United States President Lex Luthor uses the oncoming trajectory of a
kryptonite asteroid to frame Superman and declare a $1 billion bounty
on the heads of the Man of Steel and his “partner in crime” Batman.
Super heroes and super villains alike launch a relentless pursuit of
Superman and Batman, who must unite – and recruit super help – to
stave off the action-packed onslaught, stop the asteroid, and uncover
Luthor’s devious plot to take command of far more than North America.

Am I the only one who thought “Supergirl” as soon as I read “super help?”

•    Faces of Evil

•    Heart of Hush Sequel

•    Final Crisis

•    New Krypton

•    Green Lantern

•    JSA

Marvel announced at Comic Con that it would be releasing a ‘new’ medium – Motion Comics.

DC has already done this with Batman and Watchmen.

AppleInsider reports, “The series will launch with two titles from some of the art form’s biggest names. Astonishing X-Men will debut from Joss Whedon and John Cassaday, while Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev will weave readers into the new story of Spider-Woman.”

From the preview, the Marvel approach looks promising.

As many of you now well know, Warner Bros. has put a halt to the production of their comic book superhero movie Shazam: The Legend of Billy Batson. After Wonder Woman, this is now their second superhero movie that the Warner Bros. execs have cancelled which I was looking forward to immensely. Hot off the heels of the (overrated in my opinion) Dark Knight, Warner Bros. execs have decided to take their whole super hero line in a new direction and make them more dark and dreary like last summer’s box office smash. Never mind that The Dark Knight mainly worked for audiences because the character was supposed to be dark and dreary. Since it made the big money, everything else they make must now be exactly like it. Stop me if you can already see the major problem I have with this line of thinking.

Yes, it seems that a group of spineless morons plague the executive offices that inhabit the studio at the Warner Bros. lot. They see the major success of The Dark Knight and learn the exact wrong thing about it that they should have. They think that because the movie was darker, more realistic, and more gritty, they think that that is now what the mainstream movie going audiences are interested in seeing today. So by their thinking, they must now quickly cash in on it’s success and make their other super hero movies in development just as dark, just as realistic, and just as gritty. How in the hell could they get it so wrong?!

First off, the only reason why dark, realistic, and gritty worked for Batman was because that was how the character should have been portrayed. The movie stayed true to the source material, the feeling that a Batman movie should give off, and the characters motivations, and that was what the audience responded to. What WB should have done was take all of their developing super hero movies, and then make them just as true to the source material and characters as possible. From what I read of the development of the Captain Marvel movie, the people involved with making the movie were doing exactly just that! They even got the fanboys involved in letting them help pick who should be cast as the villain, Black Adam, in the movie. That was Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson by the way. A perfect choice in my opinion. But now, it appears as though I’ll never get to see the former wrestler wearing spandex again because the studio all of a sudden wants to make everything more like Batman. “We want everything to be more like the majorly successful Batman! We want more Batman! BATMAN! BATMAN!! BATMAN!!!”

God, I’m so sick of that superhero noob!

Needless to say, I’ve never been that much of a Batman fan. Or should I say, Batman-Worshipping Fanboy? I mean I like the character, but there are so many more worthy characters that the DC Universe holds that I would kill to see them realized on the big screen. In the modern era of movies, Batman has been done six times. SIX!!! And as for characters such as Wonder Woman, the Green Lantern, The Flash, Zatanna (my favorite), and the aforementioned Captain Marvel; Their total comes to zero. That’s a big fat 0! Say what you want about the quality of the Marvel superhero movies, but at least they got them made! It’s seems that DC can’t make a superhero movie unless it has the name Batman or Superman in the title. And since they screwed up with the last Superman movie by not making it a full on reboot from the previous films, it seems as though as the only thing we’ll be getting from DC out of the next few years or more is just more Batman.

I only really loved the Burton films anyway. Now those were real comic book films come to life!

It seems as though there might be some hope for WB’s superheroes in the future though. Watchmen will be coming out in a little more than a month, and the ill-fated Justice League movie got that mercy killing in development that it deserved. I can only hope that the failure to get the Joss Whedon’s written and directed Wonder Woman off the ground doesn’t put that movie on hold for too long at the studio. It still amazes me that the final member of the DC Big Three hasn’t had a real movie yet. Unbelievable. Me thinks that Warner Bros. must be run by Bizarro or something because everything they do seems to be ass backwards.

At least we still have the DCAU created by Bruce Timm. If not for that, then it would be a hard thing for anyone to stay a fan of DC superheroes without any form of entertainment outside of just the comics themselves. We can only hope and pray that the WB execs get the message and make their superhero movies right, and make them memorable.

SpikeBad – Ravings of a Big Bad Geek!!!

It is a dark time in the world of comics. (I felt like old Ben Kenobi just then, except I am not talking about the Rebellion or the Empire, but then again maybe I am). Anyhow, with both the Marvel and DC comic ‘verses plunged into Dark Reign and Faces of Evil things are just plain bleak right now on some of our favorite comic pages. Thus begins my five picks of the week …

If you are not familiar with my weekly reviews, let me begin by stating that they are always spoiler free. I very rarely get into specifics on the book lest to give something away before the audience gets to read them.

By nature, I am a pretty cheerful and positive sort and all this evil that is afoot and in charge brings me down a little bit. I know for some in comicdom this is a dream come true with the villains ruling the roost. And it’s not like we have not been teased with the “Old Man Logan” storyline or Kingdom Come. That being said, there were some real good stories this week with some real nasty individuals in the middle of things.

My pick of the week is a toss up between Faces of Evil Deathstroke and Dark Avengers #1. I was not prepared to like the Deathstroke book in the least bit and to be honest the only real reason I even gave it a go was because Georges Jeanty was supplying the artwork. Mark McKenna’s inks do not do Jeanty’s pencils justice, but it was still enough to get by. David Hine meanwhile was crafting a masterpiece on old Slade, who last we saw was dying after his encounter with Geo-Force on the pages of DC Last Will and Testament. FOE was a nice follow up to a not so great first story.

For fans of Deathstroke, you will be happy because everyone’s favorite DC Assassin is back baby, and possibly more dangerous than ever when we get to the last page. Of course there are family issues to wrestle out in this one before the Terminator can move on, but honestly, when are there not issues in that family?

Meanwhile, another evil dude – storming Norman Osborn – is just getting started at the havoc he is capable of playing in the Marvel hood. Brian Michael Bendis is at it again. How does someone who writes so many titles get it so right with everything he touches? Mike Deodato’s art works perfectly with this story. To be honest I thought the issue was going to be Tony Stark getting the gang back together to go after Osborn. I could not have been more wrong on so many levels. Trust me this is one issue you don’t want to miss.

Next is another book I was not ready to like. I am not a big Dan Slott guy, just never have been. I pretty much stayed away from his entire run of Avengers Initiative and only grudgingly read his Amazing Spidey issues. This week, the Scarlet Witch was on the cover so I had to find out what’s what. And it looks like Mighty Avengers is going to be existing on its own from the other books for awhile. And from the looks of this week’s issue #21, it is going to be fun. Khoi Pham supplied the understated pencils and did his usual bang up job.

Coming in this week at number four is a shocker as well. I tagged Justice League of America #29 by Len Wein with a story on Starbreaker. The only real reason I liked this issue was because it felt like such an old school tale – might have had something to do with Wein penning the title this month. It was just good to see the old JLA back in action with orange and green uniform Aqauman, pre-married Ollie and Canary, and oh yeah the Atom Baby! But wait, there’s more. As much fun the old tale was, the last two pages and its reveal pay it off even bigger for the next issue. I can say no more.

Last but not least are two titles. That’s right I am going with a tie for fifth place. Unlike my previous occupation which frowned on ties, I am going with the tie. To stay with the theme of this article once again I was so not wanting to read this comic or expecting to like it. Although the latter is a lie but we will get to that in a second. Punisher Frank Castle Max #66 came out this week written by Duane Swiercyznski.

Not to name drop, who am I kidding let’s name drop away. Duane frequents the store I work in a bit. We got to talking and he told me about his upcoming arc on Punisher and that it was going to take place in Philly. Remember how I am not a Slott guy, well I am even less a Punisher guy. The only time in comics that I even liked the character was when Captain America was kicking his ass in Civil War. I just don’t care for the title.

But a funny thing happens to me when the name Swiercyznski is on the cover, I have to read it. I never really liked Cable, but have been enjoying the current run immensely by our aforementioned writer. Iron Fist is immortal, who cares. Well, Swiercyznski makes me care. So there we have it, the slippery slope that is the Punisher. Still don’t care for the character after reading this issue, but loved the story and where it’s going.

What title tied this week for a mention on my Top Five, well that would be Angel After the Fall #16 or Season Five of the television show. IDW has given it the old college try. This title is not as strong or good as Buffy Season Eight, but it still gives me more stories in the world of Whedon and for that I am grateful. This month’s issue sort of hits a reset button and I hope after meandering around for a year and a half that Brian Lynch will finally takes us somewhere. And please keep Franco Urru on the art or bring David Messina over, otherwise just don’t publish for that month because no one else in the IDW pen can really get the likenesses down that well.

That’s it for this week boys and girls. Don’t know if you agree or not, but hopefully they and I will keep you entertained. Don’t forget to tip your barber’s on the way out (I am so going to run out of people to tip ain’t I?) – Peace.

Captain Wednesday – Your Friendly Neighborhood Comic Dude

First let me start off by saying that the DC animated features and series over the past several years is head and shoulders above Marvel’s productions. Marvel might be able to get the job done better when it comes to feature films, but the DC pen is by far mightier than the Marvel inkwell.

I am going to break this review up into two parts with today’s focusing on the last three animated feature releases. The next “Catching Up” review will look at the world of the DC animated series.

Animated comic fans have been very fortunate lately as DC Universe has been kicking out the moving pictures like a sweat shop in Guatemala making a 100,000 pairs of Nike sneakers a day (sorry Nike).

My favorite of the last three releases is Justice League: New Frontier. Based on Darwyn Cooke’s 12-issue series, the animated feature translates very well from the page. When watching an animated adaptation the viewer needs to remember that most animated movies only run 70-90 minutes long (which means, there is going to be some stuff left out).

I think genre fans as a whole get caught up with exact interpretations which leave many of them feeling underwhelmed and disappointed with the final product. While I try to temper my own expectations, I will admit it is hard from time to time to remember that piece of sage advice (hey, I was the one giving the advice so it has be awesome). But I digress.

Back to New Frontier. The feature produced by DC animated-God Bruce Timm and Michael Gougen (The Batman) is awesome and stays true to the writing and artistic style Cooke laid out in the comic book. Stan Berkowitz adapted the script very masterfully leaving in what causal fans would be familiar with while respecting the original story.

If anything, New Frontier made me appreciate Cooke’s book even more and is a perfect complement to the written words.

I am fascinated as to why, but happy just the same that when it comes to taking chances and thinking outside the box DC is always willing to risk the status quo and mess with traditional storytelling when it comes to Batman.

Batman: Gotham Knight is told in six vignettes that form a much larger story as we watch Bruce Wayne and the Bat mature from a young superhero into the Dark Knight. Each story has its own writer and animated style which appears perfect for that chapter’s prose.

Some of the writing talent includes DC Comics’ own Greg Rucka (Superman) and Brian Azzarello (The Joker) as well as screenwriter Josh Olson (A History of Violence) and Emmy-winner Alan Burnett. The animated style is pure anime fun with some of Japan’s biggest talent and visionaries illustrating Batman like he has never been seen before.

In addition, hardcore animated Batman fans will be happy as Kevin Conroy is back reprising his role of the Batman he made so famous for all those years on Batman: TAS, Batman Beyond and Justice League.

Last and sadly least is Superman: Doomsday. Here is a case where my expectations may have gotten the better of me but after multiple viewings I stick with my first gut reaction (which was disappointment).

It seems in the end Bruce Timm was trying to tell a story about the loss of Superman (almost exactly the same issue Bryan Singer was tackling in Superman Returns). Superman: Doomsday was not so much about Doomsday’s beat down on the boy scout but how the world responded to that loss.

I don’t understand what it is about the big guy that scares everyone off from a nice rock-em, sock-em story. Instead we get a story about feelings. Its not like an animated feature can’t tell an emotional story very well (just look at this summer’s Wall-E which should be a best picture nominee). Unfortunately there was no emotional investment in this story for the viewer.

Instead, Superman is left on the bench while everyone ponders why. In addition, the animated production one was not very strong. It’s the first time I have found issue with DC’s final animated product. It looks like the animators were trying to add depth to the characters faces with lines but instead made them look awkward and old.

In the end, I highly recommend New Frontier and Gotham Knight. These should be in any self-respecting fan’s collection. And while you are at it, make sure you have a nice copy of New Frontier on your bookshelf as well. As for Superman: Doomsday, I wish I could say at least we have the trade collection of the original story, but honestly that was not much fun either.

That’s it for now. Make sure you tip your bartenders on the way out. Peace.

Captain Wednesday – Your Friendly Neighborhood Comic Dude

Email

- Dream Big Gentlemen

Review

- David S. Goyer’s The Unborn

News

- Warner puts DC on hold

- Latest Dark Knight sequel rumors

- Matt Smith is the new Doctor!

- Smallville Season 9 is GO!

- Rourke and Rockwell double-team Iron Man 2

- Shazaam is Sha-DEAD

- Horton director scores Jonah Hex

- Danny Elfman will compose Terminator: Salvation

- Sam Raimi hearts Morbius

- Half Blood gets a half rating

- DJ Caruso goes from killing men to Killing Giants

- McG to direct 20,000 Leagues

- Speculation: George Clooney and director Ridley Scott were seen eating lunch with Marvel Studio execs… what does it all mean?!

2009 at the Movies

- We talk about what we’re looking forward to the most on silver screens in the coming year!

Email us!

Leave iTunes reviews!

See you next week!

Josh Brolin is already attached to star in the movie, and the script was written by former directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, who left the project over creative differences. The studio, which hopes to put the movie into production in March or April, picked Hayward from a short list of directors to get the project back on track. Hayward made his directorial debut with 2008’s “Horton,” which grossed $154.5 million at the domestic boxoffice.

The character of Hex, known for having the right side of his face disfigured and wearing a Confederate army uniform, was a rough-and-tumble gunslinger and part-time bounty hunter whose adventures always ended in blood. One incarnation of his comic book series saw the Western genre combined with supernatural elements, and it’s this aspect that was featured in Neveldine and Taylor’s script. The studio will likely keep the script, though it’s expected that Hayward will put his stamp on it.

(THR)

These are just some of the topics that we talk about in this episode…

Marvel
•    Secret Invasion
•    Dark Reign
•    New Avengers
•    Ultimatum
•    Iron Man

DC
•    Final Crisis
•    New Krypton
•    Batman
•    Green Arrow Black Canary
•    Wonder Woman

ABC has handed out a put pilot commitment to Fables, based on the comic book created by Bill Willingham and published by DC’s Vertigo imprint.

Six Degrees creators/executive producers Stu Zicherman and Raven Metzner are penning the script for the hourlong drama set at Warner Bros. TV. David Semel whose credits include such series as Heroes, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, House and Dawson’s Creek, has come on board to direct the pilot.

Zicherman and Metzner wouldn’t elaborate which fairy tale characters will be featured in the TV series, but noted that Big Bad Wolf and Snow White, who are central to the comics, will have a similar role on the show.

“We set up a structure to allow any fairy tale character to show up in any one episode,” Metzner said.

The fairy tale characters will keep some of their trademark characteristics. For instance, Prince Charming will be handsome, while Big Bad Wolf will have to shave a four-day shadow from growing back every day.

But overall, “they are just like real people in the real world who live and breathe and look just like you and me,” Metzner said.

Describing themselves as “lifetime comic book fans,” Zicherman and Metzner fell in love with Fables when they read the series’ first issue in 2002.

Created and written by Bill Willingham in 2002, Fables has won fourteen Eisner Awards. Based in a world where fairy tale characters have been forced out of their homes by a mysterious enemy known as the Adversary, and now live in a hidden community in New York City known as Fabletown. The series’ first storyline followed Fabletown’s sheriff, a reformed and pardoned Big Bad Wolf, who investigates the murder of Snow White’s party-girl sister, Rose Red.

(THR)

GOTHAM CENTRAL BOOK ONE – IN THE LINE OF DUTY

Written by Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka

Artwork by Michael Lark

Published by DC Comics

A Review by Scott Carelli

I’ve been an avid comic reader for quite a while. Not as long as others, mind you, but long enough that I’ve had the chance to read a lot of the usual suspects on the thousands of “must read” lists, and I consider myself to be pretty well-versed. Before I started reading, I loved comic book movies and always looked forward to them coming out even if I gathered most of my knowledge from their respective animated series. Before the superhero movie renaissance, I had the toys, I watched the cartoons, and I regularly ran around my house with a towel attached to my back. I’ve always been a comic fan, even before I really knew what that meant, and there’s always been one question that I’ve thought about time and time again:

What would it be like to live in Gotham City?

Now, maybe it wasn’t always Gotham specifically, but just the idea of living in a city that larger than life heroes protect and call home. Whether it’s Metropolis, home of the big blue Boy Scout, or the Marvel U’s New York City, what would life be like in a city where superheroes and villains run amuck. I mean, sure, you get a good idea of what life is like for the heroes, but what about that guy on the street who’s pointing from the street shouting “Look! Up in the sky!” or the millions of people just like him? How do you go about your everyday life knowing that at any time you could be taken hostage by a supervillain? This is something I’ve always wondered, and finally, I have my answer in the form of Gotham Central.

Written by Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka, Gotham Central follows the lives of Gotham City’s Finest (and not so finest) as they work in a city overrun with the most colorful and violent criminals in the world and where a vigilante wages a one-man war against crime dressed as a bat. The idea of being a cop in a city like Gotham has always been an interesting one to me, where a routine murder investigation can end with a surprise run in with The Joker. It’s just so fascinating. How do these seemingly average people deal with such extraordinary circumstances?

While no one in this book has superpowers, I’d be lying if I said it was filled with “Joe Schmo Nobodies” as the characters in this series are anything but average. To be a cop in a city like Gotham, thought, wouldn’t you have to be a little exceptional? This is a story about the men and women who put their lives on the line every single day in one of the most dangerous cities in the country, but they never get any credit. Why would they when Batman is so much more interesting? The stark reality is that, to be a cop in Gotham, you have to believe in what you’re doing enough that you never need any acknowledgement or praise, and that is remarkable.

The characters in this book are very well-rounded, and only get stronger as the series goes on. This first volume collects the first three story arcs with each writer concentrating on a particular shift at Gotham City Police Department. Brubaker focuses on second shifter Marcus Driver dealing with the murder of his partner at the hands of Mister Freeze, right before his eyes. He becomes driven to bring Freeze to justice, and investigate the unsolved case of his dead partner, without the help of the Dark Knight.

The real gem here, though, is “Half a Life” by Greg Rucka. This five issue story is about Detective Renee Montoya being “outed” as a lesbian to her coworkers and family while at the same time being framed for murder. Not only is “Half a Life” one of the best examples of comic storytelling I’ve come across in a long time, but the character of Renee Montoya, as written here, is one of the strongest and realistic portrayals of a gay character I’ve ever come across in any medium. She struggles with her desire to be happy and free to be the person she truly is, and her fear of being disowned when her devout Catholic family learns the truth. It’s a heart wrenching journey that I couldn’t put down, and I’m not the only one. It won a number of awards, including an Eisner in 2004 for Best Serialized Story.

I think my favorite part of this series is it’s depiction of Gotham City’s villains. Batman’s rogues’ gallery never really seemed that scary most of the time, but it wasn’t until I read this that I realized why. They can’t be so long as Batman’s around. It’s understood that he’ll always save you, and so no matter what, if Batman’s in the room, his villains are never at full strength. You never get to see them through the eyes of their victims, but within the first six pages of Gotham Central, that all changes. I’ve never been more terrified of a man with a freeze gun before reading this book. This series does a phenomenal job at opening your eyes to the fact that you would never want to come across these guys in a dark alley. No matter how ridiculous they might look, Gotham’s rogues are scary. While I’ve gushed about the writing, I think that a lot of the credit for this has to go to the artwork.

Artist Michael Lark is the cog that makes the whole series work. He has a knack for giving life to even the most ludicrous of villains and giving grit and realism to a city that so justly deserves it. Gotham is dirty and corrupt and you can see it smeared across every page. Some would say that his pencils have improved since his work on Gotham Central, but there’s a magic to this series that hasn’t been matched since. These three have reunited recently in the pages of Daredevil, and while it’s good, it just doesn’t compare.

So if you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to live in Gotham, look no further. Gotham Central allows you to visit a city that you never thought you could.

Welcome to Gotham City. Enjoy the trip.

This month is my pick, and I’m choosing Gotham Central Vol.1: In The Line Of Duty by Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka, and Michael Lark.

From In Stock Trades:

GOTHAM CENTRAL HC VOL 01 – IN THE LINE OF DUTY

The first ten issues of the Eisner and Harvey Award-winning series is collected in hardcover for the first time! Written by Ed Brubaker (Captain America) and Greg Rucka (DETECTIVE COMICS, 52), this series pitted the detectives of Gotham City’s Special Crimes Unit against the city’s greatest villains – in the shadow of Batman himself.

SRP: $29.99

IST Price: $18.89

Discount: 37%

Publisher: DC

Writer: Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka

Artist: Michael Lark

So check it out, and be sure to come back for the written review later this month, as well as the True Believers Cover 2 Cover episode!

Check out the video here:

London based RockSteady Studios, just announced that they are developing a new Batman game using the Unreal 3 engine, called Batman: Arkham Asylum.

The game, which is being scripted by current Detective Comics scribe and Batman: The Animated Series writer Paul Dini, has Batman bring The Joker to the infamous mental ward of Gotham City, where his immense Rogue’s Gallery has set a trap for him. The basic description sounds reminiscent of Grant Morrison’s 1989 graphic novel  Arkham Asylum, wherein Batman takes on his greatest foes in a gauntlet style run through Arkham.

Phil Rogers, CEO of Eidos Interactive, promises the game will feature not just melee combat of a beat-em-up, but will also have Batman “utilizing his intuitive detective skills” to get through the adventure.

More information on the 3rd person action game starring Batman and a host of villains will be forthcoming in just two more days, when this countdown clock reaches zero.

‘On the mystical island of Themyscira, a proud and fierce warrior race of Amazons have raised a daughter of untold beauty, grace and strength – Princess Diana. When an Army fighter pilot, Steve Trevor, crash-lands on the island, the rebellious and headstrong Diana defies Amazonian law by accompanying Trevor back to civilization. Meanwhile, Ares (the god of War) has escaped his imprisonment at the hands of the Amazonians and has decided to exact his revenge – intending to start a world war that will not only last for centuries – but will wipe out every living being on the planet, starting with the Amazons! It is up to Princess Diana to save her people and the world – by using her gifts and becoming the ultimate Wonder Woman!’

The film features the voices of Keri Russell as Wonder Woman, Nathan Fillion as Steve Trevor, Virginia Madsen as Hypolyta, Oliver Platt as Hades, David McCallum as Zeus, Alfred Molina as Ares, and Rosario Dawson as Artemis.

Check it out:

In comics, the Legion of Super-Heroes is a group of super-powered teenagers from 1,000 years in the future who are inspired by the legend of Superman. The heroes eventually time-travel back to visit a young Clark Kent to tell him of his legendary future. The Legion has appeared in animated form in an episode of Superman: The Animated series titled "New Kids In Town", the Justice League Unlimited episode "Far From Home", as well as their own short-lived series in 2006 as a part of the "Kids WB!" animation block on The CW.

Smallville fans had already seen updated versions of several DC Comics heroes on the live-action show, including Green Arrow, Aquaman, Flash (or Impulse as it were…), and Cyborg among others. Just last month, it was announced that a very human-like re-interpretation of the monstrous comics character Doomsday, played by Battlestar Galactica alum Sam Witwer, will be added to the Smallville cast this season as a nemesis for actor Tom Welling’s Clark Kent. But, according to Johns, the Legion that appears in his Smallville episode will be the team that comic book readers recognize.

"I can’t get into any specifics about the story we’re telling because we’re still working on it all. But they’re from the 31st Century. And it will be focusing on some obvious characters who first met Clark," Johns said. "It will be written to fit with Smallville, and I think it’s going to be a really fun challenge to approach the Legion in a different way. But with me, you know you’re going to see Legion rings, and they’re going to be as true to the core as possible. It’s going to be the Legion of Super-Heroes."

Johns, who has been using Legion characters a lot lately, both in a story he wrote for the Superman-centered series Action Comics with artist Gary Frank and next month’s Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds mini-series, couldn’t confirm if the Legion characters he’s introducing in Smallville would appear in more than one episode.

"I’ve known the Smallville team for a long time. And I have to thank Jeph Loeb for introducing me to those people in the first place," Johns said. "I’m really looking forward to working on the show. It’s exciting to see the Legion be part of that."