Arrow has a very strict "no superpowers" rule, but that hasn't stopped a bevy DC good guys and bad guys from appearing on the hit superhero show. But now another major — well, reasonably major — DC hero may be stopping by in an upcoming episode.

When you write about other worlds and strange discoveries, you need a quick wit. And an ear for clever dialogue, that keeps the story buzzing along. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that many of science fiction and fantasy's greatest creators started out in comedy, including sitcoms.

Courtesy of DC Comics, here's an exclusive first look at next Wednesday's issue of the teen superhero series Blue Beetle.

In this week's offerings from DC, the clear winners were two of the Big Three. And on an unrelated note, Catwoman's rack.

Yesterday's episode of Smallville, "Booster," introduced stalwart DC heroes Booster Gold and Blue Beetle to the show's universe. Even though this episode added doodly-squat to Smallville's end game, Booster Gold's celebrity superheroics and unapologetic campiness were a good fit for Smallville.

Everybody's looking for the next Smallville. Both Warner Bros (DC) and ABC (Marvel) are aiming to create the next sensation based on existing comics properties. But given how bad most comics-to-TV adaptations have been, how do you copy Smallville's success?

Here's that Blue Beetle footage that Geoff Johns said would debut at Comic-Con. Witness Jaime Reyes transform into the hero, jet through the air, and whiz back home. Alex Winter, a.k.a. Bill of Bill & Ted fame, created this short.

At the last Smallville Comic-Con panel, the cast confirmed who would be Clark's antagonist this year, what new DC characters would cameo, and whether Clark would finally fly up, up, and away. Afterward, we interviewed the show's actors and writers.

If you missed it, DC's Chief Creative Officer, Geoff Johns, tweeted that DC did some tests to see how the Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle would look in live-action. DC will show more at Comic-Con. (It's at around 0:48.) [Robot 6]

Remember how Geoff Johns was all atwitter about debuting the potential Blue Beetle TV series at Comic-Con? Well, Johns jumped the gun and leaked photos to DC's The Source blog. Here's his alter ego, Jaime Reyes, becoming the carapaced crusader.