Premiering in October 2001 and lasting a whopping 10 seasons, Smallville told the story of a young Clark Kent on his journey to becoming the legendary hero, Superman. Along the way, Clark would encounter a huge array of allies and villains, including the future staff of the Daily Planet such as Lois Lane, other heroes, and of course his arch-rival, Lex Luthor.
Despite having 217 episodes to work with, there’s a chance viewers may still be hungry for more, and what better place to get that fix than the medium that started it all. Here are 8 comics you should consider checking out if you enjoyed Smallville.
8 ‘Superman: Birthright’ Presented An Updated Origin
Just like the Smallville show, Superman: Birthright brought a new and modernized version of Superman’s early days to light. Released from 2003 to 2004, the 12 issue series became the new canonical origin for the last son of Krypton, although it didn’t last long in that position.
Written by Mark Waid and penciled by Leinil Francis Yu, elements from this series would influence aspects of 2013’s Man of Steel starring Henry Cavill. The storyline offers a different spin on tropes that Smallville fans will be used to and unlike the show, includes plenty of action with Clark in his iconic suit.
7 Batman’s Early Adventures Are Fascinating
One of the most applauded comic events of all time is Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One. Like Smallville, the series sees a younger Bruce Wayne take his first steps as the caped crusader of Gotham and tackle the criminal underworld and corrupt police forces.
Readers also get to see new versions of Catwoman and Jim Gordon presented in a dark and epic character journey, complete with exciting action. The series may be more mature than Smallville and without some of the guilty-pleasure melodrama, but it’s a great companion piece regardless.
6 Buffy Was On The Scene Before Clark
Before Clark accidentally floated once in the pilot episode, Buffy Summers was already kicking butt and taking names on the small screen. It’s not much of a surprise then that a comic series would also come along, continuing the adventures of the Slayer and her supporting cast.
The first series of books, published by Dark Horse Comics, ran from 1998 to 2004 and they would also continue the shows’ storyline with their Season 8-10 lines. It’s easy to see how Buffy The Vampire Slayer was a big influence on the young Superman show and the comics feature that same charm.
5 ‘Ultimate Spider-Man’ Was Basically The Same Thing
Debuting only one year prior to Smallville, Ultimate Spider-Man served as a ground-up reboot of the wall-crawler and was a massive hit for Marvel. His adventures and the cast of characters reflected then-modern day culture, rather than the 60s set original comics that younger fans might struggle to relate to.
In the years since it began, the Ultimate Spider-Man series has told a complete storyline for Peter Parker and even boldly moved beyond him to feature a new star, Miles Morales. There’s plenty there for Smallville fans to discover and enjoy.
4 Jessica Jones Has A Harder Edge
2001 also introduced readers to Alias, a comic series released under Marvel’s Max imprint, intended for more mature storylines. This also shouldn’t be confused with the Jennifer Garner starring TV series Alias. Alias tells the story of Jessica Jones, a former superhero who decides to work as a private eye instead.
The series got a lot of well-deserved attention for its complex character drama and adult themes (and some surprising foul language) and would form the basis for the Netflix adaptation, Jessica Jones. Like Clark, Jessica has also gone on to join big hero teams, but her best storylines are usually her solo ones.
3 Green Lantern Gets A Fresh Coat Of Paint
DC’s Earth One line of books served a similar purpose to Marvel’s Ultimate universe, where iconic characters would see a bold reimagining. The fifth hero to get this revamp was Hal Jordan, AKA the Green Lantern.
Written by Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko and with art by Hardman, Green Lantern: Earth One was met with a positive response and fans appreciated the stronger emphasis on science fiction and overall darker tone. It operates as a great jumping-on point for new readers and is essentially Jordan’s version of a Smallville-style origin.
2 ‘Old Man Logan’ Threw A Fan-Favorite Into An Uncertain Future
While most of the entries on this list go back to the beginning to offer a new origin, Mark Millar’s and Steve McNiven’s Old Man Logan does the opposite. Starting in 2008, the series presented readers with a bleak future in which an aged Logan struggles to survive.
The story features the title hero and a blind Hawkeye traveling across the US which has been conquered by villains such as the Red Skull and Doctor Doom. The book stands apart from other dystopian Marvel futures and was the inspiration for 2017s Logan starring Hugh Jackman.
1 Season 10 Wasn’t The End For Smallville
It may come as a surprise to many fans of the series, but the tenth season wasn’t actually the end of the Smallville saga. DC went back to the comic format to produce Season 11, a continuation of the story in both print and digital format.
The story picked up six months after the series finale and saw Clark fully embracing his role as Superman, as well as encountering many new characters that were previously off-limits to the show. This allowed the likes of Batman and Wonder Woman to finally enter the fray.
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