superboy
1949–1960
1 issue →