Stamp your ticket for 'Smallville'

'Smallville' Airs: 8 p.m., WB (Channel 62) Stars: Tom Welling, Kristin Kreuk, Michael Rosenbaum, Eric Johnson, Sam Jones III, Allison Mack, Annette O'Toole, John Schneider Most closely resembles: "Superboy" Aaron's advice: Try it. This is the latest live-action incarnation of the story of the Man of Steel, told in the inimitable teen-oriented style of the WB. There's plenty to mock about this show: its "Dawson's Creek" homages to adolescent love, the preposterous notion of tousle-haired Clark Kent (Welling) being the class nerd at Smallville High and having no shot at dating lovely Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk), at least not until later this season. And one more thing: A town in Kansas of 50,000 souls is not "smallville"! With all that, "Smallville" roped me in. The most intriguing premise is that young Clark is only starting to grasp the enormity of his arriving on Earth a dozen years earlier. So is the chance encounter that begins a curious friendship with another boy in town, Lex Luthor (Rosenbaum). The fate of "Smallville" hinges on the job it does in developing the relationships among Clark, Lana and Lex and in revealing (or concealing) Superman's secret as he begins to set his eyes beyond Kansas. Aaron Barnhart's fall TV preview is online at www.kansascity.com. @ART CAPTION:Tom Welling as Clark Kent and Kristin Kreuk as Lana Lang @ART CREDIT:WB @ART:Photo (color)