5.2 Reasons to Start Reading Smallville: Season 11

For those who looked up toward the skies and screamed "Somebody, save me" when the CW television series "Smallville" went off the air in 2011, your cries have been answered. Your savior has arrived. Incidentally, that savior happens to be Superman, and you can find him once again on Fridays, but this time he’s doing the saving on the DC Comics Digital website.
 
Welcome to Smallville: Season 11, where every week brings you a new installment of the exclusive digital first comic book continuation of the popular ten-season TV series chronicling the journey of a young Clark Kent toward his destiny of becoming the world's greatest super hero.
 
The first "episode" of the new season recently wrapped, and on August 17 we start the next installment—which introduces a certain incredibly popular comic book character into the series. As such, we're giving you the 5.2 Reasons to Start Reading Smallville: Season 11!
1. The Show Goes On
When a television series you enjoy ends, it's devastating. Characters you grew to love and care about are gone forever once those final credits roll. But now fans can continue to look in on this world and its characters with Season 11. So we get to see what happens to Clark and Lois and Chloe and Bat— We mean, er... Well, carrying on...
 
2. The Adventures of Superman
In the series finale of "Smallville," Clark Kent finally donned the cape and tights and became the hero he was always meant to be. But with the end of the show, we never did get to see the Clark Kent we've known over the past ten years in the Superman role. Until now.
 

 
3. No Budget, No Holding Back
"Smallville" never lacked for big budget action or special effects when necessary, but when it comes to television, things will always be limited by what can and cannot be accomplished technically. That problem doesn't exist in comics. From the biggest action scenes to the craziest creatures imaginable, comic book storytelling allows for it all to come alive.
 
4. Returning Favorites
In television, often an actor will depart from a show, which pretty much removes that character from continuity. Sometimes that actor might return for a guest appearance, but it all depends on scheduling and other factors. With the comic book world, those popular characters can return and you never know who may show up next. Speaking off...

5. That Certain Incredibly Popular Character
A certain nocturnal hero with an affinity for expensive gadgets. A certain billionaire playboy that likes to hang out in caves. A certain dark knight detective that strikes fear into the hearts of criminals… It's Batman, guys. Batman finally joins the cast of "Smallville!" How awesome is that?!
 
5.1 BATMAN!
 


5.2 AND NIGHTWING!
 


So what would you like to see in the brand new season of Smallville? Sound off (or sing off, if you still have that theme song stuck in your head) in the comments below!

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smallville, clark kent, Batman, nightwing, Superman, Digital Comics, Season 11

5.2 Reasons We Love Action Comics' Superman

When superstar writer Grant Morrison launched ALL-STAR SUPERMAN back in 2005, he crafted a tale that took the Man of Steel back to his more classic roots while still approaching the character with modern sensibilities. He reinvented the Superman of old for today's audience and the end result quickly became lauded as one of the greatest Superman tales ever written.

With last year's relaunch of ACTION COMICS, Morrison reinvented the Man of Steel once more—and the results were once again, in a word, super.

This week marked the release of SUPERMAN: ACTION COMICS Vol. 1, which collects Morrison’s first major arc on the title, and within those colorful comic book pages lie the 5.2 Reasons We Love Action Comics' Superman!

1. Reinvention Through Reinterpretation
With Action Comics, Morrison once again returned to an intrepretation of Superman from times past, but one even further back than in All-Star--all the way to the Man of Steel's original appearance. And by once again keeping a modern sensibility, Morrison created a younger, rasher and bolder Man of Steel, one who seems to enjoy using his powers (all while helping others, of course).


2. More Powerful Than...
As a younger version of the character, this Superman hasn't quite reached his full potential, which means when it comes to threats and dangers… Well, this beautifully chilling image that plays on the old Superman adage says it all:



3. Superman's Clark Kent's Pal: Jimmy Olsen
With Action Comics, Jimmy Olsen is now friends with Clark Kent instead of Superman, and like a butterfly flapping its wings in Metropolis causing a tornado in Smallville, a little change makes a huge difference in the logistics of their friendship.

4. New Krypton
Morrison and artist Gene Ha's interpretation of Krypton and Kryptonians is stunningly beautiful and visually breathtaking. Plus, the little tweaks Morrison made to the destruction of the planet and ultimate rocketing of the infant Kal-El off-planet make events much more realistic—or rather as realistic as a baby in a rocket from another planet facing untimely destruction can be.

5. References Abound
As any Morrison fan knows, reading between the lines is not so much a suggestion as a requirement. Morrison loves adding winks and nods to previous continuity and stories, and his Action Comics run holds no exception. Check out a few we found below, and let us know in the comments any references you may have found!





5.1 Sensational Backup Tales by Sholly Fisch

5.2 Costume of the People




Is Action Comics taking you up, up, and away into the stratosphere of awesome? Let us know what you think in the comments!

Tags: 
action comics, Superman, grant morrison, clark kent, Kal-El, rags morales, gene ha, 5.2 Reasons, All-Star Superman

The Joker vs Clark Kent

SUPERMAN/BATMAN comes to a close as the Joker attempts to kill his second reporter: Clark Kent. Cautious not to reveal his true identity, Clark must defend himself without making his superhuman strength obvious. His only hope in doing this successfully? The Dark Knight.

SUPERMAN/BATMAN #87, by Joshua Hale Fialkov and Tomas Giorello, hits stores tomorrow.

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Batman, clark kent, Joshua Hale Fialkov, Superman, superman/batman, the joker, Tomàs Giorello

The New Man of Tomorrow

(The cover to ACTION COMICS #1 by Rags Morales)

He has been called the Man of Steel, the Last Son of Krypton and a strange visitor from a distant planet.

He is Superman, the Man of Tomorrow. As part of DC COMICS - THE NEW 52, this September will usher in a new Superman for the new century.

In the pages of ACTION COMICS, writer Grant Morrison and artist Rags Morales will present humanity's first encounters with Superman, before he became one of the World's Greatest Super Heroes. Set a few years in the past, it's a bold new take on a classic hero.

* This Superman is very much an alien, one struggling to adjust to his adopted home. In the series, he must come to terms with both the loss of his home world, as well as the loss of both of his adopted parents. He is more Kal-El from the planet Krypton than Clark Kent from Kansas. He's a loner trying to find his place in the world.

* The series' first storyline will explore the origins of Superman's costume, as it evolves from a look that includes jeans and work boots to a new look: a suit of battle armor that pays tribute to his Kryptonian past.

* His great powers have limits. When the series begins, Superman can leap tall buildings, but his ability to fly is in its infancy.

And in the SUPERMAN ongoing comic book series, by writer George Perez and artist Jesus Merino, will be set in present day continuity and will unleash a series of new challenges for Superman and his alter ego Clark Kent.

* Clark Kent is single and living on his own. He has never been married.

* Lois Lane is dating a colleague at the DAILY PLANET (and his name isn't Clark Kent) and she has a new position with the paper.

Timeless and modern, classic and contemporary, but younger, brasher and more brooding, this is Superman. The New Man of Tomorrow.

ACTION COMICS issue 1 goes on sale on September 7 and SUPERMAN issue 1 goes on sale September 28.

(The cover to SUPERMAN #1 by George Perez)

Tags: 
action comics, clark kent, DC Comics-The New 52, George Perez, grant morrison, jesus merino, lois lane, rags morales, Superman

Tonight, Destiny Awaits

After over two-hundred episodes, tonight marks the final episode of The CW’s Smallville. For ten seasons, we’ve watched Clark Kent grow into the man he’s destined to be.

The two-hour Smallville series finale airs on The CW starting at 8:00 pm (EST).

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clark kent, lex luthor, smallville, Superman, the cw

DCU IN 2011: DESTINY IS NOW

Welcome to day two of the DCU in 2011 on THE SOURCE.

Throughout the day, we’ll hint at what’s to come for the Man of Tomorrow. We’re kicking things off with an exclusive image we received from our friends at The CW. and it’s… well, I’ll let the image speak for itself.

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You see what I see, don’t you?

It’s official. I cannot wait for the new episodes of SMALLVILLE’s final season, which resume on The CW on January 29th at 8/7c.

Tags: 
clark kent, cw, dcu in 2011, smallville, Superman

Experience the first days of Earth's greatest hero in SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN #1

It started in a tiny town. Smallville, Kansas, to be exact.

There, a boy named Clark Kent would begin to learn the lessons that would help him become not just a man, but the world’s greatest defender and a universal symbol of hope and freedom: Superman.

On September 29, the New York Times-bestselling creative team of writer Geoff Johns and artist Gary Frank (SUPERMAN: NEW KRYPTON) reunite for SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN, a tale that has become a part of our own modern mythology and inspired generations. The tale of an orphan boy from a distant world rocketed to Earth amidst the wreckage of his home planet and raised by two caring parents deep in the heartland of America. It’s a tale of alienation, discovery and growing up in a wild world littered with colorful heroes, murderous villains and some of the most recognizable characters in storytelling history.

Johns, a master of the heartfelt narrative and gifted with the ability to orchestrate a compelling superhero epic steeped in comic book lore, presents us with an all too human Clark Kent, struggling to cope with the stresses of youth and the realization that he is much more than just a boy -- or a man.

With SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN, readers will experience the beginnings of not only Superman, but of some of comics’ most beloved characters and storylines in a modern, fresh setting. From Lex Luthor, Metropolis, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen to the Legion of Super-Heroes, Johns and Frank have created a work that is both definitive, refreshing and epic: the modern origin of Superman, the Man of Steel.

Not too long ago, we showed off some final pages from the first issue. But here are some more, courtesy of Mr. Johns and Frank.

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Tags: 
clark kent, gary frank, Geoff Johns, jummy olsen, lex luthor, lois lane, perry white, Superman, superman: secret origin
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