Smallville

    (DC, 2003-2004)
™ and ©2003 DC Comics

Typical of this series is issue #3, Dubbed a “Special Lex Luthor Issue,” it does, indeed, focus on The Bald Billionaire by providing readers with two solid comic-book stories (one of which has a cliffhanger ending), a fairly substantive interview with Michael Rosenbaum (who plays Lex in the television series), and a two-page novel excerpt from Dean Wesley Smith’s Lex-centric Whodunnit. Also included is a partial episode guide (without review commentary, unfortunately) of Season One of the TV show.

As most fans of Smallville will attest, the best part of the series is the character of Lex Luthor, who, like Anakin “Darth Vader” Skywalker, will one day shed his inherent goodness and become a much-ballyhooed bad guy. However, unlike Skywalker, who comes off as sort of a whiny cartoon character (as seen in Attack of the Clones), Luthor is a complex creation oozing with nuance, subtlety, and a palpable sense of foreboding.

This issue does a nice job of capturing these traits, and the first story, which is a gripping murder mystery drawn by Guedes, even manages to capture the likenesses of the various denizens of Smallville. (Clark looks especially realistic.) The second story is a bit less successful in the art department (Lex looks a little silly in a couple of panels), but it does say something interesting about marital commitment — a topic seldom broached in comic books.

— Brett Weiss
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  NotesWriterArtist
Smallville #1

May, 2003
Cover Price: $3.50
3 copies available from $4.50 		Mark Verheiden, Clint CarpenterKilian Plunkett
Smallville #2

July, 2003
Cover Price: $3.50
5 copies available from $4.00 		Clint Carpenter, Mark VerheidenTom Derenick, Renato Guedes
Smallville #3

September, 2003
Cover Price: $3.50
5 copies available from $3.00 		Clint Carpenter, Mark VerheidenTom Derenick, Renato Guedes
Smallville #4

November, 2003
Cover Price: $3.95
7 copies available from $3.50 		Clint Carpenter, Mark Verheiden, Mike McAvennie, Rob Allstetter, Chloe Sullivan, Jami BernardTom Derenick, Renato Guedes
Smallville #5

January, 2004
Cover Price: $3.95
2 copies available from $4.75 		Clint Carpenter, Jake BlackTom Derenick, Pete Woods
Smallville #6

March, 2004
Cover Price: $3.95
2 copies available from $3.50 		Clint CarpenterTom Derenick, Kano
Smallville #7

May, 2004
Cover Price: $3.95
1 copy available for $2.50 		Clint Carpenter, Edward Gross, Christopher James Beppo, Jami BernardTom Derenick, Tom Grummett
Smallville #8

July, 2004
Cover Price: $3.95
4 copies available from $4.25 		Clint CarpenterTom Derenick, Renato Guedes
Smallville #9

September, 2004
Cover Price: $3.95
3 copies available from $7.00 		Clint CarpenterTom Derenick, Jim Fern
Smallville #10

November, 2004
Cover Price: $3.95
4 copies available from $7.50 		Clint CarpenterTom Derenick
Smallville #11

December, 2004
Cover Price: $3.95
2 copies available from $2.50 		Dan ThomsenTom Derenick
Smallville Book #1


Cover Price: $9.95
1 copy available for $8.00 		Mark Verheiden, Michael Green, Clint Carpenter, Brice Tidwell, Jami Bernard, John Van FleetRoy Allan Martinez, John Paul Leon, Kilian Plunkett, Renato Guedes, Tom Derenick