Alaina Huffman of Stargate Universe, Smallville coming to Wizard World cons in Chicago, Philadelpha
Alaina Huffman, who plays the Black Canary on “Smallville” and Lt. Tamara Johansen from “SGU Stargate Universe” will appear at Comic Cons hosted by Wizard World in Chicago and Philadelphia in 2011. Huffman is also the creator of the upcoming graphic novel “Agent Mom.”
The Philadelphia Comic Con is June 17-19, 2011 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Chicago Comic Con is Aug. 11-14 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont.
Click past the cut for more photos of Huffman.
- Matt Price
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance movie gets release date; Clark Gregg talks Iron Man 2; Teri Hatcher coming to Smallville
Iron Man 2 comes to DVD; Clark Gregg talks Agent Coulson
The summer hit “Iron Man 2” comes to DVD on Tuesday, and Clark Gregg, who plays Agent Coulson in “Iron Man 2” spoke with us about what he’s looking forward to with his character. Coulson will appear in “Thor” next year and in “The Avengers” in 2012.
Smallville gets Teri Hatcher
Entertainment Weekly reports that former Lois Lane Teri Hatcher will appear on Smallville’s final season as the mother of Lois Lane Erica Durance.
Teri Hatcher as Lois Lane
In episode 8, titled “Abandoned,” Lois discovers old videotapes of her mother… which according to EW’s report will be Teri Hatcher.
As you know, Hatcher spent four years as Lois Lane on ABC’s Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.
Ghost Rider 2 gets release date
According to Superhero Hype, Sony and Columbia Pictures have scheduled “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance” for a release date of February 17, 2012. The “Ghost Rider” sequel will be directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor (“Crank”). Nicolas Cage will return as Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider in the film that will be released in both 2D and 3D.
WildStorm to shut down
As part of the DC Comics restructuring announced this week, the WildStorm imprint, home to books like “Gen 13” and “The Authority” will close down at the end of 2011. WildStorm was originally founded by Jim Lee as part of Image Comics, and was sold to DC Comics in 1999. Some books from the line will move into the DC Comics imprint; others will cease. The DC Source blog says other WildStorm characters may return in the future.
Reviews: Avengers #5, Supergirl #56, GI Joe Origins #19 and Fantastic Four #583.
A Smallville Season 10 reading list
The Great Darkness Saga
The 10th season of “Smallville,” based on a young Clark Kent learning to become Superman, begins tonight on CW.
As announced at Comic-Con International in San Diego, the DC Comics villain Darkseid will be the villain for the show’s final season, although like previous villains, he’ll be tweaked somewhat to fit in the “Smallville” continuity.
DC Comics’ Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns will write an episode of this season’s “Smallville,” which will feature DC Comics characters Blue Beetle and Booster Gold. Laura Vandervoort’s Supergirl is also set to make a return appearance this season.
To catch up on the background of these characters, here’s some recommended reading for this season of “Smallville.”
“Superman/Batman: Supergirl” by Jeph Loeb and Michael Turner. Darkseid attempts to brainwash a powerful teenage girl in this reintroduction of Supergirl to the DC Comics mythos. This story, adapted into animated form, will be released Tuesday as “Superman/Batman: Apocalypse” on DVD. Tim Daly will voice Superman; Kevin Conroy will voice Batman. The cast also includes Andre Braugher as Darkseid and Summer Glau as Supergirl.
Superman/Batman Vol. 2: Supergirl
“The Great Darkness Saga” by Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen. In the far future, the heroes of the 30th century must battle a grave evil. Darkseid emerges in the 30th century with plans to acquire mystic artifacts and control a race of 3 billion superpowered beings. The Legion of Super-Heroes call on all members, past and present, to face off against Darkseid, who has yet another plan behind the scenes. A new hardcover edition of this classic story is set for release in November, though the individual issues and earlier softcover printings are findable.
“Cosmic Odyssey” by Jim Starlin and Mike Mignola. Starlin, known for his cosmic tales like “Warlock” and “Infinity Gauntlet,” teams with “Hellboy” creator Mike Mignola for this story of a threat so great, that some of Earth’s greatest heroes are forced to work with Darkseid. Superman, Batman, Green Lantern John Stewart, Martian Manhunter, Starfire, the Demon, plus Orion, Lightray and Forager of the New Gods are called on to halt a being who can destroy galaxies.
“Showcase: Booster Gold” by Dan Jurgens et al. Booster Gold’s original series, primarily written and drawn by Dan Jurgens, is collected in this volume as a time-traveling former football star from the future comes to 20th-century Earth aiming for fame and fortune.
Blue Beetle: Shellshocked
“Blue Beetle: Shellshocked” by Keith Giffen, John Rogers, Cully Hamner et al. The mystical Blue Beetle scarab chooses a new guardian: teenager Jaime Reyes. The El Paso teen becomes a reluctant hero after the alien technology of the scarab bonds with him, allowing him to create a superpowered blue armor.
Also recommended: For the full story on Booster Gold’s return to heroism, check out the four volumes of “52.” For the original “New Gods” saga, including the first appearance of Darkseid, check out “Jack Kirby’s Fourth World Omnibus” Vols. 1-4. And for the origin of the Booster Gold-Blue Beetle team-ups, featuring Jaime Reyes’ predecessor, Ted Kord, read “Justice League International” Vols. 1-4.
- By Matthew Price
WORD BALLOONS
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
Smallville: The Complete Ninth Season DVD review
Smallville Season 9 DVD
The Kryptonian military leader Zod (Callum Blue) is Clark Kent’s opponent in the ninth season of “Smallville,” which brings in more characters from the DC comic books.
At this point, Tom Welling has played Clark Kent longer than Christopher Reeve or George Reeves, though he hasn’t donned the famous red-and-blue suit of Superman. His journey toward becoming the Man of Steel continues in Season 9, as a younger version of Zod (who previously appeared in seasons 5 and 6 of “Smallville”) seeks to regain his powers and take over Earth.
The cyborg Metallo, played by Brian Austin Green (“Beverly Hills 90210), kicks off the season with an appropriate sense of menace. Toyman also gets the spotlight early in the season, as he continues a feud with Green Arrow (Justin Hartley). Surprisingly, the Wonder Twins from the old “Super Friends” cartoons are translated to “Smallville” style reasonably well in the episode “Idol.”
The season highlight is the two-parter “Absolute Justice,” which introduces Hawkman and the Justice Society of America to the “Smallville” mythos.
Erica Durance, who plays Lois Lane, has great chemistry with Welling; the developing romance between Lois and Clark is compelling.
Despite a few clunky episodes (notably “Warrior”), Season 9 finds “Smallville” regaining its footing as it heads toward what’s been announced as its 10th and final season.
DVD extras: deleted scenes; a “Kneel Before Zod” featurette looking at Zod’s appearances in comics, film, animation and live-action TV; a “Justice for All” featurette exploring the adaptation of the Justice Society of America to television; and commentaries on episodes “Idol” and “Kandor.”
— Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
Hawkgirl, Deadshot to appear on Smallville
Sahar Biniaz
Kryptonsite reports that two new DC characters will appear in Smallville’s 10th season, in addition to the already-announced Blue Beetle and Booster Gold. Shayera, Hawkman’s long-lost love, will appear, played by Sahar Biniaz. In the comics, Shayera is Hawkgirl.
She’ll appear in the episode “Shield,” and Michael Shanks will return as Hawkman.
Floyd Lawton, aka the Suicide Squad character “Deadshot,” will be played by Bradley Stryker.
What do you think about the casting? And do you like more DC Comics characters showing up for the final season? Check out Sahar Biniaz in a clip from “Sanctuary” below.
- Matt Price
Smallville Season 10 Comic-Con trailer goes online
If you missed the Comic-Con trailer for “Smallville,” it’s now shown up online. Tom Welling as Clark Kent, the return of Jonathan Schneider as Pa Kent, the appearance of a costume, a Lionel Luthor cameo? Are you intrigued? What do you think about the trailer? What do you want to see in Season 10? You can check out more photos from Comic-Con at Smallville’s official Facebook page.
- Matt Price
Blue Beetle footage officially hits the Internet
The footage shown at the DC Nation and other panels for a proposed Blue Beetle live-action series is now available on the internet. Perhaps coincidentally, Blue Beetle and Booster Gold will appear on the final
season of “Smallville.” Is this a new push for the Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle? Might he return in comics soon?
Would you like to see a new Blue Beetle TV or comics series? Share your thoughts in the comments!
- Matt Price
Smallville at Comic-Con: Series to welcome Booster Gold, Blue Beetle in Geoff Johns episode
SAN DIEGO – Geoff Johns announced at the “Smallville” panel in Ballroom 20 of Comic-Con International that he will bring Booster Gold and the Blue Beetle to the series in the final season. The Blue Beetle will be the Jamie Reyes character, and Skeets, Booster’s robot sidekick, will appear, Johns says.
(I wonder if the test Blue Beetle footage shown at DC Nation at Comic-Con, and this news, could mean this Blue Beetle could spin off after “Smallville” ends?)
Johns moderated the panel, which featured Tom Welling and Erica Durance, Cassidy Freeman, and Justin Hartley, along with showrunners Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson. A clip shown at the beginning of the panel showed a brief glimpse of a “Superman” costume, which has been teased for years on “Smallville.” With this being the final season, it appears that wish will finally come true for many Superman fans. Will he fly? Peterson says, “We all know how the comics turn out.”
Fans wondering if Cassidy Freeman, who plays Tess Mercer, will return have good news – Freeman says her appearance today at the panel is a good sign. That’s good, because she’s a Nerdage favorite. Another character who may not be dead? John Schneider, who makes a surprise (to me) appearance, saying “rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.”
The villain this year will be Darkseid, which sounds like a fantastic way for the series to go out. Like Doomsday, he’ll be somewhat different from his comics incarnation.
- Matt Price
Smallville comes to HD on iTunes
Warner Bros. Digital Distribution has announced that “Smallville” will be available in HD for the first time exclusively for download.
“Smallville” Seasons 1-9 in HD on iTunes are available at this link: http://bit.ly/WBE_SmallvilleHD
“Smallville” stars Tom Welling as a young Clark Kent on his way to becoming Superman. The CW series enters its 10th season this fall. The show also stars Erica Durance, shown, as Lois Lane.
- Matt Price
Tom Welling, Smallville cast and producers returning to Comic-Con
The cast of "Smallville."
Warner Bros. has announced that Tom Welling, along with the cast and producers of “Smallville,” will return for a panel at Comic-Con: International in San Diego. The panel, in advance of the show’s 10th and final season, will take place Sunday, July 25.
Geoff Johns will moderate the panel, which will feature Welling, showrunners Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson, and stars Erica Durance (Lois Lane), Cassidy Freeman (Tess Mercer), and Justin Hartley (Oliver Queen/Green Arrow). The session is set for 10:00–11:00 a.m. in Ballroom 20 of the San Diego Convention Center.
- Matt Price
