Customer Reviews

All Star Superman, Vol. 1

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

This hardcover collects the first six issues of the best-selling All Star Superman line of comics. It is written by Grant Morrison (Doom Patrol, JLA) and superbly illustrated by Frank Quietly (WE3, New X-Men, JLA: Earth 2).

The All-Star line of comics is sort of like the "ultimate" version of marvel comics, where decades old characters are free from continuity and the authors can write the character in a new direction. And this writer and artist team does that in spades. The first story deals with Superman being over-exposed to the Sun (courtesy of Lex Luthor) and is dying slowly. The second story deals with Superman taking Lois to the Fortress of Solitude. The third deals with two other super-powered being vying for Lois' affection. The fourth deals with Jimmy Olsen gaining superpowers. The fifth deal with Clark Kent interviewing Luthor is prison and a prison-break is on the way (my favorite). And the sixth story deals with Clark coming to term with his father, Jonathan Kent's death.

All these stories have a fun and nostalgic feel to them and is clearly a nod to the silver age of comics where every month, Jimmy got a new power, or Lois trying to marry Superman, etc. But at the same time, it is written in such a way that it is still relevant to the modern times. Yes, there is nostalgia and silver age goofiness but no, you will not be turned off by it and instead will enjoy it.

As far as the art goes, Quietly can do no wrong. His work is extremely detailed. I love his portrayal of Clark who seems like a pudgy, accident-prone and clumsy individual (which is spot on with Morrison's characterization).

All is all, one of the best Superman collections in recent years. The stories are pretty self-contained and are a joy to read. Highest possible recommendation.

Me am so mad at Grant Morrison for drawing such a bad book. And me no pleased that Frank Quitely not decide to write! This is surely not worst ever book that not star Me Bizarro's least hated hero, Lex Luthor, world's most hairiest man! The sight of seeing Superman walking in space with moon behind him is such a wretched piece of art that me not have it framed and wear around me's neck! It is really boring story that not serve to show that Spider-Man really am biggest DC Villain of No-Time! Lois Lane surely am ugly man and Jimmy Olsen is the real star of the whole story! Perry White not edit well world's least read newspaper, Daily Planet. This whole story is one big hoax. Everybody know that Superman is already dead, so him no in danger of living long life! Hooray!
TRANSLATED: this is, as Grant Morrison put it, "a love letter to Superman". Nothing else really need be said. I simply cannot wait until this entire run is collected into an ABSOLUTE EDITION.
Some criticism has been levelled at this book about it not being spectacular enough (read: action-heavy) and "too Silver Age" , but that is to miss the point. It's obvious that Grant has chosen to tell his story a particular way, focusing less on the "bigger" aspects of normal superhero comics and more on the quieter, introspective aspects of the Superman-verse.
I particularly love the sequence in issue 1 where Clark is late to a meeting and Grant/Frank depict his saving the boy and dog from the oncoming truck, to then "saving" Steve from scolding himself with coffee to Clark's classic line: "Working on my suntan, Chief?" Brilliant! No, actually, make that -- "SUPER!"
I am in awe!

If uyou're like me, you're tired of the Peter Parker treatment for Superman. You want the mythic, epic, ultimate superhero to receive the type of treatment he deserves. Well, look no further.

This combines the nostalgia of the 60's Weisinger era and Morrison's bold science fiction concepts and blends them into a seamless whole. What's great is that each chapter is a roughly self contained story, making this perfect for casual reading. Morrison not only manages to play with classic elements of the Superman mythos, but add a poignant emotional core to each story while providing us with the all out Superman action we've been dying for. In addition to the spot on characterization of Superman, we'vre got the best Lex Luthor of all time-- Hannibal Lector like in his chilling, cool demeanor, you'll believe a small bald man can be a worthy foe to the most powerful man in the world.

And, let's not forget the art. Frank Quitely has taken the charm of the greats such as Swan or Romita SR, with his clean, crisp linework and given it a quirky, surreal quality with his unusual figurework and faces. You're not walking into the regular world that happens to have Superman--you're walking into another dimension, an epic fantasy world not unlike Never Never Land or Tolkien's Middle Earth. The odd machines, the wild creatures--not since John Byrne has Superman had such a defintive artist.

Sorry to blather on like this, but Superman is my favorite character and the only ones of the modern era who have come close are John Byrne's run and Alan Moore's Supreme. For a Superman starved fan, this is a blessing.

Simply put, All-Star Superman Vol.1 collects the best Superman stories I have ever read, unless Grant Morrison shines even brighter in upcoming issues. Volume 1 collects the first six issues of the series and every story is a gem spanning one issue each. All-Star Superman is set in a world that is totally free from DC continuity, and this gives Morrison the freedom to do what he likes and to really unchain his fecund imagination to deliver ideas and plotlines that stagger even the most intellectual reader. Usually of a mystical disposition, Morrison succeeds in imbuing these stories with a mythology that brings to mind the Superman of the sixties, but with noticeable differences. Sure, the fortress of solitude is still there (I am still waiting for the bottle-city of Kandor to make an appearance), but the gigantic golden key (pre-Crises, before the DC universe was re-vamped) has been replaced with a normal-sized key that weights thousands of tons as it is composed of super-dense dwarf matter. The superman-robots also make appearances, yet they have been altered by Morrison and the stunning art of Frank Quitely to serve as Superman's servants and fellow lab assistants, and not just stand-ins for Superman whenever Clark has to make an appearance alongside his alter-ego. That's another part I fell in love with all over again: the fact that Superman possesses a super-intellect in addition to his physical abilities (a concept largely forgotten after the John Byrne re-imagining of the Man of Steel in the eighties) and this allows for all manner of insane events and mind-shattering inventions that cause unbelievable havoc every now and then. Another fine addition to the all-star mythos is the League of Supermen which consists of Supermen from different eras (all decendents of the first Superman) and how they protect the timestream from menaces like 'the Chrono-vore,' a being that eats a few seconds of your life. Sure, Morrison portrays Superman as almost almighty, but the reader does get a sense of the crisis to the overall story when the very first issue reveals that Superman is perhaps a little bit more mortal than we think after he is exposed to an enormous amount of solar rays. This forms the entire basis for the series, even forcing Superman to reveal something to Lois which he never would have done otherwise. One of the stories stood out above all the others though, and it bears mention, simply because it stamps Morrison's signature on one of the greatest Supervillians of all time: Lex Luthor. Clark is sent on assignment to interview Luthor on Death Row, and what follows is a hillarious but also shocking tale of escape and insight as Luthor and Clark flee from a crazed Parasite. Luthor's brilliant dialogue ("Did you know Melville's Moby Dick can be recited at frequencies so high that they form a sonic drill capable of digging through concrete?") and insane ego shines brilliantly in this issue, appropriately titled "The Gospel according to Lex Luthor," making this my favorite story of the series so far. Grant Morrison has re-invigorated the Man of Tomorrow, and with the brilliant art of Frank Quitely rounding out every story All-Star Superman will continue to occupy a special place in my bookshelf. Recommended for anyone who loves fantasy, sci-fi, and superheroics done with an intellectual twist.

I've never had much interest in Superman. I've gone on record in several instances claiming that while he has the potential to be a wonderfully well-rounded character, too many of his handlers in the past have opted to make him nothing more than a super-man battling giant monkeys and avoiding fragments of rock.

Morrison does not make this mistake. Morrison addresses all those psychological aspects that make Superman super, none of which have anything to do with the ability to leap a tall building in a single bound.

However, Morrison also brings us those undeniably fun qualities of Superman that existed in the Silver Age and mixes them with a 2007 mentality, giving us a hybrid of quirkiness and depth that only a mad scientist like Morrison could achieve. His Lex Luthor, for example, is a combination of everything in the past that has worked well for the character, but he still manages to give us something fresh.

In other words, he's giving us the best of two worlds (pun totally intended) with the Superman mythos. Furthermore, I love this collection because each issue basically can stand alone, yet they also blend together to form a unified whole as well.

Let's talk about the art! Quitely is simply an artist in the truest sense of the word. Every single panel is a joy to behold. I love the way he took Superman's costume and really made it otherworldly with the slightest of adjustments. By shortening the cape and elongated the trunks just a bit, I no longer see a big man wearing his underwear on the outside. It looks like some sort of space-man outfit, which, remember, is exactly what Superman is--a space man. Oh, and by the way, I don't mean to sound weird or whatever, but Quitely draws the cutest Lois Lane I've ever seen. He manages to convey her strength and self-reliance while still making her attractive. For some reason in the past, artists have had trouble blending the two.

If you're a die-hard Superman fan, you'll love this collection. If you're like me and you were more engrossed with the creative team than the character, you'll still love it. And if you don't even like comic books, you'll still love this one. This is truly the super work of some all stars.

~Scott William Foley, author of Souls Triumphant

For the last year or so I have been searching for THE great Superman story. Superman is an exceedingly difficult character to write and the best stories tend to focus less on physical conflicts and more on emotional. After all, Superman is nigh on to a god. Birthright was ok but my favorite was probably Red Son despite the fact that it was a one shot Elseworlds story. All-Star Superman is clearly a non-canonized storyline but it is a stellar effort and my new favorite comic. Bravo to Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely for creating an extremely pleasing and creative tale. The story reminded me of Alan Moore's short stint at writing The Supreme, a blatant and generic rip-off of Superman that only shined thanks to Mr. Moore's phenomenal talent. Comparing a writer to Alan Moore is the best compliment I can give.

The All-Star Superman is more futuristic than the regular canonized character. It borders on fantasy but when you get down to it Superman is a fantasy character. My perception is likely influenced by Frank Quitely's art which has a very dreamy, surreal quality with a fairly whimsical style and lots of soft pastel colors. Check out the cover with Superman sitting on a cloud. That's a pretty good reflection of the art you'll find inside. The classic Superman characters have all been altered somewhat. In one story Jimmy Olson has to take on a black kryptonite infected Superman and uses a serum to change himself into a brutish beast with crystals jutting from his hands and face particularly around his mouth and eyes. The development of the serum was referred to as the DOOMSDAY project. There are also some new characters including various incarnations of Superman from the future.

I found Superman Returns to be a visually stunning but ultimately disappointing movie. Little did I know that the best Superman had to offer was right there in the comics. As a non canonized tale All-Star Superman frees up the writer to explore Superman without constraint. The giant key to Superman's Fortress of Solitude has been replaced by a regular sized key. It just happens to be forged from the material of a white dwarf star and weighs several thousand tons. One of my favorite parts is a lengthy interview of Lex Luthor by Clark Kent where he explains the motivation behind his hatred of Superman. If you're a fan of Superman this is the one to get. In my thirty plus years of collecting this is as good as Superman gets.

I wish this had come along just a little bit earlier. For me it was the kiss before dying as pertains to the comics medium. With Marvel and DC comics destroying their respective universes and characters, I had lost all hope of ever seeing the characters I had come to know and love as they were meant to be again.

Then came All-Star Superman.

This is the Man of Steel as he was meant to be. Not the beaten-down impotent wimp that DC's in-continuity character has become, but the inspirational larger-than-life hero who sparked the imagination of generations of comic book writers and readers. Let's face it, Batman was right. The last time the in-continuity Superman inspired anybody was when he died. But this is the character long-time fans have come to know and respect.

The story opens with Superman's cells being over-saturated with solar radiation, a plot by Lex Luthor to kill the Man of Steel, which has aparently worked. And so Superman sets out to do all the things he needs to do before his time runs out -- including tell Lois his true identity. Now I know that sounds a lot like the regular series, and that's what I thought, too, but fear not! Writer Grant Morrison resolves the idea very deftly in a matter of pages. We also see adventures with Jimmy, adventures at the Fortress of Solitude, and with time travelling Supermen. Now yes, the book is pure Sci-Fi, and at times campy. Maybe its stories aren't "relevant" to todays world (for relevant, read: depressing) but you know what they are? FUN! That is something I have not had with a comic since I was a child.

God bless you for this series, Grant Morrison.

I have never been a fan of Superman. He is basically invincible and his comics usually end with him punching something really hard. But when I saw Grant Morrison was doing an alternate-reality run on Superman I had to pick it up. And I was glad I did.

All Star Superman is one of those rare comics where both the story and art work together to make you nostalgic for the old school Superman, while at the same time it turns everything you know about Supes on its ear. This is one of those trades you have to force yourself to read slowly because it's just so darn good.

I'll be reading this trade over and over until vol 2 comes out.

Can you remember the last time you read a Superman story that really echoed what the character was about? Probably not since the silver age is my guess. But what happens when DC decides to take a cue from Marvel and introduce their own line of comics that does a reboot of their most cherished characters? Well, All Star Superman is one of the results (I will not mention the immensely disappointing All Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder), and boy is it something to behold. The immensely talented Grant Morrison (who made stagnant mainstream titles like JLA and New X-Men spectacular once again) is at the helm as he crafts a Superman story that defines what the character is about; all the while offering his own take on established ideas. In this first volume, Superman's arch nemesis Lex Luthor has finally devised a way to kill the Man of Steel, and so far it seems as if Luthor may have finally succeeded. During all this, Superman reveals his identity to Lois Lane as well before taking flight against Luthor and ultimately saving the day. Morrison not only weaves a brilliant Superman story, but he also makes Luthor the most fearsome and frightening he has been in years. This is all supplemented by the brilliant artwork of Morrison's longtime partner in crime Frank Quitely; whose pencils add layers and dimensions to Morrison's script unlike that of no other artist. All in all, the first collected volume of All Star Superman is the best treatment the iconic character has received in years, and it only furthers the notion that Grant Morrison is a modern day comic book visionary.

Quite honestly, I have never liked Superman. However, the quirky charm that Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely infused the character and his supporting cast with proved irresistible.

The stories range from delightfully quirky to honestly heartwrenching, and they offer some of the best portrayals of the Superman supporting cast I've ever read. Many of the best stories, such as 'The Gospel According to Lex Luthor' feature very little in the realm of traditional superheroics, but are some of the best Superman stories in decades.

You don't have to have a love of superheroes, comic books, or Superman himself in order to appreciate All-Star Superman - you just have to enjoy the quirky and the wonderful.