Take Me Back to “Smallville Nights” - LA Comic Con 2021 Highlight

It was Winter of 2021 at the Los Angeles Convention Center where my WB fantasies came true. I attended LA Comic Con for the first time because I had heard three very special people were making appearances. Tom Welling (Clark Kent), Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor), and John Glover (Lionel Luthor) were scheduled to appear for a Smallville panel, photo ops and autograph signing. Tom and Michael also hosted an after hours show called “Smallville Nights” which is described as being an intimate evening with Tom and Michael. I had the privilege of partaking in all of these activities and it was by far my most memorable Con experience.

Smallville Panel

One of the things I noticed about this convention was how organized and easy to find everything was. The vendor floor was massive and they had a main stage in the back where they held panels. They would rotate panels every thirty minutes or so and fans could come and go as they pleased. You didn’t have to wait in a long line to get into a ballroom. The stage was out in the open to walk up to. I was there when the Smallville panel started and they were blasting “Somebody Save Me” by Remy Zero on the speakers as the cast of the show came walking out waving to fans. As someone who grew up watching Smallville at the age of 8 and hearing the theme song countless times over the course of the show’s ten seasons, it was pretty surreal. On stage was Tom Welling, Michael Rosenbaum, John Glover and Laura Vandervoort who played Kara on the show. The four of them were all smiles. Michael stopped to take a selfie on stage with all of the fans in the background which he later posted to Instagram. At the panel, the cast answered fan questions and talked about their experiences working on the show. They gave some insight into the show by reminiscing about memorable behind the scenes moments. When the panel ended, it was time to go get in line for my photo ops with Tom and Michael.

Photo op with Tom Welling

This was my first experience with professional photo ops at a convention, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. These were unusual circumstances with COVID19 still lingering so to be safe convention staff put up plexiglass between the talent and the guests. We were all required to wear masks indoors, but they did allow us to take them off for the photo op. I had my photo op with Tom Welling first. An important thing to note about these ops is that you are not allowed to socialize with the talent. They move you through like an assembly line so you barely have time to say “Hi”. I took my photo with Tom and it was so quick it felt like it didn’t even happen. Our photo turned out cute though. I had no idea how he was going to pose. I was too focused on making myself look normal, so I’m happy with how it ultimately turned out.

Photo op with Michael Rosenbaum

Now that I had an idea of what the ops were like I got into Michael’s line to get a photo with him. There was a man in line behind me who if I had to guess, was in his mid to late 30’s, maybe early 40’s and I vividly remember him turning to me and saying with such excitement, “I can’t wait to meet him. I’m so excited.” Even though we were wearing masks in line, you could clearly see people smiling ear to ear under them. The happiness and excitement in the room was contagious. I went up to take my photo with Michael and before I left I turned to him and said “I love your podcast.” He has a podcast on Spotify called “Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum” where he speaks to his celebrity friends about life and mental health. When I said that he looked at me in awe and went, “ I love you. Thank you so much for listening.” I started to walk away and he started to come around the plexiglass wanting to engage with me but I was being ushered away. Our podcast conversation would resume the following day when we’d meet again for autographs. After the photo ops, you could pick up a printed copy of them at a table nearby. There is a numeric code on them where you can download the digital copy if you so choose to.

Later that night, I attended Smallville Nights. For those who have never been, I feel like I’ve been sworn to secrecy not to reveal too much of what goes on at this event. They don’t want you spoiling it for people who have no idea what to expect. What happens at Smallville Nights stays at Smallville Nights and there’s no cell phones allowed. What I can reveal is that Michael and Tom act out scenes from episodes and they let you, the fans, join in. That’s a big part of the experience. They goof around and engage with fans and because our group was small it felt very intimate. Before we were let inside and sat down, Michael was running down the hallway in a LuthorCorp jumpsuit half unzipped with no shoes on. Everyone was standing outside like, “Did that really just happen or am I seeing things?” When we sat down nobody was in the room but us (or so we thought). Tom was crouched in the back of the room like a gargoyle and Michael came out from under a table in the front of the room. That chaotic energy set the tone for the rest of the night. They were so much fun.

Part of the experience was reading lines with them and I volunteered myself to participate. I went up to a microphone and had to act out the line, “I am the villain of the story”, which is a famous line said by Lex to Jonathan Kent. I wanted to be memorable so I decided to do a sassy hair flip as I said the line knowing Lex is bald and could never pull that off. I did it and everyone laughed. Even though it was a pity laugh, making someone as funny as Michael Rosenbaum laugh was the highlight of my night. Tom didn’t buy my performance. He came over, got down on one knee and took on the role of Mr. Kent. He made me do it again but this time directed me and said, “Do it again, but I want you to say it like you’re talking to an ex. ” I say it again implementing Tom’s directions and my voice cracks so bad making the entire room laugh again. I compose myself and say it with the more rage and anger, “I AM the villain of the story!” to which Tom got up and gave me a high five and said I was really good. I could officially die happy now that I’ve “acted” with and been directed by Tom Welling. Two years later and I still think about this.

The next day, I got in line to get autographs. It was Tom, Michael and John Glover signing. I regret not meeting John Glover. I admired him from afar with his luscious locks. First up, I saw Tom. I was so overstimulated from the night before that I didn’t know what to say. He noticed that I was wearing my Captain America face mask and said, “Captain America!” as if I had just offended him aka Superman. His feelings were valid. I had only packed one Superman outfit that weekend and I wore it the previous day. He was super nice and I felt so comfortable meeting him. He was my childhood crush growing up and I knew they filmed Smallville in Vancouver so I never imagined I’d have the opportunity one day to meet anyone from the show let alone Clark Kent himself. Next up was Michael Rosenbaum. I went up to him and immediately started talking to him about Smallville Nights and reminded him who I was and he said I was funny. I brought up his podcast again and he was so excited to talk about it. I told him I enjoy listening to it because it’s therapeutic. He encouraged me to keep spreading the word about it which I have been doing ever since. Go check out “Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum”. He was so fun to be around. I could talk to him all day. I highly recommend people do autographs instead of the photo ops at these conventions. Most if not all Talent will let you take a photo with them at their booth for an additional price and it’s a lot less expensive than the professional ops. You also get to talk to them without feeling rushed.

The year leading up to LA Comic Con 2021 was full of doom and gloom with a pandemic hanging over our heads, so being able to escape for a weekend and do so safely was something everyone needed. The talent needed it just as much as the fans and you could see it in their interactions with people. Neal McDonough who was on the Arrow panel got emotional addressing the crowd and telling everyone how grateful he was for us and how happy it made him feel to be around people again. I felt the exact same way and I will never forget the interactions I had not just with the cast of Smallville but with the cool people I met in line with me. Thank you LA Comic Con for a wonderful first experience and I cannot wait to come back for more.