Last month, Erik Davis alerted us to the news that the lady-in-tights, otherwise known as Supergirl, was finally going to hit Smallville, following in the trail of other big DC names like Aquaman, The Flash and Braniac. Now we know who will be in those tights -- Canadian Laura Vandervoort. She looks like a good fit to me. The twenty-something actress has been on a number of television shows, starting with Goosebumps back in the 90's, and most recently the Canadian show, Instant Star. She also had a part in this year's Joseph Gordon-Levitt film, The Lookout. Smallville's co-creator, Al Gough, says: "She's a combination of beauty, intelligence, a certain warmth, and great attitude. We've wanted a character to shake things up. She may be Clark Kent's cousin, but that doesn't mean she's going to be the obedient one!"

If cousin Kara is going to stir up trouble and be able to fly (like previous reports stated), I would imagine that this will mean that Clark will finally figure out how to soar into the sky himself. The young Kent has been on television since 2001, and has yet to develop that flying style. The next question -- if Kara takes to the sky and gets all kinds of superhero-like, could this be the next movie hero we get to see? Special wristbands and a lasso weren't enough to make Wonder Woman something viable (yet), but maybe a cute blonde will sweep in and take over the sequel territory for Supes, since word on the possible Routh sequel keeps changing.

So guess who's coming to Smallville? No, it won't be Brandon Routh aimlessly searching for the set of the next Bryan Singer-helmed Superman flick ("Hey Brandon, I heard it was over there -- just stop when the sign says 2012"). Nope, instead the CW network has announced that Supergirl will join the cast of Smallville as it heads into its seventh season, and will make her first appearance (as Kara, Clark's cousin) in the premiere episode. Sweet! Now I just need to actually watch Smallville. The role isn't cast yet (so we can't start dissecting the actress, debating whether she's a good fit or not), but I'll bet the bank folks will be watching to see if she tests well in hopes Supergirl can return to the big screen one day.

Apparently, the writers will be sticking with Supergirl's original storyline; how she was born on Krypton as daughter to Zor-El, Jor-El's brother. If I remember correctly, in the comics Zor-El sends Supergirl to earth after the people in her city (which somehow managed to survive the initial explosion) are killed off by Kryptonite. Not sure if they'll go that route, but one of the cool things (for you fans of the show) is that Kara will come to earth with the ability to fly, which is something Clark has not developed yet. Upon arriving in Smallville, Kara will butt heads with Clark, develop a little "thing" with Jimmy Olsen and draw attention from Lex. As Zap2it points out, Supergirl will not be the first DC character to make an appearance on the show; in previous episodes Green Arrow, Aquaman, The Flash, Martian Manhunter, Cyborg and Braniac all showed up in some capacity. Since I don't watch the show, I can't geek out with you on this one, but the whole Supergirl thing seems like a cool addition. What do you fans think: Is Supergirl's appearance a good or a bad thing for the show?

Though superhero films are in hot demand these days, no studio has successfully been able to take a female character from the comics and create a film around her. Sure, they've tried (Supergirl) and then tried again (Catwoman), but the results don't even come close to the kind of box office numbers their male counterparts dish out. Recently, Joss Whedon came close with Wonder Woman. However, even with mega-producer Joel Silver attached, Warner Bros. still decided to can the Whedon version and (we think?) head in a new direction -- which may or may not include sticking the character in a Justice League film first in order to establish and spin-off from there.

But Wonder Woman isn't the only female superhero possibly suiting up for a big-screen appearance. Recent rumors suggest Warner Bros. is contemplating another Supergirl film, starring Battlestar Gallactica's Tricia Helfer. And what about those long-gestating plans to create a big-screen She-Hulk film. Back in the 80's, a She-Hulk pic was close to happening with Brigitte Nielsen (yikes, scary!) in the main role; so much so that Nielsen actually posed for photos dressed as the character (which you can see above). Though Eva Mendes was reportedly circling the She-Hulk role as of late, so far nothing has moved forward on that front. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Personally, I can't see any of these films finding success in theaters unless, for example, another established male superhero were to play a big role in the flick. I'm not against female superheroes, I'm just being realistic.

So, I ask you: Which female superhero would you like to see in theaters first? Supergirl, Wonder Woman or She-Hulk?

The Ant Bully -- One of only 612 animated movies to be released this year in which animals talk and do silly things, TAB hits DVD packing a bunch of new animated shorts, a few deleted scenes and some family-friendly featurettes. Plus, admit it: You're curious about seeing a cartoon flick in which the voices are contributed by Julia Roberts, Paul Giamatti, Nicolas Cage and Meryl Streep. Or maybe you aren't.

Clerks 2 -- Raunchy and funny I fully expected ... but kinda sweet, too? That I didn't really see coming. As is always the case with Kevin Smith's DVD, the C2 dual-platter promises 37 styles of supplemental goodness: Three commentaries, a bunch of deleted scenes, a feature-length documentary, a handful of featurettes, outtakes, internet shorts, and of course a bunch of vulgar little surprises.

See No Evil -- I surely didn't expect anything resembling "quality filmmaking" from the combined efforts of "WWE Films" and porn director Gregory Dark -- but I really wasn't expecting a low-rent slasher flick that was this outrageously unwatchable. Horror fans may delight in the few icky killings, but they're couched between a plot / cast / screenplay that's the absolute pinnacle of banality. Plus the killer is a big doofy dork who's not scary in the least. I'm not sure what extras Lionsgate is tossing onto this disc, but they could throw the entire collected works of Gregory Dark on there, and it still couldn't salvage this movie. (And just so you know, Greg once directed a movie called Hootermania.)

Supergirl -- Kal-El's hot little cousin makes her way to Earth and tangles with evil in the form of Faye Dunaway. Peter O'Toole, Peter Cook and Mia Farrow are somehow involved, if you can believe it. Director Jeannot Szwarc provides an audio commentary, should you just want to enjoy Helen Slater's Supertights without all that pesky dialogue.

Superman (4-disc Special Edition) -- One of the finest superhero flicks ever made gets a really fancy re-release that'll put the previous Special Edition (which is pretty damn solid) to Supershame. Choose between the original 1978 version or the re-jiggered 2000 cut, and when you're done with both of those you can pick through filmmaker commentaries, score-only audio tracks, documentaries, screen tests, deleted scenes, 1951's Superman and the Mole Men, and a whole bunch of classic Fleischer cartoons. (Someone please buy me this DVD for Christmas even though I'm Jewish.)

First, the news we've all been waiting for, and by "we" I mean "hardcore Superman geeks." The long-awaited "Donner Cut" of the super-sequel will hit DVD on November 28th -- and it'll be surrounded by a ton of sparkly new Special Editions of Superman (1978), Superman 2 (1980), Superman 3 (1983), Supergirl (1984), Superman 4: The Quest for Peace (1987), and Superman Returns (2006).

I'll try to break this down as simply as possible. If you walk into a DVD shoppe on 11/28, you'll be greeted by:

• A 4-disc Special Edition of the original Superman, which contains both the theatrical and the 2001 extended cut, a new commentary with producers Ilya Salkind and Pierre Spengler, the 2001 commentary with Richard Donner and Tom Mankiewicz, three documentaries, some restored scenes, screen tests, archival materials, nine old-school Superman cartoons, and the 1951 feature Superman and the Mole-Men.

• A 2-disc Special Edition of the Superman 2 we already know and love, only now it comes with Salkind/Spengler commentary, two old TV specials, a Fleischer featurette, and more Super-cartoons.

• The single-disc Superman 2: The Richard Donner Cut, which comes with a new featurette entitled Restoring the Vision, a new Donner/Mankiewicz commentary, and (of course) the highly-anticipated retroactive facelift that the fans have been clamoring for.

Preparing action against the hopes of a successful reception for Superman Returns, the Suits are already beginning to plan for the possibility of spin-off follow-ups to the Film of Steel. Should they desire, there are a plethora of Super titles and characters available; and the current favorite to get the film treatment is said to be Supergirl. In fact, casting rumors regarding this (possibly maybe) future film have already started to abound, and at the front of the pack is young actress Mischa Barton of OC fame. This news comes from a secretive "movie insider" who is quoted as saying "If Superman Returns does as well as expected this summer then Supergirl will be pushed into the schedule. There are a few actresses in the reckoning and Mischa is at the top of that list."

The recent success of Batman Begins has suggested to the industry that maybe Marvel isn't the only way to go if you want a big title comic book blockbuster.* As a fan of comicdom in general, I'm rather pleased that DC is getting some silver screen lovin', even if I'm more of a Marvel kid myself. Do I care if Supergirl gets a movie? Not really...but I'm sure there are plenty of DC fans out there who find this news much more pleasing than the announcement of, say, a Deathlok flick. I'm just pleased to ride out this comic book to movie wave for as long as it'll carry me.


*Of course, the warm fan reception given to films such as Hellboy and Sin City helped, too.