This is the property that just won’t die. A full decade on the air and now a comic book based on a TV show based on a comic book? Man, that’s complicated.
Why don’t you leap onwards to read the review of the new Superman title that STILL lacks the red underoos.
Written by Bryan Q. Miller
Illustrated by Pere Perez
- The SMALLVILLE story continues in this new ongoing series!
- Based on the hit CW show!
- Find out what happened after CLARK KENT puts on the costume.
For the first time in 10 years, there is no Superman-inspired live action program on television. The story of how Clark Kent blossomed from farmboy to superhero has finally completed, and now he’s the iconic hero we all affectionately call the Big Blue Boy Scout, among other things.
However, while the chapter spanning from High School to beating up Darkseid has ended, Clark’s story is one that will never truly “end.” In fact, DC Comics decided to follow the lead of Dark horse Comics and Joss Whedon and produce a Smallville Season Eleven much like Buffy Season Eight (and a subsequent Ninth Season). They even attached one of their own Smallville Writers turned Comic (and Multiversity Favorite) Writer, Bryan Q. Miller to the series to push Clark and company to the blue yonder. The thing is that the series follows what seems to be the same path of your standard Superman story.
That wasn’t unexpected, though. When we left our hero at the end of the final episode, he has stepped into his role as the Metropolis Marvel in what could be argued as one of the greatest moments of genre television in the past two decades in my book. He was Superman. Gone was the cheap looking leather jacket that Clark looked like he borrowed from Freema Agyeman’s Doctor Who wardrobe. It was now his turn to stand in the blue tights that have endured for so long and be the hero we all know and love from the comics.
One thing about the new direction that seems a bit off-putting is the amount of time between our first glimpse of Clark as Superman on TV and our first glimpse of Clark in this book. Six months have passed since he put on the tights, but he’s arguably gone through a pretty massive character overhaul. The Farmboy angst is largely gone, replaced with the friendly, big brother demeanor that we know as Superman. Perhaps this is only a “show” as he was saving Russian Cosmonauts from a mysterious energy wave that nearly destroyed the international space station.
But that is where the series takes its biggest turn from the series. Due to budgetary limitations, being a show on The CW, things always looked a little on the cheap side. It’s not inherently a bad thing, but when you’re so reliant on CGI for characters like Doomsday or Darkseid, the resulting use of the imagery can be less than impressive. But thanks to the (mostly) unlimited budget of a comic book with regards to what you see on the page, Superman CAN fly up to the ISS no sweat.
But other than that, there are two big selling points to the book that might make you sit up and take notice. First of all, while it does say “Smallville Season 11” in the title, it’s very much a reboot of sorts. Since he is now officially THE GUY, the previous continuity or over 200 episodes is not exactly necessary to understand what’s going on. He can fly, Oliver and Chloe are married, and Lex severely mistrusts the man who can fly faster than a speeding bullet. The familiarity is the biggest strength in that regard, which is somewhat ironic, since it’s a soft reboot.
The other strong selling point is its price. The digital comic will release weekly at $.99 USD followed by a book that releases ever three weeks for $2.99 in print collecting three digital issues. But here is the kicker. At least as far as this issue is concerned, the book is $.99 for a full 22 page comic! There’s a boatload of value in this one comic, and if you’re a broke S.O.B. or cheap bastard (or both), you will LOVE the idea of this book for sure. You really can’t argue with a full comic for such a low price.
Final Verdict: 8.0 — it’s not a PERFECT comic, but for a buck you can hardly go wrong. But it for sure.
