SMALLVILLE UPDATE

Smallville star Tom Welling said he's looking forward to working with Christopher Reeve in the upcoming episode "Rosetta."

"It will be an honor just to be in the room with him," Welling said last weekend at The WB Press Tour.

Executive producer Al Gough explained how Reeve's appearance came about.

"You know, when we created the show, the first film was sort of our touchstone," he said. "And I think for us the big sort of revelation was the first hour of that movie, where you did not see Superman in a suit, but you got to understand him as a person, really helped us sort of lay the foundation for this show, which, of course, no flights, no tights. And so the idea of, 'God, wouldn't it be great to get Christopher Reeve to be involved in the show?'

"So as we were arcing out this season, we knew we had this character, Dr. Swann, who's going to give Clark a big piece of information about his origin. And we called his agent, and, you know, introduced ourselves, pitched him the idea and said, 'Would Chris have any interest? I don't know how he feels about being involved with Superman' any more. You know, he was wonderful in the film. Would he be interested in being a part of this show?'

"He called Chris. He said Chris was a fan of the show. He had watched it. His friends tell him that Tom looks like a younger version of him when he was a young man. And so we called him up. And we had a wonderful 45-minute conversation with him and sort of pitched to him the character, and the character sort of role in the -- not only in the episode, but also in the series, because every hero needs a wiseman. And that's really his role in the show, and it's sort of a passing of the torch from one generation of Superman to the next."

Gough was asked if Reeve's role could be reoccurring.

"Absolutely, and he is open to doing that," Gough said.

In other Smallville news:

* The WB has released three images from the "Insurgence" episode of Smallville scheduled to air on Jan. 21. Click on the images above for larger images.

* Gough and fellow executive producer Miles Millar are planning a major cliffhanger to end the second season.

"There's not really much we can tell you at this point," Gough said. "A, because we don't want to give it away. B, because there are still 10 episodes left to air and some of this wouldn't make sense if you hadn't seen the episodes that are coming up, starting next week."

* Asked if Lionel Luthor will get his eyesight back, Gough said, "Tune in. That's a very distinct possibility."

Gough said that John Glover will return as Lionel next season.

"John Glover was quite honestly, a total happy accident," Gough said. "He was a guest star in the pilot, and he was really terrific. And we were able to bring him back a couple of times during the beginning of the first season. And then he said he really loved doing the show. And then as we sort of built to the end of Season 1, we said, "Well, we should -- we should bring him in as a cast -- as a regular in Season 2. Because really, you know, it's a show about sort of parents and children.' And that really helped form Lex. And he's just such a terrific actor. And he and Michael are so great together."

* Gough said that featuring Bruce Wayne on the show is still a possibility.

"That is still something that we are talking about. It's always an interesting sort of situation with Time Warner with the movie side. And a lot of times they dictate that, as well as DC Comics.

"But bringing a young Bruce Wayne is something that we still want to do, those two sides of super-hero points. Quite frankly it's something that would probably happen Season 3 or Season 4."

* The producers said it's possible for the "second half" of Jonathan Taylor Thomas' character from "Dichotic" to return, but there are no current plans.

* Millar said Smallville is a top-10 show in Australia. "He speaks to every nation," Millar said. "It's pretty amazing."

* Below is a preview of the first issue of DC Comics' new Smallville title that debuts in March.

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IMAGE COMICS' MANGA MONTH

Image Comics has earmarked this April as Manga Month and is launching four all-new, manga-tinged series as part of the event.

The four new titles include: The Agents by Ben Dunn and Kevin Gunstone, Heirs of Eternity by Jose Torres, Jae Tsai and Jim Royal, Rotogin: Junkbotz by Jay Lee and J. Korim and Soul of the Samurai by Will Dixon.

Following is a rundown of the titles.

* Rotogin: Junkbotz is an eight-issue mini-series focusing on Kaylin Dakota, a young female gear head living in the mega city called Nalus Toyocom. Known as the "city of rings," Nalus is also home to a growing criminal organization known as the U.B.B., which sets up illegal robot tournaments using the city as a battleground. When debuts owed to a crime lord go unpaid, Asian gang members threaten the life of one of Kaylin's friends. Rebuilding a battle bot of her own, Kaylin enters deep into the shady world of illegal robot tournaments and joins the U.B.B. Fighters circuit in hopes of saving her friend. Now, his fate lies in the hands of this young and her junk bot.

* The Agents is a six-issue mini-series set in the ashes of nuclear devastation wrought upon the cities of Washington and Moscow thirty years ago, where a planet-wide protectorate was formed in Britain called The Agency. As The Agency, this group enforces its own brand of defensive guardianship through espionage and counteraction. Not all of the Earth is united in this New World Order, though, as individual countries, states and rival organizations threaten to undermine and destroy all The Agency stands for.

* Heirs of Eternity is a four-issue mini-series examining opposite ends of a two-edged sword: love and hate. When five beings take up this sword, they find that perhaps it is more than any one of them can handle. Their modest lives take high-speed turns as they slowly lose control of everything they hold dear. Caught up in the entropy that is extreme emotion, their lives come crashing together. And as might be expected, not everyone makes it out alive.

* Soul of the Samurai is a four-issue, bimonthly mini-series that deals with the spiritual journey of a young samurai willing to forsake rank and honor in order to achieve his ultimate goal of enlightenment. Along the way, he is forced to face his four inner demons, each of which represents a different piece of his soul. With each new discovery bringing more agony than bliss, he realizes that sometimes knowledge of the self can come at a high price, especially when you are your own worst enemy.

DC'S H-E-R-O #1 IN FEBRUARY

DC Comics is updating its Dial "H" For Hero concept with H-E-R-O, a new ongoing monthly by writer Will Pfeifer and artist Kano, with painted covers by John Van Fleet.

The first issue arrives in stores on Feb. 12 as the series revolves around different ordinary people using the H-E-R-O device.

Here's how DC describes the issue:

"Jerry Feldon is one of those people. He's a young man living in a town where prosperity and industry have dried up, stuck in a lousy job without a future. A brush with Superman makes him even more depressed - Jerry could never be like him. And Jerry's depression is driving him toward one fateful decision, one he can never change. That is, until he finds a device that changes him. It gives him power. It gives him hope. But is that enough?"

"The characters in H-E-R-O aren't experienced super-heroes," said editor Peter Tomasi. "They're new to the job. They make mistakes. They also still feel the excitement and wonder of ordinary people who are suddenly granted extraordinary powers. Will Pfeifer and Kano are giving H-E-R-O a look, mood and feel unlike any other super-hero book out there."

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IMAGE COMICS FIRST LOOKS

For covers and four-page previews of Image Comics titles arriving in stores on Jan. 22, CLICK HERE.

Titles include Invincible #1 and Paradigm #5.

FIRST LOOK: LADY DEATH #1

Lady Death #1 will arrive in stores on Feb. 12 from CrossGen Comics. The issue is written by Brian Pulido, with art by Ivan Reis and Mark Campos and colors by Chris Blythe.

Here's how CrossGen describes the issue:

"The medieval world is threatened by a near-immortal race called the Eldritch. Humanity’s last hope for survival is Lady Death, an outcast who is half-human, half-Eldritch, and all attitude. Blood of both clans, she belongs to neither. Bearing a sword of vengeance, Lady Death roams Medieval Europe in search of her place in the world.

"Lady Death is familiar to comics readers, but now her story is re-imagined in an all-ages epic set in medieval times. Amidst a harrowing battle between warrior knights and the otherworldly Eldritch, a child is conceived that is neither wholly human nor wholly Eldritch. Years later, her unique nature is discovered, setting into motion events that will jeopardize the lives of Hope and her mother. Is there any place in the world for Hope, or is Lady Death the only solution?"

Lady Death #1 will be 32 pages and will cost $2.95.

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BRIEFLY

Coming Thursday: DC news - and much more!!!

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