"I don't know much about the whole Legionnaire thing," he said. That seemed a little bit contradictory compared to what he said before about living here for most of his life, but he continued without hesitation. "But I'm pretty much, like, a professional superhero. I mean, this is what I was born to do, so that's gotta count for somethin'."

The problem with earnestness and Superboy was that you had to get past all the bluster and boasting in order to see it. It was there... just hidden under a few layers of, 'But look at how awesome I am.'

(That did not mean, however, that he should be an example for anybody. He really, really probably shouldn't be.)