Smallville: The Official Companions

Season 5

Those of you who knew me before SpoilerFix.com know that I was highly involved in bulletin boards and websites dedicated to TV series. Along the way, I worked for a while for the Official Michael Rosenbaum Website, where I mostly helped revamp the galleries and post articles about the actor, and helped launch and maintain The Smallville Torch, where I had the joy of interviewing some Smallville cast and crew members while posting news and information about the series. Being the Smallville fan that I am, when Titan Books offered me the chance to review the official companions for seasons 5 and 6 of Smallville, I couldn't say no.

Both books are written by Smallville fan Craig Byrne. The name may ring a bell because he is the webmaster of the highly popular KyptonSite. Knowing Craig, I knew the books would be filled with cool facts about the show and that the information contained in the companions would be accurate. My expectations were met.

John Glover, who plays Lionel, wrote the foreword of the season 5 companion while Justin Hartley, who guested on the show as Green Arrow, penned the season 6 foreword. Both books feature a take on the season, an episode guide, pages about the characters and some of the recurring or guest characters, a section about the crew, another about the phenomenon, 22 things Chloe learned this year, and so much more!

The books are printed in black and white but offer a few glossy and in color pages filled with great pictures of the cast. The formatting of the book makes it easy to skim through it and find the information we are looking for. Also, there are tons of pictures from the show and the making of this great series. Fans of the series will love the "Did You Know?" boxes here and there in the book as they offer more information about the making of the series:

The battle in Lex Luthor's library was originally supposed to take place in a military hanger - with Lois wielding a bazooka!
The "poisoning" of the Fortress was originally meant to have ties to story elements in the season finale 'Vessel'.
A news reporter named Genevieve Sparling is heard at the start of the episode. Sparling has worked in the Smallville office for several years, and wrote the season six episode 'Progeny'.
Filming of 'Promise' was interrupted for one day by a real couple that had rented the church!

Season 6 The episode guide not only offers these "Did You Know?" facts but also lists some of the music heard on the show, a list of guest stars, quotes, comments from Byrne but also the cast, etc. The cast pages look at how each character evolved during the season and includes comments from the actor playing the character.

The '22 Things I Learned This Year - By Chloe Sullivan' is a fun read, especially if you are a fan and can connect those lessons learned to episodes:

Aquatic maneuvers might save you from a fall into Crater Lake.
If only my cousin Lois Knew the truth about Green Arrow.
There might be some fallout if you forget to lock the door behind you when you leave.
Life takes a complete 360 when you learn that you are a meteor freak.
Only a fanatic would tune into the same television show every Thursday night.

If you are a fan of the series or just started watching and want help catching up, the Smallville companions are for you! Filled with goodies and pictures, they are sure to satisfy even the most fanatic fan of the series.

LINKS

Smallville: The Official Companion Season 5

Smallville: The Official Companion Season 6

Smallville products at Titan Books

Review by Izzy

Thanks to Titan Books for providing review copies.

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