Smallville Season 11, it"s happening...

[Admiral James Kirk]

So Smallville #45: Valkyrie Part II came out today. Let me put this all out on front street. I hate Lana Lang. Nothing against Kristin Kruek-she's just plain gorgeous-it's the character. I hate her guts. She's whiny, she's pathologically self-centered and has this sense of entitlement that puts the super rich to shame and the worst thing about her...?

The writers and producers expected me to sympathize with and like her. Why don't they ask me to bend titanium rods with my penis and shit gold too?

This issue didn't do a damn thing as far as making me like or sympathize with her. Not one bit. Yes she's in Africa helping the helpless but the comic makes it clear that it's all about her.

Yep her childhood rears it's ugly head once again! Mommy and Daddy get wiped out by a Kryptonite meteor so now she helps small children so they can have the childhood she never had! Aunt Nell must feel soooooooooo good when Lana says stuff like that!

Also she's still hung up on Clark. Big fuckin' surprise there. Lois lets that slide for now.

The best thing about this issue was the big cliffhanger and it is a good one!

Lana has been pissing off the African warlords big time and they've finally had enough. They've hired help. A familiar face from Metropolis! A baddie with the strength and the heart to take down Superman! Things are about to get serious for our Miss Lang in about four weeks!

I can't wait!

 

[Admiral_Young]

Lana pisses off a lot of people doesn't she? I can't wait to read this. I was secretly hoping that Q would change your mind about her Admiral James Kirk but I guess that's not the case right. I guess this is another subject we'll have to agree to disagree about

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

You've always liked Lana though.

 

[Admiral_Young]

^ I can't help it. I do despise Kryptonite Woman though. Ugh. I hate how they felt they needed to give her some kind of big closure and bring back Kristen who I kind of got the feeling from that she didn't really want to come back. The video message she left for Clark was well within her character as written. Anyway. I'll be getting the issue when I come back from physio and will give my thoughts on it later.

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

The way #45 ends I don't think I'll have to worry about her bothering Clark again one way or the other.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Q strikes again...at least for me. He did a brilliant job with Lana more than I thought he would. Not only does he retcons Imra's line and make it relevant again (something that Bryan and Kelly wrecked IMO when they did this to Lana in the first place) but he has given her a purpose and mission. Yes she's still hung up on Clark, but she's also used some of what Clark taught her and applied it to her mission in Africa. Of course it's all about Lana, she's attempting to find her purpose when really her purpose was stripped from her in the first place. Becoming Kryptonite Woman has given her new focus. She's still haunted by things in the past...but then who isn't in this show?

Once again he also sneaks in not one but two DCU characters, I'm pretty sure he introduced a Smallville version of "Batwing" (Lana's ally David). Plus looks like it will be Kryptonite powered freak vs Kryponite powered freak in the next issue since the warlords hired a certain mercenary that we haven't seen in a while!

 

[Procutus]

I have the strange feeling that my thoughts will mirror those of Admiral Kirk's when I read this one!

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

 

[Admiral_Young]

^ Most likely Proc!

 

[Procutus]

Finally (well mostly) caught up to you guys in reading. Haven't bought the new one yet, but read the Argo issues to this point.

Cool story really, this book is REALLY beginning to feel like real Superman. Enjoying it a lot, even though my beloved Chloe is gone for the time being. I don't remember a whole lot about Booster, so I'm going to have to pull the DVD out and watch that ep again, and possible the Legion ones as well.

The crumbling Superman statue was just kinda surreal. Reminded me a bit of the Statue of Liberty shot from the original Planet of the Apes.

The shower scene... Yeah. Like Admiral Kirk, I thought we had moved into porn-comix and that Clark was giving her the Pillar of Krypton from behind.



All in all, good stuff. My next three-issue purchase will be on the same day I see the new Star Trek.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Interview with the Q!

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=45317

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

Huzzah! After a long week's wait we're back with Smallville: Season 11 #46 Valkyrie Part III and man was the wait worth it!

Nothing in this universe will ever make me like Lana Lang! Not even the brilliant writer Bryan Q. Miller however...! I do like what he's doing with the character.

What is he doing with her? Is he writing her as she "should" have been written on the television show as my good friend Admiral Young thought he would?

No.

Rather than redefining Lana he deconstructs her. Calls her out. But he does it in a subtle manner. It's not like he has Lois point out each and every selfish little thing she did over the course of the series. That would have been as subtle as a sledgehammer to the happy sack. Instead he has Lana do it herself through her choice of words.

"I" is the most commonly used word in the English language. Lana uses the word an uncommon amount in this issue. She's constantly talking about herself. When she mentions Clark it's only in relation to herself. When she talks about her good actions in Africa it doesn't come across as an act of selflessness. It's all about her, her, her.

She contrasts nicely with Clark whose arc in the series was overcoming selfishness and pettiness and learning to put the good of the world ahead of himself and his problems. Clark became Superman when he realized it wasn't all about him. It was about the big picture.

Lana however is a world unto herself. She treats Africa like her personal Fortress of Solitude where she can sit and pine and hold pity parties for herself while pining away for Clark over her Superman scrapbook. Personally I'm amazed she hasn't transported the Tallon over from Smallville so that she can create the ultimate monument to her narcissism.

Lois on the other hand comes across quite well in this issue. She's sensitive to Lana's feelings, hiding her engagement ring from her and trying to avoid the subject of Clark. She stands up to Metallo when he shows up, helping Lana to protect the helpless children and eventually defending Lana herself.

Lois was great. Everything that a heroine should be in this issue. Everything that Lana Lang pretends to be. Lois Lane is as she always was.

A worthy mate for Superman.

Was there a cliffhanger in this issue? Yes, indeed there was. And it was better than last weeks cliffhanger. What happened? Read it yourself. All I will say is...

Lana Lang is in some seriously deep shee-it! Damn you Miller! Damn you for making me wait...

Daaaaaaaaaaaaaamn yoooooooooooooooooou!

 

[Admiral_Young]

I called it. Diana!!!

http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2013/05/wonder-woman-to-make-her-smallville-season-11-debut/

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

You did call it. Good on you.

 

[Admiral_Young]

This makes me think Miller is planning on introducing Hal later on as well, or perhaps John...and from the brief look at Diana's costume it looks like they're going for a little bit of a mix between the controversial Jim Lee redesign for JMS's run with a touch of the 70's Diana Prince design. This is going to be awesome. I've been looking forward to seeing Diana almost as much as Bruce!

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

They should make GL Hal. That way they can tie him in with Hank Henshaw. Pilots and such.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Ferris Air has already been mentioned so yeah I'm thinking it'll be Hal.

 

[JD]

I just saw that on CBR and had to come here and see what kind of reaction it got from you guys. I'm getting more and more tempted to check this out. Espcially since I appear to be one of the few people here who actually really liked the show. Did Brian Q. Miller ever write for the show?

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

Yep.

 

[Procutus]

As usual, you guys have me psyched up to catch up on my reading. I was heartened by the comments Admiral Kirk made about how Lana is being handled, specifically by her own comments. And I'm really psyched to return to the 31st century.

Man, it's a shame that it's taken a digital comic (and a truly gifted writer behind it) to finally make this show what we waited for so long for.