Tuesday 21 January 2014

TV And Novel Continuities

When prose fiction is based on screen drama, then the prose descriptions of the characters must correspond to the physical appearances of the actors. Thus, Lana Lang was always red-haired in Superman-related comics but not in the Smallville novels because she is played by Kristin Kreuk on TV.

In Alan Grant's Smallville: Curse (New York, 2004), Clark Kent perceives himself as having:

"An honest, intelligent face. Friendly eyes." (p. 7)

- which sounds both like how we would expect a young Superman to look and like Tom Welling.

The authors of the novels fit their narratives in between TV episodes and seasons but do any differences of continuity arise between the stories as presented in the two media?

On TV, Whitney joined the Marines, asking Clark to look after Lana for him. Lana ex'ed Whitney in a video message, then Whitney died in action. (I may have missed something in between because I am way behind with watching the early seasons.) Clark keeps Lana at a distance and she gives up on Clark, except as a friend, because of his persistent evasiveness.

In Curse, Whitney joined the Marines, "...Clark intended to do everything in his power to crowd out Lana's affection for his rival...," then Whitney died. (ibid.) That sounds like a parallel though not identical sequence of events.

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