Davy Jones Dead at 66

It's always harder to write these things when it's someone you like, and this is a rough one, compounded by death at such a young age. This morning actor, singer, songwriter and musician, among other things, Davy Jones, passed away from a heart attack in Florida. He was 66.

His career began early, acting in the British soap "Coronation Street," and even working as a jockey before landing the role of the Artful Dodger in "Oliver!" on the West End stage in London. The cast performed on the same "Ed Sullivan Show" that the Beatles made their first American appearance, and after seeing them, Jones knew what he wanted to do with his life. He moved from British TV to American TV and was eventually cast as one of the Monkees, both on television, in the recording studio, and on the concert stage.

The Monkees broke up in 1971, and Davy Jones made a legendary appearance on "The Brady Bunch," one which he recreated for the movie that came decades later. The Monkees reunited for a series of reunion tours, starting in the mid-1980s. I had the opportunity to meet the man twice on these tours. He was always polite, funny, and pleasant and gracious to his fans, no matter what they did to him, wanted him to sign, or embarrassed him with. He was a good guy. We have lost a legend, and probably the king of the teen idols. He'll be missed.

Comic Book Men

AMC wanted to cash in on "The Walking Dead" so bad that I guess they accepted any show about comic books. Now don't get me wrong, I am a hardcore Kevin Smith fan, but "Comic Book Men" is, on many levels, a disappointment.

Unless Kevin Smith himself doesn't know what he wants this show to be, it seems to be suffering from a lot of outside, or possibly even inside interference. It's all over the place. Sometimes it wants to be a reality show, sometimes a bad imitation of "Hardcore Pawn" and other shows of its ilk, sometimes an extension of Smith himself, sometimes a podcast on video, and sometimes just an outright commercial for the Secret Stash store, Smith, and/or AMC. Could they really get any more Smith or Walking Dead merch in the camera frames?

Having frequented comic book shops all my life, I can tell you, that except for the guy who doesn't work there and never leaves, this is sooo not like a comic book shop. They did however have to clean up the Secret Stash, which was a relief. I've been there, they cleaned, believe me. The occasion of folks coming in wanting sell stuff doesn't happen all that often, neither do hockey games, or sadly women in the shops. And of course that's the other thing that bugs me about it, the supposedly unscripted employees are more than a little sexist - perhaps they should be scripted.

Maybe they could focus on the buying comics from customers concept, or the roundtable podcast concept, or just make it Kevin Smith-centric - I really enjoyed the Jason Mewes/Batmobile episode. Maybe it could be cut down to a half-hour, but it must focus, and pick a direction. Sadly the one thing I enjoy about visiting a comics shop, talking comics, has only been featured once, and they mocked it. To me that's what the show should be about, sans ridicule. If you're fanboys (and girls), embrace it!

Right now, we're three episodes into a six-episode run. I hope it gets better, and finds its center. It would be nice to have a geek home on television, especially smack between "The Walking Dead" and "Talking Dead."

Avengers Vs. X-Men Pregame Thoughts at Biff Bam Pop!

My most recent article at Biff Bam Pop! reviews my thoughts on the upcoming Marvel Comics event "The Avengers Vs. the X-Men," the past confrontations between the teams, the reasons behind the upcoming conflict, and anything else that crosses my mind. Check it out here.

My Oscar Picks for This Year

Okay, first off, yes, I have been lax this year with The Oscars. I am hesitant to admit this, but I really haven't even taken a good look at the nominees until earlier this week. Nevertheless, I will take a shot a predicting the Academy Awards - both what will win, as well as what should win. And just to remind all you other latecomers, check out the nominees here.

Best original Screenplay - I want Woody Allen for Midnight in Paris which I thought was brilliant, but it will probably go to The Artist.

Best Original Song - Of the choices, it's "Man or Muppet." Only two songs nominated? Really?? And only one from The Muppets??? What about the songs in Captain America or Bunraku?

Best Animated Film - Nothing deserving was nominated, and the three I saw were abysmal. For the first time in quite a few years, I don't care about this category.

Best Supporting Actor - Is it time for Nick Nolte to win this year? Plummer and von Sydow deserve it, but I think it'll go to Nolte, just a hunch.

Best Supporting Actress - I looove Janet McTeer, and would love to see her get this, but I think one of the ladies from The Help will take this one.

Best Actor - I only saw Clooney and DuJardin, but I'm still going to say the latter.

Best Actress - Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady. It's her turn again.

Best Director - If Martin Scorsese doesn't get this for Hugo, it will be a crime. Not only will the Academy admit they know nothing about direction, they nothing about film either.

Best Picture - The Help and Midnight in Paris were my favorite movies of the year in this batch, The Artist and Hugo are wonderful love letters to film itself, but I'm going to say they give it to The Help.

Check back later and see how I did. What are your picks?

Closing Out the Blog Tour, and More

If you read yesterday's blog entry about The Hungry Heart Stories virtual book tour, you know that I am giving away a copy of the book to the best comment or question by a reader along the tour stops. I will be awarding this prize on Friday, March 2, so there is still time to make your mark and add a comment to any of the stops.

Here are the stops for THE HUNGRY HEART STORIES Blog Tour:

"Writing - Art - Metaphysics" by Shelley Szajner, her interview can be found here.

"Becca Butcher's Blog" by Becca Butcher, you can check out the tour with Becca here, here, here, here and the interview here. Yeah, Becca rocked the house when it came to promoting this tour. Thank you! ((hugs))

"Gilbert Curiosities" by Marie Gilbert features the author interview here and the review here.

"The Author-in-Training" by Mieke Zamora-Mackay has an interview with Fran about inspiration here.

"A Reference of Writing Rants or "Learn from My Mistakes"" by Jennifer M. Eaton, you can find her unique and entertaining interview here.

"The Dream Between" by Robin Renee, see her thoughts here.

"Literary Debauchery" by Krista Magrowski, the review can be found here.

And here at Welcome to Hell, I talk about Fran, the book, and the blog tour here, here, and here.

And make sure to check out all of the above blogs, and not just for the tour. They are all by terrific, talented writers and artists with much to say.

THE HUNGRY HEART STORIES is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and from the publisher Wilderness House Press.

Fran Metzman and The Hungry Heart Stories

Okay, if you've been paying attention, you know I've been running a virtual book tour throughout eight different blogs for the last ten days. Yeah, I know, holy heavy rotation, Batman, especially if you also follow me on the various social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Google, Tumblr, Gather, LiveJournal, and the rest. The name of the book is THE HUNGRY HEART STORIES and it's by my friend, mentor and fellow writer Fran Metzman.

Now if you've been with us for the whole ride, you've learned a lot about Fran and the book from reviews, interviews, and press releases, and it's all true. I'd like to say I have some deep dark secrets about her, but I don't. It's on the page. Her mind, her talent, even bits of her life, they are all on the page. So if you haven't already, think about purchasing a copy of "The Hungry Heart Stories," and get to know Fran a little better. You'll be glad you did.

I think I might have an interesting perspective on this short story collection, as I am the only man on this blog tour, but I think I agree wholeheartedly with everyone else. Now as a member of Fran's Rainy Tuesdays writing group for over a decade, and the guy who organized this blog tour, you might guess that I'm a Fran fan. But just ask Ms. Metzman herself, and you'll find I don't mince when it comes to critiquing. I personally think some members of that group have actually planned my demise on occasion because of my razor sharp critiques. Let's sum it up to say that if I didn't like these stories, I wouldn't be promoting them. Enough said.

These are stories of women in transition, women in crisis, and as you've been told along this blog tour, the thread of cooking and food runs through them all, some stronger than others. My favorite, "The Right Seasoning," holds a particular memory for me. We workshopped it in our Tuesday night writers group some years ago. As we went around the room verbally giving our critiques, we all began to get hungrier and hungrier. Reading the story, with such wonderful olfactory imagery, hit our stomachs as well as our heads! I loved it.

All of the stories in this collection will hit the reader hard and make them feel. If you read them and walk away unaffected in some way, I don't know what to say. I think this is what literary fiction should be about - soliciting a feeling, a reaction, making the reader think. And if you want to really understand what Fran is doing, I can't recommend enough the last work in the collection, an essay called "Writing and Healing." It says it all. All writers should read that piece.

Buy the book. Read the book. Can I be any more forward than that? I guess not. Now here's where I bribe you. Next week, next Friday, I am going to go through every stop on this virtual book tour, and pick one lucky commenter and award them a free copy of the book. All those affiliated with the blog tour are ineligible (sorry, ladies). Now let's see some comments!

The All Things Fun! New Comics Vidcast for 2-22-2012

The All Things Fun! New Comics Vidcast is shot live every week at All Things Fun! - the area's best comics and gaming store, located in West Berlin, NJ.

Co-hosts Ed (Off the Rails) Evans, Allison (Non-Marvel Girl) Eckel and Glenn (Get Off My Throne) Walker discuss the new comics out this week in two fun video segments, in wicked high definition, and available on the YouTube. See it here!

This first segment includes discussion of the following topics: The Live Used Game Auction, the AvsX Launch Event, the AvsX Program Guide, the Avengers and X-Men titles of the week, Fantastic Four and Deadpool, Thor and Ultimate Spider-Man, All-Star Western #6, Teen Titans #6 and Titans semi-continuity, The Ray #3 (of 4), and more non-sparkling vampires.



The discussion continues here in segment two including: Hoarders moment, Aquaman #6 by Geoff Johns, The Flash #6 by Francis Manapul, Wally West speculation, Batman The Dark Knight #6 by David Finch and Paul Jenkins, Batman vs. Bane, The Savage Hawkman #6, and the rest of DC, Star Wars comics and other goodies, indies including Chew, Danger Girl, Transformers, and Godzilla, Allison's kids comics, and Ed's trades.



Be sure to check out the dynamic new All Things Fun! website, and the All Things Fun! Blogs, by Allison and Glenn, and ATF! on YouTube.

And be back here every Wednesday (or Tuesdays at midnight) to watch the new broadcast, and thereafter throughout the week!

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Don't forget, The Virtual Book Tour for THE HUNGRY HEART STORIES by Fran Metzman continues today at Krista Magrowski's blog. Don't miss it! For a full list of Blog Tour stops, go here.

The Secret World of Arrietty

The Secret World of Arrietty ~ Probably one of the most wonderful things Disney has done in recent years, outside of their Cruise Line and keeping Marvel Comics from going under is obtaining distribution rights for Studio Ghibli. Those of us in the genre audience who have loved the breathtaking work of Hayao Miyazaki can now share it with the rest of the world.

The newest import from the Land of the Rising Sun, via Disney distribution is The Secret World of Arrietty, also known as Kari-gurashi no Arietti, is based on "The Borrowers" novels by Mary Norton, which have provided inspiration for many television and film projects. The Borrowers are tiny folks who live in the floorboards of your house and only take what they need.

Here they live in a house soon occupied by a sickly boy who sees them right away, especially a high-spirited young Borrower girl named Arrietty. A tentative friendship blooms in this smaller than usual (pun unintended) Ghibli film. It is wondrously animated and tells a touching story with a surprising voice cast. Amy Pohler didn't annoy me and Carol Burnett slips easily into a villain role.

Like all the Miyazaki and Ghibli films, this is a joy to watch, a wonderful adventure and character story, highly recommended.

Chronicle

Chronicle ~ The famous tagline of the Amazing Spider-Man legend is "With great power comes great responsibility", and that's really what this 'found footage' scifi horror adventure flick is about. Or maybe that's what the tagline for Chronicle should be, because as we see as the movie proceeds, we need to add a word to the saying - "With great power should come great responsibility."

In the film, Michael B. Jordan ("Friday Night Lights") the popular guy, Alex Russell the regular guy, and Dane DeHaan ("In Treatment") the picked-on misfit nerd with family troubles all get super powers, specifically telekinesis. This commonality bonds them to each other in an unorthodox friendship. Much like M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable, the best part here is the boys learning to use their powers. One particularly wonderful scene shows them learning to fly. It's breathtaking. If "Smallville" had done it this well, it would still be on the air, and if The Man of Steel (telling the origin again) does it like this, it will be a hit. Worthwhile just for these scenes.

Things break down of course each one subjected to their own inner struggles. Guess which one becomes the villain, kinda telegraphed, but still well done. The ending battle is pretty cool as far as special effects go, but the found footage format makes it difficult to follow. As much as I usually dislike that kind of flick, the end is the only place it doesn't work. This was much better than I thought it would be. Recommended for the genre crowd.

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Don't forget, The Virtual Book Tour for THE HUNGRY HEART STORIES by Fran Metzman is featured today at Becca Butcher's blog with an interview with the author.

The tour continues tomorrow on my good friend Robin Renee's blog. Don't miss it! For a full list of Blog Tour stops, go here.

The Hungry Heart Stories Blog Tour Continues

The Virtual Book Tour for The Hungry Heart Stories by writer Fran Metzman continues today at The Author-in-Training, Mieke Zamora-Mackay's blog. Mieke talks about the book and interviews Fran about her writing and inspirations. Check it out here.

Tomorrow the tour continues at Jennifer M. Eaton's blog, "A Reference of Writing Rants for Writers or "Learn from My Mistakes"", and thereafter here:

Sunday, February 19th
The Tour makes a return trip to Gilbert Curiosities

Monday, February 20th
And then the Tour makes a return stop at Becca Butcher's Blog

Tuesday, February 21st
"The Dream Between" by Robin Renee

Wednesday, February 22nd
"Literary Debauchery" by Krista Magrowski

Thursday, February 23rd
Finally we return here to Welcome to Hell for the close of the Tour.

And don't forget to check out all the blogs on the tour, and not just on the tour stops. These ladies are some of the best bloggers and writers around. The previous stops on the tour include Writing - Art - Metaphysics by Shelley Szajner, and Marie Gilbert's and Becca Butcher's blogs, check them out.

Beats, Rhyme & Life

Beats, Rhyme & Life ~ One of the misnomers I hate most is the term 'one hit wonder,' mostly because it's rarely true. It's one of the reasons I started the sub-blog here called "Lost Hits of the New Wave," because things were not as we are currently told they were. For instance if I was to mention to you A Tribe Called Quest, most folks, and a great majority who were not around when they were happening will use that term 'one hit wonder' and say they love "Can I Kick It." Just not true.

The truth is however that I came to the Tribe later than most folks. I loved "Can I Kick It" but I also began to notice that every time I heard a song by the group, I dug it. When I realized this, I got into them. As I said, later than most folks, but I love them, and let me assure you, A Tribe Called Quest is no 'one hit wonder.' The documentary Beats, Rhyme & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest directed by actor Michael Rapaport is a testament to that legacy.

Through interviews and of course music the film documents the group's beginnings in Queens and we get to know Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi White as they came up and became stars in the hip hop music world. Like a cool extended episode of "Behind the Music," we get the lowdown on why they looked like they did and especially how Q-Tip was sampling before samplers and melded jazz into hip hop. It also takes the group to the end of the road as well.

This documentary is the real thing, it's about friendship, music, culture, and passion - and the evolution that all of it goes through over the years. Check it out, recommended.





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Just a reminder, The Virtual Book Tour for THE HUNGRY HEART STORIES by Fran Metzman is featured today at Marie Gilbert's blog with an interview with the author, and continues tomorrow on Mieke Zamora-Mackay's blog. Don't miss it! For a full list of Blog Tour stops, go here.

The All Things Fun! New Comics Vidcast for 2-15-2012

The All Things Fun! New Comics Vidcast is shot live every week at All Things Fun! - the area's best comics and gaming store, located in West Berlin, NJ.

Co-hosts Ed (President's Day Sale) Evans, Allison (Dawn of the Jedi) Eckel and Glenn (Bizarro Krypto) Walker discuss the new comics out this week in two fun video segments, in wicked high definition, and available on the YouTube. See it here!

This first segment includes discussion of the following topics: The President's Day Saturday Sale, the Super Pets are here, Allison's kids comics, Catwoman #6, DC Universe Presents #6 featuring the new Challengers of the Unknown, Nightwing #6, Legion of Super-Heroes #6, Supergirl #6, My Greatest Adventure #5, Batman #6, the rest of the New 52 DC Comics, and Vertigo.



The discussion continues here in segment two including: Star Trek Legion of Super-Heroes #5, Godzilla Kingdom of the Monsters #12, Star Wars Dawn of the Jedi Force Storm #1, Flash Gordon vs. Nazis, Mis-Adventures of Adam West #1, Army of Darkness #1, more from IDW including Infestation 2, Ed's Marvels including the X-titles, Avengers and the rest of the Marvels, Ed's trades and toys.



Be sure to check out the wild and crazy new All Things Fun! website, and the All Things Fun! Blogs, by Allison and Glenn, and ATF! on YouTube.

And be back here every Wednesday (or Tuesdays at midnight) to watch the new broadcast, and thereafter throughout the week!

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Just a reminder, The Virtual Book Tour for THE HUNGRY HEART STORIES by Fran Metzman is featured today at Becca Butcher's blog, and continues tomorrow on Marie Gilbert's blog. Don't miss it! For a full list of Blog Tour stops, go here.

Luck

I'll watch any drama on HBO. There is simply a level of quality that is always present. And it doesn't matter what a given television series is about, there is always amazing writing, direction, and performance, always.

My mother-in-law notoriously dislikes science fiction, fantasy, and horror. That genre stuff just turns her off. It's too 'creepy' to use her word. Yet last summer she was sucked into the fantasy world of George R.R. Martin's "A Game of Thrones." She even watched several episodes one right after the other to catch up. That is the magic of HBO drama. It doesn't matter what it's about, it matters how it's done, and the quality and care with which it is done.

That brings us to "Luck." I really couldn't care less about horse racing. It does less for me than genre television does for the mom-in-law, but the HBO drama rule pulled me in. The sneak peek of the pilot back in December hooked me and made me wait with baited breath for the series debut a few weeks back. This show is fabulous.

The HBO drama rule is not all it has going for it though. Oh there is a slight "Sopranos" vibe going on, but that's not the kicker. What drives this show is the acting. You've got some heavy hitters here with Dustin Hoffman, Nick Nolte, and Dennis Farina, as well as an ensemble of some of the best character actors around. Most notable are Kevin Dunn, Richard Kind, and one of my faves, from the much missed "Dirt," Ian Hart.

The series, created by writer David Milch who also worked on the network's terrific and also missed "Deadwood," follows the events and characters tied to a particular race track, and it's all done with class and in the slick style of executive producer Michael Mann. These two allow the big three actors to be as big as they want on the small screen and it's a good thing - all are at their best here.

There are only nine episodes in this first season, and with the fourth coming this Sunday, there's plenty of time to catch up. This is yet another HBO show you should not miss.

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Just a reminder, The Virtual Book Tour for THE HUNGRY HEART STORIES is featured today at Shelley Szajner's blog with an interview with the author Fran Metzman, and continues tomorrow on Becca Butcher's blog. Don't miss it!

The Hungry Heart Stories Blog Tour

Welcome to The Hungry Heart Stories Blog Tour. For the next eleven days, various blogs across the internet will be talking about THE HUNGRY HEART STORIES and talking with author Fran Metzman, and it all starts right here.

THE HUNGRY HEART STORIES is a short story collection that deals with the universal search to fill a void. Fran Metzman, co-author of UGLY COOKIES, serves up a plate of quirky and disparate characters in these captivating stories. A grieving husband in the darkly funny Right Seasoning conjures up his deceased wife's presence in the beloved kitchen they once shared. From My Inheritance that tells of a grown daughter, trying to find the love and peace she has always craved with her dying mother to Getting Closer, the story of a woman left with the violent legacy of food that defined her life - we find the characters reaching the low points and triumphs of human emotions. Particularly poignant is the story, The Reunion, about a woman born into poverty who reaches the pinnacle of success but with questionable sacrifice.

Each of the twelve stories and one essay incorporates food as a means to some end or fulfillment. In Metzman’s sure hand we get these fully realized worlds, leavened with passion and sprinkled with humor. THE HUNGRY HEART STORIES is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and from the publisher Wilderness House Press.

I've known Fran for a long time, more than a decade actually. We met at her writing workshops at Borders Books in Marlton with the writers group that soon became known as Rainy Tuesdays, and still meet on a weekly basis for critiques and writing discussion. She knows her stuff, especially writing, and has taught me so much, and folks who know me know I can't be taught easily. Today I consider Fran a mentor, a fellow writer, and most of all a friend. Simply put, she rocks.

And THE HUNGRY HEART STORIES is a book that rocks too. And I wouldn't say that if I didn't believe it, not even for a friend. Over the next eleven days you will get to know Fran better and learn more about this short story collection, so sit back and enjoy the ride.

I also want to say a few words about the wonderful lady writers who are helping me with this project. From Robin whom I've known since high school and is also a fantastic musician, to Shelley who writes great young adult fantasy, to Becca who I know from The Writer's Chatroom and my online group Writer Circle, to all the terrific women in the South Jersey Writers - they are all fabulous writers, and you should not just check out their blogs on the days of the blog tour, but every day as well. Always great content from great writers. Don't forget to comment on everyone's blogs and make new friends!

Here are the stops for THE HUNGRY HEART STORIES Blog Tour:

Tuesday, February 14th
"Writing - Art - Metaphysics" by Shelley Szajner

Wednesday, February 15th
"BeccaButcher's Blog" by Becca Butcher

Thursday, February 16th
"Gilbert Curiosities" by Marie Gilbert

Friday, February 17th
"The Author-in-Training" by Mieke Zamora-Mackay

Saturday, February 18th
"A Reference of Writing Rants for Writers or "Learn from My Mistakes"" by Jennifer M. Eaton

Sunday, February 19th
The Tour makes a return trip to Marie's blog

Monday, February 20th
And then the Tour makes a return stop at Becca's blog

Tuesday, February 21st
"The Dream Between" by Robin Renee

Wednesday, February 22nd
"Literary Debauchery" by Krista Magrowski

Thursday, February 23rd
Finally we return here to Welcome to Hell for the close of the Tour.

Everybody ready to roll? Let's do this! See you tomorrow at Shelley's blog!

Whitney Houston 1963-2012

Breaking news, and unfortunately details are sketchy, but multiple award-winning singer and actress Whitney Houston has died from unknown causes on the eve of this year's Grammy Awards.

Whitney Houston was a superstar of the 1980s, scoring seven straight number one hits in a row, and was said to have one of the greatest voices in the music industry. She was the daughter of gospel singer Cissy Houston, cousin to Dionne Warwick, and Aretha Franklin's goddaughter. She found success on the big screen in The Bodyguard and Waiting to Exhale.

Her more recent years have been scarred by her tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown and a lingering drug addiction problem. Whatever the means of her demise and sad life of late, we have truly lost a superstar of our time.

Quickies 2-10-2012

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows ~ I really liked this a lot. It was clever, and owed more than a lot stylistically to both "Psych" and "The Mentalist" in the way they showed how Holmes' intellect works. Whereas the first movie worked very hard to pull in new and old fans with its new twist on the characters, this sequel played it closer to the source material. Great ending in tribute to the old stories as well. If you're a reader, you'll see it coming a mile away. Loved it, and can't wait for the next one.

Three Inches ~ This SyFy pilot doesn't seem to know what it wants to be, a serious concept or a sitcom filmed like a drama. A teenaged boy discovers that he's telekinetic, but can only move objects a distance of three inches. Superhero antics without costumes that comic book fans will hate. It might as well be "Alphas" meets Mystery Men, but with a hesitant sense of humor. Me, I hope it doesn't become a series, but it's always nice to see Andrea Martin, and she's great here.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol ~ Now I slept through a lot of this apparently. That seems to be a problem because to me, it didn't seem like I missed much. Tom Cruise didn't talk much, and it felt like wall-to-wall action. Cruise hanging off the building, which I did see, is do not miss. The problem is that I only really saw an intermittent half-hour of this flick, and it's really almost two and a half hours long. Judge as you see fit.

Jazz Boat ~ Screenwriter Ken Hughes directed this 1960 pseudo gangster musical that was apparently supposed to be Britain's answer to Guys and Dolls. It's all youth gangs in London tussling over girls and money in a confrontation that finally takes place on a riverboat on the Thames, with musical interludes along the way. Much more entertaining than it sounds, we get to see what kind of star Anthony Newley could have been. I liked this a lot, serious guilty pleasure.

Smallville Returns

For many of us who watched "Smallville," we never got what we wanted. Oh sure, the folks who watched it every week for the soap opera elements, the dreamy Tom Welling, and even the meteor freak of the week stories, they kept the show on the air. But we comic book readers who tuned for every minor comic book reference, dug on Justin Hartley's Green Arrow, and literally went to fanboy heaven for the Justice League and Justice Society episodes - we never really got what we wanted.

Now is our chance as DC Comics is coming out with a digital comic of "Smallville" that picks right up six months from the end of season ten - that's right, at the debut, finally, of Superman. That being the case, and seeing how it will be a comic book, I'm betting we will finally be getting all that superhero action we were all waiting for.

Oh, and a side note to the CW who is currently readying "Arrow" for next season - first, shame on you for not spinning Green Arrow, as played by Justin Hartley, out of the already proven and popular "Smallville." And second, if you don't want a show to seem comic booky or superhero-y, you should not plan it around a comic book superhero. In case you hadn't noticed, Green Arrow is a comic book superhero. Duh. Rant over.

Glad to have "Smallville" back, looking forward to it.