Superboy and Knockout sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. P-U-N-C-H). Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like for current Superboy to have Knockout girlfriend nowadays.
BTW. What did happen to Knockout after the Hawaii storyline? Did she keep in contact Kon. When he join the Young Justice or The reboot Teen Titans?
In her original rendition, Knockout was...not really long-term girlfriend material. More like a hard lesson that the flashy, "fun" partner might not be stable or good for you. For original-flavor Superboy, one of the thirstiest superheroes ever published in a non-porn comic, this lesson was a major turning point.
She flirted with Superboy off and on for about thirty issues, with about as much subtlety as what you see here, and it looked like she was about to snatch him away from regular girlfriend Tana Moon. But then it came out that she was a stone cold killer who'd manipulated him into defending her from the consequences of her kills. When found out, she tried to kill him. The name "Knockout," it seems, was not a promise to limit the violence to unconsciousness.
She had origins on Apokalips, and her motives were a twisted version of Mister Miracle's. Both characters are marked by a desire for freedom, but Scott Free leavens that with a love of conventional, suburban married life. Knockout chased freedom from any sort of structure, including stability or morality. On the occasions when she was caught--including the end of her time with Superboy--her mind shut down rather than accept that reality.
Though the series would bring back Knockout a few times after this, it didn't really seem to have much else to say about her. When Gail Simone brought the character back in Secret Six, she was in a relationship with Scandal Savage and--honestly--somewhat difficult to reconcile with the character in Superboy. She acted closer to a bisexual Big Barda, showing devoted tenderness to her partner and mostly cautious standoffishness to everyone else. Her sense of humor had regrettably left her altogether, but so had her willingness to lie to those close to her. Not that she needed to cover up any murders when working with the Six. She also seemed to be over any sort of neurosis about being tied down, literally or figuratively, though her views on monogamy still weren't as conventional as Scott and Barda's.
That said, in real life, the party-girl persona has a shelf life. I could imagine a scene where latter-day Knockout shrugs off her Superboy phase: "I sought freedom in all things, thinking it would bring me happiness. I toyed with a cute little 'pup' of a hero, knowing he would never ask me to be vulnerable. There were innuendos. Many, many, many innuendos. But seeking only freedom can become its own kind of trap."
A really good analysis of the character and her history. I do like the Secret Six version, as she had a good dynamic with the others which worked well for the team and series as a whole. Or at least, it felt appropriate. And hey, more than enough time had passed between her earlier appearances and the Secret Six that like you say, she could have sloughed off the old personality.
It's just like the dichotomy between early Superboy and Teen Titans Kon-El. (Pity it feels like he's regressed of late; same with Bart. Not everyone needs to be reverted back to their '90s personality...)
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Date: 2025-04-07 01:12 am (UTC)BTW. What did happen to Knockout after the Hawaii storyline? Did she keep in contact Kon. When he join the Young Justice or The reboot Teen Titans?
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Date: 2025-04-07 02:52 am (UTC)She flirted with Superboy off and on for about thirty issues, with about as much subtlety as what you see here, and it looked like she was about to snatch him away from regular girlfriend Tana Moon. But then it came out that she was a stone cold killer who'd manipulated him into defending her from the consequences of her kills. When found out, she tried to kill him. The name "Knockout," it seems, was not a promise to limit the violence to unconsciousness.
She had origins on Apokalips, and her motives were a twisted version of Mister Miracle's. Both characters are marked by a desire for freedom, but Scott Free leavens that with a love of conventional, suburban married life. Knockout chased freedom from any sort of structure, including stability or morality. On the occasions when she was caught--including the end of her time with Superboy--her mind shut down rather than accept that reality.
Though the series would bring back Knockout a few times after this, it didn't really seem to have much else to say about her. When Gail Simone brought the character back in Secret Six, she was in a relationship with Scandal Savage and--honestly--somewhat difficult to reconcile with the character in Superboy. She acted closer to a bisexual Big Barda, showing devoted tenderness to her partner and mostly cautious standoffishness to everyone else. Her sense of humor had regrettably left her altogether, but so had her willingness to lie to those close to her. Not that she needed to cover up any murders when working with the Six. She also seemed to be over any sort of neurosis about being tied down, literally or figuratively, though her views on monogamy still weren't as conventional as Scott and Barda's.
That said, in real life, the party-girl persona has a shelf life. I could imagine a scene where latter-day Knockout shrugs off her Superboy phase: "I sought freedom in all things, thinking it would bring me happiness. I toyed with a cute little 'pup' of a hero, knowing he would never ask me to be vulnerable. There were innuendos. Many, many, many innuendos. But seeking only freedom can become its own kind of trap."
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Date: 2025-04-07 10:20 pm (UTC)It's just like the dichotomy between early Superboy and Teen Titans Kon-El. (Pity it feels like he's regressed of late; same with Bart. Not everyone needs to be reverted back to their '90s personality...)