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Smallville #2
Dragón
Pocos días antes de la gran fiesta que ha organizado Lex Luthor para el instituto, los deseos de Clark se hacen Lana Lang deja inesperadamente a su novio, Whitney por Clark. Entonces Clark pierde de pronto todos sus poderes, y tampoco los recuerda. ,
314 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2002
4 people are currently reading
244 people want to read
About the author
Alan Grant
1,712 books144 followersAlan Grant was a Scottish comic book writer known for writing Judge Dredd in 2000 AD as well as various Batman titles during the late 1980s and early 1990s. He is also the creator of the character Anarky.
Alan Grant first entered the comics industry in 1967 when he became an editor for D.C. Thomson before moving to London from Dundee in 1970 to work for IPC on various romance magazines. After going back to college and having a series of jobs, Grant found himself back in Dundee and living on Social Security. He then met John Wagner, another former D.C. Thompson editor, who was helping put together a new science fiction comic for IPC, 2000 A.D., and was unable to complete his other work. Wagner asked Grant if he could help him write the Tarzan comic he was working on; so began the Wagner/Grant writing partnership.
The pair eventually co-wrote Judge Dredd. They would work on other popular strips for the comic, including Robo-Hunter and Strontium Dog using the pseudonym T.B. Grover. Grant also worked on other people's stories, changing and adding dialogue, most notably Harry Twenty on the High Rock, written by Gerry Finley-Day. Judge Dredd would be Grant's main concern for much of the 1980s. Grant and Wagner had developed the strip into the most popular in 2000AD as well as creating lengthy epic storylines such as The Apocalypse War. Grant also wrote for other IPC comics such as the revamped Eagle.
By the late 1980s, Grant and Wagner were about to move into the American comic market. Their first title was a 12-issue miniseries called Outcasts for DC Comics. Although it wasn't a success, it paved the way for the pair to write Batman stories in Detective Comics from issue 583, largely with Norm Breyfogle on art duties across the various Batman titles Grant moved to. After a dozen issues, Wagner left Grant as sole writer. Grant was one of the main Batman writers until the late 1990s. The pair also created a four issue series for Epic Comics called The Last American. This series, as well as the Chopper storyline in Judge Dredd, is blamed for the breakup of the Wagner/Grant partnership. The pair split strips, with Wagner keeping Judge Dredd and Grant keeping Strontium Dog and Judge Anderson. Grant and Wagner continue to work together on special projects such as the Batman/Judge Dredd crossover Judgement on Gotham. During the late 1980s, Grant experienced a philosophical transformation and declared himself an anarchist. The creation of the supervillain Anarky was initially intended as a vehicle for exploring his political opinions through the comic medium. In the following years, he would continue to utilize the character in a similar fashion as his philosophy evolved.
Grant's projects at the start of the 90s included writing Detective Comics and Strontium Dog, but two projects in particular are especially notable. The first is The Bogie Man, a series co-written by Wagner which was the pair's first venture into independent publishing. The second is Lobo, a character created by Keith Giffen as a supporting character in The Omega Men. Lobo gained his own four issue mini series in 1990 which was drawn by Simon Bisley. This was a parody of the 'dark, gritty' comics of the time and proved hugely popular. After several other miniseries (all written by Grant, sometimes with Giffen as co-writer), Lobo received his own ongoing series. Grant was also writing L.E.G.I.O.N. (a Legion of Super-Heroes spin-off) and The Demon (a revival of Jack Kirby's charac
Alan Grant first entered the comics industry in 1967 when he became an editor for D.C. Thomson before moving to London from Dundee in 1970 to work for IPC on various romance magazines. After going back to college and having a series of jobs, Grant found himself back in Dundee and living on Social Security. He then met John Wagner, another former D.C. Thompson editor, who was helping put together a new science fiction comic for IPC, 2000 A.D., and was unable to complete his other work. Wagner asked Grant if he could help him write the Tarzan comic he was working on; so began the Wagner/Grant writing partnership.
The pair eventually co-wrote Judge Dredd. They would work on other popular strips for the comic, including Robo-Hunter and Strontium Dog using the pseudonym T.B. Grover. Grant also worked on other people's stories, changing and adding dialogue, most notably Harry Twenty on the High Rock, written by Gerry Finley-Day. Judge Dredd would be Grant's main concern for much of the 1980s. Grant and Wagner had developed the strip into the most popular in 2000AD as well as creating lengthy epic storylines such as The Apocalypse War. Grant also wrote for other IPC comics such as the revamped Eagle.
By the late 1980s, Grant and Wagner were about to move into the American comic market. Their first title was a 12-issue miniseries called Outcasts for DC Comics. Although it wasn't a success, it paved the way for the pair to write Batman stories in Detective Comics from issue 583, largely with Norm Breyfogle on art duties across the various Batman titles Grant moved to. After a dozen issues, Wagner left Grant as sole writer. Grant was one of the main Batman writers until the late 1990s. The pair also created a four issue series for Epic Comics called The Last American. This series, as well as the Chopper storyline in Judge Dredd, is blamed for the breakup of the Wagner/Grant partnership. The pair split strips, with Wagner keeping Judge Dredd and Grant keeping Strontium Dog and Judge Anderson. Grant and Wagner continue to work together on special projects such as the Batman/Judge Dredd crossover Judgement on Gotham. During the late 1980s, Grant experienced a philosophical transformation and declared himself an anarchist. The creation of the supervillain Anarky was initially intended as a vehicle for exploring his political opinions through the comic medium. In the following years, he would continue to utilize the character in a similar fashion as his philosophy evolved.
Grant's projects at the start of the 90s included writing Detective Comics and Strontium Dog, but two projects in particular are especially notable. The first is The Bogie Man, a series co-written by Wagner which was the pair's first venture into independent publishing. The second is Lobo, a character created by Keith Giffen as a supporting character in The Omega Men. Lobo gained his own four issue mini series in 1990 which was drawn by Simon Bisley. This was a parody of the 'dark, gritty' comics of the time and proved hugely popular. After several other miniseries (all written by Grant, sometimes with Giffen as co-writer), Lobo received his own ongoing series. Grant was also writing L.E.G.I.O.N. (a Legion of Super-Heroes spin-off) and The Demon (a revival of Jack Kirby's charac
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 24, 2022
When reading and reviewing tie-in fiction, it's important to grade on a curve. These books do not have high literary pretensions, and are often pumped out by hard-working writers on very short timelines, in order to capitalise on the popularity of the property they are tying into, and to keep costs down. So, when reviewing a book like Dragon, it's important to remember the circumstances under which this book was likely made, and what it's ultimately trying to be.
Generally, tie-in fiction has one key job: feel like an episode of the show. Great tie-in fiction can expand the boundaries of the show, get into the character's minds in ways the show can't accomplish, and let us soak in what we love about the show itself. Bad tie-in fiction, of which there is so much, feels ... off. Characters say things they wouldn't normally say, do things they wouldn't normally do, and the plotting doesn't resemble the tight five-act format of a TV show.
Dragon, I'm afraid, is more the latter than the former.
For example, the antagonist, Ray Dansk, beheads someone and KEEPS THE HEAD AS A PLAYTHING. At one point, he brutalises the severed head by smashing it against a wall over and over. This does not strike me as something I would see in an average season one episode of Smallville (or indeed any season). Beyond that, there are any number of inconsistencies here, with the characters only broadly resembling their TV counterparts, and the dialogue being generally close enough, with a few howlers in there to remind the reader that this is something that was likely written very quickly and with minimal editorial oversight.
The plotting is also all over the place, with a ton of superfluous scenes that a decent edit would have excised. But again, the writer no doubt had a page count to hit, time was short, money was similarly short, and so the tie-in fiction was produced for fans of the show looking for more episodes to enjoy in a hurry.
I didn't hate this, and I certainly don't hate on the writer, whose work I have enjoyed in other mediums (he's written a ton of Batman comics over the years). But ultimately, even on the tie-in fiction curve, this book is not particularly good. Recommended only for the most die-hard Smallville fan, I give Dragon two stars.
Note: This book takes place very early in season one, roughly around episode 4.
Generally, tie-in fiction has one key job: feel like an episode of the show. Great tie-in fiction can expand the boundaries of the show, get into the character's minds in ways the show can't accomplish, and let us soak in what we love about the show itself. Bad tie-in fiction, of which there is so much, feels ... off. Characters say things they wouldn't normally say, do things they wouldn't normally do, and the plotting doesn't resemble the tight five-act format of a TV show.
Dragon, I'm afraid, is more the latter than the former.
For example, the antagonist, Ray Dansk, beheads someone and KEEPS THE HEAD AS A PLAYTHING. At one point, he brutalises the severed head by smashing it against a wall over and over. This does not strike me as something I would see in an average season one episode of Smallville (or indeed any season). Beyond that, there are any number of inconsistencies here, with the characters only broadly resembling their TV counterparts, and the dialogue being generally close enough, with a few howlers in there to remind the reader that this is something that was likely written very quickly and with minimal editorial oversight.
The plotting is also all over the place, with a ton of superfluous scenes that a decent edit would have excised. But again, the writer no doubt had a page count to hit, time was short, money was similarly short, and so the tie-in fiction was produced for fans of the show looking for more episodes to enjoy in a hurry.
I didn't hate this, and I certainly don't hate on the writer, whose work I have enjoyed in other mediums (he's written a ton of Batman comics over the years). But ultimately, even on the tie-in fiction curve, this book is not particularly good. Recommended only for the most die-hard Smallville fan, I give Dragon two stars.
Note: This book takes place very early in season one, roughly around episode 4.
February 18, 2018
A great read and a fun add on to one of my favorite shows. The only issue I have is the same one I always have with every smallville book I’ve read. It Is trying to figure out when in the show it’s suppose to take place. Its timeline is screwed up. It’s clearly suppose to be season one but it says that Clark saved Lex a year ago which implies it should be at the end of season one or start of season 2. But Lana is still with Whitney and he’s still a football player and she’s still a cheerleader so that implies it’s towerd the beginning of season 1 but Clark has his X-ray vision. He gets that after she quits the cheer squad. He also has enhanced hearing and he doesn’t get that till season 3 way after his heat vision which he gets in the beginning of season two. It’s just confusing with that. I know these books where written in 2002. So maybe the author just wanted him to have those abilities and didn’t know when the writers of the show was going to give them to him so they wrote in that he had them. So, Other then the timeline screwup, I really did love the book and felt that it captured the personalties of the characters nicely. I look fowerd to reading more! I can never get enough from shows I love!
November 21, 2012
best series ever. i love this book. i recommend it to anyone.
February 11, 2018
Even though I didn't like this one as much as the first book, it was still really fun to read.
Pete is still consistently called Peter in this book, which is a mild annoyance but still bothers me. Also, Whitney's last name was wrong at one point towards the end, and I don't recall Clark's spaceship being as tiny as it is described here. Other than that, the character's voices ring true for the most part, and this would have been a cool episode.
I really hope I can continue to get these from Interlibrary Loan!
Pete is still consistently called Peter in this book, which is a mild annoyance but still bothers me. Also, Whitney's last name was wrong at one point towards the end, and I don't recall Clark's spaceship being as tiny as it is described here. Other than that, the character's voices ring true for the most part, and this would have been a cool episode.
I really hope I can continue to get these from Interlibrary Loan!
January 24, 2019
Better than the first. This one felt more like the TV show, with the characters acting more like I remembered them. The writing was also more polished. If you're a fan of the show, you'll enjoy this too.
October 30, 2023
Superman without powers never makes for that great of a story, so the whole "forget your powers" plotline just didn't work for me.
November 11, 2024
This is an absolutely bonkers Smallville tie-in novel! It's set very early in Season 1, no one is in-character (Lex calls Clark "dude" bwahaha!) or described correctly (Lana has blue eyes!) and the plot goes full-tilt unhinged. I could not look away.
Much of the book follows an ex-convict named Ray Dansk. He is released from prison and returns to Smallville looking for work and wanting to turn his life around. However, he is unable to find a job and in Smallville you have to watch out for those magic meteorites that will ruin your life.
Back when he was a teenager, Dansk used to be in a motorcycle gang called "the Dragons" and he has a dragon tattoo. So, when he gets infected by the meteors he turns into a full-on lizard man and seeks revenge on the witnesses who had him convicted!
Unfortunately, there's a ton of Clark and Lana here. If you're a "Clana" shipper maybe you would enjoy this. Personally, I could do without it. But it does tie into our second off-the-wall premise: a little old lady, Miss Mayfern, runs a peculiar gift shop that is described as having barely anything on the shelves. Mayfern poisons her customers with meteor-laced mint tea to get them to reveal their deepest desires and then she somehow grants their wishes.
Lana visits the shop to buy a gift for her boyfriend, Whitney. However, after drinking the tea she leaves with a fancy tiepin for Clark. She proceeds to (hilariously) brutally dump Whitney in front of all their friends at the Beanery. Immediately, she and Clark start dating and Whitney becomes a total wreck - stumbling around town unshaven and bleary-eyed, a ghost of his former self.
Aunt Nell comes across far better than she ever does in the show. "Lana needed Nell. If she ever felt resentful that she'd become a surrogate mother, that her life was now devoted to bringing up her sister's child, she never showed it. She knew her duty, and performed it without complaint." (p. 123) I like this characterization more than what the show writers did - where Nell abandons Lana to move to the city with her boyfriend.
Pete also gets a nice heroic moment here, something that was all too rare on the show.
Also, Lex is throwing a party for the local high school students - sure, why not? It actually leads to a fantastic climax that would have looked great on screen. (And also a really cute moment where Lex helps Martha prepare the food for the party.)
Dragon by Alan Grant was so much fun! Sure, there were some weird dialogue choices - Lex and Clark calling each other 'pal' and 'bud' and 'dude' omg no, please stop - and I really can't stand Clark and Lana as a couple. But this one had a lot of action and overall I had a great time reading it.
Much of the book follows an ex-convict named Ray Dansk. He is released from prison and returns to Smallville looking for work and wanting to turn his life around. However, he is unable to find a job and in Smallville you have to watch out for those magic meteorites that will ruin your life.
Back when he was a teenager, Dansk used to be in a motorcycle gang called "the Dragons" and he has a dragon tattoo. So, when he gets infected by the meteors he turns into a full-on lizard man and seeks revenge on the witnesses who had him convicted!
Unfortunately, there's a ton of Clark and Lana here. If you're a "Clana" shipper maybe you would enjoy this. Personally, I could do without it. But it does tie into our second off-the-wall premise: a little old lady, Miss Mayfern, runs a peculiar gift shop that is described as having barely anything on the shelves. Mayfern poisons her customers with meteor-laced mint tea to get them to reveal their deepest desires and then she somehow grants their wishes.
Lana visits the shop to buy a gift for her boyfriend, Whitney. However, after drinking the tea she leaves with a fancy tiepin for Clark. She proceeds to (hilariously) brutally dump Whitney in front of all their friends at the Beanery. Immediately, she and Clark start dating and Whitney becomes a total wreck - stumbling around town unshaven and bleary-eyed, a ghost of his former self.
Aunt Nell comes across far better than she ever does in the show. "Lana needed Nell. If she ever felt resentful that she'd become a surrogate mother, that her life was now devoted to bringing up her sister's child, she never showed it. She knew her duty, and performed it without complaint." (p. 123) I like this characterization more than what the show writers did - where Nell abandons Lana to move to the city with her boyfriend.
Pete also gets a nice heroic moment here, something that was all too rare on the show.
Also, Lex is throwing a party for the local high school students - sure, why not? It actually leads to a fantastic climax that would have looked great on screen. (And also a really cute moment where Lex helps Martha prepare the food for the party.)
Dragon by Alan Grant was so much fun! Sure, there were some weird dialogue choices - Lex and Clark calling each other 'pal' and 'bud' and 'dude' omg no, please stop - and I really can't stand Clark and Lana as a couple. But this one had a lot of action and overall I had a great time reading it.
Read
December 14, 2011I am a diehard lover of smallville. And this book is perfect. Whether you've never hear of superman or a big fan like me, this bookis great for both. Dive into a book about drama, destiny, power, and loyalty. But most of all, secrets, secrets so severe it could end humanity. So if your a sap for drama. An aderedaline junkie, or just checking it out, I guarantee you will love it from start to finish. So take the leap., And join the rush that is smallville!
May 8, 2010
Based on the Smallville TV show...This book covers a week in the life of a 15 year old Clark Kent dealing with school, his lovelive, and his superpowers. Those pesky meteor rocks wreak havoc in his small town again. An entertaining read.
Want to read
August 12, 2011Note: This book's title is Dragon. Darned if I know why the official listing doesn't have the TITLE.
June 9, 2013
Interesting in how Clark is affected by a meteor rock ability that removed his powers and memory of them. B+.
July 7, 2013
Way weirder than the first book, and probably has a lot to do with why I didn't read any others.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews