Smallville Season 11 Vol. 6: Alien (Smallville (2012-2014))

How I love to hate Smallville and hate to love it. Smallville was that kind of show which you knew never had the budget to really be a superhero show, and yet somehow good stories and a unique take on Clark Kent shines through. While I grew up on Christopher Reeve’s Superman, Smallville’s Clark Kent is a good person who does not hide behind a dorky exterior. Sure, he broods. A lot. And he is surrounded by hot chicks; some of whom are now in jail for being a part of a sex slave cult, but I digress...While it’s clear that without a TV budget, we can now take broody Superman into highly cool adventures, somehow the Season 11 comic continuation is only so-so. Reminds me of the old What If comics from Marvel.That being said, it’s a satisfying continuation of Smallville, and if you are a secret fan as I reluctantly admit to being, it’s a light hearted romp into seeing Smallville’s Superman being, well super and such. Cue brooding...

If you have been reading and enjoying this series, there is no reason not to keep reading. This volume will not make much sense if you have not kept up so far since it continues with many of characters and plot points from earlier on in the series.This starts with another alien of unknown origin crashing into Russia. Everyone is very skeptical about this alien, and Superman since he has now outed himself as an alien. Lex is obviously trying to get ahead of this and see what he can get out of this new alien. On Lex's flight to Russia, Clark Kent joins him so LexCorp can have a journalistic perspective. There is lots of fun that harkens back to beginnings of Smallville with Clark and Lex verbally sparring.Elsewhere Chloe and Lois travel to Gotham. There they run into shenanigans with Batman and Nightwing. There are some good bits with Nightwing and Lois together, and some Chloe/Batman moments.There are also many references to the original source material comics that will make you chuckle if you get them.If you have been liking the series so far, and enjoyed the TV show, there is no reason to not keep going.

I was not wowed by this chapter in the SMALLVILLE saga. It has lots of action and some nice character development, though this latter element is inconsistent. While Clark Kent/Superman is portrayed as he was on the TV series, Lex Luthor is a bit off. Some would say this can be explained by his amnesia, but his grumpy attitude toward Clark during their Russian expedition and his heartless ambitions regarding the Monitor smack more of the DCU version of Lex. Another problem is the piling on of DC characters and elements in quick succession. While I can appreciate the many "Easter eggs" laid throughout, I don't find it wise to introduce so many featured heroes and villains at once. The biggest issue for me with the "Alien" storyline is one that probably wouldn't bother most fans: too much Batman. Put him into the story if you must, but don't make him the co-lead! SMALLVILLE is the story of Superman and must remain so. All my criticisms aside, I am excited about the coming "Crisis." Though I wish the scale of this comic series were a little smaller, keeping it more in line with the budget-conscious TV show, I hope this event is big enough to merit all the buildup.

As a Smallville fan it's great to see what happens next!! Mult-verse fun and action. Can hardly wait to start the next edition.

I love this series!

Love these comics!

I love this! This is a GREAT BOOK!

Only wish the series would continue!

10/10

Après une pause dans la trame générale avec un volume 5 servant avant tout à introduire Wonder Woman, Smallville repasse la seconde avec ce 6ème tome au programme plus que chargé. Alors que Superman croit enquêter sur une simple affaire de vaisseau extraterrestre et que Batman pense devoir résoudre un meurtre lambda, les 2 super héros vont s’apercevoir que leur 2 enquêtes sont liées et que l'enjeu n'est ni plus ni moins que la sauvegarde de la planète. Reprenant l'histoire fil rouge de la saison 11, Alien est un excellent tome, riche et varié. On y suit tantôt le duo improbable Clark Kent/Lex Luthor qui est en Russie pour découvrir pourquoi un vaisseau alien s'est crashé, tantôt Batman et Nightwing accompagnés de Lois et Chloé qui tentent d'élucider un meurtre bien mystérieux. Et dans les 2 cas c'est très intéressant. Renouant avec le concept du multiverse (notre terre n'en est qu'une parmi tant d'autres situées dans des univers parallèles), ce tome 6 enrichit l'intrigue principale grâce à la partie Superman ou l'en apprend enfin plus sur la menace qui pèse sur notre planète. A côté de cela, la partie Batman étoffe l'univers du justicier de Gotham en incluant un nouvel adversaire du chevalier noir (Bane) mais aussi en développant le personnage de Barbara/Nightwing. Le Batman de Smallville continu de plaire tellement il sonne juste, il n'est pas seulement doué pour le combat, c'est aussi un très bon enquêteur. De plus, il devra faire face à un adversaire de dernière minute aussi bien trouvé que surprenant.Un tome 6 presque parfait même si on aurait aimé une cinquantaine de pages en plus pour mieux développer certains aspects... reste qu'en l'état, c'est sans aucun doute l'un des tomes les plus réussis de la série. Prenant du début à la fin et relançant l'intrigue principale de fort belle manière sans oublier de placer plein de petites références qui ne manqueront pas de titiller les fans, Alien remplit son rôle à la perfection et donne sacrément envie de connaitre la suite.