Review: Smallville:Alien #4

Smallville:Alien #4 came out last week, the conclusion to this mini-arc/episode depending on your nomenclature. I have been effusive with my praise for this title in the past as it showcases a more classic Superman tone, a strong Lois, and a growing universe rushing to a Crisis. And this chapter continues to showcase all of those things.

This episode felt more like a middle episode of a series, or the middle chapter of a long arc. It was odd to think of this as a conclusion as I felt there were so many plot threads happening that none dominated. Writer Bryan Q. Miller has certainly stuffed this arc with them. Clark reveals he's an alien. A monitor crash lands. A dead Clark shows up. Nightwing is dating and worried about sharing her life. Rocket Reds show up! Whew!

We certainly get plot progression here. But I think I ended up with more questions than answers. That isn't a bad thing! This book is getting more complex as the Crisis comes. But I felt like maybe my attention was split a bit too much in Alien. So this 'finale' didn't feel like one. I suppose this is a ludicrous comment. I loved this issue.

And as is typical of Smallville, the character moments are wonderful. In particular, I love how Miller is making Lex a very complex and convoluted character. He isn't all evil. He certainly isn't good. He is obsessed with Superman but doesn't really know why. He is struggling to figure out who he is and it seems he only knows how to lash out. Fascinating.

Edgar Salazar is on art here and does a very fine job. This is a fine-lined detail style that works well in both the big action super-sequences and the more street-level Gotham side of things. And Cat Staggs showing the two main fights in the issue circling a splitting world is perfect.

As I said, there is a lot that happens in this issue on multiple fronts. And I promise I'll get to the Superman, Batman, and Lex stuff soon.

But one thing I felt I had to comment on again is the growth of Otis!

At first he seemed like the standard bumbling henchmen. But over time he has grown. We see Lex relying on him. We see Otis become less inept. We hear of a possible interesting back story. And now we see him become proactive. With Lex missing, at the mercy of the Monitor, Otis decides it is up to him to rescue his boss. And if that means stealing a Red Rocket suit ... so be it.

Character development ... in Otis Berg! Just a tiny example of what makes Smallville so great.

With Clark in the water, the Monitor retrieves Lex only to chastise Luthor for being weaker than his multiverse counterparts. It seems that this Monitor is here to eliminate the planet and anyone he finds wanting. But before the Monitor vaporizes Lex he allows Luthor to ask one question.

What does Lex ask? Nothing about himself. His unknown past? The upcoming Crisis? What other and supposedly superior Lex's are like in other universes?

Nope. He asks 'Why Superman?', why does Superman vex him so. He is so obsessed by Superman that truly it is the first thing he thinks of.

And that makes this Lex interesting. He doesn't seem to relish doing evil. I don't think he necessarily likes doing evil. But he can't move past this obsession. And that leads him to do the wrong thing.

Meanwhile, Clark regains consciousness, charges up in the sunlight, and is able to rescue Lex.

It turns out that the Monitor's energy is from a different universe/dimension so doesn't have to play by the standard rules of Kryptonian invulnerability.

I have come to enjoy the banter between Tess and Emil. There is still some Luthor in Tess. She seems to have a bit of an edge, some sarcasm in her. And he is all straight lace until he gets exasperated. I like them as a pair of techies back home.

Clark heads back to discover the Monitor ship in the air and gearing up to destroy the Earth.

But this story started with a dead Clark from another universe. Last issue we learned it was a Jokerized Batman from that world. This Bruce is clearly insane but equally matches the true Batman. Luckily Nightwing is there to back him up.

Or maybe that is unluckily! My 'Crisis death-sense' was pinging like mad about Nightwing last issue. Figured the 'gymnast boyfriend' would take up the Nightwing mantle when Steph  Babs got injured or killed. Turns out maybe I was thinking to far away. In a very Elektra sort of way, anti-Batman stabs Nightwing. It isn't easy to come back from that wound.

Once captured, the anti-Bruce says that on his world Clark was a human who tried to become a hero. He got killed for his efforts. This Bruce also killed Thomas and Martha. And may have killed his Barbara.

Also, his world is gone, destroyed by the Crisis. he and Clark were able to hop through a portal to get here.

What a weird moment for the real Bruce. How odd it must be to look at yourself who has become so twisted.

And nice take on this human Clark hero. I guess on almost all Earths, regardless of powers, Clark tries to do what's right.

The Monitor is controlling his ship from the ground and is readying its weapons when Superman shows back up. He overpowers the Monitor but the ship continues to rise.

Lex knows the easiest answer it to kill the Monitor. He begs Superman to do it. That death will also scare the other Monitors from coming back to end their Earth. But Superman says that killing isn't his style.

Instead, Superman risks his own life to fly directly into the Monitor cannon, destroying the ship from the inside out.

This is such a classic Superman pose and sequence.

Otis arrives in the Red Rocker armor to whisk Lex away. But the Monitor ends up dying. (It is odd, he stands there, arms open as the ship explodes, not even trying to escape or protect himself.)

But I like this panel sequence as well. Clark looks at the dead body. Then his clenched fist. He might not have directly killed the Monitor, but his actions did. I think it is a moment of reflection, reminding him what his power can do.

Then he closes the eyes of this guy who was about to destroy the Earth and apologizes that he is dead.

That is Superman!

With anti-Batman caught and the Monitor threat ended, there is nothing  left but the wrap-up.

There is a great scene between Clark and Lex. Lex concedes that his need to know about his past endangered the planet. It is a moment of reflection.

But Clark seems to have had enough. He tells Lex that he keeps hurting himself (in this case physically) when he puts his own needs over everyone else's.

I get the sense that in the true Crisis in this book that Lex will be forced to make a decision for right or wrong.

Anti-Batman ends up in a cell with Vandal Savage, being guarded by J'Onn. Steph  Babs ends up recovering from her wound and is able to date 'the Gymnast' some more. I guess my 'Crisis death sense' was wrong. That leaves Batman free to head to Metropolis and join Clark's team to save the world.

You know what I love about this. The fact that Clark's team is Tess, Chloe, and Lois. Sure Emil could be there, and Oliver, and maybe Con and the Titans. But the main team are these three strong women.

I especially love that Lois is completely frustrated by her inability to spread the word about the Monitors and the Crisis.

Despite that nice little moment of self-awareness, Lex just can't help himself. He palmed the Monitor's communicator and is now reaching out in the multiverse to see if there are other Lex's out there. Surely one of them knows Clark is Superman. Will they share that info? But this seems like a bad idea, once again putting his needs above the universe's.

It was good to see Diana Prince in this issue briefly. She is the one that notices that the communicator is gone from the crash site.

So overall, a lot of good stuff happening here. A dramatic fight between Batmen. A fight between Superman and the Monitor. A lot of nice character moments, especially for Lex. Overall, another great issue in this title.

I suppose it is only a matter of time before there is a big enough team to get to the actual Crisis. I don't think Supergirl is going to die. But now I am worrying about Jay Garrick. The old saying is 'you can't have a Crisis without a Flash dying'. Maybe he dies and somehow Impulse returns, dons the Flash guise.

This book is really clicking on all cylinders.

Overall grade: B+

Review: Smallville Season 11: Alien #3

Smallville Alien #3 came out last Wednesday and continued the push towards an eventual Crisis event in this universe. While that tension and suspense of that impending cataclysm looms large, this issue seems to take a bit of a pause. Instead of putting the pedal to the metal and moving the plot open at breakneck speed, writer Bryan Miller instead reveals just enough to keep the snowball moving down the hillside. But Miller also gives the supporting cast great character moments that keeps this universe as detailed and three dimensional as possible.

No don't let that opening paragraph fool you. There are a couple of great plot moments here which are jaw-dropping. And there is a cliffhanger which seems to harken back to the opening scenes of the show. But it is the small moments in this book that is the glue.

This issue also continues the world-building that Miller has done so well. There are basically a whole gaggle of super-heroes, super-villains, super-teams, and cosmic beings out there, all gleaned from the DCU proper but with a Smallville spin. So hearing about someone called 'The Ray' existing here isn't surprising and does make me happy.

Edgar Salazar is on art here and his clean detailed style shines. There is less of a dynamic feel here than someone like Jorge Jimenez. These panels seem like photographs, the characters frozen in the moment. Beautiful, don't get me wrong. Just less dynamic than other artists that have been on the book. Cat Staggs gives us another great cover.

Last issue ended with the Monitor battling Superman and some Rocket Reds before disappearing into some time/space rift. It is clear that this Monitor packs a punch as he is able to bloody Superman.

While basking in the sun to heal, Superman puts Tess on the case. How did the Monitor hurt him? And where has the Monitor gone.

I love the way electronic Tess is visually shown in this book. Here she is manipulating satellites to get the needed info. She is sort of the ultimate Oracle.

As I said before, Miller really does such a great job of making the characters in the book feel three-dimensional. Back in action as Clark, Superman convinces Lex that they should hunt down the Monitor.

Surprisingly, Luthor tells his aide Otis to stay behind. It is too dangerous.

So Lex cares about Otis! Fascinating. All along we have been shown a Lex who seems to be 'protesting too much' to be a bad guy. This is another peek behind the armor.

And Otis has grown from the bumbling sidekick to something more.

Meanwhile, Lois and Chloe are still in Gotham investigating the death of 'other Clark'.

So the next couple of scenes aren't necessarily moving the story forward other than adding some subtle details. But what they do is further define and refine the characters.

Here I like the strength of Chloe as she asks Batman to join the group of heroes operating out of Watchtower. Let's face it ... it's going to be the Justice League.

And like most Batmen, this Bruce isn't interested. At least for now.

This scene shows us parts of Chloe and Bruce that we might not other see.

And then we see Lois walking the streets of Gotham with Nightwing. Sort of an odd time to take a stroll.

During the talk, we hear a new wrinkle to the story of "other Clark'. Genetically he is a human. So how is that possible? As he is from some other universe, who knows. Maybe he was in some weird de-powering pod like in Superman II? Maybe in that universe, Earth explodes and Clark is sent to Krypton?

Anyways, a nice little nudge to the plot.

But the rest of the scene has Lois talking to Nightwing about relationships with a super. Lois tells Steph Babs that her love life with the 'normal' circus gymnast is crucial, a way to ground her to the world around her, remind Nightwing who she is fighting for.

So, again, this scene is there only to discuss this point which, in many ways is separate from the Crisis storyline. But it does give us some insight into both these characters.

That said, maybe a hero needs to die in the Crisis (like Supergirl and Flash in the original). Would the death of this Nightwing be the impetus for a 'normal circus gymnast' to don the togs and remember who he is fighting for?? Would really hate to see this Nightwing go away.

This panel illustrates what I said about Salazar's art. This is a beautiful panel. But I have no feeling that Lois is flying into that kick.

And back to Otis!

Maybe still waters run deep. Maybe there is more to his past than bumbling oaf. Trying to figure out which super-villain he could have been in a past life.

But a backstory for a character that could have very easily been a caricature of the silly sidekick is pure Smallville.

Clark and Lex finally arrive where the Monitor flitted off to. There is a Monitor ship underground.

The two decide to investigate and stumble upon this. Grant Morrison called this the Ossuary of Earths. But clearly it shows a tube of Earths, all resting on one foundation Earth at the bottom. Is the Smallville-Earth the bottom Earth? Or is the DCnU Earth the bottom one? I love this visual.

Eventually the Monitor finds them and tells Lex and Clark that other Earths have already been destroyed and theirs is next.

One thing I know ... you only see the Ossuary during a Crisis.

And then two great cliffhangers. Batman discovers traces of the person who killed 'other Clark' and it leads him (and eventually Nightwing) to an amusement park. There they confront someone - who I presume is Clark's killer. It is Bruce from another world - a sort of morphed Joker/Batman.

Nice! It's an Elseworld-palooza!

And in Russia, the Monitor tries to kill Clark and Lex, finally landing a blast to Clark that knocks him out and into the water. Ahh ... but it also exposes the super-suit. Another nice cliffhanger.  It also feels like a reverse of their first meeting when Clark dove in to save a drowning Lex.

So overall another great issue of this book which has entertained month in and month out.

We are building to something big here. And we have a whole cast of characters that as readers you feel you know, care about. And that is going to make the eventual tragedy that will happen in this Crisis affect us as readers even more.

I just hope it isn't a Nightwing death. But that would be some sort of echo to a Supergirl death in the first Crisis, no?

Overall grade: A

Review: Smallville Alien #2

Smallville Alien #2 came out last week and continued to ramp up this season's grand finale of a Crisis. While the Alien term refers to Clark's coming clean with Earth that he is from Krypton, that storyline is pretty much left behind in this issue. Instead, the Monitor seems to be the most Alien thing we encounter here.

Bryan Q. Miller continues to slowly unspool his plot threads as we get to this Crisis event. We have known this was coming since the opening pages of the first Season 11 issue. One thing about this slow unfolding is that it has upped the feeling of dread inside me. We have ongoing strong plots (like Olympus and Argo) but always with more and more Crisis stuff seeping in. And this issue felt saturated! I think this is great.

The art on the arc is done by Edgar Salazar and he brings a fine-lined precision to the pages here. It is a different feel from the stylized art from Jorge Jimenez. But it works very well here. And, as usual, Cat Staggs does a great job on the cover. I love this one in particular, looking down on the crime scene from the site of where the victim came. Beautiful.

One thing I am happy to report is that on Twitter, Miller told me that Supergirl, despite being in the present with a Crisis looming, is safe. When I said I was worried for Kara, I was told by Miller to 'rest easy'. Whew! Supergirl fans fear a Crisis!

The book starts in Gotham of all places. There is long brawl between Batman and Bane in which Bruce is hoisted for the patented 'Bane backbreaker' only to escape relatively unharmed. As usual, the banter in the scene is great - especially some low end criminals talking about the need to wear hats if they work for the Mad Hatter.

But the scene, as usual, is stolen by Steph Babs as Batgirl. She arrives at the end of the fight because she was busy. She was on a date with a 'gymnast' ... or acrobat. Presumably this is Dick Grayson. We may never find out.

But Steph Babs performing a little flip on the car as she talks about the date is the sort of joie de vivre I have come to expect from the character. Maybe one of these Smallville Specials needs to be a Batgirl solo adventure? Pretty please?

The plot thickens in Gotham when Batman and Robin are called to a murder scene. This young man, dressed as Superman, is found in a Gotham alley, beaten to death.

Hmmm ... t-shirt, jeans, and a blanket tied around his neck as a cape? Seems awful New 52, doesn't it?

Fascinating.

But this isn't a Batman book. It's Smallville. And so we head back to Russia where a Monitor crashed and was captured. Lex and Clark were heading that way when their jet malfunctioned and was rescued by the Rocket Reds.

I find the Smallville Lex an interesting character. I think he is evil and conniving because it is the only thing he knows. Don't get me wrong ... he is a killer, a plotter, and has destroyed lives. But at times he seems to pause before succumbing to those acts. In recent issues, he has seem more depressed, sitting around waiting for something to happen, rather than chortling gleefully from evil.

Here he is very interested in the Monitor and the other universes out there. So much, he is willing to buy the Monitor. Slick.

The Smallville Universe is getting larger and larger as more heroes and mainstream DCU characters are moving in and out of the book. So adding the Rocket Reds is a great addition.

But I like how Miller maintains a sort of internal consistency to the book. The head Rocket is Alexi, the Russian satellite saved by Superman in the first arc Guardian.

It is very clear that Miller wants Superman to be the bright light he should be, the inspiration for others to be heroes. Alexi makes sure that he tells Clark to let Superman know how much he has been inspired, to be a hero himself.

This isn't the kindly Monitor who was doing his best to save the multiverse in the original Crisis. This is a mean-spirited Monitor who has come to this Earth to witness its reckoning. This sounds more like he is one of many Monitors like we saw in Countdown.

And he has a lot of disdain for the world, literally spitting on the ground in disgust.

But he offers Lex something Luthor can't refuse. Knowledge. He promises Lex that he will cure Lex's amnesia if released. And Lex can't refuse.

Still. The fact this guy seems happy to watch an Earth die makes me think he is the villain of the piece. Maybe an Anti-monitor?

Lois and Chloe end up heading to Gotham and run into Batman/Batgirl and join in the investigation. There are some great lines and Batman and Chloe start debating who knows more about everyone. Both are pretty Big Brother-ish in their monitoring.

If you thought it was interesting that the 'dead Superman' looked like the New 52 t-shirt/jeans version then you will think it is very interesting that the 'dead Superman' turns out to be ... Clark Kent! That's right! It is a dead Superman from another world.

How did he get to Gotham? Why? I love a good mystery.

It seems that Lex decides to free the Monitor who then decides to do some property damage, lashing out at everything and everyone around him.

I did like this panel showing one of his powers. It seems he can rip a hole in reality, maybe shunting things to another universe/place. Here Rocket Red missiles disappear into the rent in space which then snaps shut.

If he has this power, he can clearly move himself from one place to another. So why did he get here via meteor crash. Why did he stay captured? (Maybe he needs to move his hands to open the space.)

So lots of unanswered questions here.

As I said before, the Smallville Lex is a little different than the callous Lex from the DCnU.

When the Monitor goes on this destructive spree, Lex actually seems upset by it. He asks the Monitor why he is attacking. Now the DCnU Lex wouldn't care. As long as the Monitor restored his memory, the rest is just collateral damage.

Even this Monitor differentiates him. This Lex isn't like the Lex Luthor 'Designates' from other universes who would feel humans are just bugs to be squashed.

I'm not saying that I like this Lex. It is just that he is more complicated than the pure evil one in the main universe. This Lex has been that way since the show, fighting nature and nurture, trying to stay away from evil but inevitably being drawn to it.

Luckily Superman shows up to try to even the fight.

But the Monitor is very tough. After a brief skirmish, both Clark and the Monitor are bloodied. The Monitor is no pushover. Realizing he might be outgunned though, the Monitor brings the building down on top of himself ... I assume so he can disappear in a rip in the fabric of space to a safe place.

So this was a find middle chapter of an arc. This revealed a lot of information about the story but leading me to more questions than answers. That is what a middle chapter is supposed to do. Give me just enough to start trying to figure things out but leave me wanting more.

I don't know if there has been a good Crisis since the original Crisis on Infinite Earths. Hoping this one will be a lot of fun. Certainly, there are enough DCU characters introduced here to make it feel big enough!

Overall grade: B+

Review: Smallville Alien #1

Smallville: Alien #1 came out this week, the equivalent of Smallville Season Eleven #20. With the need to make comics accessible to everyone, the decision was made to keep the numbers on the book low. Someone may be more apt to pick up a first issue rather than a twentieth. I would love if there would be some episode number on the book as well though, aiding me in aligning these things in my long boxes.

I have sung the praises of the Smallville comic for a long time here as it represents the best of all things: classic Superman sensibilities and great stories. That's all Superman fans are looking for. Now I worried about Alien as an arc because it follows Olympus which, frankly, was just freaking spectacular. Would Alien suffer from having to follow in those big footsteps.

Luckily, Alien works just fine. Writer Bryan Q. Miller takes a step back in this issue, catching us up with all the players in the book, moving the over-extending arc of the Crisis forward, and throwing in a more recent trend in comics - people distrusting Superman. Not bad at all. I have been eager for the Crisis stuff to be brought to the forefront of this book so seeing a Monitor made me happy. There is one thing that made me cringe a bit ... more on that later.

The art is done by Edgar Salazar and continues a trend of very smooth looking artists on this book. There isn't the degree of stylization that we saw with Jorge Jimenez but it is slick. And, as always, Cat Staggs provides a great cover. Love her work.

Last issue, Superman finally revealed to the world that he is an alien. It certainly wasn't an easy decision.

Miller allows us a glimpse back to some of that home-town Smallville 'Pa Kent' wisdom. In Clark's early years, he had to give a speech in front of the school auditorium. Clark thinks the crowd is 'huge' when in actuality it is only a handful of people. Still when his nerves are about to overwhelm him, Pa is able to calm him down with a little mantra "find your center, stand your ground, speak your piece'. It is that intestinal fortitude that allowed Clark to reveal his alien heritage ... because it was important to do so.

I do love that Clark's speech, even at that young age, was 'What's so funny about truth, justice, and the American way'.

Meanwhile, the world is still reeling a bit about the news. Clark hopes his reveal will show people that those 'different' don't need to be vilified and feared. Instead, it seems like it has had the opposite effect. People are fearing Superman instead.

Despite saving a Japanese bullet train (which has the young Hiro Toyman as a passenger - probably pre-villain), the rescued passengers run away from Superman. Except for these folks who ask some pointed questions.

Hopefully this Superman will simply carry on. Being an inspiration and doing good in this cynical world isn't easy. But Superman should rise above.

Meanwhile in Russia, a Monitor somehow blips into our universe and crashes to the ground.

Called to the White House, the President shows Superman the satellite images. Superman knows what the Monitors can do, killing the Earth 2 Chloe for one, and vows to investigate.

Whenever you see a Monitor, a Crisis can't be far behind.

The President isn't the only one who is interested in this Monitor. When Lex hears about it, he wants in.

This is such a bizarre and intriguing Lex. Recovering from his amnesia, I don't think this Lex really has a raison d'etre yet. He seems to be reacting as opposed to acting. You know there is this underlying malevolence in him. Nothing is constructive. Everything is destructive.

I keep waiting for this Lex to shake off the confusion of his existence and become the calculating ruthless villain as opposed to just a bored bad guy grasping.

As I said above, Miller uses this issue to catch us up on some of the lingering plot lines that are out there.

One of them is the fact that Chloe and Oliver have moved to the West Coast. Miller brings Chloe back to Metropolis on a visit. Since she merged her mind with the 'other' Chloe, she is haunted by visions of that destroyed planet. We see glimpses of Earth 2's destruction.

Chloe is an integral part of the Crisis arc so I am glad to see her back.

In this scene we also see a more well-adjusted Tess, now a 'clothed' electronic spirit.

And then the thing that made me thrilled and cringe at the same time.

Lex decides to fly to Moscow in his private jet and Clark joins him. To make it appear that Clark and Superman can't be the same person, a flying red/blue figure streaks above them.

But it isn't Superman! It's Supergirl!!! Fantastic!

I am glad that Miller has had Supergirl return to the present. I would love to see more of her here. And she looks gorgeous.

But you put Supergirl in a Crisis story and bad things could happen.

Bryan Q. Miller ... if you read this ... 'DON'T KILL SUPERGIRL!!!!'

Characterization is a strong point of this book and I love that Chloe has returned to Metropolis because her role as loving wife and expectant mother is boring to her!

That is totally consistent with her character!

And Miller adds a little bit of backbone to Clark as a hard hitting reporter. On the flight, Clark asks Lex about the attack on STAR Labs back in the Tess Special. Lex states that Lexcorp would never do that. Clark then points out that he wasn't besmirching the corporation and instead talking about Lex himself.

It actually gets a nod of respect from Lex.

I am glad Miller doesn't have Clark as a buffoon in this book.

For once, it isn't the United States Government that is the villain of the story! It's the Russian Government!

Russia has the Rocket Red Brigade escort the Lex plane to the ground. And we see the Monitor hooked up to some very Granny Goodness style  machinery.

I have no complaints here. So far so good! This is a perfect opening chapter, grabbing me with some good hooks and continuing great characterization of not only Superman/Clark but the supporting cast too! And we see Supergirl again!!!

But please Bryan Q. Miller .... PLEASE .... DON'T KILL SUPERGIRL!!!

Overall grade: B+