Line #105 ComicBook/NewSuperMan


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/new_super_man.jpg]]
2	%%
3	''New Super-Man'' is a 2016 {{comic book}} published by Creator/DCComics as part of their [[ComicBook/DCRebirth Rebirth]] initiative, written by Creator/GeneLuenYang (''ComicBook/AmericanBornChinese'', ''ComicBook/LevelUp'', ''ComicBook/SupermanTruth'') with art by Viktor Bogdanovic.
4
5	Kong Kenan [[note]]Surnames first in [[UsefulNotes/ChineseNames Chinese naming convention]][[/note]] is a troubled young man living with his mechanic father in UsefulNotes/{{Shanghai}}. Despite his bullish personality and narcissistic tendencies, he's got the heart of a hero, and his life changes forever when he's selected by an [[ResearchInc underground scientific foundation]] to become the first-ever ComicBook/{{Superman}} of China and a founding member of their own [[ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica Justice League]].
6
7	Starting with issue #20, this series was renamed to ''New Super-Man and the Justice League of China''.
8
9	----
10	!! ''New Super-Man'' provides examples of:
11
12	* AbstractApotheosis: [[spoiler: Kenan]] inherits the role of embodiment of Yin and Yang from [[spoiler: [[Characters/WonderWomanAllies I-Ching]] and All-Yang]], though he has yet to find balance.
13	* {{Acrofatic}}: Chinese Bat-Man looks out of shape but can still do most of Batman's acrobatics.
14	* AnAesop: As I-Ching said in the final issue: "[[{{Koan}} Even balance itself must be balanced]]".
15	* AffectionateNickname: Peng Deilan calls Kenan "Dummy" even after she's bonded with him.
16	* AlliterativeName: '''K'''ong '''K'''enan, mirroring the alliterative-sounding name of his American equivalent '''C'''lark '''K'''ent.
17	* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Wang Baixi earned the cowl of Bat-Man of China, but he was outdone at the training school by his own little sister. [[spoiler:And then she turns out to be a supervillain in the making.]]
18	* AmbiguouslyHuman: I-Ching is able to scare away a group of demons by taking off his glasses. [[spoiler: This is later revealed to be because he has taijitu for eyes.]]
19	* {{Animorphism}}: Deilan [[spoiler:is injured during the battle against Fahai and Superman Zero, causing her to return to her original form as a giant green snake]].
20	* AnswerCut: A Korean general says "Can you believe so much mayhem could be caused by a single, misguided little man?" right before [[spoiler:Yang!]]Kenan breaks his way into the room, as if in response.
21	* AnthropomorphicPersonification: [[spoiler:I-Ching and All-Yang]] are the living embodiments of the concepts of Yin and Yang, respectively.
22	* AscendedFanboy:
23	** A young Kenan was hooked by an internet video showing the JLA members, especially Superman. Then he gets the powers nearly identical to his idol's. When the two of them meet and team up, Kenan is worried that Superman will laugh at him for having his XRayVision linked to his thigh chi for [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything "penetration"]], only to realize that of course he wouldn't, he's Superman.
24	** Baixi geeks out over Batman and asks him to autograph his cape. Batman isn't amused.
25	* AtrociousAlias: The Chinese equivalent of Bane adopts the code name Anathema, which Baixi considers ridiculous.
26	* BadassNormal: Bat-Man has no powers unlike the others Justice Leaguers, but like his U.S. equivalent, is not portrayed as less effective of a fighter for it.
27	%%* BadFuture: The team has a vision of one in the final issue.
28	* BlandNameProduct: The final issue has Kenan and Kwang-Jo play a match of [[VideoGame/MortalKombatX Deadly Kombat X]] with fanmade Justice League of China skins.
29	* BreakingSpeech: Flying Dragon General asks for Kenan's help in rescuing those the Ministry of Self-Reliance has captured, pointing out that the "S" that he wears means a lot more than what he thinks. When he glares, Dragon realizes what the look is, blasts him, then tells him that he's nothing but "a bully in a cape" trying to hide behind the "S". [[spoiler: It becomes obvious to the reader -- and clues Kenan in to -- who Flying Dragon General ''really'' is because it's [[SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay something his father told him in the first issue.]]]]
30	* ButtMonkey: The series treats Lex Luthor as a pathetic wannabe who is seen as a nuisance by the rest of the superhero community. In his first appearance, he is humiliated by a group of demons, who carry him to their realm while he can do nothing but squirm and beg to be released. Then in the third volume, he is locked out of his own house by a mystic barrier and dragged away from harm by Jessica Cruz, who is clearly annoyed by his constant whining.
31	%%* CainAndAbel:
32	%%** Kenan's dad and his brother, both members of the Freedom Fighters.
33	%%** [[spoiler: I-Ching]] has this with his "brother", who also doubles as an EvilCounterpart.
34	%%** Baixi with [[spoiler: his sister]].
35	* CannotKeepASecret: Kenan blows his secret identity ''and'' his existence to the world in #2, as well as announcing the existence of the Justice League of China. Cue mass {{Spit Take}}s from people like Perry White and Batman finding it... ''interesting''.
36	* CaptainEthnic: The infamous Great Ten are featured, and it's their status as this that led the Ministry to start the Justice League of China project. Not that they're much better: Wonder-Woman replaces the original's stars-stripes-eagle motif with a dragon-themed AnimeChineseGirl look [[spoiler: not to mention being Xiaoqing from ''Legend of the White Snake'']], and Kenan's own powers turn out to be heavily tied to KiManipulation. And of course, there's the problem of them being literal chinese bootlegs, which even the Ten take issue with.
37	-->'''August General in Iron''': This team of children you've assembled is nothing but a ''cheap Chinese imitation'' of a flawed American concept.
38	* {{Catchphrase}}: Baixi loves saying "[[TerseTalker Hrm]]".
39	* CentralTheme: Finding balance, whether in oneself or in the world. Much of the early chapters deal with Kenan having to balance his emotions in order to draw out his full power. Later on, he has to mediate between [[spoiler: his father and mother]]'s opposing viewpoints, juggle being a hero with running from the authorities, and finally learn to balance the principles of Yin and Yang themselves after [[spoiler: becoming their AbstractApotheosis]].
40	* ClarkKenting: Inverted for a one-off joke in issue #2. Laney Lan doesn't recognize Kenan in his superhero persona because he doesn't wear an eye visor as a civilian.
41	* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: Each member of the Justice League of China is assigned a different colour, which is prominently displayed in their respective uniforms: Red for Super-Man, Blue for Bat-Man, Green for Wonder-Woman, and Purple for Flash.
42	* ColorCodedSpeech:
43	** Although the dialogue is written in English, it's understood that Kenan and the other characters are speaking Mandarin -- unless otherwise stated through the use of blue text, which signals the use of English. Normally, the use of "<" and ">" indicate the use of a foreign language, but since the entire ''comic'' is basically in Mandarin, it would have been silly to constantly employ them in every word balloon.
44	** In ''ComicBook/ActionComics'' #983, it's reversed: blue indicates Mandarin is being spoken, as Superman and Kenan have an exchange in that language. ''Comicbook/SupergirlRebirth'' #14 follows suit and adds orange for Mongolian and purple for Russian. ''New Super-Man'' #20 introduces red for Korean.
45	* CompletelyUnnecessaryTranslator: Lex Luthor is revealed to be fluent in Mandarin, and thus didn't need I-Ching to translate for him. Then again, it's not like I-Ching [[TrollingTranslator was being accurate]].
46	* ContinuityNod:
47	** When Robinbot points out Fahai has been infected with the Doomsday virus, Wonder-Woman says that's the name of the monster who [[ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman killed Superman]] some years ago.
48	** In Dan Abnett's ''Aquaman'', the hero faces a superweapon called Warhead, who is really a Chinese man whose cybernetic implants grant him vast telepathic powers. This plotline gets a minor reference in this series, as one of the supervillains who join All-Yang's army is said superweapon's successor, Warhead 2.0.
49	%%* CrazyPrepared: Well, Wang Baixi ''is'' a Batman, after all.
50	* CrossoverCosmology: Peng Deilan is actually [[spoiler:Xiaoqing, aka the Green Snake in ''Legend of the White Snake''. She and Wonder Woman are friends, both with each other and mutually of Hanuman.]]
51	* DarkIsNotEvil:
52	** I-Ching dresses in all black, [[spoiler: and is representative of the 'dark' Yin principle,]] but is not a villain.
53	** [[spoiler: Kenan]]'s Yin form is a detached individual who isn't AxCrazy like his Yang counterpart, and helps the Justice Leaguers win in as nonviolent a fashion as possible.
54	* DeliberateValuesDissonance:
55	** The Freedom Fighters of China, like [[ComicBook/FreedomFightersDCComics their namesake]], fight for "Truth, Freedom and Democracy" in a non-democratic environment... but they're ''antagonists'', as they're kinda trying to overthrow the real life Chinese government, which while shady and censorship-happy would probably throw the world's most populated country into chaos if gone.
56	** A dark example applies this to the history of DC itself. [[spoiler:The first issue of ''ComicBook/DetectiveComics'' saw Slam Bradley beat up a bunch of YellowPeril charactures to retrieve a vague artifact. Issue 16 shows the scene from a modern perspective, which shows Slam Bradley as a racist brute beating up Chinese men who were only defending an artifact that the westerners had previously stolen from them. Kenan is absolutely horrified to learn the truth.]]
57	* DramaticSpineInjury: {{Defied\|Trope}}. Anathema (Chinese Bane) tries to replicate [[ComicBook/{{Knightfall}} his American counterpart's famous feat]] by breaking Bat-Man's spine. However, before he can deliver the blow, Super-Man shows up and knocks him out with a punch.
58	* EternalRecurrence: The personifications of Yin and Yang, as explained in [[spoiler: I-Ching]]'s backstory, are repeatedly reborn throughout the centuries.
59	* EvilCounterpart:
60	** All-Yang is [[spoiler:the living embodiment of the Yang, representing strength and order. Unlike his brother I-Ching, who embodies the Yin, he refused to balance the two forces and became a supervillain]].
61	** Superman Zero is [[spoiler:the first person whom Dr. Omen tried to transform into the Super-Man of China. He was deemed a failure and locked away, but is set free by All-Yang and goes on a rampage, targetting the protagonist out of jealousy for being a successful experiment]].
62	** Inverted with Alpaca. Although her rivalry with Bat-Man and tendency to laugh while fighting make it clear that she took inspiration on [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker the Joker]], all her actions are done out of genuine concern for her brother.
63	* EvilTwin: [[spoiler: All-Yang and I-Ching]] are twins, the former being the evil one.
64	* EyeScream: Kwang-Jo loses his left eye during a confrontation with the North Korean army. The injury is covered by an eyepatch made out of coral upon his transformation into Dragonson.
65	* FailedASpotCheck: When Kenan meets I-Ching, he wonders why the man doesn't recognise him, having utterly failed to gather that I-Ching isn't wearing those dark glasses to look cool.
66	%%* FirstNameBasis: The Justice League of China fall into this pretty quick.
67	* ForeignCultureFetish:
68	** The reason Kenan becomes ComicBook/{{Superman}}, and why Western-style superheroes (as well as supervillains) are said to be on the rise in China -- an example of TruthInTelevision, as this is a RealLife phenomenon currently happening in Chinese culture.
69	** Ahn Kwang-Jo has a predilection for a cartoon about a family with yellow skin - and no, we're not talking about racist asian caricatures. He has to resort to illegal means to watch it in his home country, though.
70	---> "The s-son is always telling his father, "[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Don't have a cow, man]]!"
71	* FreudianExcuse: Kenan's mother died in a plane accident, which cause him to bully the son of owner of the airline where she died. [[spoiler:It was later revealed that she faked her death so that she could go back to working for the Ministry.]]
72	* FutureMeScaresMe: A symbolic version, but none of the Justice Leaguers of China are very happy with the way their future selves look and act [[spoiler: in the Ghost Realm]].
73	* TheGreatFlood: Munmu believes North Korea has been overtaken by corruption and intends to purify it by having his son, Kwang-Jo, flood the country.
74	* HazyFeelTurn: [[spoiler: Alpaca]] may be starting to see the light with Baixi's help as of the penultimate issue, though it may be the case that the opposite is true for Baixi.
75	* HeroicBuild: Kenan starts out with a fairly average build, with broad shoulders and a slight gut. When he gets his powers, he immediately becomes ripped.
76	* HoistHeroOverHead: Anathema lifts Bat-Man over his head and prepares to break the hero's back, as a nod to Bane's actions in the 1993 story ''ComicBook/{{Knightfall}}''. Thankfully, Super-Man interrupts his attack just in time.
77	* InASingleBound: Since Kenan cannot fly at first, he has to get by via using his super strength to leap everywhere.
78	* InNameOnly: Discussed in-universe. The media labels Kwang-Jo as the "Chinese Aquaman", even though he is North Korean and actually possesses a completely different powerset.
79	* InternalHomage:
80	** Super-Man naturally gets the classic "lift a car above your head" pose from ComicBook/{{Superman}}'s first cover appearance.
81	** [[spoiler:Ching Lung's reveal is a perfect replica of his original appearance on the cover of ''ComicBook/DetectiveComics #1'', except the issue's credits replace what once advertised "brand new action-packed series IN COLOR!"]]
82	** The cover of issue #17 has Kenan sitting in the same exact way as Superman on the cover of ''ComicBook/AllStarSuperman'' #1.
83	* InternalReveal:
84	** In issue 10, Kenan finds out [[spoiler: his mother and father are still alive]], though the readers already knew about the latter because of an author's note in an earlier issue.
85	** Very early on, Kenan tells the whole country that he's the New Super-Man.
86	* InterserviceRivalry: The Ministry of Self Reliance/Justice League of China with The Great Ten. August General in Iron is not amused another superteam is trying to take his work from him.
87	* InTheBlood: [[spoiler: Kenan's parents were both costumed superheroes.]]
88	%%* IntrepidReporter: Laney Lan, like her [[ComicBook/LoisLane American counterpart]].
89	* IronicEcho: [[spoiler:Ching Lung]] states that his enemies have proven themselves to be [[ComicBook/{{Batman}} "a superstitious and cowardly lot."]] He debuted in ''ComicBook/DetectiveComics'', the series in which that catchphrase first appeared.
90	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Kenan is a bully that is ''very'' full of himself and his ego only gets worse once he gets powers but he does have genuine heroic instincts, which is why he was chosen to receive powers in the first place. Of course, WordOfGod's explanation of Kenan as homage to [[Literature/JourneyToTheWest Son Wukong]] helped out.
91	* {{Kaiju}}: Sorcerer Monk Fahai becomes a giant turtle monster thanks to his statue prison being injected with the Doomsday Virus and attacks the city.
92	* KiManipulation: Kenan's powers work by channelling Superman's qi through his body, meaning that his powers become stronger when he acts "Superman-like"; in addition, they're linked to the eight [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagua Bagua]] trigrams, with Kenan able to access his powers by focusing his qi into the trigrams' associated body parts:
93	** Trigram 0 (''Kūn'') - Invulnerability; stomach
94	** Trigram 1 (''Gèn'') - Super-strength; fists
95	** Trigram 2 (''Kǎn'') - Super-hearing; ears
96	** Trigram 3 (''Xùn'') - X-ray vision; thighs[[note]]Not as weird as it seems, as Xùn has a "penetrating" characteristic.[[/note]]
97	** Trigram 4 (''Zhèn'') - Super-speed; feet
98	** Trigram 5 (''Lí'') - Heat vision; eyes
99	** Trigram 6 (''Duì'') - Super-breath; mouth
100	** Trigram 7 (''Qián'') - Flight; head
101	* LaughingMad: Alpaca likes to laugh. It's usually also [[PaintingTheMedium green]] in color.
102	* LeftHanging: Even with the series extended for a further 6 issues, there just wasn't enough time to solve all the story threads.
103	** What will happen to [[spoiler: Kenan's parents]]? Will they be able to reconcile their differences?
104	** Baixi is cooperating with [[CainAndAbel Alpaca]] now. Will this [[HeWhoFightsMonsters backfire on him]], or will he manage to make her see things his way?
105	** How will the Justice League deal with their new rivals, the Lantern Corps of China?
106	** Will Kenan find balance without completely detaching himself from the world the way his future self became?
107	** Who will [[LoveTriangle Kenan end up with in the end]]? Ming Ming or Avery?
108	** Kwang-Jo resolving to find out how he was conceived goes nowhere due to the book's cancellation.
109	* LightIsNotGood:
110	** [[spoiler: All-Yang]] is the cheery and active side of Yin-Yang duality, symbolized by his all-white clothes. However, more often than not, he's very ruthless in whatever he does and prefer simple violence to solve problems. But then again, he started his whole plan out of [[PayEvilUntoEvil reciprocity]].
111	** [[spoiler: Kenan himself]] when he taps fully into the Yang principle, trying to murder Kwang-Jo to solve the problem in an expedient manner.
112	%%* LoveTriangle: A love triangle forms very late in the series with Kenan, Avery, and Ming Ming.
113	* LukeIAmYourFather:
114	** [[spoiler: Flying Dragon General is Kenan's father.]]
115	** [[spoiler:In issue 12, Dr. Omen reveals she's Kenan's mother, as she's falling out of a collapsing building.]]
116	* MeleeATrois: The third volume sets up a confrontation between the Justice League of China and All-Yang's followers, though the battle devolves into an all-out war once the Great Ten and the Suicide Squad join the skirmish.
117	* MexicansLoveSpeedyGonzales: Subverted InUniverse. [[spoiler:Kenan is amused and entertained by Slam Bradley beating up a bunch of Chinese people in the events of ''ComicBook/DetectiveComics #1''. But this is only because the artwork's extremely racist depiction of the people made Kenan think that he was watching a Superman-looking dude beat up a bunch of yellow goblins. One ArtShift to modern standards later, Kenan is horrified to see a bunch of innocent Chinese people get their asses kicked by a bully.]]
118	* MistakenIdentity: Ching Lung is a modernised adaptation of the 'yellow peril' pulp villain character of the same name who debuted in the original ''Detective Comics'' run from the 1930s. He is often advertised as being the same guy as the Fu Manchu lookalike on the front cover of ''Detective Comics #1'' (hence all the hype about him being DC's "original" character) but this is actually incorrect. The character on the cover of that comic was [[https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Fui_Onyui_(Earth-Two) Fui Onyui]], and Ching Lung didn't debut until a couple issues later. ''New Super-Man'', as a reflexive satire on China's relationship with the West, appears to run with the idea that as they were based on the same lazy, offensive stereotype, they were essentially one and the same to begin with, so this may have been intentional.
119	* MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: Dr. Omen has no problem repeatedly zapping and blasting a teenager (admittedly, a rude and non-compliant one) at the drop of a hat, and has a staggering lack of empathy, or just emotional warmth in general.
120	* MythologyGag:
121	** The first four members of the Justice League of China are Super-Man, Bat-Man, Wonder-Woman and Flash, four of the seven "core" Justice League members. The three businesspeople funding the Ministry of Self-Reliance are "an [[ComicBook/GreenLantern airline guy]], a [[ComicBook/{{Cyborg}} computer lady]], and a [[ComicBook/{{Aquaman}} fish professor]]".
122	** In issue #11, Kenan and Avery have a race, which seems to be something any Superman and his Flash equivalent are destined to do for the past few decades. Naturally, Avery wins. Handily.
123	** In #16, Kenan says Slam Bradley looks like Superman (Kal-El). Slam was a Seigel and Shuster creation, and was indeed initially drawn with the same appearance Shuster would later give Supes.
124	** In the final issue, when Baixi wonders where [[spoiler: Kenan's [[FutureMeScaresMe future self]]]] is, Kenan points up and says "There. Up in the sky".
125	** For Creator/GeneLuenYang's body of work, this isn't [[ComicBook/AmericanBornChinese the first time]] an asian character has quoted Bart Simpson's famed {{Catchphrase}}.
126	* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Kenan, feeling sympathy for Superman Zero, lets him go. This gives [[spoiler:All-Yang]] the opportunity to repower him, allowing him to attack the ministry again.
127	* NotSoAboveItAll: Though Bat-Man tries to be TheStoic to counterbalance Super-Man's immaturity, he behaves like an excited child while meeting his American counterpart, even annoying Bruce by requesting him to autograph his cape.
128	* NothingIsTheSameAnymore: In issue #18, [[spoiler: Kenan masters his abilities, [[SealedInsideAPersonShapedCan absorbs All-Yang]] and defects from the Ministry of Self-Reliance along with Bat-Man and Wonder-Woman to work independently, but the higher ups unveil an equivalent to the Green Lantern Corp as a more reliable option.]]
129	* ObfuscatingStupidity: On his first arrival to China, Lex Luthor speaks badly-mangled Mandarin. Unsurprisingly, he later turns out to be much more eloquent than he'd been letting on.
130	* OddNameOut:
131	** The Justice League of China all have names that in some way differentiate them from their Justice League counterparts, even without the added "of China" (which isn't actually part of their names); Super-Man, Bat-Man, Wonder-Woman. Avery Ho, having a one word, one syllable name, doesn't; she's just the Flash.
132	** Baixi has a Rogues' Gallery of Batman villain expies, but they don't share their western counterparts' names, unlike the rest of the characters.
133	* OldMaster: I-Ching, the blind martial arts master who taught ComicBook/WonderWoman kung-fu during her depowered phase in the early seventies as well as [[Comicbook/KryptoniteNevermore help Superman regain his powers stolen by the Sandman]], makes his return to teach Kenan KiManipulation... and snark at him. A lot.
134	* OlderThanTheyLook: Deilan casually mentions to Baixi how he knows [[spoiler: she spent two centuries living inside a rock before she was found by the Ministry.]]
135	* OverlyNervousFlopSweat: Subverted. Kwang-Jo starts sweating profusely while being taken away to be interrogated by the North Korean army. However, this turns out to not be a sign of stress, but the first manifestation of his latent hydrokinetic powers.
136	* PolitenessJudo: Kwang-Jo roasts Kenan after trouncing him in a fighting game several times by thanking him for going easy on him.
137	* PowerfulButIncompetent: Kenan has all of the powers of Superman, which would make him one of the strongest beings on the planet... if he could actually use them all properly rather than having to think hard about using one or the other. His self-absorbed and impulsive behavior also mean that he tends to make things worse before they get better. As he practices and learns humility, his fine control grows, allowing him to move past the incompetent bit over time, though he's still prone to careless errors.
138	* PowerOfTheSun: Initially, Kenan seems to be more noticeably solar powered compared to the other Supers, but it soon becomes apparent that his power is limited by [[KiManipulation something different]]...
139	* PowerUpFullColorChange: When Kenan embraces power rather than balance he becomes all-yang, turning brilliant white but also more ruthless and pragmatic. On the other end, if he embraces detachment, he becomes all-yin and turns black. In this state he becomes intangible even to kryptonite and can disrupt the powers of others with a touch, but he becomes frivolous and forgetful without direction.
140	* Really700YearsOld: Deilan had been turned into a stone statue for 200 years.
141	* ReformedBully: Kenan is an arrogant bully with little to no redeeming qualities at the start of the series, but his tenure as Super-Man gradually transforms him into a better person. By the final arc, he is shown to deeply regret his past actions, as one of the entities who haunt him in the Spirit World turns out to be his own past self.
142	* RestrainingBolt: Kenan gets fitted with a ShockCollar in the form of a pair of goggles to keep him in line. Bat-Man built it.
143	* TheReveal:
144	** Kenan isn't the Ministry's first attempt at making their own Superman.
145	** Master I-Ching [[spoiler:has an EvilTwin named All-Yang, and they're the {{Anthropomorphic Personification}}s of Yin and Yang]].
146	** Kenan's [[spoiler:mother and father are both alive]], and [[spoiler:his mother is Dr. Omen]].
147	* RuleOfSymbolism:
148	** Of all things, the "S"-shape on Kenan's chest is a multi-layered symbol. There's the classic duality of it being an "S" for "Superman" and the Kryptonian symbol for "hope"; its octagonal shape, taken from the international shape of stop signs, indicates the Ministry's intent to stop all threats to China; and combining the two forms the S-shaped path through an octagonal Bagua symbol. When Kenan and I-Ching guest star in ''Comicbook/SupergirlRebirth'', I-Ching comments that, despite [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} Kara]]'s scepticism, the symbol shows Kryptonians must have had an instinctive understanding of qi.
149	** Kwang-Jo decides to close the floodgates instead of destroying North Korea. Inside his mind, his father begs him to not disgrace his heritage. Kwang-Jo then [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons quotes a meme from a western cartoon]], thereby disgracing his heritage.
150	* RunningGag: There is a recurring joke in which the heroes complain that their problems would be solved much more quickly if they had a "Chinese Aqua-Man" on the team, since several enemies they face could reasonably be defeated with said hero's aquatelepathy. The gag first comes up when they have to fight the giant sea serpent Xiangliu, then when the city is flooded by the turtle monster Fahai, and finally when giant crabs suddenly show up at the borders of North Korea.
151	* SarcasticDevotee: I-Ching uses this to humble Kenan, or perhaps just because [[{{Troll}} he likes to troll him for fun]].
152	* SecretIdentity: Soundly {{defied\|Trope}} by Kenan when he blabs his new identity as Super-Man in live television. It's unknown if Baixi plays it straight or not, but [[spoiler: Deilan does have one]].
153	* SlowlySlippingIntoEvil: The Freedom Fighters are a terrorist group who always engaged in reprehensible actions, but their villainy becomes more pronounced as the series goes on. Though their initial goal was to simply expose the Ministry of Self-Reliance, they later decide to take control of China with a modified Starro. Later on, they join All-Yang's forces and admit they no longer care about ideals, aiding the villain purely for the sake of revenge.
154	* SpiritWorld: In the final arc, Kenan uses his Yin powers to cross into the Spirit Realm in an attempt to [[spoiler:bring I-Ching back to life]]. However, the afterlife is revealed to contain not only the souls of the dead, but also the feelings of insecurity experienced by the living. This results in Kenan being confronted by the manifestation of his own fear of [[spoiler:becoming as ruthless as All-Yang, requiring I-Ching to intervene and send Kenan back to the realm of the living]].
155	* {{Squick}}: InUniverse. [[spoiler:Deilan reverts to her original snake form after being injured, and though she manages to partially regain her human body through sheer concentration, her lower half remains unchanged. She only returns to normal after kissing Baixi on the lips]], which causes Kenan to gag out of disgust.
156	* StopBeingStereotypical: The basis between the InterserviceRivalry with the Great Ten and the Ministry -- The Ministry sees the Great Ten as outdated and stereotypical relics of abandoned morals and created the Justice League of China to beat the westerners at their own game. The Great Ten sees the Ministry as abandoning their country's pride and, by creating imperfect superheroes based on those within America, reinforce the idea of China being a bootlegger's paradise.
157	* SuperPoweredEvilSide: [[spoiler:When Kenan embraces power rather than the balance he has been taught to embody, he gets more powerful and gains an [[LightIsNotGood all-white costume]], but also becomes far more ruthless and pragmatic.]]
158	* TactfulTranslation: I-Ching does this when translation [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Kenan]]'s lines to ComicBook/LexLuthor, but [[TrollingTranslator does rather the opposite]] when translating Luthor's to Kenan.
159	* TeamMom: Deilan, the Wonder-Woman of China, has to keep Kenan and Baixi in line and away from each other's throats. Kenan even lampshades it when she has to tell him not to kill ''or'' maim their opponents.
160	* ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman: Discussed, since the team doesn't have an equivalent to Aquaman in reserve, and one would be useful during the current crisis where a {{Kaiju}} is stirring up tidal waves.
161	* TreatedWorseThanThePet: Kwang-Jo is initially a fervent believer in the ideals of North Korea, having been indoctrinated into the nation's CultOfPersonality from an early age. But after living on little for so long, Kwang-Jo is stunned when the Justice League of China takes him to China to recover, as even the dogs in China eat better than the commonfolk of North Korea.
162	* TrollingTranslator: I-Ching, when translating Luthor's words to Kenan, says that Luthor is telling Kenan about how much he lacks discipline. Even Kenan is aware something is off.
163	* TrueCompanions: The JLC grow close to each other, even in spite of Kenan's pigheaded behavior, an early sign of which is Bat-Man becoming willing to ignore protocol for Kenan's sake. Kenan considers them his second family.
164	* {{Tsundere}}: Avery becomes this to Kenan over time, though she doesn't mistreat him. Prime example is when she says "There's the jerk I love" and then backpedals and insists she meant to say "tolerate".
165	* WellIntentionedExtremist: The Freedom Fighters want to bring truth, justice and democracy to China, but the DragonWithAnAgenda enlists Starro's aid to ''enforce'' it through violence. Flying Dragon General realizes that the group believes the ends justifies the means, and tells Kenan that people come before ideals.
166	* WhatTheHellHero: Batman lays into Baixi for not properly testing his equipment for deploying them. While he acknowledges Baixi is only a teenager, he stresses the fact that BadassNormal heroes can't afford screwups in a world of metahumans.
167	%%* WhereItAllBegan: [[spoiler: Ching Lung brags he was the one who started it all -- and by "all" he means DC Comics, period!]]
168	* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Superman isn't pleased with having to fight demons (who are supernatural and can bypass his invulnerability).
169	* WithGreatPowerComesGreatHotness: Kenan goes from a tubby 17-year-old to being as ripped as Superman, after being imbued with Superman's chi as part of the Chinese government's attempt to create its own party-loyal Justice League.
170	* YellowPeril: [[spoiler:Ching Lung deliberately cultivated that image to drive a wedge between the East and West, since TheThirties.]] Issue #16 dissected this topic and [[spoiler:Ching Lung]]'s motivation in more details, since [[spoiler:''ComicBook/DetectiveComics'' #1 did feature Slam Bradley beating up racist Chinese caricatures, which All-Yang suggested that these savage caricatures and violent treatments on them were used to justify what the Eight-Nation Alliance did in China. In response to this, All-Yang urged Kenan to become the new emperor and crush Western civilization, embodying the YellowPeril trope.]]

Context ComicBook / NewSuperMan