By Amelia Nielson-Stowell
Walking into Jake Blacks room, you”d think he was from another planet – or perhaps The Daily Planet.
Black”s walls are plastered with Superman posters, autographed Superman comic books and original Superman drawings. Superman figurines, Superman toys and autographed cast photos of Superman television series clutter his dresser. Nine Smallville scripts sit in his Superman trashcan and giant Superman drawing books take over his bookcase.
But Black doesn”t wear a cape and has no idea how to fly.
Black, a BYU history major from Orem, has been a Superman fan as long as he can remember and has had the unique opportunity to co-write the next Smallville comic book, “The Few, The Proud” that hits comic book stores today.
“Obviously, with all the Superman stuff, [this is] my dream,” Black said.
Smallville, a TV series airing Wednesday nights on the WB, tells the story of a young Clark Kent growing up in the fictitious Smallville, Kan., and his powers start to develop and he tries to handle being a 17-year-old teenager growing into the role of Superman.
Since the show”s 2001 release, Smallville is now in its third season and gaining popularity. According to the WB Web site, Smallville is currently ranked No. 1 in its time slot by the12-34 age group demographic.
Black attributes Smallville”s popularity to Sept. 11.
“It came out exactly the right time,” he said. “It premiered on Oct. 16, 2001, when Sept. 11 was still fresh and we were still all patriotic and unified and there are not many things that are more patriotic than Superman.”
Black co-wrote the comic with BYU graduate Clint Carpenter, the script coordinator for the Smallville TV show and a freelance writer for the Smallville comic. Carpenter writes or co-writes for almost all the Smallville comics and wrote an episode for the second season.
Carpenter, who graduated with a media arts degree in April 2001, met Black when he interned at Smallville during the winter of 2002 at the Smallville Los Angeles production office. Carpenter”s wife, Yvonne, also works at Smallville as the writer”s assistant.
“[The comic] uses stories to fill in things that are implied in the show but are not elaborated on,” Carpenter said. “[The comic] uses the same characters and the same continuity”
The Smallville comic book started about a year ago because the show was gaining popularity. Published by DC Comics, the comic book is published every other month and serves as a supplement to the show.
“It”s almost like a Smallville fan magazine that has Smallville comics in it,” Black said.
“Most of the comics have two stories in them, a main lead comic story and then a backup story that is shorter,” Carpenter said. “So Jake [Black] and I collaborated on the shorter one. He sent me this idea that he had [for the comic] and I thought it was a pretty good idea, so I took it to the editors and they thought it was good.”
The comic Black and Carpenter co-wrote is a filler story from an episode where Lana, Clark”s love interest, sends her army-bound boyfriend, Whitney, a videotape to break up with him.
The idea for the comic, Black said, came from a familiar missionary experience.
“We kind of approached Whitney from our missionary ”Dear Johns” [letters]” Black said.
Black said he thought of “those missionaries on your mission who had the girlfriend and they were absolutely convinced that she was waiting… [and] when the letter came, they were devastated for a week.”
The comic book is considered to be in the family of the well-known Superman comic books.
Black is still a contributing writer to the official tie-in web sites, www.smallvilletorach.com and www.smallvilleledger.com and is sent the Smallville scripts before the episodes air so he can write articles on the websites which tease future story lines.
“It”s a hobby, more than anything,” Black said. “I”ve been in school for so long that it”s been fun to be able to expand and find success outside of school. I”m a geek, and I admit that. Like that comic book guy on the Simpson”s, that”s who I hang out with. But I”m so proud of it, and it”s given me a lot of success. I”ve been able to work and talk to the best writers in the comic book industry.”
Black will be signing the comic book on Nov. 19, at the Fantasy Rules comic and book shop in Pleasant Grove on 85 South Main Street from 3 to 6 p.m. The comic book costs $3.95.
