Smallville 200: Season 10 Comic Book Connections Part 1 by Billy Patterson 

One of the highlights of watching Smallville is being able to see comic book characters come to life week in and week out.  The problem is for a lot of fans it’s tough to know if a certain character has it’s roots firmly planted within the comics or if they’re simply created for the television show.  This season promises more comic book character debuts than any other, and we’re here to help guide you a long the way.  Here’s part one of our Comic Books-to-Smallville Connections.

WARNING: Although all of the following characters have either been announced by the CW, by the cast/creators at Comic Con, or have already appeared on the show, you should note that there may be small spoilers by reading this list.  I promise, nothing earth shattering.

DARKSEID

Some may argue that Lex Luthor is Superman’s greatest enemy, but Darkseid would beg to differ.  He is the ruler of a dark and desolate world known as Apokolips and he uses his evil minions to do his bidding.  Pound for pound, he is bar none the single biggest threat to Earth and truly the only physical specimen that might even be superior to Superman.  We’ve only seen him as a smoky image so far on Smallville, but when he shows up fully developed…oh man…you better run Clark.  Run for your life.

Homework – Check out “The Legion of Superheroes: The Great Darkness Saga” and see how Darkseid’s first appearance impacted the DC Universe.  For those who are not so big into reading the actual comics, Warner Brothers has just released “Superman/Batman: Apocalypse” which should satisfy your Darkseid needs.

GRANNY GOODNESS

Taken from her parents as a child, she became one of Darkseid’s elite warrior soldiers.  She is now in charge of finding and training future warriors using sadistic torture and brutal regiments.  She also runs “orphanages” to find new soldiers to bring to Darkseid.  Many have speculated that it was Granny Goodness who spared Tess’s life at the end of season 9.  Could Tess be groomed to become a minion of Darkseid?  Time will tell. 

Homework – Check out “Jack Kirby’s Mister Miracle Volume 1”.  While it’s not directly about her, it tells you the story of a boy who escapes from her training “orphanage” and really shows how oppressed the world of Apokolips is.  Also, check out the final season of Superman The Animated Series where Granny Goodness is voiced by none other than…ED ASNER!

DEADSHOT

If you find yourself needing an assassin that absolutely never misses any shots that he takes, look no further than Deadshot. He burst onto the DC scene being a huge pain in the ass for Batman and ever since he has left his mark all over the DC World.  Known for his reckless abandon, he joins the Suicide Squad because…well…he doesn’t give an eff if he lives or dies which as everyone knows the most dangerous person is the one who has nothing to lose.

Homework – For those wondering where Smallville got the idea to turn Deadshot into more of a cowboy type of character check out the DC Animated movie Batman: Gotham Knight to see the Dark Knight take on the rogue assassin.  For those wanting a more classic approach, check out the first season of the Justice League Animated Series where the character is voiced by Smallville’s own Lex Luthor, Michael Rosenbaum!  Small world isn’t it?

RICK FLAG

There are few legacies that extend further in the DC Universe than the of the Flag men.  Over three generations of Flag boys (all named Rick) have graced the pages of DC comics and each has left their mark.  The most well known is Rick Flag Jr. who seems to be the basis for the character on Smallville (he was the one who beat the living crap out of Green Arrow in the season 10 premiere trying to get answers out of him).  In the comics (and so far the show as well) he is a member of the Suicide Squad and works very closely with the leader, Amanda Waller (played on Smallville by the foxy Pam Grier).

Homework – Check out “Suicide Squad: From the Ashes” which features the return of Rick Flag and should give you a pretty good idea of why the Suicide Squad kicks major ass.

CAT GRANT

Cat Grant is that one woman at work that is the office flirt that guys love and women hate…especially if your name is Lois Lane.  For a while when things were rocky with Lois, Clark seemed interested in Cat and she made no bones about wanting to jump Clark’s bones, but as we all know Lois and Clark eventually worked things out.  Recently we saw “Cat Grant” on Smallville and I use quotations because she’s not the REAL Cat Grant.  Still, Lois seemed to be a little bit jealous at the beginning of “Supergirl” about Clark’s female partner which seemed like a nod to the love triangle from the pages of the DC Universe.

Homework – Forget the comics on this one.  For my money, if you want to know just how flirty and aggressive Cat can be, pick up season 1 of Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.  Come on, you know you’ve been wanting an excuse to get those DVDs anyway…

That’s it for Part 1. Keep an eye out for Part 2 tomorrow.

Great DC Comics resource here…

And for 200th episode pics go here…