News: Smallville: Absolute Justice - FIRST SNEAK PEAK!

For those of you who watched last night's Smallville, on the CW, you must have caught (Unless you headed for a snack, or the bathroom) the first sneak peek at Smallville's "Movie": Absolute Justice (Feb. 5th)

For those of you who missed it, here it is.





I know that you really can't see it on there, but there was a painting on the wall, which showed a certain "Golden Age Speedster"... What I wouldn't give to see Jay Garrick, The Golden Age Flash to show up, and perhaps mentor a certain "Recurring" speedster from the series.... (Ahem, Bart Allen! Ahem, Impulse!)


By. Forch F. Fortier (Who knows that Smallville is rocking so hard this season! With the amount of awesomeness being put into the show is enough to make me sweat with anticipation for Smallville: Absolute Justice!)

Smallville News: "Absolute Justice" is coming for you!

Hawkman is coming to Smallville, errrr, Metropolis!!!!

That's right. The first picture from the long-awaited Justice Society episodes of "Smallville" has been unleashed on the public, and I have to admit, Hawkman looks pretty darned cool for a TV-adaptation.

The Geoff Johns (Genuflect in his presence!) penned episodes are now actually going to air as a two-hour "Movie" rather than a 2 parter of episodes aired in consecutive weeks. Looks like the CW network wants to capitalize on fanboy-drool, and give them the full "10".

The title of this episode/movie? "Absolute Justice", that sounds just kickass enough to make me book Feb 5th, 2010 off (Like I have a job to book it off! :P ) It was scheduled originally to air on Jan 29th, but the CW moved it to Feb 5th, don't ask me why, I have no idea.

In case you were wondering who Geoff Johns is? He's only the greatest writer in Comics today! He also penned last season's "Legion" which introduced the Legion of Superheroes to the Smallville-universe, and it was kickass, so just face the facts, "Absolute Justice" will be no different.

By: Forch F. Fortier (Who knows just how awesome Geoff Johns really is. He took an already awesome book, like "The Flash" and he made it even better. Everything in comics he touches turns to Gold, or better yet, Platinum, especially if he's writing "Metal Men")

News: Smallville just got a whole lot sexier!!!

So here I am, reading through a bunch of entertainment news sites, and I have been blown out of my seat with the news that Pam Grier (One of the sexiest women of Forch's fantasies) has been cast on Smallville, as (Get this) Amanda Waller... That has to be some of the most unexpected casting news that I would have ever expected to hear. Especially for that Role.







Don't get me wrong, I am really stoked about it! Pam Grier is one of the sexiest women of all time. I've had a crush on her since I saw "Foxy Brown" late night on TV when I was like 10 years old. (Yeah, she was one of my first "Moments of Stiffness"!!!) Even at 60, she's still damned hot!!!



So the role of Amanda Waller is a little off, considering that the part (Which is that of an African American woman) is that of a "Larger" woman. Grier is anything, but "Large" (Unless you're adding "In Charge"). I am imagining that the role of Waller is going to have "The Suicide Squad" or "Checkmate" involved. That would be awesome, especially if we can have Captain Boomerang, or Deadshot on Smallville! (Maybe that will lead to another appearance by Bart Allen aka The Flash/Impulse!)







According to the news on the sites that I have been viewing, it looks like her story arc will appear in the second half of the season, after the most anticipated two-parter of the season: Geoff John's Justice Society episodes (I still am praying for at least an appearance by Jay Garrick, the Golden Age Flash!)

But if Grier's going to be a regular of the cast for the next half of this season, that's enough (Not that I needed a reason) to keep me peeled to my television screen for the rest of the season!!!





By Forch F. Fortier (who reminds the writers of Smallville, that the fans want to see more of the Justice League. Now that Ollie is back, and fighting crime, it's time to put the band back together. "Justice" is still one of my all-time favorite episodes, and with Amanda Waller and the possibility of a "Checkmate" storyline, I smell a total season climax that has a lot of Boom! Now... Just to hurry up and end this Kandor storyline, and get Checkmate going!)

Review: Smallville, Episode 9-7: Kandor.

Well tonight's Smallville, once again surpassed my expectations and was left eagerly anticipating next week!

Wow, what a way to blow my wad before I even get into my review!

This weeks episode: "Kandor", which is the seventh episode of this, the ninth season.

Now, if we recall, last week we were left with the first "Real" kiss between Clark and Lois, does this mean that more romance is in store for everyone's favorite Kryptonian? Well, No. It's a Lois-free episode (boo!) but at least it's a Chloe-heavy episode! (yay!). This installment focusses on The Kandorians, let by Major Zod (Why isn't he a General, hmmmm? Will we find out this week?)


Opening up the episode, after Chloe tracks a Kandorian signal, Clark and Ollie travel to the desert somewhere and find the seal of the House of El fused into the sand (In the form of glass) in the very desert itself. At the base, lies dog tags. Clark reads them, and is shocked to see the very name he never expected. Jor-El.
The episode itself finally explains itself, with a lot of Flashbacks to Kandor, and a war that took place about 20 years before Krypton's destruction. Major Zod and Jor-El were the closest of friends, with Zod even going as far to save Jor-El from a death sentence when disobeying orders. Jor-El is commissioned to make a device, which essentially makes the Kryptonians Immortal (The very device that Tess Mercer opened at the Season 8 Finale to release the Kandorians.)

So to sum everything up, so that we can get the fourth dimensional explanation...



So.... Major Zod, Jor-El and the rest of the Kandorians are actually clones of their previously living counterparts, they're not the real-deal. This explains why Zod is just a Major, and not a General. The reason why none of them have super powers, is because Jor-El knew that they'd possibly be a menace to earth, so he used Blue Kryptonite, and exposed it to the device, so that none of them could develop powers.

What I also liked about this episode, is that we get a reason why Zod hates Jor-El! That's something that I enjoyed to finally get to see on the screen. The reason being that Jor-El refused Zod's request to put his dead son's DNA into the device, which caused the rift between the two, and ultimately Zod's dissent into madness, and finally the destruction of Krypton itself.

In the end, Zod finally figures out who the son of Jor-El is, and we fade to black, so now the games begin...


I must applaud the performance of Julian Sands as Jor-El. He did quite a good job, and managed to sound a lot like Terence Stamp (Which I still laugh, because he actually played Zod in the Superman Movies, how weird this circles itself!). The scene in which he dies in Clark's arms, you see how much anguish Clark feels because he gets a chance to meet his real father, but only for a moment.

This was an even better episode than last week, and judging by how things are starting to heat up, I can only imagine how "Business is about to pick up!" I give Kandor a total of 9 Grilled Cheese Sandwiches out of a possible 10!


By Forch F. Fortier (Who reminds you that the son of Jor-El has yet to kneel before Zod, but Zod kneels before Charles Nelson Reilly.)

Review: Smallville, Episode 9-6: Crossfire.

Wow! 2 Smallville Articles in one week? Unheard of!

Well this time around, I have taken it upon myself to review this week's episode "Crossfire" which is the sixth episode of the current season, and one that has delivered significant results, to which I was left smiling at the end.

This week's episode opens with a young woman fighting a man twice her size in an underground fight club. She defeats him soundly, and then all of the sudden, her arms are raised by what appears to be her "pimp". And who happens to be in the crowd watching the fight? Well it's Oliver Queen, otherwise known as the Green Arrow!


From the moment I heard the young girl, named "Mia" being called "Speedy" (played by: Elise Gatien, in a role which I hope to see more of her!), I knew that I was in for a treat. Because although I knew that Mia/Speedy would be in the episode, It's always nice to see those little "nods" to the DCU. :)

Of course, no episode of Smallville would be complete without the man, himself, Clark Kent, and he's agreed to help the beautiful Lois Lane (Played by the future Mrs. Fortier, Erica Durance) with an audition for a morning talk show. And unfortunately for Clark, the bickering between the two was enough for both Clark and Lois to get the job, much to the chagrin of Clark.


Ollie, of course, has now taken it on himself to take Mia out of her lifestyle that she's gotten herself into, so he picks her up in his lovely vehicle, and whisks her away to the Arrowcave (I can't believe there is an Arrowcave! Not in Smallville, but in the comics....) And he's begun training for Mia, to of course become his protege.

I also liked the fact that they dressed Mia in Red and Yellow, similar to how all DC Comics characters who have appeared on Smallville tend to be dressed in their traditional colors (See: Arthur Curry, who channeled Aquaman to a "T")

Without getting into the details of the episode, I just want to say that it was nice to see that the episode wasn't as much action-packed, as it was plot development for later on in the series. Not much was done to progress the "Kandorian" storyline, other than a few snippets of Major Zod and Tess Mercer. Of course it's nice to see that they're building toward something, without having to make it all substance, no story.


The episode ends with the perfect moment. Yes. The first (full) kiss between Clark and Lois! Something that has been building since season 4 has finally come to fruition, and I have to say... FINALLY!

Chloe Sullivan of course Is always a highlight for me. I just love the character. I am enamored with her, and I wish that they would work her permanently into the Superman mythos. She's basically the Superman equivalent of "The Oracle" (Barbara Gordon, the former Batgirl for those of you who don't know.) and that role suits her to a "T".

All in all it was a great episode, very little to complain about, I give it a total of 8 Grilled Cheese Sandwiches out of 10.

By Forch F. Fortier (who reminds you that Erica Durance is going to be the future Mrs. Fortier, it's a real shame that she doesn't know that... If she rejects me, then Allison Mack is more than welcome to take her place!)

Somebody Save Me! (From Smallville getting repetitive and boring!)

I've been a Smallville watcher since season 1, and I would like to say that I am a passionate, as well as a very attentive fan. I think that as a whole, the show has achieved its original goal: To tell a realistic "Origin" of Clark Kent, with a modern twist that fans will both enjoy, and be able to believe.

I don't think that when the show was originally created that the intention was to keep the show going on this long though. So I have been posing the question: Is season 9 taking "Smallville" too far?

Superman, as a character has always been among my favorite superheroes, (But nowhere near The Flash or Green Lantern.) but as a character, he's always lacked a little bit, because as he is so powerful, is it really interesting to see a man, who can be pretty much invincible to almost everything?

But Smallville was something different.

At the start of the series, Clark was just learning of his origins. Krypton wasn't even a word mentioned until the second season (Rosetta, the First Christopher Reeve episode). Clark didn't have all of his powers, and he was an awkward teen, struggling to find his identity, as well as deal with and hide the fact that he has all of these abilities, and no explanation as to why.

Flash forward nine years. Clark knows who he is. Almost all of his powers are in tact, and he's fighting crime, as well as work as a reporter for the Daily Planet. So what's so "Smallville" about Smallville?

The show should really be called "Metropolis" at this point, because quite frankly, the only scenes you see Smallville at all are at the Kent Farm (Which is relegated to the Kitchen/Living Room, and the Barn) and of course Chloe/Lois's (I'm not sure whose it is at this point) apartment about "The Talon".

The only power that Kal-El (Clark/Superman for you laypersons) doesn't currently possess is Flight. And at this point the only explanation of this is (Via Jor-El, Kal's Dad) that it's all in his head. So there's still room for Clark to grow as a hero, but after 9 years, you figure that he'd be superman at this point.

Judging by the fact that Clark was either in his first or second year of High School in the first season, which would place him at 15. Normal time progression would state that he's about 24 at this point.

So why is he not "Superman"???

He's become a somewhat brooding version of Superman, in a black trenchcoat and black t-shirt (Complete with the Seal of the house of El, the Superman Insignia to you.) He's keeping himself hidden, but stories of him are popping up in the papers, like the Daily Planet (Where Clark conveniently works). And speaking of which... Who reads newspapers anymore?

In my personal opinion, what has made Smallville great, is not just the very good character development (minus Lana Lang, thank God she's gone!) but is the hints and nods to DC Comics continuity. The fact that a character like Green Arrow is a recurring character is great, because I love GA! And the version from this show is a great template for a movie version (Hint, hint DC/Warner). From last week's special appearance of "Roulette" to the appearances of Bart Allen (Flash IV/Impulse/Kid Flash), Aquaman, Black Canary and Cyborg, to the villains, Smallville has always had the DC fans salivating at the little teasers that they throw in there.

Who could forget in season one when a young Lex Luthor tells Clark that their friendship would be the "Stuff of legend"??? Classic! Or even when Chloe asks Clark what he wants to be and he replies: "I just don't want to wear a suit and fly everywhere" (Forgive me if that's not verbatim), Smallville delivers, and continue to deliver fans a great view of the biggest hero of the DC universe.

There are negatives to the series, though. Lana Lang was one of them. I found her too annoying, I am not sure if it was the way they wrote her, or just Kristen Kreuk herself. I am not sure, but I think that eliminating her character was a great idea. On the other side of the coin, I felt by removing Clark's parents from the series, you eliminated the moral anchor that made Clark the hero he is/was/will be.. Ma and Pa Kent are as pivotal characters to the Superman Mythos as Lex Luthor, and I feel by eliminating them, as well as Lionel Luthor, took away from the show, more than it added.

I also didn't like the Character Arc involving Jason Teague (Jensen Ackles). His character was a really lame Mama's Boy (Mother of course played by the ever-sexy Jane Seymour) and I was glad to see him die off at the end of that storyline arc. (Of course he had to leave to start the CW Hit: Supernatural). I could have done without the Kawatchee Caves and the whole "Native American" angle for Clark's character development.

So with all of this, will I continue to watch? Of course I will. Is it stale? Perhaps a tad... 9 years (With a possible 10th on the way) seems a little extreme. But I have the perfect idea for the definitive shot to end the series...

Of course I am not going to say it, what do you think? I'm crazy? Not a chance, if the writers want to know it, they're going to have to hire me as a writer to pen the finale!!! (By Forch F. Fortier)