This Is Not My Favorite Superman

books:

	• All Star Superman, Vol. 1 Grant Morrison DC Comics, 2008 - 160 pages average customer review:based on 37 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Man of Steel

I need to preface this with an explanation of how much I hate Superman. It's a stupid idea for a comic, there's no drama, no worry over whether or not he'll get hurt, admittedly it was invaluable to comics, but it's no longer relevant.
However, this book is one of three series starring Superman that I actually enjoyed (the other two being Superman: Red Son and The Death of Superman). There's a little bit of cliche in it, but this series seems to be a little more adult, more up-to-date.
In otherwords, even if you don't like Superman, this would be one to pick up.

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Superman at his best

Superman is a tough character to get right. If you give him too much inner turmoil or angst, he loses that special quality that has made him so enduring to readers since the 30s. And if you make him too perfect, too "Super," he can be boring, and no one wants that.

Grant Morrison gets it right. He walks the thin line between the two extremes, giving us a Superman who is exactly what everyone strives to be, physically and mentally, yet still remains interesting and relatable. This Superman is kind, smart, confident, brave, even funny. What's more, all of his supporting cast--Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, Jimmy Olsen, Perry White--has been just as fleshed out. Morrison goes for the iconic, but he injects everything with enough unbridled originality and enthusiasm that things remain fresh.

But let's not forget Frank Quitely. His inventive designs are half the reason why this take on Superman works so well. He draws Superman bulky and square-jawed, yet with enough kindness and humanity that he never looks intimidating. And the differences, right down to the posture, between Superman and Clark Kent are truly inspired.

All Star Superman rivals Alan Moore's "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" for the title of "Greatest Superman Story Ever Told," in my opinion and I'm sure many agree. It's just that good.

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Complete, total perfection

Morrison has written some great comics - New X-Men, Doom Patrol, WE3, Animal Man, JLA, and the list goes on - but this might be the best thing he's ever created. He strips Superman down to the basics, blending Silver Age earnestness with wild, far-ranging science fiction and mythology, and in the process he creates the perfect Superman story. From the one-page, four-panel origin story to Clark and Lois kissing on the moon to Jimmy Olsen dressed as Britney Spears to Lex Luthor's costumed baboon to the indestructible flower at Jonathan Kent's grave, the entire thing is pitch perfect. And Morrison ties all of these iconic images together with deeply effective emotional anchors. Even Luthor comes off as sympathetic.

Frank Quitely's art needs to be mentioned. Morrison and Quitely work together a lot and it can be hard to separate one from the other; this is indisputably a good thing. Morrison is brilliant, but when paired with Quitely the combination tends toward the perfect. Quitely's sense of pacing is unrivaled in all of comics (perhaps in the history of comics), and there are places where he almost seems to be channeling Jack Kirby's mad imagination. This is gorgeous work and Quitely deserves all the credit he can get for it.

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This Is Not My Favorite Superman

This book contains six stories all concerning Superman's inevitable death:

1 Faster
This is about how Lex comes up with a plan to kill Superman by using the sun to overcharge his cells. Some good sequences here, but nothing really special.

2 Superman's Forbidden Room
Superman invites Lois to his Forbidden Room as he hopes to enjoy some probable last moments with her as well as celebrate her birthday with a special gift. Again, nothing out of the ordinary.

3 Sweet dreams, Super Woman
Some of Superman's pals request a contest to win a date with Lois. Totally ridiculous.

4 The Superman/Jimmy Olsen War
Exposure to black Kryptonite causes Superman to turn evil and Jimmy with the aid of some extraterrestrials, tries to stop Superman from ruining his reputation on earth. Very uninteresting.

5 The Gospel According to Lex Luthor
Pretty epic. Kent interviews Luthor on why he is the way he is. There are some pretty fun exchanges between the two. I guess they were saving the best for last.

6 Funeral in Smallville
Probably the best story in the book as Supes visit Smallville one last time but encounters some strange superheroes there. Can't say too much on this one because there is a nice surprise. This story alone is worth the purchase.

The artwork may take some getting adjusting to. It is very different with the detailed features like the face, hands, and feet appearing very small with very little shading and everything else really wide and spacious making the character appear very static and fat. With Superman, this is not much of a problem because this makes him resemble the classic Superman, but Lois Lane is a big disappointment because she does not look anything like Lois at all. The colors are very bright and clean, but again, very little use of gradient or shading. I'm not really a fan of this type of art because while beautiful as a static image, you really do not feel any excitement or action from this type of art.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Two of the comics industry's top creative talents, writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely, the acclaimed team behind JLA: EARTH 2, reunite to redefine Superman based on the timeless, essential iconic elements that everyone knows about the Man of Steel.

In the first volume, the World's Greatest Super-Hero rescues a doomed group of astronauts on the surface of the sun when he's exposed to massive amounts of solar radiation no one could possibly anticipate how he'll be affected - except Lex Luthor!

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