by Kevin Gaussoin, Editor-in-Chief and Matt Sernaker, Managing Editor

Smallville: The Complete Series (20th Anniversary Edition) is now available on Blu-ray! 

Smallville was a new way of looking at what is probably the comic book genre’s most iconic character. Superman was created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster, and in the 73 years since, his story has been retold in many different ways, and in a wide variety of media. We know how many painful reboots the DC Universe has undergone throughout its history, but contrasted with the many retellings of Superman’s story in radio, television, and cinema, maybe the comic book reboots aren’t quite so extreme after all.

Superman has been played most memorably by Kirk Allyn, George Reeves, Christopher Reeve, Brandon Routh, Henry Cavill, and Dean Cain, but in 2001, Tom Welling brought the character to life in a manner never before attempted. Smallville told a modernized version of the origin of Superman, but this time Clark Kent would never quite become Superboy because of Smallville‘s “no tights/no flights” rule. The show ended up running for a Super-property record-breaking ten seasons. Eventually, the original creative team behind the series moved on to other projects and Smallville got some new life with a new creative team, and some of the strict rules of the series were rescinded, allowing Clark to grow and develop his superhero identity to his fullest potential. Over this ten-year span, Smallville told the tale of how a wide-eyed farmboy becomes a Superman. 

The Story (Abridged)

Smallville tells the story of how Clark Kent grows up to become Superman. Ten years is something of a long road, but he has quite a few interesting adventures along the way. Here are the major plot arcs for Clark’s personal growth in Smallville:

Seasons 1 & 2 Clark explores his powers and origin, with most of the individual episode arcs habitually manifesting as “Freak of the Week” Kryptonite meteor-mutant battles.

From the end of Season 2 through the beginning of Season 5 Clark rebels against the supposed destiny proscribed by the ghost of his Kryptonian birth father Jor-El, and clings to his adopted humanity.

From Season 5 through the beginning of Season 7 Clark gives in to his destiny and explores his Kryptonian heritage.

Season 7 Clark tries to grow up and explore living his life as an independent adult.

Season 8 through Season 10 Clark builds and matures both his personal and hero identities on the way to becoming Superman.

Episode Highlights:

Remember that time that Clark faced off against that one meteor freak? Or the time that he met the Legion of Superheroes? What about the time that he faced off against Doomsday?

With ten seasons and 218 episodes, there are so many great moments to choose from. Here are a few episodes that stand out clearly in my memory from all of those nights of watching Smallville with my friends and family:

“Pilot” – The Smallville universe started out with a bang in the premiere episode. Watch as a historic meteor shower rains down on a small, unsuspecting town. This is where heroes and villains will be born, and destinies will be realized. The creative team did a fantastic job establishing Clark Kent and his lifestyle in Smallville, from his crush on the infamous Lana Lang, to his longstanding friendships with Pete Ross and Chloe Sullivan. The Wall of Weird gave the show a starting point for challenges that would lead Clark on his path to becoming Superman. The introduction of Lex Luthor and how he would become obsessed with the farm boy who would save his life was executed with skill and care. The friendship and eventual rivalry of Lex and Clark was one of the most important components of the series, and the elements of this relationship carry throughout the entirety of Smallville. 

“Heat” – Things start to heat up for Clark as a new ability comes to light: Heat vision! But his new powers keep manifesting uncontrollably when he gets, cough, um… aroused. It is hard enough living through being a teenager, but when you have powers acting up whenever you get interested in a girl…that makes things that much more challenging (and entertaining for viewers).

“Rosetta” – In one of the more memorable episodes of Smallville, Clark meets Dr. Virgil Swan (guest star Christopher Reeve) who educates Clark on the fate of Krypton. Additionally, this episode features the voice of Terrance Stamp as Jor-El, who delivers a cryptic message about Clark’s true destiny on Earth. This episode helped to establish Jor-El as a presence in Clark’s world.  

“Reckoning”– Clark decides that it is finally time to tell Lana his secret (it only took 100 episodes to come to this conclusion), but he soon learns that fate has other plans in mind.  Clark’s decision comes at a cost, and someone that he loves must pay the ultimate price.  “Reckoning” features fantastic performances from both John Schneider (Jonathan Kent) and John Glover (Lionel Luthor), as the two men have a final confrontation that will change Clark’s world forever. This is one of the most heartbreaking episodes of the 10 season run, and it plays a crucial part in Clark’s development and motivation for the rest of the series.

“Justice” – Over the first five seasons, Clark has encountered many people with strange powers and abilities. We got to enjoy his first encounters with Aquaman, Impulse (who really should have just been Flash…but whatever), Cyborg, and Green Arrow. Now, these heroes must unite to rescue the Kryptonite-enhanced “meteor freaks” of Level 33.1. This was the first time Clark teamed up with more than one hero, and as a result, fans were treated to a memorable first outing as a “Young Justice” League. 

“Absolute Justice”– The Smallville equivalent of 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, Star Girl, 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.

“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!

“Lazarus” – During the 9th Season Finale, Clark had to face off against Major Zod with the fate of the Earth hanging in the balance. Clark was prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice and activated the Kryptonian device known as the “Book of Rao,” sending the Kandorians to a new world. After activating the device, Clark was attacked by Zod. While the final battle ensued, Clark allowed himself to be stabbed with a blue Kryptonite blade, which removed his powers and allowed him to remain on Earth. The final moments of the season featured Clark, now powerless, plunging to impending doom.  Clark manages to survive his fall (you really think he wouldn’t) with a little help from a friend. Then the future man of steel has a near-death experience and an encounter with Jor-El, who warns him once again that his greatest challenge is yet to come. Lex Luthor will still be Clark’s greatest rival and Clark must also prepare to face a great evil. After awakening from his fall, Clark speeds off to find Chloe and goes on a quest to find any remaining ties to Lex left after his death (at the end of Season 7).

Special Features

In addition to the 218 episodes, this set includes the following:

• The Adventures of Superboy – The Original 1961 Pilot – Mix equal parts Adventures of Superman and Leave it to Beaver, and this is the result. Wholesome fare for every American family, sport!
• A Retrospective Look at The Series – With over 100 minutes of Season Featurettes – the first in-depth, season-by-season look at the creation of this landmark television series. Highlights include new interviews with Tom Welling, Erica Durance, Michael Rosenbaum, Allison Mack, Phil Morris, John Schneider, and many more, as well as rare behind-the-scenes footage.
• A Decade of Comic-Con Featurette – If you’re like us, and we know you are, you love Comic-Con more than Christmas. This featurette gives us a nostalgic look back over ten years of Smallville Comic-Con panels, from the first preview panel in 2000 through the last look in 2010. Notice how adorable the creators and cast are when they innocently misrepresent the maximum seatings of several San Diego Convention Center halls. Is it through Kandorian bottling technology that Smallville panels can host six thousand conventioneers in Room 6? Precious.
• Paley Fest Event – This featurette shows us why panels with a lot of speakers usually happen behind a table. Witness creators and cast slouch and tell their stories of how they got to Smallville.
• Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics – Secret Origin is exactly what the name suggests. It is a documentary about the history of the company. It starts way back when, before Detective Comics, when the company wasn’t the company, and it was publishing pulp magazines, and tells the story right up to now. We start with the founding of DC Comics, and the creation of the big three: Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Then the documentary moves into “The Golden Age” of comics. Followed by going through the anti-comic era of the fifties, and then into “The Silver Age” with the Batman TV show. Next, it’s onto “The Bronze Age” and the “Hard Hitting Heroes” era of the Green Lantern and the Green Arrow, and the Superman films. After that, it’s “The Modern Era” with Frank Miller, Alan Moore, and Neil Gaiman. This takes us up to what we are doing now, with all of the comics and graphic novels being turned into films. They do all of this through interviews with the writers, artists, and editors of DC – and historians for the pieces that they don’t know. The documentary also uses footage, comics, and anything else they obtain from the archives of DC, which has never been allowed before.
• The Making of a Milestone – Expanded Version of the 100th Episode – “Reckoning” featured a defining moment in Clark’s life that would affect him for the rest of the series, and now you can go behind the scenes to see what it took to make this impactful episode a reality. 
• Audio Commentaries
• Deleted and Extended Scenes
• Gag Reels
• Behind-the-scenes featurettes
• Digital Download of Smallville: The Complete Series

Overall

Smallville was hamstrung from day one. Whether you subscribe to the conspiracy theory that the Smallville approach was implemented to avoid having to pay the heirs to Jerry Seigel for making a Superboy show, or that simply that “No tights/no flights” was meant to keep Clark grounded in reality, so instead of being perceived as an alien Superboy, he would be relatable and human, but with some problematic powers… For many of us comic fans, this approach felt false; it felt more “unrealistic” the longer it ran without a flying Clark. Many of the stories were well done. We were thrilled when another recognizable DC comics character appeared in the Smallville universe, but way too often we were let down with poor writing, poor acting, and irritating characters that would not go away for good.

That said, we still watched every Smallville episode with hope each week. We hoped one day Lana would be gone for good. We hoped one day The Justice League would assemble. We hoped that one day Chloe would return and get her great reward. We hoped for Green Arrow’s redemption. We hoped Tess would stay good. We hoped Lex would return. We hoped that one day Clark would be a man. We hoped that one day Clark would don that familiar caped costume and fly away as Superman, bringing truth, justice, and the American way to the sound of the Superman: The Motion Picture theme… We eventually got most of our wishes. We just wish it didn’t take 10 seasons to get there.

Keeping in mind that the series first aired in 2001, the quality of the individual episodes for the Blu-ray iteration looks pretty impressive. The excellent transfers in this set are equal to what we’ve come to expect from Warner Home Entertainment. Smallville received a lot of love for its 20th Anniversary release, and the 40 Blu-ray discs and 2 DVDs (not a typo) of bonus content make this release a must-have for fans of the series. 

ComicsOnline gives Smallville: The Complete Series (25th Anniversary Edition) 4 out of 5 times that make us want to burst out in song with “SOMEBODY SAVE MEEEEEEEE”!

Special thanks to Warner Home Entertainment for the Blu-ray review copy of Smallville: The Complete Series (25th Anniversary Edition).