Roger Stern Talks "Strange Visitors" In KryptonSite Interview
Interview by Craig Byrne (PlanetKrypton@aol.com)

Author Roger Stern, who is well liked for his great comics featuring Superman, the Will Payton Starman, the Avengers, Spider-Man, the Hobgoblin, and more, also happens to be the writer of the first Smallville novel, which is due out in October. The title of the novel is "Strange Visitors," and Mr. Stern was kind enough to answer several questions here at KryptonSite. Here they are!

KRYPTONSITE: Why do you think this novel would appeal to fans of Smallville the TV series?

ROGER STERN: If you like the series, if you like the characters as they've developed on the series, if you'd like to maybe learn a little more about some of the characters … if you like to READ … I think you're going to like SMALLVILLE: STRANGE VISITORS. For that matter, if you have friends who are just now getting into the series, STRANGE VISITORS should bring them up to speed pretty quickly. Since it's the first book in a series, we recap a few things here and there so that -- even if you've never seen the show -- you'll know what's going on. And if you're like me and have the entire first season on tape, things you've seen before are shown from slightly different perspectives to keep it fresh. There are also lots of little extras and an Easter egg or two.

KS: What can you tell us about the story?

RS: Some strange visitors come to Smallville. Really.

There's a gentleman by the name of Donald Jacobi … Doctor Donald Jacobi … who's a founder of something called the Ascendance Foundation. He's a sort of New-Age guru, and he comes to Smallville, making a big splash and announcing to all the world that Lowell County's glowing meteorites are the cosmic key to eternal health, longevity and power. Jacobi's Foundation naturally has a Web site which he uses to promote his theories … much to Chloe Sullivan's (initial) delight. Jacobi has a growing horde of followers who come flocking to Smallville. But, of course, there's danger involved where the space rocks are concerned, and not just for Clark Kent. And there are certain parties who would rather not have all those outsiders flocking to Smallville.

Clark, Jonathan, Martha, Chloe, Pete, Lana, Whitney, and Lex all get involved in a lot of action, adventure, and intrigue.

For you continuity buffs, the story is set between the "Zero" and the "Nicodemus" episodes.

Oh, and Clark Kent does something in this story which he has never done before, in any medium!

KS: How does Dr. Hamilton fit into all of this?

RS: Doc Hamilton has a number of key scenes -- mainly with Lex. And I don't think I'll be giving away too much if I say that the good Doctor is not too happy to have Jacobi and his camp followers tramping all over the local countryside.

Oh, and he starts to discover something about the "active ingredient" in all of those meteorites.

KS: How is the television Lex Luthor different from the one you wrote in the comics?

Well, for one thing he's younger. No, I take that back. I was the one who came up with the "We Saved Luthor's Brain" storyline for Action Comics (wherein a much older Lex had Doctors Teng and Donovan grow him a youthful new body around his gray matter to save him from Kryptonite poisoning). So I have written a Lex this young before.

How about if we say that the Lex of Smallville hasn't yet gone completely over to the dark side, as exemplified by Lionel. ("Lex … I am your father!") This Lex still might turn his life around … but he's standing on a horribly slippery slope.

KS: Will any of the series' non-regular supporting cast (i.e. Lionel Luthor, Dominic, Principal Kwan, or Aunt Nell) be playing a role?

RS: Lionel, definitely. Dominic doesn't appear, though other underlings do. Principal Kwan is referred to, but he never makes an actual appearance. Nell has a couple of important scenes, as does Roger Nixon.

In addition, Pete Ross gets a scene with his father. In fact, I gave Pete a lot of face time in the story because … well, hey, he's been Clark's best bud since grade school!

KS: Did any characters surprise you as being particularly fun to write?

RS: Surprise me? No, I've enjoyed viewing all of the Smallville characters (as depicted on the screen) -- and they were all fun to write. Even Whitney.

KS: Do you have a particular favorite episode of the series?

RS: Wow, picking one favorite would be hard. I think that just about every episode has had some great scenes. And how do you divide 'em up? Do the first two episodes count as one?

KS: Did you consult the series' writers or producers at all when writing for the novel?

RS: Both -- in the person of Al Gough. Editor Steve Korte and I had a major phone conference with him back in December. Al was extremely helpful in filling me in on the background of the series and the characters … I got to learn a lot of neat secret stuff. (Don't ask! My lips are sealed!)

And I received copies of the scripts as they were written. So I knew a lot about what was happening weeks before the rest of you did. (Hey, don't make that face! I needed to!)

KS: Will you be writing more novels in the future? If so, can you share anything about them?

RS: You mean about Smallville? Maybe. If this is a big success, and I'm asked.

I do have some ideas for a non-Superman-related novel, but talking about that would be premature … unless you're a publisher. (Have your people call my people. We'll do lunch.)

KS: What, if anything, can you tell us about the other novels that are on the way?

RS: I know that the second Smallville novel is entitled "Dragon"... that's the one by Alan Grant, who wrote Batman stories for so many years; it's due out in November. The third is due out in January 2003 … that's "Hauntings" by Nancy Holder. And on sale in March of next year is "Whodunnit" by Dean Wesley Smith.

KS: What other Superman projects do you have coming up?

RS: I'm acting as sort of a consulting editor on The Science of Superman, which will proably be out sometime next year. A writer named Mark Wolverton is handling all the heavy lifting. I've read the first five chapters so far, and and he's doing a great job on the project. It's a really good read! This isn't just going to be a good book about Superman, it's going to be a great book for understanding science.

Thanks again to Roger Stern for taking the time to answer our questions. And if you haven't ordered your own copy of "Strange Visitors" yet, what are you waiting for? It's the first book, give it a try, and share it with a friend! Perhaps you'll create a new fan of the show!

Order "Strange Visitors" from Amazon.com!