We've been with Clark Kent through a lot. We've seen his Superbaby crash and Smallville High School years, we've seen him through his tempestuous "will they or won't they?" relationships with Lana Lang, Lois Lane, and arguably Chloe Sullivan and Lex Luthor as well (The subtext is in there, just ask any Smallville slash writer!). We've seen him go from meteor freaks to DC's D-List to the nascent Justice League to the Legion of Super-Heroes and even Doomsday, and yet he survives for yet another season.

According to all reports, Smallville: The Complete Ninth Season is our penultimate season with the boy of steel, and while it's been a long time coming, this has been Smallville's best season yet. While the new Major Zod and his small army of Kandorian Kryptonians make up the majority of Season Nine, there is more to Smallville than just the main season arc.

Highlights:

S09E02: "Metallo" – 90210's Brian Austin Green continues his guest role as John Corben by becoming the DCU villain Metallo. While this well executed but ultimately two dimensional character doesn't really have much staying power, he comes back anyway.

S09E06: "Crossfire" – Oliver Queen aka Green Arrow meets his DCU protégé Mia Dearden, aka Speedy. This character was portrayed by one of the best guest actors this season, and I hope she returns significantly in the final season.

S09E08: "Idol" – in what is probably their first live-action appearance, The Super Friends' Wonder Twins Zan and Jayna show up for perhaps the best fluffy popcorn one-off episode Smallville has seen. Yes, they have Gleek, the blue super-monkey, but he's just not the same as he was in the cartoon. Watch it and see!

S09E10: Disciple – a figure from Green Arrow's past comes back to try to perforate Ollie's ladies with his wicked dangerous black shafts.

S09E11: "Absolute Justice" – The Justice League of America meets the Justice Society of America. Written by Geoff Johns, in this perhaps best, but certainly most ambitious Smallville episode yet we see a large portion of the JSA in their civilian identities in flashbacks, then are treated to four JSA members in full costume: Hawkman (Michael Shanks – Stargate SG-1), Doctor Fate, Stargirl, and even the Star-Spangled Kid makes a brief appearance. This double episode also features some Checkmate action and is the first appearance of J'onn J'onzz in his full green Martian form. Seeing this on Blu-ray is a real treat, as you can slo-mo through the JSA trophy hall and see a ton of DCU easter eggs. This episode also introduces Amanda Waller (Pam Grier – Jackie Brown, The L Word), whose secret organization Checkmate has been alluded to and now stands revealed.

S09E12: "Warrior" – The magically delicious Zatanna returns after her first Smallville appearance in Season Eight's "Hex".

S09E15: "Escape" – features a cute little love story as well as an excellent TV translation of the DCU's Silver Banshee.

S09E18: "Charade" – features an appearance of Checkmate's Maxwell Lord. Can we get a Blue Beetle or a Wonder Woman?

S09E21: "Hostage" – Martha Kent returns with her new boyfriend Perry White. Clark ends the season by battling Major Zod and helping the rest of the Kandorians gate off their own new home planet, but at what cost? Smallville is known for its season cliffhangers and this year was no exception.

Beat it!

Video and Sound:

The big blu boy scout was meant for Blu-ray. In 1080p at a 16×9 aspect ratio with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, we get the cinema effect in our home theaters. I don't know if it's my provider or the HD on The CW, but Smallville never looks this good when I'm watching live or DVR episodes. If you really want to see and hear Smallville with its colorful costumes and effects and rich score, you need to get it on Blu-ray.

Special Features:

• Commentaries on episodes "Kandor" and "Idol"
• Unaired Scenes
• Kneel Before Zod! The Evolution of a Classic Evil Character
• Absolute Justice: From Script to Screen. Introducing venerable Justice Society of America Heroes into Smallville's universe

Season Ten Demands:

The original creators of TV's Smallville are gone now, and fans like me have been hoping that their insipid "No tights – no flights" rule would also go away. So listen up, Smallville creators: to send this series off right we have a list of demands. You may pick any six of the seven:

• We want Clark to don the iconic tights and call himself Superman after being named as such by Lois on the front page of the Daily Planet. Actually Chloe can really be the first to say it, she deserves it.
• We want him to fly. A lot. We've got nine years to make up for, dammit.
• We want Lex back. We can keep Tess though; they can fence together.
• We want the Justice League and the Justice Society to feature prominently, and for more members of each to be introduced.
• The same goes for Checkmate.
• We demand one or more spinoffs.
• Batman.

Smallville: The Complete Ninth Season is the perfect jumping back on point for Smallville watchers that gave up too early and it's validation for those of us that have hung on for the whole ride. While the season arc started off a bit rocky I'll admit, we got another Geoff Johns episode this year and what seems to be a perfect launching point for our final season.

Tune in to the CW on Thursday September 23rd for the premiere of the tenth and final season. So far, we know we can look forward to more Checkmate including Deadshot, as well as guest spots from Supergirl, Hawkman, the Black Marvel Family's Isis and probably many more.

Look, up in the sky!

ComicsOnline gives Smallville The Complete Ninth Season on Blu-ray 4.5 out of 5 superhero team-ups.

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