“Smallville” fans don’t have long before the new season starts – it premieres Sept. 27 – but I know waiting for a favorite show can feel like an eternity trapped in the Phantom Zone. So here’s a little something to whet their appetites even further – a sneak-peek photo introducing Laura Vandervoort as Supergirl (courtesy of the CW):

More Super casting: Helen Slater, who played Supergirl in the 1984 film flop of the same name, will be a major guest star in the new season. And Dean Cain, who was Superman in 1993-97′s “Lois & Clark” series on ABC (alongside “Desperate” housewife Teri Hatcher), will play a mad scientist determined to “cure” the town’s many meteor freaks.