Smallville, Kansas

Smallville is a fictional town in American comic books published by DC Comics. The childhood hometown of Superman, Smallville was first named in ''Superboy'' #2 (May 1949). The town is the setting of many ''Superboy'' comics where Superboy defends Smallville from various threats.

History

Pre-Crisis

In the earliest Golden Age comics, the name of Clark Kent's hometown is uncertain. Earliest stories would either show Clark's hometown as unnamed or even as Metropolis. However, as of ''Superboy'' #2, Smallville's name is permanently identified.

Smallville is retroactively shown as the Golden Age Superman's childhood hometown as well, as seen in the "Mr. and Mrs. Superman" series in ''Superman Family'', as well as in ''The New Adventures of Superboy'' #15-16 (March–April 1981). Unlike Earth-One's Smallville, Earth-Two's Smallville stays a much less prominent small town since the Earth-Two Superman was never Superboy. Additionally, the Kents never owned a general store on Earth-Two, but instead stayed farmers until their deaths.

Post-Crisis

Smallville's history, as well as that of the Kents, is delved into in the late 1980s ''World of Smallville'' miniseries, plus the 1997-1998 miniseries ''The Kents''.

Later, Smallville was retconned to have a violent history, with green kryptonite, a common substance in the area, having a mutating, dangerous effect on normal citizens of the town (similar to the TV show ''Smallville''). This history, plus the near-destruction and reconstruction of the town by overzealous government forces, is explored in the storyline "The Search For Kryptonite."

Law and government

Smallville's chief of police is Chief Douglas Parker, who in pre-Crisis stories is considered a close ally of Superboy. Superboy is capable of being contacted by Chief Parker, as well as Lana Lang's father Professor Lewis Lang and the President of the United States, via a secret signal lamp hidden in the Kent household. Chief Parker exists in the post-Crisis DC comics, but his role is much less prominent.

In the modern comics, Smallville also has a sheriff department. It is headed by Sheriff Hayes who is murdered by a Black Lantern version of Earth-Two's Superman at the time when he was talking to his superiors about transferring to Metropolis.

A storyline late in the run of ''The New Adventures of Superboy'' sees Smallville's town council propose building Smallville's first shopping mall, though the mall's construction is revealed out to have sinister ulterior motives. While the storyline is unfinished as the comic was cancelled before the story could be concluded, it does see Jonathan Kent decide to run for a city council seat to try to thwart the mall's construction.

People

Noted residents of Smallville include the Kent family, Jonathan and Martha Kent, or ''Ma and Pa Kent'' as they were often called, and their adopted son Clark Kent; Clark's friend, classmate and sometimes romantic interest Lana Lang; Clark's best friend Pete Ross, and Smallville's chief of police Douglas Parker.

In the original ''Superboy'' comics, other noted residents include Professor Phineas Potter (Lana's uncle), archaeologist Lewis Lang (Lana's father), and the young Lex Luthor.

In post-Crisis comics, Conner Kent, an alternate Superboy, also lives in Smallville with the now-widowed Martha Kent. The super-powered dog Krypto lives with them as well. While not initially enjoying Smallville, Conner eventually changes his mind.

Features

Smallville is usually portrayed as an idyllic, small isolated American town, with a " Middle America" atmosphere – resembling the settings of some paintings of Norman Rockwell. Its residents are generally very friendly, though in Silver Age ''Superboy'' stories, it also tends to attract various threats (from criminals, alien invaders, etc.).

Smallville's economy mostly consists of various locally owned businesses, along with various farms surrounding the town, including the Kent family farm. In the original ''Superboy'' comics, the Kent family sells their farm when Clark starts school, and open a general store in town.''Superman'' #146 (July 1961). DC Comics. Post-Crisis comics, however, show the Kents residing on their farm through Clark's adulthood.

Smallville has one high school, Smallville High School, which Clark, Lana, and Pete attend.

Smallville also was the home of the Smallville Orphanage, where the Kents originally brought the infant Kal-El after his rocket landed on Earth; the Kents returned several days later to formally adopt Kal-El, renaming him "Clark."

In terms of media, Smallville has had several newspapers mentioned over the years, including the ''Smallville Sentinel'' (shown in various stories in ''The New Adventures of Superboy'') and the ''Smallville Times-Reader'' (in Elliot S. Maggin's "Last Son of Krypton" text novel). In ''Action Comics'' (vol. 2) #8, the ''Daily Stars editor George Taylor mentions to Clark Kent having met Ma and Pa Kent while working as a reporter for the ''Smallville Sentinel''. Smallville receives most of its television and radio broadcasts from a larger nearby city, though ''Superboy'' #195 shows Smallville has its own radio station, WSMV.

In the original ''Superboy'' comics, a billboard outside of Smallville greets those driving into and out of town. The billboard features a picture of Superboy waving, with words next to it reading: "''Welcome to Smallville, Home of Superboy.''"

Location

Similar to the whereabouts of other fictional DC Universe cities, the location of Smallville was, originally, never specifically stated in the comics.

Smallville's location varied widely throughout many stories, many of which placed Smallville close to Metropolis and Midvale, home of Supergirl. ''All-New Collectors' Edition #C-55'' (notable for featuring the wedding of Legion of Super-Heroes members Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl and published in 1978) calls Smallville "a quiet town, nestled in the hills just inland from the eastern seaboard." Most sources since the 1986 John Byrne Superman origin reboot point the location of Smallville to be in Kansas.

''Superman Family'' #195

In the Superboy story in ''Superman Family'' #195 (May–June 1979), Interstate 70 is shown as running through or near Smallville, as Lana and Clark drive along the highway. States the real-world Interstate 70 passes through include Utah, Colorado, Kansas (Smallville's usual post-Crisis location), Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland (cited in some pre-Crisis references as Smallville's location).

''Amazing World of DC Comics'' #14

In ''Amazing World of DC Comics'' #14 (1977), an officially sanctioned fanzine with articles on DC Comics characters and series, Smallville was stated to be in Maryland. The Maryland location was supported in the comics with a map of Smallville and the surrounding area that was published in ''New Adventures of Superboy'' #22 (October 1981), which situated Smallville a few miles west of a large bay very similar to Delaware Bay (the same map placed Metropolis and Gotham City on the east and west sides of the bay.

''Legion of Super-Heroes'' volume 2 #313

A map of Legion-era Metropolis included in ''Legion of Super-Heroes'' (vol. 2) #313 (July 1984) indicates that Smallville was believed by the 1980s to be somewhere in northeastern Pennsylvania or northern New Jersey, while incorporated into Metropolis proper at that time as a historical district. In revisions of the map published after 1986, this was retroactively removed to accommodate changes of Smallville's location in other titles, as detailed below.

''The Death and Life of Superman'' (novel)

In the novel ''The Death and Life of Superman'' (1993), Jonathan and Martha Kent drive to Smallville from the Great Bend, Kansas, airport which would put Smallville somewhere in central Kansas.

''The Kents''

The 1990s limited series ''The Kents'' places Smallville in eastern Kansas, within approximately one day's horse ride from Paola, Kansas, which is located in Miami County.

''Action Comics'' #822

In "Repo Man" Pt. 1, Smallville is placed approximately 55 miles from Salina, Kansas, and in line with Junction City, giving it approximately the same location as Dorrance, Kansas.

Smallville Season 11

''Smallville Season 11'' is the comic book sequel to the ''Smallville'' television series. This version of Smallville has a zip code of 67524, which is the real world zip code for Chase, Kansas. Although this Smallville is described as being about two hundred miles west of Wichita and southwest of Dodge City, placing it around Liberal, Kansas, while Chase is 73 miles Northwest of Wichita.

In other media

Television

* The ''Superboy'' TV series also places Smallville in Kansas, stating it is where Clark and Lana grew up. The main action of that series takes place at the fictional Shuster University in Florida, named for Superman/Superboy's co-creator, artist, Joe Shuster.

* '' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'' places Smallville as a city in Kansas as well, though Metropolis is located on the east coast (or maybe in eastern Pennsylvania, it is never stated for sure) and Superman must fly between the two locations using his super-speed.

* Smallville was featured in '' Superman: The Animated Series''. It was also in Kansas.

* In the television series ''Smallville'', the town's location is two hundred miles west of Wichita and southwest of Dodge City, implied by the series to be located in west Kansas. The skyline of Metropolis is visible from high points of Smallville on a clear day. Though some episodes reference an hours-long drive from Smallville to Metropolis, characters easily—and frequently—traverse between the two towns. The headquarters of LuthorCorp are in Metropolis, and a LutherCorp plant is located in Smallville. Smallville is famous for a meteor shower that hit the town in 1989, and for the lingering effects of the meteor rocks on the town and some of its citizens. The meteor shower was a cover for the spaceship that brought Clark Kent to Kansas. It was later revealed that the meteor shower also brought Davis Bloome, also known as Doomsday, to Earth as well. The second-season episode "Lineage" gives its zip code as 67524, which is the real life code for Chase, Kansas.

* Smallville appears in the ''Young Justice: Invasion'' episode "True Colors." Robin, Blue Beetle, Arsenal and Impulse go undercover in LexCorp Farms as tourists, and split off from the tour group halfway through the tour. They manage to procure a sample of the Reach's additive, but on their way out, are confronted by Black Beetle. After Green Beetle joins the fight as well, the heroes regroup. At Jonathan Kent's farm, Alpha Squad and Green Beetle meet up with Nightwing and Superboy. Lex Luthor and Vandal Savage discuss the damage done to the farms and conclude that the main production lines were never in any harm.

* Smallville appears in The CW shows set in the Arrowverse