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| |  | We appreciate your buying from our store. All your purchases support our vision to help build better readers. 10 Graphic Novels | | Home » | | | | | | | Description: | | Starred Review. Morrison's superb Superman stories can be poignant, action-packed or downright silly, often in the same tale. An expedition to the heart of the sun is sabotaged by Lex Luthor, who would stand to profit from a global water shortage. Superman saves the day, but at a steep costâhis encounter with the sun alters him at a cellular level, and it looks like the Man of Steel actually faces death. The big story deals with Luthor's fervent quest to outlive his enemy, even as he himself sits on death row. The episodic tales along the way are the real delight, though: Superman reveals his true identity to Lois, but she doesn't believe him; for her birthday he gives her a potion which makes her a superwoman for 24 hours; Jimmy Olson becomes "eccentric zillionaire daredevil" for a day for a newspaper column; and in the best of the tales, Clark visits Luthor in prison for an exclusive interview, only to have an undesirable effect on a monstrous inmate. Quitely's art is wide-eyed and simple, yet still cosmically epic, drenched in an old-school color palette that makes this a vibrant feast for the eyes. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Grant Morrison | | Hardcover:
| 160 pages | | Publisher:
| DC Comics | | Publication Date:
| April 04, 2007 | | ISBN:
| 1401209149 | | Package Length:
| 10.4 inches | | Package Width:
| 6.7 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.5 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.9 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 31 reviews |
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 Putting the "Super" back in Superman.Jul 31, 2008
In the past, Superman's writers have felt the need to depower him. From exposure to the Parasite in the seventies to John Byrne's eighties reboot, the Man of Steel has seen his strength diminished and powers removed in order to supposedly make him more accessible. For me, this trend reached a low point when flavor-of-the-moment villain Lobo beat the snot out of our hero years ago. Bottom line, it ain't right when a 2nd-rate character jacks up an icon like the Man of Steel. But in "All-Star Superman" Grant Morrison goes against the grain and takes Supes in an opposite - and much welcomed - direction.
During a mission to save a sun-orbiting space station, Superman's power is tripled by massive exposure to solar radiation. Now he could smash the aforementioned Lobo like a bug, and later on even the Parasite is overwhelmed while feeding on his excess power. The Son of Jor-El is practically unbeatable - or is he? With great power has come a great price. Turns out the whole thing was a plan by Lex Luthor to slowly kill his nemesis from within via a sun overdose. Superman doesn't have long to live, and both good and evil forces begin to gather with their own agendas in anticipation of his demise.
Various stories spawn from Superman's predicament. His affliction is no secret to those with time-travel abilities such as the egotistical duo of Samson and Atlas, who show up to vie for the hand of a temporarily super-powered Lois Lane. A new form of kryptonite gives Jimmy Olsen an opportunity to yet again transform into a fantastic (and familiar) super-being. Clark Kent bumbles through a mayhem-packed prison interview with Lex Luthor, and Superman's descendants arrive from the future to help his college-aged self defeat a fearsome creature menacing Smallville.
"All Star Superman" is a fine departure for the Superman mythos, and not only because of the power boost. Mr. Morrison has also made Superman's main adversary smarter and more devious in order to match Superman's unparalleled physical might. This incarnation of Lex Luthor is ruthless, intelligent, and deadly, and his loathing of Superman knows no bounds. Even though locked up in prison, he's still a force to be reckoned with. In addition, Frank Quitely's detailed art is a visual treat, with a high-tech look that perfectly conveys the fantastic science-fiction atmosphere of this series.
As others have mentioned, the sci-fi slant is a new angle. Marvel's "Ultimates" series has altered familiar characters and set them in a different universe, and the same is true with the "All-Star" Superman. Instead of a darker version of the Kryptonian, we are treated to a legendary being of myth, an almost god-like man whose deeds compare to the Twelve Labors of Hercules. This Superman lives in a world of wonders, where mythological beings and fantastic science exist side-by-side. Clark Kent also gets his due, appearing as a slouching lummox of an alter-ego that no one, not even Lois or Lex, can see beyond.
"All-Star Superman" is an excellent and original take on Kal-El, and I highly recommend it. Of course, one may be wondering how Superman's descendants can show up if our hero is truly doomed. Well, here's hoping the Morrison/Quitely team can continue their innovative trend and craft an elegant solution. I'll certainly be looking forward to it.
Fantastic Stories Mixing Old And NewJun 20, 2008
I still have images of Superman comic books stuck in my head from when I was growing up in the 1960s. They were fantastic, a mixture of superhero and science fiction, two of my greatest loves ever at that age. I loved the stories of Lex Luthor (in his traditional gray prison uniform) teaming up with Brainiac (in a pink shirt and shorty-shorts). One of the most prevalent of those images was of Superman shrunken down and trapped in a birdcage.
Ahh, those were the days. But as I grew older, Superman grew more serious and so did his problems. Sadly, so did I. I realized there were worse things for Superman - for ANYONE --than being trapped in a birdcage. However, I still loved those stories. They were part of my childhood and I won't feel badly for hanging onto them.
Especially since Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely are revisiting Superman with the same love and tenderness I remember from those comic issues. Those plots were innocent and fun in a way that comics haven't been in a long time. Now, Morrison and Quitely are doing the same thing in the pages of ALL-STAR SUPERMAN.
The series exists outside of the traditional Superman universe. From what I've seen of this first graphic novel, anything goes. Clark Kent is still something of a [...]. Lois Lane is sharp and still doesn't have a clue that Clark is Superman (until he tells her). Jimmy Olsen is perky and sharp and a geek all at the same time. Luthor is violently opposed to Superman breathing the same air as him, and is brilliantly carrying out multi-layered plans to bring that to an end.
And Superman is quietly heroic throughout it all.
The graphic novel gathers the first six issues of the series. Some of the stories function as stand-alone tales but they all have continuity threads. And they're all just good fun. This is a Superman book I'm gleefully handing off to my ten-year-old because I know he's going to have a blast with it too.
The first story shows Morrison's deviousness. Luthor has a plan to destroy Superman by overexposing him to the sun's rays. During the initial set-up of the story, Morrison quickly and quietly introduces his readers to the familiar cast of characters, letting everyone know just how he's going to spin the relationships and at what point in their lives we are. The sequence of Clark entering the newsroom on the double is a long montage that expertly showcases Quitely's artwork. I loved it.
The first issue leaves us hanging regarding Superman's fate after the overexposure to the sun. But the second issue is a fan's dream come true: Lois Lane is given super-powers for a day and becomes Superwoman the way we all imagined she might back in the 1960s. Not only that, but Quitely draws her SMOKING hot! The two-page spread of the Fortress of Solitude is awesome.
I also loved the calm, every-day way Superman discussed Batman and Robin, and the casual way the Superman robots got introduced. They were a staple of the 1960s as well. The secret of Superman's key to the Fortress was terrific, and the stuff of science fiction. The way Lois's paranoia about Superman backfiring was terrific plotting. Instead of being suspicious of Clark being Superman, she starts wondering if Superman has gone insane due to his exposure.
The third issue where Lois tries to make Superman jealous of Atlas and Samson is a hoot. So is the ending where Superman finally gets tired of their constant haranguing.
Issue four concentrates on Jimmy Olsen, and it's the Jimmy I grew up with. The one that's still young and naïve, and always in the middle of trouble Superman has to get him out of. This one also contains some of Morrison's trademark outside-the-box SF.
Lex Luthor takes center stage in issue five. The team-up with Clark Kent was absolutely fantastic. Can't believe no one ever tried that before. Of course, there's probably some credit due to the SMALLVILLE television series there. "You write like a poet but you move like a landslide," is a quote from Luthor about Clark Kent that I'll probably never forget. The resulting adventure as they run from the Parasite (and Clark repeatedly saves Lex) is a series of neat twists. There's even a cameo of Beppo the Supermonkey that's hilarious.
Issue 6 hosts a lot of surprises and nostalgia. We get to see Ma and Pa Kent, watch Superman play with Krypto the Super-Dog, and even hang out in the Smallville malt shop with Lana Lang. Seeing the Supermen of the futures was a trip down memory lane as well. You just know Morrison is having fun with the cornucopia he's laying down. But his is one of the saddest tales Morrison weaves, and it sneaks up on you in the end.
I can't name a graphic novel I've read yet that seems to span the decades and the generations Morrison's loving tribute does in ALL-STAR SUPERMAN. For long-time fans that haven't read comics in a great many years, this one is a perfect return. Pick this one up and prepare to enjoy the feast.
0 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 comments from a Superman fan since 1958May 08, 2008
Superman has been handled with consistency (whether earth two (Golden Age) or earth one silver and bronze)from 1938 'till John Byrne's takeover in 1986. Grant Morisson brings back a number of elements of the real character (some mishandled and some like Clark Kent handled very well) for which I am eternally grateful. While the artwork is poor, the writing is the soul of the book. I will list some mistakes below, followed by my conclusions.
Superman has dived into the center of the Sun with no ill effects.
Smallville is not in Kansas, but in an unnamed northeastern state.
The Kents sold the farm when Clark was six and bought a general store.
CONCLUSIONS
While much of the characterizations and history seem to come from the Christopher Reeve movie series, some of it has the feel of the silver age books (though sometimes spoiled by parody like Superman carrying around a half million ton key in his pocket - which would actually be disasterous.- The Story of Gravity Girl from a 1961 Superboy story showed the same idea with realistic treatment)the results are worthwhile and frankly, the Superman fan has nowhere else to go except for silver age reprints. I don't want to criticize Morrison but these caveats must be stated. I'm glad Morrison understand how good the stories from the 50s were.
Grant dies it again!!May 03, 2008
Grant does it again all start superman!! His writing is far a head of his time. Cnt wait for vol 2
Achieves what I had considered unachievableApr 30, 2008
ALL-STAR SUPERMAN is currently the only ongoing title I'm reading from any publisher. I gave up collecting late last year after tiring of the non-stop "events" of the past 3-or-so years, plus the fact that the industry as a whole had apparently forgotten the basics of writing heroes. I actually hold Grant Morrison responsible for some of that, but with All-Star Superman, he and artist Frank Quitely have pulled a 180 by taking Superman so far back into his pre-Crisis roots that I feel like I'm reading a cache of misplaced Silver Age stories, albeit ones with a much-appreciated modern sensibility. Thankfully, there's a title out there that can still be fun for fun's sake.
These stories resurrect something that's been sadly lacking from Superman ever since John Byrne revamped him in the mid-'80s: a true sense of wonder. In these tight, single-issue stories, you never know what amazing thing or event is around the next page, whether it's the awesome trophy room of the Fortress of Solitude, Superman's earth-shaking 2-on-1 arm wrestling contest against Samson and Atlas, or Krypto and Clark just having some fun... and Quitely visualizes it all so well.
As in so many of Morrison's works, peripheral ideas come fast and furious, usually remaining undeveloped; however, where this often serves to frustrate me in those other titles, it works perfectly with Superman, merely adding to the depth of the character and kicking my imagination into high gear. Superman hasn't been this enjoyable in years, and it's a much-needed shot in the arm, both for the character and this jaded reader.
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