And yeah, Wizard is a big, dumb stupid mag. I don't think it's ever purported to be anything else, though. It ain't "Amazing Heroes", people. It's FHM for the nerd set - and by golly, that was a niche that just needed some creme filling.

Then I figured, rather than referring to the setting of the show, the title now refers to Clark's nickname in Metropolis (and the fact that most of the show's characters and storylines originated in Smallville in some way or another), so I'm cool with it.

where’s the intro you’re talking about?

It's in the first sentence of mine that you quoted. The word "Metropolis." The formatting here just doesn't make hyperlinks very distinguishable from regular text (no underlining; similar color).

Now, if they made a Green Lantern series....

It’s a pity they simply didn’t transition into “Metropolis” about two years ago. This fan-made intro just goes to show how cool that series could’ve been.

where's the intro you're talking about?

but really when it stopped even being Smallville at all was when they killed Jonathan Kent.

That was step 3 in ridding the show of everything that made it distinctly 'Smallville.' Step 1 was getting rid of Pete Ross. Step 2 was bringing in Lois Lane as a regular character.

Since killing off Pa Kent, they've also had Ma Kent appointed as a U.S. Senator and written her out of the show; they've made Jimmy Olsen (who is OLDER than Clark) a regular character; they've had Clark completely drop out of school without even reconsidering in almost three years; and they've set ever more of the action in Metropolis and at the Daily Planet (where Lois now works).

It's a pity they simply didn't transition into "Metropolis" about two years ago. This fan-made intro just goes to show how cool that series could've been.

I even hated it at the pilot, when it was clear they were grafting the Buffy formula over the Superman legend.

It makes me sad. I rather liked it the first year and a half, despite the freak-of-the-week plots that had so many people complaining. Squint at Smallville's first season and you see the old Frank Robbins/Bob Brown Superboy books from the early 70's that were so deranged. I got a huge kick out of that, even though I'm certain it was in no way a conscious homage. But then it devolved into Dawson's Creek with superpowers, which is not nearly as much fun.

Everyone here is so generous. It kinda started to suck with the second episode.

On an individual-episode level, yeah. But it wasn't until Season 4 that the series' overall ratio of good episodes to bad episodes went in the toilet. And the stupid quotient went through the roof.

The season-long Lana-as-witch plot; the end of the Millar/Gough mythology episodes; the turn toward inconsistent and illogical Kryptonian mythology (including a 180-reversal on Jor-El); the loss of Christopher Reeve and the show's lame dismissal of him; Lana-as-witch; Black Kryptonite; Jason Teague; Krypto-gatorade; etc.

And, on the whole, a HUGE step down from the series' peak in Season 3.

Everyone here is so generous. It kinda started to suck with the second episode.

I stopped watching it the moment I heard Jeph Loeb was announced to be joining the staff. I didn;t watch any of his episodes, but I assume it started sucking as soon as he walked through the door.

Nope.

It started to suck three years ago.

Everyone here is so generous. It kinda started to suck with the second episode.

... the shop owner saves me a copy after he strips the cover, if there's any left (which, since I asked him to do so about four years ago, has been every month except one).

When Wizard staretd up oh so many years ago, they had one advantage over other comics magazines: you could find it on a newstand. Where I live is fairly rural, and I can't get THe COmics Journal unless I go all the way to Albany, which is too much of a pain, and while I often enjoy the mag I don't want to read every issue, it doesn't always have something I want in it. Wizard's like the People magazine of comics, mostly fluff with the occasional morsel of meat. Not-fluff is very scarce these days tho.

Which reminds me of Reaper and Chuck, really. I enjoy both shows, but they're not what I'd call great TV. (I also haven't watched them, or most any TV, in a month -- I've been taping instead.) Just entertaining and diverting enough. Reaper's problem, IMO, tho, is that it's trying to go the superhero secret ID "if only she knew --!" route with the pseudo-girlfriend. Sam gave up the truth to his mom is the second episode, but the girl he wants either is too important to be trusted with the awful truth, or not important enough.

Smallville's a show I probably would have stopped watching a couple seasons ago (because, as noted, it began to really suck 3 years ago) except that I like the monster show Supernatural that follows it, so what's the diff if I watch both ...

I read the book for 300 after the movie left theaters. And I hated the book, so I doubt I'll see the movie.

meanwhile, since I'm male, in my 30's, like action movies and buy toy robots, I'm a part of the target audience for Transformers. I went to it expecting a big, dumb, summer blockbuster and I left that theater feeling like I'd just seen a big, dumb, summer blockbuster, thoroughly satisfied and entertained with my perceptions unchallenged. There's a reason it made buckets of money, regardless of fanboys and their claims of violated pasts.

I just watched it with my mom. I was going to do a review of it on my blog or something, but that pretty much sums it up. I did watch it with my mom, and she's meaner than Apodaca when it comes to things she thinks suck, so that made it pretty fun. I liked 300 more, but really, I'm not entirely sure how this became a debate.

I did enjoy the last half hour more Apodaca, but then again, I think I enjoy a lot of things more than Apodaca. But hey, with Alex gone, there's a void for his brand of shoot from the hip rebukes of inferior pop culture, so thanks Dan! Also, I really want to like Pushing Daisies (mainly because it reminds me of what Wonderfalls would have looked like if Tim Burton had directed it), but the dialogue in the episode in an episode in a quarter I've seen drives me batshit, so I'm not sure I can get in on the love. I do like to know that Bill hates Heroes, because now I can finally shake that feeling we have a psychic link or something.

Yes! It's a beautiful book, far superior to the movie.

As for "Transformers", well ... at first I was absolutely not going to watch it. I thought the designs of the characters were so "anti-G1," and what have you ... but then I realized not only did they make more sense, but the whole movie was excellent! There was a bit of camp, but overall a very satisfying and true to the franchise film.

It was everything a Transformers movie should be like. Perhaps a bit more on the Transformers side of things, but for a "first of" film to hit the mainstream is succeeded. Not only did it erase the memories of the animated movie (I hated it as a kid and I still can't watch it), it made me fall in love with the big metal guys all over again.

Not only that, but my best friend who is SO not into anything sci fi or fantasy or any comic book outside of Jessica Drew loved it! And I know she wasn't the only one.

Do people still watch Smallville? Didn’t it start to suck two years ago?

Nope.

It started to suck three years ago.

I enjoyed your review. Although I disagreed with some ideas of yours, overall I agree with the review of Wizard.

I was buying the magazine quite regularly, and enjoyed some of their plugs for future events, and since I rarely bought other than the BIG TWO, I didn't care so much if they only focused on them.

I had even thought that they had matured somewhat ... there were less junior high theatrics among the heterosexual males contributing to the magazine than in the past.

Then I saw their debut of the mag being a "men's magazine." I found that so utterly stupid and offensive.

When I think "Men's" magazine, I think of the horn dog heterosexual male magazines such as Playboy, Maxim and so forth. Although Wizard has their share of "hot babes" in their book and their "male" antics, the target audience I thought was for comic book readers.

Lots of women comic book readers and such I know have picked up the magazine. To say it's a "men's" magazine seems to ostracize women, and anyone that isn't as "male" as the contributors.

To say they are the number one MEN's Pop Culture magazine is kind of ridiculous. I mean, it's not as if they devote their magazine to much more than comic book related material. Pop Culture is of course Popular Culture, and I don't see that outside of the comic book genre ... except a small, small amount to video games, anime, and the like. Or, maybe I'm missing something and they are planning an even bigger magazine to devote pages for video games, all tv shows and not just comic book-esque ones, New York Times bestsellers, independent films and so on.

In regards to Smallville, I had refused to ever watch that show, and it was only big I'm the biggest Supergirl fan that I started to watch it. However, I realized it was a great tv show aside from having Kara in it, and I am completely enjoying the past few seasons. It's a great show for both lovers of the Superman Family, and for those not into comic books.

For best TV Shows, I think "Dexter" should have been mentioned. Not only is it a refreshing take on TV, and has an intelligent script and cast, I'm surprised Wizard didn't pick it up too because of all the comic book/ POP CULTURE references.

As in the books themselves, the TV Show has Dexter viewing himself as having a secret identity, references to him being "The Dark Defender," a super hero, and in the tv show a comic book series was going to be started based on his legacy as the "Bay City Butcher." Furthermore, Julie Benz is an award winning cast member who plays "Rita," and she was once known as "Darla," a very integral part of the Buffy/Angel mythos.

Back to how I never really cared that Wizard focused only on DC and Marvel ... I've begun to expand my horizons and have found many books out there that I enjoy just as much if not more than what the Two Leaders put out.

I recently discovered "Dynamo 5" from Image, and I was instantly hooked. It's a satiric/ real world take on the Superman archetype ... "What if Superman cheated on Lois and had a bunch of bastard children with powers," but it's done in a way that isn't all "Frank Miller" or someone, but in a very fun, rewarding read.

"Return To Wondrland," "Gene Simmon's Dominatrix" and many more books keep me in the industry, for DC and Marvel are continuing to make me care less and less for spending money on what I love.

Both DC and Marvel seem less intent on putting out good stories and more on making money. Like any company, that is the goal, but they are doing so in such a way that screams ever more like "Disney."

From Marvel's Nike and U.S. Army ad placements inside their stories, to DC's weakly (and I meant to spell it like that) series (I loved 52, but Countdown I finally gave up on ... so bad! and then to say they're having ANOTHER one after that! Yikes) ... it's gotten to where I'm only supporting a few series as a collector of the character ... but even that has stopped with some.

But in any case, thanks for letting me know that I am NOT missing anything if I no longer buy Wizard, and for the interesting review.

I felt it was tiring and monotonous without a single character to truly care about as a human being... But to each their own.

Now my question is: Is the comic better?