Smallville (2001 to 2011) and the comics

[Avilos]

Its true Superboy met young Lois Lane, Green Arrow, and Aquaman, etc. But in almost every case it was a one time story that was completely ignored later.  Its great that you have mentioned this. Its interesting that the show used a lot of ideas that the actual comics disregarded.

It was a very different time back than. The editor Mort Weisinger would come up with an idea for a cover, have an artist draw it, than pass it along to a writer to figure out a story to fit the cover. So often the covers where gimmicks to get kids to buy a new issue. There was no long term continuity.

I think that describes the approach the producers of Smallville took. They clearly restrained themselves in how to write Clark. So they added all these other characters to keep people watching. If they were one time guest appearances like the comics it would not have mattered. But it got to the point that Clark Kent was basically a supporting character to everyone else, due that he was just sitting around waiting to become Superman. Also notice how Superboy helps young Green Arrow hit the target, I think that was common to these stories. Unlike the show where other characters try to help and motivate Clark to be more heroic.

[thecolorsblend]

Clark went through some interesting character growth. The Kents never told him to use his powers to protect others. He did that all on his own. The Kents, esp Jonathan, simply told him that he needed to protect his own anonymity. In Clark's mind, he could either forever operate in secret or he could go public that Clark has superpowers. All or nothing. It would be several years before he would realize that there is a middle ground.

[BatmAngelus]

With the current Berlanti-verse on the CW, it's easy to forget that this is the show that paved the way for it.

I always thought the Lex and Lana romance felt forced on the show.

That said, they did actually have a romance in the Silver Age comics and nearly got married...until Superman ruined it.
http://why-i-love-comics.tumblr.com/post/139813806471/superman-family-164-the-three-wives-of

[Silver Nemesis]

Is it any wonder Lex hates his guts? It's bad enough Superman stole his bride on their wedding day; he didn't have to get off with her right there in the chapel, in front of Lex and all his wedding guests. Talk about rubbing his face in it.

[thecolorsblend]

I did a (very slow) rewatch of Smallville from 2012-2013. The realization that I had at the time was that each season of the show was rife with comic book references. And those references only picked up more and more with each subsequent season. It gets to a point where season 10 is loosely adapting Legends, the DC event storyline I mentioned in the OP.

Cataloging them isn't an exercise in futility. But it is a mammoth undertaking. And since I deleted all scans of comics I don't own legitimately, I can't do it anymore.

But as a general thing, I would like to add that the glory shot of Lois cradling injured Clark at the start of Lazarus, the season 10 premiere, was directly inspired by the image of Lois cradling dead Superman on the cover of the Doomsday/Death Of Superman trade paperback. That wasn't a coincidence. The similarity is deliberate. It's an intentional homage.

If I'm allowed to pay myself on the back, this is the little thread that could. Considering it's been nearly seven years since the last post in this thread, the view count of 17.6k is impressive, if you ask me. No doubt, the factoids shared on this page have been stolen by others. But I'd like to think my contributions to this thread have been edifying for Smallville's fans and critics alike.

Finally, the show's limited, (relatively) grounded nature bothered me back when the show was still in production. But all these years later, the restrained, non-quite-comic-booky tone is a breath of fresh air. The show has aged tremendously well.