SMALLVILLE #5.
© DC Comics

Mania Grade: B+
Issue: 5
Artists: Mark Verheiden, Clint Carpenter, Jake Black, Mike Avennie, Tom Derenick, Adam DeKraker, Pete Woods, Ron Randall
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $3.95

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SMALLVILLE #5

The story "Sojourn," which takes place between the second season finale and the third season opener, reads almost like the missing episode it's trying to be. Mark Verheiden and Clint Carpenter have the cadences of the characters just about perfect, and they don't make the mistake of telling us only what Clark is up to in Metropolis - we get to visit the Kents and see the growing tension between Lana and Chloe, as well. It's a pity we don't get to see Chloe's discovery of Clark in Metropolis, of course, but that pales next to the one big misstep the story makes: when Clark seemingly allows the plane full of thugs he's hijacked to crash with everyone aboard. Or does he? It's very hard to tell, and just as hard to tell whether he flies down once he's done. Otherwise, it's a fine supplement to this season's beginnings.

Clint Carpenter and Jake Black's story "The Few, The Proud," which recounts Lana's ex-boyfriend Whitney's final hours, is the standout piece here. We've always wondered just how Whitney took the news that Lana didn't want to continue their relationship, but his premature death (and the appearance of his doppleganger in Smallville around the same time) didn't allow for that question to be answered. Although Lana never gets her answer, we at least do, in a very moving story with visually arresting artwork by Woods and Randall. (Why aren't these guys on other DC books, I wonder?)

On the fanzine side of the issue, things are slightly better than before. The John Glover interview conducted by Mike McAvennie is far more likely to appeal to adults as well as the teenagers that previous interviews seemed aimed at, mostly because of Glover's stellar career in both film and television. His bio at the beginning alone is one of the best crafted, probably due to the fact that it's the most accomplished of any of those interviewed so far. Compared to the relatively (though understandably) slim vitae of Kristin Kreuk and Tom Welling, he's already better off. And did they ever have a critic from the New Yorker refer to their careers the same way Glover has? Not yet, and maybe not ever.

The Chloe Sullivan article's a bit light, unfortunately, and Jami Bernard's "in-depth" episode guide (still gamely trudging through season one) is anything but. Still, this issue comes off a lot better than the previous ones, and if the writing in the comics features maintains this same level of care, then we may just be clamoring for a trade paperback collection of the SMALLVILLE comics stories when the series finally reaches its end - if not before.