Smallville

Smallville Season Eleven: Lantern #1

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Smallville Season Eleven: Lantern #1The return of Kryptonians to their sector in space on the new Argo colony (as seen in the Ninth Season finale) has awoken the Green Lantern ring of Space Sector 2813, to seek out a new host. Unable to find anyone acceptable on the colony made up of Kryptonian clones, the ring continues its search until it reaches Earth and finds Superman.

Although Kal-El has no intention of leaving Earth to defend a space sector half way around the universe, he finds it impossible to turn down his new calling as even chucking the ring into deep space only eventually returns it to his finger.

Along with offering a cameo from John Stewart, who as the Earths’ current GL appears to have been tapped to showing Superman the ropes, and a brief history of Green Lanterns in the Smallville Universe, the opening issue to the latest Smallville mini-series also foreshadows looming problems with the Manhunters who are awoken as well on discovering a new Lantern has been chosen. Worth a look.

[DC, $3.99]

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Smallville Season Eleven: Alien #4

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Smallville Season Eleven: Alien #4Finishing the four-issue mini-series, Smallville Season Eleven: Alien #4 features Superman‘s final battle with the Monitor in Russia, and pits Batman against an evil Joker-Batman version of himself from another Earth who severely wounds Nightwing before his capture.

By the end of the issue Batman agrees to join the Justice League (at least on a temporary basis), the threat from the Multiverse has been dealt with (at least for now), and things can get back to normal (or what passes for normal in the Smallville Universe).

The ease of which Superman beats the Monitor here took me a little by surprise (isn’t this the same guy who was mopping the floor with the Man of Steel just last issue?), but Smallville Season Eleven: Alien #4 ties up all the loose ends (including quite a bit of epilogue involving Bruce finally agreeing to join the JLA), and even gives us a little of Lex being Lex (causing tomorrow’s trouble). Worth a look.

[DC, $3.99]

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Smallville Season Eleven: Alien #3

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Smallville Season Eleven: Alien #3The third issue of Smallville Season Eleven: Alien features unexpected team-ups. As Chloe spends time in the Batcave trying to pitch Batman on the idea of joining the Justice League, Lois and Nightwing hit the streets and get into a little action while taking down a local gang, and in Russia Clark Kent and Lex Luthor work together to discover more about the identity of the Monitor and his true purpose in this reality.

I enjoyed the scenes of Barbara and Lois together and getting the chance to see Lois kick some butt. However, I question Bryan Q. Miller’s choice to make Lois so capable that she comes off as pretty much equal to Batman’s trained partner in a fight.

Clark and Lex finally catch up with the Monitor (for all the good it does them) leaving that thread on a cliffhanger suggesting Lex Luthor might re-discover Superman’s secret (but I wouldn’t bet on it just yet). The Batman story also gets an unusual ending with the reveal of a Bat-Joker from another world who will no doubt cause trouble for Smallville’s version of the Dynamic Duo in the next issue. Worth a look.

[DC, $3.99]

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Smallville Season Eleven: Alien #2

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Smallville Season Eleven: Alien #2As Lex Luthor releases the Monitor from his Russian prison, unaware how powerful and dangerous the creature actually is, in Gotham City Lois and Chloe seek out Batman and Nightwing for their help investigating the murder of a man dressed up like the Man of Steel.

While teasing us about a Crisis and parallel Earths (one of which I hope resembles the pre-New 52 DCU), Smallville Season Eleven: Alien showcases the capabilities of the Monitor who proves more than a match for the entire legion of Rocket Reds and even for Superman who the Monitor wounds (much to Clark’s complete surprise).

The Gotham storyline offers writer Bryan Miller and artist Edgar Salazar a chance to show off the Smallville version of the Batcave to Chloe and Lois and tease us with the possibility of a certain Mr. Dick Grayson being introduced into the series in the near future. Worth a look.

[DC, $3.99]

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Smallville Season Eleven: Alien #1

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Smallville Season Eleven: Alien #1Okay, I have a love/hate relationship with Smallville. The decade-long television show was high on promise (and I’ll admit I liked Tom Welling as a youngish Clark Kent) but often short on delivery which may have something to do with stretching its premise of Clark’s pre-Superman adventures far longer than anyone involved with the show originally thought possible.

Despite writer Bryan Q. Miller’s involvement in the new series I found it hard to give the title a fair shake (although I was sorely tempted when it looked like Stephanie Brown might get new life in its pages). With my dissatisfaction with much of current New 52 Superman (I’ve already decided to scratch Superman/Wonder Woman #2 from my pull list after only two issues), I decided to try the first issue of this new mini-series.

On the plus side the Smallville version of Superman’s costume is actually less ridiculous than the New 52 version and the character has more than a bit of the old Clark Kent who I’ve been missing (along with several pre-New 52 versions of the DCU).

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