Appearance

[kontykebomb]

Appearance

As a partial genetic clone of Superman, Superboy shares many of Superman's physical traits and looks like a younger version of the Kryptonian hero. However, as a side effect of the cloning process and premature liberation, Superboy never visibly ages. So no matter whether he’s chronologically 16 weeks old or 6 – 8 years old, he always looks physiologically like a 16-year-old teenage boy, the state of growth he had reached at the time of his freedom.

Like all Kyrptonians, Superboy looks virtually indistinguishable to most Earth-born humans. A young man of Caucasian (or "Kryptonian" to be technical) heritage, Conner’s skin has a healthy, noticeable golden tan, a good midway point between Aqualad’s natural brown and Nightwing’s light complexion. He has Clark’s blue eyes, albeit noticeably colder at first, and shares his "father’s" midnight black hair. Kon keeps his hair in a short style that cuts close to his skull and tapers to a cropped end just above his nape. He lacks sideburns, keeps the sides and back neat, but tends to let the top go a little unruly, with a few small, angled spikes on his crown sweeping into a set of thicker, spike-like bangs hanging over his forehead. Due to his frozen physical age, his bangs don’t hang in Kal’s familiar “s” spit curl in the front, but the hints of that familiar style are there, suggesting he’d develop it if he ever found a way to age appropriately.

Being a teenage version of Clark, Conner also inherited his progenitor’s good looks, including his piercing eyes, strong squarish jaw, arched eyebrow style, symmetrical features, and attractive face. Superboy is noticeably taller than most people of his physiological age (16) and is both exceptionally fit and impressively muscular. With his broad shoulders, deep chest, narrow waist, V-shaped torso, and long arms and legs, Superboy sports a very athletic build and defined sculpture. His tall height and broad frame are likely due to his partial Kryptonian genes, as Superman shares much the same physique. Thanks to both his genetic makeup and his constant work as hero, Kon has developed a perfect body, befitting the "offspring" of the quintessential superhero. With his looks and body, Superboy is considered very handsome by most boys and girls inside and outside his physiological age group.

Despite being a superhero, Conner refuses to wear a costume made of spandex or throw on a cape like so many of his fellow heroes and heroines. Instead he favors wearing a tight black T-shirt (or a long-sleeved variation on occasion) with the classic red S-shield displayed prominently in the middle of his chest. This he sometimes pairs with a brown leather jacket, though more out of comfort rather than need. Superboy generally pairs his shirt choice with dark blue jeans or navy cargo/fatigue pants, which he tucks into dark brown combat boots and holds tight with a large buckled brown belt about his waist. While he normally goes barehanded, Kon occasionally dons a pair of black fingerless gloves, again out of comfort rather than needing them. Outside of this "casual costume" and formal affairs, Superboy sticks with a similar clothing style, throwing together t-shirts, jackets, jeans, pants, belts, and boots into something comfortable and simple rather than going for rich and gaudy.

Though a clone of Superman, Superboy greatly differs from his "father" in personality, including body language. While Clark frequently wears a kind and accepting expression that causes people to draw to him, Conner rarely has anything but a frown or scowl on his handsome face, or a stoic look of casual indifference, causing others to behave warily around him. Another disconcerting difference between them is the manner in which they stand. Kal’s body language acknowledges his strength but shows his patience with others, while Kon’s body language always seems to scream simmering impatience, bristling irritation, or unbridled arrogance. Until he or his teammates are confronted by danger, at which point his closed fists, angry glare, and bared teeth can’t be mistake for anything short of pure aggression. Though he’s calmed down and matured some from his initial awakening, it’s still rare for Superboy to show a smile outside of private time with his closer friends, something that sets him apart even more from Superman.