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Thank You: A Message From KryptonSite’s Webmaster Craig

KryptonSite Webmaster Craig Byrne offers a fond farewell on the night of Smallville’s finale.

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first kryptonsite logoIf you’re reading this, you probably either just finished the Smallville series finale or saw it a few hours ago. As I write this, it’s been a little over an hour and I’m still not sure what to think. I enjoyed the episode greatly, and three was a whole lot to be excited about, but my immediate feeling right now is as though a friend has died…. a friend I have welcomed into my home and my heart for ten years. So, if you ask me “what did you think?” Let me watch it a few more times and get the emotion out first.

I think it was just luck that KryptonSite came in and somehow became the web resource on record for a lot of things related to Smallville. It was here when the pilot was still in the process was filming, and it was here when it was announced The WB would merge with UPN to become The CW. The site saw some good times – like the announcement that legendary Superman Christopher Reeve would guest star – and some sad, like when the news came in that Jeph Loeb’s son Sam had passed away. Spoilers came and went, with some more warmly received by others, and “shipper wars” often probably caused more anger on the forums than not, but somehow this site made it through.

I know I’ve been very lucky. Meeting cast members and writing the companion books… it really was a dream come true. And I mean that – I never expected that to happen. I’ve made some great friends along the way too, here at KryptonSite, or on Twitter, or other places in the online and real-life Smallville circle. Great fellow webmasters, podcasters, and other TV journalists – very cool people. I know others were also so lucky – just ask original KryptonSite mods Mark and Gemma, who got married a few years back and had their first child last year. (No, it wasn’t a rapidly-aging exploding baby). All of us, really, can probably say our lives have changed in these ten years. When Smallville began, I was 23 years old and working at a newspaper in Maryland. Now I’m 33 and I write about TV in California. Some of the show’s biggest fans weren’t even in high school yet when the show premiered!

There probably won’t be another show like Smallville again – and if there is, it will be an amazing feat. A show that lasts ten years with the same primary lead actor is mostly unheard of. Tom Welling did it, though, and people stayed interested. Big shoutout goes to Tom – who owned the role for 10 years but also became a fantastic director in the process. I know we’ll be seeing more of him, either in front of of behind the cameras.

I think about the people who have been so helpful to me over the years making this site work. Al Gough & Miles Millar led the way, being some of the first showrunners to understand the importance of an online fan base. After they left, Todd Slavkin & Darren Swimmer and then of course Kelly Souders & Brian Peterson were always supportive as showrunners. Susan and Suzanne (don’t get them confused at a high schol reunion) – thank you for all of your support and putting up with me and forgiving when I’d mess up from time to time. And to the cast. In addition to Tom… Michael, Kristin, Allison, Justin, Cassidy, Eric, John Schneider, Aaron, Erica, and Laura… you are the ones I interacted with the most, which is not to slight anyone else… but you all have been a pleasure to interview and interact with. kryptonsite season 4Special appreciation to John Glover and Annette O’Toole, two of the kindest individuals I’ve ever met in ten years of covering Smallville, for taking me out to dinner when I was in Vancouver for the Season 6 book. That meant to much to me. Even the guest stars I’d talked to and gotten to know have been wonderful people, probably too much to name. And the folks I worked with on the books – Chris Cerasi, Steve Korte, and the revolving door of editors from the Smallville Magazine – THANK YOU for all of your support.

Smallville had one of the best and most hard-working crews in all of television. When the writers’ strike happened during Season 7, Smallville missed only two episodes – a testament to the power and the talent of the creative people there. I’m not listing names there, or among the incredible writers and producers who I’ve talked to who have also been supportive of this site over the years because again, I’d be worried I’d leave someone out by accident – but you are amazing, and I hope to see your names in many projects in the future. One of the saddest things about Smallville ending is knowing that team won’t exist anymore up in Vancouver, or in the production office down here. I still wish there had been a spin-off to keep that “team” together.

The Smallville fan base was so passionate, and I think that’s a big reason the show lasted as long as it did. Sometimes it got mean. But I always have thought that to bring out such emotion from its fans, the show must have done something right. Apathy is the worst feeling a TV show fan can have, and Smallville fans never had that. At the end of the day, we all did have something in common – we loved the show. Even when there was complaining, we complained because we loved. Or at least that’s how I look back at it.

I’d like to call out “Triplet” (aka C.M. Houghton) who worked so hard to bring new Smallville reviews in every week for several years now, and to Russ Dimino whose “Many Faces Of…” and other columns were always a treat. And I’d like to thank the team of KryptonSite mods for doing a great job of keeping the peace. With over 50,000 forum members, it’s not an easy task!

218 episodes is so cool. And the fact that so many people came back for the end… it felt like a reunion. This is the second Superman TV series I actively covered (the first being Lois & Clark) and I hope it’s not the last. When it happens again, I hope as many Smallville people as possible come back in the way that folks like Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Dean Cain, and Teri Hatcher did.

Many people have asked me what I’m going to do now that Smallville is over. Am I closing the site? Of course not! As long as I have a say in it, KryptonSite will exist as an archive for 10 years of Smallville. Now that I have more time on my hands, maybe I can even finally sort out old articles so they’re easier to search, and maybe I can finally fix things like the cast and episode guide pages. The forum will still exist, but don’t be surprised if it moves (keeping all of the old posts, of course) to the KSiteTV domain. So if you’re worried your old posts or fanfiction will disappear… they won’t. KryptonSite will still hopefully be relevant with Man of Steel News, a special sub-section of the site dedicated to news about next year’s Superman movie, The Man Of Steel. This page right here will continue to exist to promote the projects of Smallville alumni as they move forward to the future. Just because their show is over doesn’t mean the whole story is.

I was hoping we’d have new superhero TV with Wonder Woman this Fall, and apparently it’s not happening but that’s probably for the best. If you’ve enjoyed KryptonSite and the kind of thing you’ve seen here, though, I hope you’ll check out KSiteTV – it’s basically a generalized TV website focusing on whatever TV I feel like covering, but in hopefully a KryptonSite-like style. Maybe there will be more individual sites like this one, and there certainly will be more if there are some comic book projects TV on the way. Any individual sites for other upcoming shows and you’d have to make suggestions, though right now I’m leaning toward keeping it all at KSiteTV.

I’d like to build Avengersite and JusticeSite.net as good locations for Marvel and DC movies, respectively, though they’re rather small as it currently stands, and while V and Human Target have recently ended, a site for The Vampire Diaries still exists in the site network at VampireSite.net and you can read updates on all of these things at the KSiteTV/KryptonSite Twitter Feed. (Don’t everybody leave me after tonight!)

clois wedding smallvilleAnd that seems like a novel. Sorry to take up your time, the photos and forums you’re looking for can be found below. :) I just needed to get this out while it was all still in my head.Thank you all for being a part of KryptonSite, and thanks again to Smallville for bringing all of us together. Oh yeah – and this summer we’re doing the KryptonSite Awards again for Season 10… and then Summer 2012, assuming anyone’s still around, we’ll do it all over again for the entire series. Hope to see you!

“Always hold on to Smallville.”

— Craig Byrne
May 13, 2011

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Opinion

Review: Rosenbaum & Welling’s Live TalkVille Show Is A Success

The first live Smallville TalkVille Podcast event from Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum was a fantastic experience.

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Several weeks ago, Smallville stars Michael Rosenbaum and Tom Welling took their “TalkVille” podcast and made it a live performance combined with their exclusive “Smallville Nights” that they’ve had on the convention circuit. Their first stop — extended to two shows after the first sold out — was at the Bourbon Room in Hollywood.

I’ve long said that for fans of the show, it’s costly but you need to do “Smallville Nights” at least once. It’s an interactive thing where fans get to re-enact scenes with the actors themselves, and all get the chance to offer the perfect delivery for “I am the villain of the story!” At the live TalkVille event, this was especially cool because each and every attendee got the chance to do the thing.

The “TalkVille” element of the show was different from I at least hda originally expected — it was more of a freeform discussion between Rosenbaum and Welling, discussing some of their favorite memories of the show, and answering questions from the audience. It would have been fun to see them do an actual show from the podcast in front of the audience, but realistically, that could be a recipe for disaster in case any cuts are needed or anything like that.

One strong thing I felt when watching Tom and Michael on stage is that the source of one of the criticisms of the podcast seems to be identified: Sometimes it has been noted that Michael would interrupt or speak over Tom, when it appears the actual problem is that when recording the podcast, there’s a slight video delay so Michael might not even realize he is talking. So, it’s not a matter of being rude, but perhaps a technical difficulty that might be solved in a future show or two where Tom actually recorded in person at the studio. Both guys (and Ryan!) got time to talk at this event, and there wasn’t any such interruption.

There were some stories told at the event that I didn’t even know or realize — for example, how Kristin Kreuk helped Tom with his audition. Both had a gratitude for the show and I think events like these really make them see it first hand. Tom joked more than once that he tried to cancel the event, but he seemed to do really well with it when it happened. I was touched and surprised that I got a few shoutouts in person… and even hugs when the guys realized I was there! Sadly, there weren’t any individual photo ops or anything, but the memories will remain very strong, and there was a very cool “poster” given to all attendees with awesome artwork by Mickael Journou (MikePosters on Instgram). You can see that artwork up above; hopefully it’s okay that it was used for this post. Apparently, this art was also being sold on a T-shirt, but I didn’t see one!

Beyond getting to see two of the leads of Smallville, a great part of the night was a 45 minute to an hour intermission between Smallville Nights and the TalkVille presentation, and that was also a lot of fun because it gave the opportunity to meet other fans and talk. So many of us started watching the show at different times and it was so much fun to share those experiences with one another. After all, we were all there because of loving Smallville! It was just a lot of positivity and fun, and I met some cool people and hopefully made some cool new friends.

As someone who has covered the show since the beginning, it is also really fun to see Tom being joyful about talking about the show. It really highlights how overwhelmed he must have been when the show was on the air. I still can tell when fans are recreating scenes from Smallville that he still thinks like a director, which is so cool. He’s also such a dad now. His shoes were sticky so he took them off to reveal neon socks, which were actually not as uncool as he thought because…. maybe it was kryptonite. Haha. Still, all in all a good time!

Any negative feedback? A venue with easier parking and a less expensive menu would be nice, but as for the show itself, it was a great time. If and when the TalkVille guys do this again, I highly recommend that you check it out.

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Opinion

Is Superman & Lois Starting Season 4 with “The Death of Superman?”

Bitsie Tulloch may have hinted at “The Death of Superman” to kick off Superman & Lois Season 4 this Fall.

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Season 3 of Superman & Lois ended with what looked like a fatal showdown between Superman and Doomsday, reminiscent of the events of the legendary Superman #75 comic book by Dan Jurgens over 30 years ago. Now, some new comments from Bitsie Tulloch combined with some analysis from our good friend Ben Rolph of the Ben’s Take YouTube channel (formerly TheDCTVShow) begs the question: Is Superman & Lois adapting “The Death of Superman” in Season 4?

In the original comics, the Death of Superman was followed by an acclaimed storyline called “Funeral for a Friend” as the folks in Superman’s orbit as well as the people of the Daily Planet deal with the loss of Metropolis’ greatest hero. That led months later to a “Reign of the Supermen” story where four folks – including John Henry Irons, making his first comic book appearances – tried to become Metropolis’ new hero, with some including the Cyborg Superman claiming to the the real steel deal.

So what made Ben think they’re going full force into “Death of Superman” territory, and why do we agree with him?

Bitsie Tulloch recently appeared at the Metropolis Celebration in Illinois this past weekend, and she made a certain major tease:

“You guys are not going to believe the first episode,” she teased. “It’s bananas. It’s emotional. What they did was based on one of the comics. It was a very bold decision on their part to do to do this and to pull it off for the first episode of Season 4.”

Bold decision? Based on the comics? Killing Superman would be pretty darned bold, yeah?

You can watch video of Bitsie’s panel below, courtesy of the Superman Homepage, and then leave some thoughts in the comments! Superman & Lois Season 4 – the show’s final season – is scheduled to premiere this Fall on The CW.

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Opinion

Superman & Lois in 2024: 10 Hopes for the Final Season

KryptonSite offers ten hopes for Superman & Lois Season 4 in 2024.

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2024 is almost here, and at some point in the new year we will be getting the fourth and final season of the Superman & Lois TV series. The CW has not yet announced a premiere date, but especially considering the new season hasn’t started filming yet, it may be late Spring or Summer before we see our favorite characters again for one last 10-episode run.

To celebrate the new year, though, we’re listing our Top Ten Hopes for the final season of the series…. things we’d like to see or not see in 2024. Here goes!

#1. Superman Lives… though I’d also accept a “Reign.” Sure, the Season 3 finale didn’t look too encouraging there, but it’s not like The CW’s new budget would be so cheap that they’d get rid of Superman. The show is called Superman & Lois, after all! We better see Tyler Hoechlin and that “S” again pretty swiftly… though if they want to do a “Reign of the Supermen” with Tyler playing an Eradicator and a Cyborg version of Superman, I might allow it. We’ve already got John Henry Irons/Steel and surely The CW casting folks could find a fun Superboy. This story has never been fully adapted in live action and it’s a key part of my Superman comics reading experience. (If you’ve never read “Triangle Era” Superman comics, you are missing the best of Superman’s 85-year run!)

#2. No more Superman vs. Superman. Now, obviously if they did “Reign of the Supermen” I’d take this wish away, but in three seasons + Crisis and Elseworlds crossover appearances, Superman & Lois has managed to have Tyler Hoechlin fighting another Tyler Hoechlin Superman like 8 different ways, or playing different “evil” versions of Superman. Enough with that already! It’s the same trap The Flash would run into with different speedster villains every season. Variety can be good, and while part of me would love to see other Superman actors from across the multiverse show up, such as Brandon Routh or Tom Welling, I’m honestly pretty Multiverse-d out at the moment.

#3. Other Kryptonite. Blue, red, rainbow… we haven’t seen too many variations of these on Superman & Lois, and it might be cool, and so specially Superman.

#4. Continued presence for some no-longer series regulars. Like many, I’m bothered by the demotions of several actors who were series regulars on the series, now being guest stars. With a few exceptions, we don’t know how much they will show up again… but it would be a real shame to not have John Henry and Nat around, and while I am 100% against more Jordan and Sarah angst, I really want Sarah to stick around. They’re a part of the tapestry that makes the show good, just like the Kents are.

#5. A better costume for Jordan. He looks like a huge dork with those goggles… sorry, Alex. Give him something cool!

#6. Let the family be happy! Sometimes I feel like Lois and Clark hate their children, with the amount of times they yell at them every episode. After how emotionally taxing Season 3 was especially, I hope the Kents get to have fun sometimes. Remember the time they were painting the house together and Superman had to go do a save with paint all over his hand? That was charming and cute. More please.

#7. Metropolis and the Daily Planet. The Daily Planet is as important to the mythos as Lois, Clark, Perry, and Jimmy are. A return to the great metropolitan newspaper would put Lois back at the top of her game, especially now that the paper isn’t owned by a bad guy anymore (that we know of… I mean, Lex Luthor might try something). If the Planet isn’t available, WGBS will do! And hey… maybe if Jordan is following his father’s side of things, Jonathan could take an interest in journalism and start working with his mom?

Beyond that, it appears the Kent Farm house is taken down. It could just be relocated, or they might just use stock footage from here on out, but if it’s gone, it might be worthwhile to go to a new setting for Season 4… returning the Kents to Metropolis. Also – let’s see the show’s version of Jimmy Olsen, now that we know the show isn’t on Earth-Prime.

#8. An actual conclusion. We know Season 4 is the last; the show isn’t moving anywhere else, and The CW isn’t renewing it after the ten episodes of Season 4. For those of us who have stuck with the show for all four years and 50+ episodes, I want a satisfying ending. Don’t leave us on a cliffhanger. Imagine if the 2023 strikes made the studio and network decide “we’re not doing Season 4 after all.” That would have sucked.

#9. A set visit for KryptonSite. Set visits seem to have fallen by the wayside, but it would be so cool to visit and interview the cast as we go into Season 4. Apparently there was a trip considered prior to Season 3, but we weren’t included on that list.

#10. A flash forward. As DC welcomes David Corenswet as their new Superman, combining with my own personal hopes for a happy ending, I’d love to get a glimpse into the future to see Clark and Lois happy decades from now, their children continuing their legacy. The Superman and Lois of Earth-WhateverThisIs deserve it.

There are surely other things that could have made this list — “Uncle Tal,” a Jordan Elsass cameo, and Supergirl being high on the list — but I’m sticking to ten with this one. What do you think? Leave your wishes for the final season on the KryptonSite Forums – registration is easy and free!

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