He's making me smile like this.                                            Photo: Mrs. Lawrence

While hardcore comic book fanboy support for NBC's Heroes seemed to have waned over Seasons 2 and 3, those of us that stuck with our interconnected group of heroes were treated to an strong season end. If you were among those who dropped out, now is the time to pick up the Blu-rays and catch up before the new season starts.

Heroes debuted in 2006 to strong reviews as a handful of otherwise normal people began popping up with powers. Doctor Suresh, an Indian professor was studying this phenomenon, and tracking the recipients of these extraordinary gifts, but when his son Mohinder followed him to New York, he found that his father had been killed and his research had been ransacked. Why was his father killed? Who on earth has powers and what kinds? How long and how deep does this conspiracy that killed his father run?

Three seasons have come and gone and the answers to some of these questions are still unravelling. Season Three begins as there is an assassination attempt …

SPOILER ALERT! CLICK READ MORE FOR SPOILERS ON SEASON 3 AND MORE!

…on Nathan Petrelli, which in hindsight makes for a nice bookend to the season.

Some of the plotlines intended for the volume that was aborted due to the writers' strike that gutted the 2007-08 season two of Heroes were reconstructed into those that comprised "Villains", which began Season Three. Season Three's tangled plot threads and hard to believe changes in attitude by our beloved heroes' future selves turned ComicsOnline fans off, but a few episodes into the second half of this generous 25-episode season, "Volume Four: Fugitives," begins and while Nathan's bizarre race-traitorous behavior is still baffling, Season Three improves dramatically from there to finally end where it began, with the death of Nathan Petrelli. …Kind of. Get the Blu-rays. You'll see.

Highlights:
"The Second Coming" – The first episode really gave a strong start to the season, most notably with the introduction of Hiro's "nemesis," speedster Daphne Millbrook.

"Our Father" – Hiro's memory is healed with a kiss that gives him closure.

"Shades of Gray" – Sylar meets his real father. Wait, who is it? Wasn't he last seen falling to his death from a skyscraper in downtown… nevermind.

"Cold Snap" – Ice-girl Tracy finally meets "Rebel", but at what cost? Hiro and Ando meet "Toddler Touch-n-Go", and Matt Parkman Senior flies his beloved to the moon in one of the most touching scenes on TV last year.

"1961" Learn the origin of Angela Petrelli and The Company in one of the best episodes of the season. Sure it's mostly flashback, but also mostly awesome.

Special Features:
Like the previous outing, this Blu-ray set does not disappoint with the copious special features. There are deleted scenes on each disc, some of which give added insight into the untold stories of the lesser known characters. The true gems are the "Alternate Stories" found on disc two, which are three separate webisode series that feature Angela Petrelli, Eric "Puppet Man" Doyle, and an interesting group of new heroes and villains. Other extras include:

• Picture in Picture Cast & Crew Commentaries
• Heroes Connections (The quagmire of each disc. Bypass them unless you want to navigate the web of characters to get back out.)
• The Super Powers of Heroes
• Completing the Scene
• Alternate Stories
• Pinehearst Commercial
• The Prop Box
• Tim Sale Gallery of Screen Art
• Genetics of a Scene
• The Writers' Forum
• Building Coyote Sands

With the premiere of Heroes Season Four coming on NBC Monday September 21st, now is the perfect time to pick up Heroes Season Three on Blu-ray. With 1080p resolution and 5.1 DTS Master Audio, it's clear.

ComicsOnline gives Heroes: Season Three 3.5 out of 5 superhuman abilities.