Hawkman (Michael Shanks) takes Green Arrow (Justin Hartley) down a notch in Smallville's upcoming "Absolute Justice." Photo from EW.com.

All right, this probably will sound like a complete reversal of everything I have ever said about the direction Smallville has taken over the past five (possibly six) years. Even so, I have to admit that I am actually excited and intrigued by what the show is planning for February.

Michael Ausiello from EW.com has posted pictures of Smallville’s upcoming “Absolute Justice” storyline. Check out his blog for pictures of Michael Shanks as Hawkman (beating up on Green Arrow), as well as a nice shot of Doctor Fate (Brent Stait) and Stargirl (Britt Irvin).

“Absolute Justice,” written by veteran comic book writer Geoff Johns, is a two-part story introducing the first superhero team,  the Justice Society of America.

First appearing during the Golden Age of comic books, the Justice Society was saving the world with your grandpa back during WWII. Introduced in All-American Comics’ All Star Comics #3 (Winter 1940), the original Justice Society was conceived as the first big team-up of several heroes. Even though it’s been nearly 70 years since they debuted, with comic book continuity being what it is they never went to a superhero retirement community. There have been several rewrites over the past couple of decades to bring these Golden Age heroes into the modern world.

Of course, Smallville is notorious for its own rewrites of comic book lore. Case in point, there shouldn’t be a Green Arrow (or Flash, Black Canary, Aquaman or Cyborg) in this world before Superman arrives on the scene. So how will the show deal with the appearance of Golden Age heroes? That’s hard to say. Complicating matters is the inclusion of Stargirl, who is a modern-day counterpart of these Golden Age heroes — sort of a junior Justice Society member. How can she exist before there’s a Superman? If this is the Golden Age team (not a modern version), how can Stargirl be part of it? Is there time travel involved?

Despite the fact that Smallville continues to play fast and loose with comic book continuity, I am hopeful that “Absolute Justice” will be worth watching. Stay tuned for more details as they develop.