There has been a lot of speculation on the identity of the mysterious visitor in this story.  If you don't mind spoilers, you may want to read Samuel Hawkins' answer to this very question!

Hi.  I've only just chanced across your web site, and just finished my first story of yours - Strange Visitor.

An excellent read!

Nice to get back to the 'real' Superman - or Superboy.  Even though you've reminded me again of J'onn J'onzz, who really is more powerful than Superman, isn't he?  With all of Superman's powers plus invisibility, telepathy, shape-shifting ... Arrgh!  I'm afraid when I select a 'hero' I want him to be the best around, and it irks me that the Martian Manhunter is more powerful - or at least, has more powers - than Kal-El.

Anyway, I found your writing style to be very good.  I enjoyed reading it as much as the two Elliot S! Maggin Superman books.  My absolute favourite part of his 'Miracle Monday' book is just a couple of paragraphs in the second chapter describing how Clark grew up so super-aware of his environment.  And your Strange Visitor story did exactly the same - decoding the messages of the fireflies, counting meteorite dust, etc.  Excellent!  It was a pleasure in particular to read that part of your work.

I'll space out the reading of your other stories so it lasts longer!

Many thanks again,

- Bradley Rosser, March 16, 2001
 

Regarding Superboy's best friend, Pete Ross, who first showed up in the early 1960s -- I have a theory about him.  Shortly before, in Superboy #77, Dec. 1959, "Superboy's Best Friend," there was a sad little cover story about Superboy and a best friend named Freddy.  Freddy looked just like Pete Ross!  In the story, Freddy learns that Superboy is Clark Kent, and they have lots of adventures together.  One scene in the story makes up the magazine cover -- Superboy and Freddy playing tennis on the Moon, where the gravity is so low, Freddy can almost fly.  Freddy also receives a Freddy robot as a gift.  Anyway, poor Freddy dies of a brain hemorrhage or stroke of some sort at the end of the story.  The last scene shows Clark putting away the robot in storage, in memory of his first and last friend.

This was so sad, so much like real life actually, that I think a lot of readers must have written in asking for a sequel or a happy ending of some kind.  And so, a year or two later, Pete Ross shows up, learn's Superboy's identity by accident, and keeps it secret.  He doesn't even tell Superboy.  So, Superboy now has a best friend again.

By the way, I don't accept that story where Pete and Superboy and everybody on Earth are killed by three villains of the Phantom Zone (e.g. General Zod).  I figure it is not the Superboy universe -- just a separate universe and story.  In this one doomsday story in another universe that Superman briefly visits, Lex Luthor is grown-up and law-abiding, nobody but Superboy knows of the Phantom Zone villains (at first), and Earth and Krypton are the only inhabited planets in that universe.  No, this is a separate story.  Somewhere, Superboy lives! -- and Pete and Lana and everybody else too!

-chesterarthur34, March 9, 2001
 

Chapter 9 - WHAT a way to say goodbye.
T'was the best of times, t'was the BEST of times!
You know S.H., someday, you may get another Superboy story that needs to be told.

....and it would serve you right!

This ability of yours in dealing with a very powerful, peaceful, contented, warm & caring young man should not be taken for granted.

I wonder what the people who read (your stories) of this Superboy for the first time make of him.  And what they make of the current version of DC Earth because of it.

It's been reported that S.H. isn't that much of a fan of the current version of DC Earth.  True or not, S.H. does know of some interesting developments that have taken place there and some special twists on them if they were possible.  Like this story.

I wonder, S.H., which do you prefer in the story telling :

a) the unknown, with any thing happening - including heroes dying
or
b) not formula, but some basics - like inspiring people who keep winding up being heroes to so many others??

In either case, S.H., I hope you never run out of heroes, or the reading about them that satisfy your "inner reader."  A very warm "Cheers", SIR.

-David Lomazoff, of Earth 1,952
 

Hi,

Why don't you put your stories in the comic books?  Your Superboy is way better than that stupid clone of Superman.

I remember the old Superboy comics of Superman when he was a boy.

I hope you put them in the comics and replace the clone comic.

Thanks,

- Yankee03, March 7, 2001
 

Very nice stuff.  Mr. Hawkins delivers once again.  I'm really looking forward to more stories featuring the Boy of Steel.

- Stacy Dooks, March 6, 2001
 

As has been the case with Hawkins's other Superboy stories, I got misty-eyed.  Damn fine story.  I'm duly impressed.

- Tony Rose, March 6, 2001
 

Whew.  Strange Visitor was just so... so good!  No "action" (apart from Lex Luthor's giant robot), no cataclysmic, epic, earth-shaking battles, just a story about people.  Two of whom have super-powers.

I so wish Mr. Hawkins would keep writing stories for us to enjoy.

Ah well.

- spike316, March 6, 2001
 

THANKS!

Keep 'em coming!  You've managed to recapture the sense of wonder and magic that are so sadly missing from the post-Crisis Superman mythos.  Thanks again.

- Jerry Bookter, March 6, 2001
 

Writing from "the heart" is easy and difficult, depending on how well you can write and how well you know the subject.

I believe Clark heard what was going on from a distance, simply because Mr. Jones should have heard Clark as he approached.  Clark would respect Mr. Jones' wishes, but he would still have his own wishes, especially if it meant Mr. Jones might not be coming back.

LOVED the touch about Mr. Jones having "fibbed" to the Guardians.  I wasn't at all surprised at how well Jonathan shined.  Just a natural gift.  But, I still wish Martha had a chance to be more of an active participant within the story.

Hope no one who wanted "an action story" felt cheated, because this is the kind of tale readers have been asking from DC for decades!  "HUMAN" interest stories.

Once more, Mr. Hawkins, thank you for the treats.

- David Lomazoff, February 28, 2001
 

I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your writing. You have captured the essence of the Superboy that I remember from my childhood.

Please keep writing these stories. They are a treat.

- Joe, February 18, 2001
 

Chapter 7 lived up to its expectations! Sigh, sometimes they are so real, they tend to write themselves.  I do wish Martha would have had more involvement directly though.

Knowing SH, I'm glad he's not limited to DC's way of writing, otherwise Lex would have to break out of jail, something would have to happen, and Mr. Jones would have to see how much the Kents do worry rather than what Mr. Hawkins has in mind for the next step.

And the building of suspense, with Jonathan's part, to Mr. Jones was PRICELESS!

Oh, those unexpected twists and turns - especially for a superior being who can feel just as regular as anyone else.  (smile, nothing! That brought a GREAT BIG GRIN!!!)

- David Lomazoff, February 18, 2001
 

HHHMMMMM.  Not testing the boy, but testing the boy's teachers, to see what foundation was laid for him to grow on.  Different.  Real possibilities.

Since Jonathan usually knows how to take care of himself, and Mr. Jones doesn't have Earthly prejudices, maybe Martha will have a chance to "shine" as well from his tests.

Loved the fun Pete's been having so far with the "keep the hero covered" stuff.

MORE FUN !

- David Lomazoff, February 5, 2001
 

Thank you for your wonderful story.  Please keep writing!

- Chris Monday, February 5, 2001
 

So far, the story has all the feel of the original style of the late 50s.  Will we soon find young Clark with his hands full with trying to nullify the schemes of people around him?  (Does Pete know Clark's secret at this point?  If he does, will he act as a wild card to anyones' plans?)  Does this story follow after the Legions'?  Will Clark REALLY surprise whoever is going to be testing him?  The game's afoot!  I am so looking forward to seeing some super fun!

- David Lomazoff, January 29, 2001
 

Somehow, I don't think I would mind if Mr. Jones is a red herring.  Writing star Hawkins is making sure that the readers have enough to keep them grinning at shadows, with only a "hope" being used here and there to keep them at bay 'till the next installment.

If this is a pre-crisis Earth, then Mr. Jones may well be just Mr. Jones.  However, I do wonder about the "partners" watching for the foreign menances...

- David Lomazoff from Earth 1,952 (just going for a little spin), January 22, 2001
 

Curiouser and curiouser...  Is Mr. Jones a certain "John" I'm thinking of?

- Mitch, January 22, 2001
 

I read the Superboy stories all the time, but this last episode was a big disappointment.  After waiting an entire week for the next installment, all we get is a couple of guys walk into the Kent General store, do nothing, and leave??  Don't get me wrong..  I'm sure that they'll play a pivotal role in the story, and that they were there just to observe Clark and his visitor...  But what a bore!  Couldn't you have let at least SOMETHING interesting happen?  Or at least, tell some more of the story??  If someone asked me what happened in part three, I'd have to say, "two guys watch Clark in the store...  do nothing, then leave."

Ho hum.

- CapnCyber, January 22, 2001
 

Hmmm!

So, the Martian Manhunter has been around for longer than we thought!  Assuming, of course, that our mysterious "Mr. Jones," who seems to know so well what Clark is thinking about (almost as if he could, say, read his mind!), is actually J'onn J'onnz, and not the mysterious Red Herring.

Still trying to figure out Mr. Flagg and Mr. Marks though.  Old friends, or new faces? Only time (and hopefully the next instalment) will tell!

- spike316, January 22, 2001
 

You know, I was convinced the visitor was going to be a Green Lantern.  And from the letters I'm not alone.  But my first reaction to seeing the name Mr. Jones was to think of the Martian Manhunter.  Probably a hold-over from the Post-Crisis idea that J'onn monitored Clark Kent's growth.  But it's enough to make me rethink how certain I am about this being the Guardians.

- Jon Clark, January 21, 2001
 

At least we got a reprieve.  The condemned's last meal... final story.

I don't think it would be a certain large, red headed alien.  More likely, A.S. of the GLC (I hope).

What kind of tests would he put Clark through? Exposure, loss of parents, mind games of a totally different type?

These first 2 chapters are going to have to be leading to something very different after that 30th Century visit.

It's ROTTEN being a captive audience!

Just remember that S.H., while you're located in some small hotel room with nothing fresh to read...

- David Lomazoff of Earth 1,952, January 17, 2001
 

To Samuel Hawkins,

Superboy using his own knowledge of science to track down Luthor, clever.  Was Superboy's line about selling the robot to the military an in-joke (the animated Luthor tries to sell robots to the army)?

- Mitch, January 16, 2001
 

Dear Samuel,

It is darned well time that you went to e-groups, signed up for LegionFiction and Untold Tales, and started posting some of your great Superboy stories there.  We NEED you!  Thanks.

- DarkMark, January 16, 2001

P.S.  And while you're at it, why not visit DarkMark's Domain for more stories?
 

My, my, my!!!  What an intriguing opening chapter!  Is that a Guardian from OA in the picture above?  Hmmm... seems to be like the classic tale, "Must there be a Superman?"

- Romarico Galvez, January 10, 2001