Smallville is the hometown of
SupermanSuperman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
in comic books published by
DC ComicsDC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
. While growing up in Smallville, the young
Clark KentClark Kent is a fictional character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Appearing regularly in stories published by DC Comics, he debuted in Action Comics #1 and serves as the civilian and secret identity of the superhero Superman....
attended Smallville High with best friends
Lana LangLana Lang is a fictional supporting character in DC Comics' Superman series. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist John Sikela, the character first appears in Superboy #10...
,
Chloe SullivanChloe Sullivan is a fictional character from the television series Smallville. Series regular Allison Mack has portrayed the character since the pilot episode; two other actresses performed the role of Chloe Sullivan as a child. The character was created exclusively for Smallville, by series...
and
Pete RossPeter Joseph "Pete" Ross is a fictional character who appears in the Superman comic books published by DC Comics. He was introduced in Superboy #86 .-Pre-Crisis:...
. Smallville was the setting of many
SuperboyThe original Superboy is a fictional superhero who appears in DC Comics. The name of Superman as a boy, Superboy has adventures that occur in the relative past to those of Superman and take place predominantly in his hometown of Smallville...
comics, which depicted Clark as a young man defending Smallville from otherworldly evils and occasionally, the young
Lex LuthorLex Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and the archenemy of Superman, although given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Batman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Created by Jerry Siegel and...
. Smallville is also the setting of the television series
SmallvilleSmallville is the hometown of Superman in comic books published by DC Comics. While growing up in Smallville, the young Clark Kent attended Smallville High with best friends Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross...
which similarly depicts the young Clark Kent.
Description
Smallville is usually portrayed as an
idyllAn idyll or idyl is a short poem, descriptive of rustic life, written in the style of Theocritus' short pastoral poems, the Idylls....
ic, small isolated American town, with an atmosphere resembling the settings of the paintings of
Norman RockwellNorman Percevel Rockwell was a 20th-century American painter and illustrator. His works enjoy a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of American culture. Rockwell is most famous for the cover illustrations of everyday life scenarios he created for The Saturday Evening...
. Its residents are generally very friendly, although for a relatively minor civic center its crime rate is unusually high.
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 KentClark Kent is a fictional character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Appearing regularly in stories published by DC Comics, he debuted in Action Comics #1 and serves as the civilian and secret identity of the superhero Superman....
; Clark's friend, classmate and sometimes romantic interest
Lana LangLana Lang is a fictional supporting character in DC Comics' Superman series. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist John Sikela, the character first appears in Superboy #10...
; Clark's best friend
Pete RossPeter Joseph "Pete" Ross is a fictional character who appears in the Superman comic books published by DC Comics. He was introduced in Superboy #86 .-Pre-Crisis:...
, and Smallville police chief Douglas Parker. In the original
SuperboyThe original Superboy is a fictional superhero who appears in DC Comics. The name of Superman as a boy, Superboy has adventures that occur in the relative past to those of Superman and take place predominantly in his hometown of Smallville...
comics, other noted residents included
Professor Phineas PotterProfessor Phineas Potter is a supporting character in stories published by DC Comics featuring Superman and several related characters, most notably Jimmy Olsen...
(Lana's uncle), archaeologist Lewis Lang (her father) and the young
Lex LuthorLex Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and the archenemy of Superman, although given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Batman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Created by Jerry Siegel and...
.
Conner KentSuperboy is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe. A modern update of the original Superboy, who is a younger version of Superman, the character first appeared in Adventures of Superman #500 , and was created by writer Karl Kesel and artist Tom Grummett.Originally...
, the current Superboy, lives in Smallville with the now-widowed Martha Kent, although he did not quite enjoy it until after getting a second chance at life.
Smallville's economy seems mostly to consist 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 storeA general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
in town. Post-Crisis comics (1986 onward), in which Clark never became Superboy, show the Kents residing on their farm when Clark is attending school, and still living there when he is an adult.
Clark, Pete and Lana attend Smallville's only
high schoolHigh school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, Smallville High School.
In terms of media, Smallville has had several newspapers mentioned over the years, including the
Smallville Sentinel and
Smallville Times-Reader. Smallville receives its
televisionTelevision is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and
radioRadio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
broadcasts from a larger nearby city.
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 UniverseThe DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
cities, the actual 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-HeroesThe Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team in the 30th and 31st centuries of the . The team first appears in Adventure Comics #247 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
members
Lightning LadLightning Lad , also known as Live Wire, is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe. He has the superhuman ability to generate electricity, usually in the form of lightning bolts. He is a founding member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries...
and
Saturn GirlSaturn Girl is a fictional character appearing in DC comic books. A talented telepath from the 30th century, Imra first appeared in Adventure Comics #247 as a founding member of the Legion of Super-Heroes...
and published in 1978) calls Smallville "
a quiet town, nestled in the hills just inland from the eastern seaboard.", although most recent sources point the location of Smallville to be in
KansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
.
The Adventures of Superman (radio)
The first time in any media that Smallville or the Kent farm were actually linked to a specific location was in
The Adventures of Superman radio show. In the storyline "The Secret Rocket" (9/29/47-10/30/47), mention was made several times that young Clark Kent grew up on Eben Kent's farm in Iowa. The farmtown was unnamed in the story (as the name "Smallville" appeared for the first time two years later in Superboy (volume 1) #2); the nearest town actually named in the broadcast was the real-life Centerville.
Amazing World of DC Comics #14
In
Amazing World of DC Comics #14 (1977), a magazine with articles on DC Comics characters and series, Smallville was stated to be in
MarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. The Maryland location was supported in the actual 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 BayDelaware Bay is a major estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the Northeast seaboard of the United States whose fresh water mixes for many miles with the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It is in area. The bay is bordered by the State of New Jersey and the State of Delaware...
(the same map placed
MetropolisMetropolis is a fictional city that appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and is the home of Superman. Metropolis first appeared by name in Action Comics #16 ....
and
Gotham CityGotham City is a fictional U.S. city appearing in DC Comics, best known as the home of Batman. Batman's place of residence was first identified as Gotham City in Batman #4 . Gotham City is strongly inspired by Trenton, Ontario's history, location, atmosphere, and various architectural styles...
on the east and west sides of the bay.
Legion of Super-Heroes vol. 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 (1993), Jonathan and Martha Kent drive from the
Great Bend, KansasGreat Bend, named for its location at the historic big bend of the Arkansas River, is the most populous city in and the county seat of Barton County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 15,995.-History:...
airport to Smallville, which would put Smallville somewhere in central
KansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
.
Action Comics #822
In "Repo Man, part one", Smallville is placed approximately 55 miles from
Salina, KansasSalina is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 47,707. Located in one of the world's largest wheat-producing areas, Salina is a regional trade center for north-central Kansas...
, and in line with
Junction CityJunction City is a city in and the county seat of Geary County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 23,353. Fort Riley, a major U.S. Army post, is nearby...
, giving it approximately the same location as
Dorrance, KansasDorrance is a city in Russell County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 185.-History:The Kansas Pacific Railway reached the site of Dorrance in June 1867. German, English, and Irish settlers followed shortly thereafter, forming a small community by 1870. In early...
.
Superman/Batman
In
Superman/BatmanSuperman/Batman was a monthly comic book series published by DC Comics that features the publisher's two most popular characters: Batman and Superman...
#13 (2004), Smallville is mentioned as being adjacent to the (equally fictional) town of Granville, Kansas. The name Granville comes from the
SmallvilleSmallville is the hometown of Superman in comic books published by DC Comics. While growing up in Smallville, the young Clark Kent attended Smallville High with best friends Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross...
television series, which is filmed in and around
VancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
,
British ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
,
CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Vancouver was called Granville until it was incorporated and renamed in 1886. Furthermore,
Granville StreetGranville Street is a major street in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and part of Highway 99.-Location:Granville Street runs generally north-south through the centre of Vancouver, passing through several neighbourhoods and commercial areas, differing appreciably in their land value and the...
(a major arterial road in the city), as well as
Granville IslandGranville Island is a peninsula and shopping district in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is located in False Creek directly across from Downtown Vancouver's peninsula, under the south end of the Granville Street Bridge....
(a small, man-made peninsula often mistaken for an island, serving as a market and tourist attraction), still retain the name (the nearby rural suburban town of
CloverdaleCloverdale is an historic town and designated town centre of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, located near Langley, which is east of Vancouver. The town was founded initially as a small farm community in 1870 for its fertile land and temperate climate, and has since become enveloped by suburban...
stands in for downtown Smallville in the series).
Superman (1978 film)
Smallville was first placed in
KansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
by the
1978 filmThe year 1978 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 1 - Bob Dylan's film Renaldo and Clara, a documentary of the "Rolling Thunder Revue" tour premieres in Los Angeles, California....
,
Superman, although actual filming of the Kent family's farmland was done in
AlbertaAlberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
and the surrounding fields of the town of
BaldockBaldock is a historic market town in the local government district of North Hertfordshire in the ceremonial county of Hertfordshire, England where the River Ivel rises. It lies north of London, southeast of Bedford, and north northwest of the county town of Hertford...
, England. Superman writer Elliot S. Maggin incorporated the Kansas location into the DC Universe in his 1981
Superman novel,
Miracle MondayMiracle Monday is a novel written by Elliot S! Maggin and based on the DC Comics character Superman. It was published in 1981.Miracle Monday tells the story of Superman trying to stop an entity of pure evil from causing universal chaos. This is Elliot S! Maggin's second Superman novel and is just...
. Comic writer and artist John Byrne also placed Smallville in Kansas in his 1986 rewrite of Superman's origin. The 1990s limited series
The KentsThe Kents is the title of a twelve-issue comic book limited series published by DC Comics, from August 1997 to July 1998. The story concerns a troubled generation of ancestors to Jonathan "Pa" Kent . Set in the mid to late 19th century, the two main characters are brothers Nathaniel and Jebediah....
places Smallville in Eastern Kansas within approximately one day's horse ride of
Paola, KansasPaola is a city in and the county seat of Miami County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 5,602.-History:...
, which is located in
Miami CountyMiami County is a county located in East Central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 32,787. Its county seat and most populous city is Paola...
. The tag on the truck driven by Glen Ford's character in the film had a Cloud County, Kansas identifier. Some websites state that a Smallville once existed in Cloud County, northwest of Concordia and south of Norway, of which nothing remains but an old railway station, but there seems to be no record of this on Kansas historical sites.
Superboy (TV series)
The
SuperboySuperboy is a half-hour live-action television series based on the fictional DC Comics comic book character Kal-El's early years as Superboy. The show ran from 1988–1992 in syndication...
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
FloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, named for Superman/Superboy's co-creator, artist,
Joe ShusterJoseph "Joe" Shuster was a Canadian-born American comic book artist. He was best known for co-creating the DC Comics character Superman, with writer Jerry Siegel, first published in Action Comics #1...
.
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of SupermanLois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was a live-action American television series based on the Superman comic books...
places Smallville as a city in Kansas as well, though Metropolis is located on the east coast and Superman must fly between the two locations using his superspeed.
Smallville (TV series)
In the television series
SmallvilleSmallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar based on the DC Comics character Superman, originally created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The television series was initially broadcast by The WB Television Network , premiering on October...
, Metropolis is visible from the town on a clear day on the top of a water tower. It has a population of 45,000. In two Season One episodes, the zip code for Smallville, Kansas was revealed to be 66684 and 66645. In another episode, an envelope addressed to Lex revealed that the Metropolis zip code was 66624. The 66624 zip code in reality belongs to
Topeka, KansasTopeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
. In Season 3, Metropolis is mentioned as being a three-hour drive away from Smallville by
Chloe SullivanChloe Sullivan is a fictional character from the television series Smallville. Series regular Allison Mack has portrayed the character since the pilot episode; two other actresses performed the role of Chloe Sullivan as a child. The character was created exclusively for Smallville, by series...
, which gives a clue as to its approximate distance away. During Season 6 in the episode ("
Fallout"), a map is shown with "Metropolis, KS" clearly labeled; it is located in the southwest quadrant of Kansas, somewhere near the real-world location of Dodge City, while Smallville on the same map (marked with a star) appears to be several hundred miles to the east, near real-world
WichitaWichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
. However, by the fifth season, when most of the episodes feature many scenes in Metropolis, the main characters routinely and quickly travel between the two cities by car several times a day - such as Chloe Sullivan, who works in Metropolis at the Daily Planet but lives in Smallville - implying that the two cities must indeed be close enough for Metropolis to be visible from Smallville. At the beginning of Season 7, the death certificates issued to Lana Luthor and Chloe Sullivan identified the city of Smallville as being located in Lowell County, Kansas. However, no such county exists in the real Kansas. Also in season 7, a map shows Metropolis as being in the same location as the real-world
Kansas CityKansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...
.
Jonathan Kent is elected a State Senator in Kansas just before his death in Season 5 of
Smallville, after which Martha Kent takes his place in the State Senate. Though characters mention a "commute to Topeka," should Jonathan or Martha take the Senate seat (thus implying that it is the State Capital), Martha Kent also mentions going to meet with the Governor in Metropolis. Accordingly, Smallville would likely be located either between or within driving distance of both cities, and this implies that Metropolis is not too far from Topeka itself.
It's Superman
In the novel,
It's Superman!It's Superman! is a novel by Tom De Haven based on the comic book superhero Superman. It was released on September 15, 2005 in hardcover and August 29, 2006 in paperback...
by
Tom De HavenTom De Haven is an American author, editor, journalist, and writing teacher.His recurring subjects include literary and film noir, the Hollywood studio system and the American comics industry...
, which is set in 1938, Smallville is placed in
Osage CountyOsage County is a county located in east-central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 16295. Its county seat is Lyndon, and its most populous city is Osage City. The county along with Shawnee, Jackson, Jefferson, and Wabaunsee counties is...
along U.S. Highway 75.
Other uses
Smallville is also a nickname given to Clark Kent by
Lois LaneLois Lane is a fictional character, the primary love interest of Superman in the comic books of DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in Action Comics #1 ....
. Adaptations of the Superman mythos that feature Lois using this nickname include the television series
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of SupermanLois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was a live-action American television series based on the Superman comic books...
,
Superman: The Animated SeriesSuperman: The Animated Series is an American animated television series starring DC Comics' flagship character, Superman. The series was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on The WB from September 6, 1996 to February 12, 2000. Warner Bros...
, and
SmallvilleSmallville is the hometown of Superman in comic books published by DC Comics. While growing up in Smallville, the young Clark Kent attended Smallville High with best friends Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross...
.
See also
- Clark Kent
Clark Kent is a fictional character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Appearing regularly in stories published by DC Comics, he debuted in Action Comics #1 and serves as the civilian and secret identity of the superhero Superman....
- Superboy (Kal-El)
The original Superboy is a fictional superhero who appears in DC Comics. The name of Superman as a boy, Superboy has adventures that occur in the relative past to those of Superman and take place predominantly in his hometown of Smallville...
- Lana Lang
Lana Lang is a fictional supporting character in DC Comics' Superman series. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist John Sikela, the character first appears in Superboy #10...
- Ma and Pa Kent
- Pete Ross
Peter Joseph "Pete" Ross is a fictional character who appears in the Superman comic books published by DC Comics. He was introduced in Superboy #86 .-Pre-Crisis:...
External links