I was making a quick trip to the Mall and stopped into Barnes & Noble for a minute. I saw this digest-ish sized trade of All-Star Superman on the shelf. I looked at the price and was shocked that it was $9.99. I snapped it right up and ran to the register before they came to their senses.
It’s a bit bigger than an Archie digest and more proportionally-sized like a comic book. The pages are pulp, but are bright white and of decent quality. (This likely won’t last with the passage of time.) All 12 issues of the series are here. I did get the first issue of the series in that Superman magazine, but I’m good with having that issue in an oversized format. There are other editions of classic DC comics available in this format (the DC Compact Comics line).
Essentially, this is a cheap reading copy. The artwork really needs to be seen full-sized on slick white paper. In places the print is a bit hard to read (ironically) from the compression, as is the artwork. The colors used are very bright, even in scenes where it’s supposed to be dark. The colors get muddled a bit from being printed on inferior stock.
I have read this whole series before on an “archive” site. I thought it was pretty good, but I was reading it pretty quickly online. This time, I wanted to sit back and read it more carefully. I actually started this review last month, anticipating that I was going to finish this a lot quicker. It’s not a dense read, but you’re almost studying it in places and deciphering it in others. Skimming this quickly won’t be rewarding, though it is drawn in the modern decompressed story style (which is the bane of comic books in general today).
I feel somewhat unworthy to review this masterwork, but I also want to pick apart some questionable storytelling by Grant Morrison. I want to admire Frank Quitely’s near Moebius-inspired European sci-fi artwork (an odd choice for the All-American hero), but so much of the time characters are drawn ugly and off-model.
I’m not going to pretend I understood everything I read in this, though some parts are crystal clear. You might need to be a Superman scholar to really get it. (How much of this story is pure invention and how much is obscure call-backs?) We have moments of irreverent humor and moments of quiet philosophical reflection. The story never wears out its welcome, even in twelve issues. In fact, it leaves you wishing for more. There are many threads to follow up on and unanswered questions, but we’re only allowed a glimpse into Superman’s world. The sun is simply too bright to stare into.
Here’s that iconic opening page. If there’s anything that qualifies as fine art in comic book form, this is it.
*****Spoilers (in case you haven’t read this, don’t read this part)*****
There’s a motif of the 12 Labors of Superman, but there’s not a slavish devotion to following it. This is really just about Superman being given one year to live after fatal solar poisoning from a scheme by Lex Luther. Batman is mentioned a couple of times, but there aren’t any guest star superheroes. The spotlight is firmly on Superman. While theoretically this is the modern Superman, in actuality this is the Silver Age Superman with almost no limits on his powers, physical or mental. Expect outlandish science and displays of power.
At the end of the first issue, Superman finally reveals himself as Clark Kent to Lois Lane. In the next issue, he shows her his Fortress of Solitude. In the next, he gives her superpowers equal to his own. A couple of super jerk rivals show up to ruin their date and to give Superman a warning: a newspaper headline from the near future that reads, “Superman Dead!”
The fourth issue may have been my favorite. Jimmy Olsen is put in charge of Dr. Quintum’s lunar base for a day. While there, Superman encounters black Krytonite and goes bad. Ever clever and resourceful, Jimmy has to save the day and Superman himself.
Clark gets a big scoop in the next issue by interviewing Lex Luther in prison, who is preparing for his execution, and meets Lex’s evil niece. Chaos ensues as a superpowered Clark comes into contact with Parasite. Next, Superman goes back in time with some Supermen of the future. He gets to spend a moment with Pa Kent before he passes away.
The world is then attacked by Bizarro World. Superman fends off the attack, but is stranded on the backward planet. With the help of the only sane Bizarro, he manages to escape.
Superman returns to Metropolis to find himself replaced by a pair of explorer Kryptonians, who survived the end of Krypton. They highly disapprove of him “going native” and urge him to help them take control of the planet. (Why does Luther never have anything to say about actual enemy Kryptonians?) In their conflict, the moon is cracked. (Where’s Dr. Quintum during all of this?) Before they can finish off Superman, the couple falls to fatal Kryptonite poisoning. Superman sends them to the Phantom Zone to establish some law and order there.
With his time running out, Superman writes his will. “To Clark Kent, I leave the headline of the century.” He finds a solution to the bottle city of Kandor. There’s an odd interlude with Superman creating a duplicate earth in a pocket dimension to see what a world without a Superman would be look like. I didn’t entirely understand this, but apparently it’s our world and without an actual Superman, we would invent one.
Luther not only escapes execution, but gains Superman’s powers. His ally, Solaris the Tyrant Sun, attacks and turns the sun red to further depower Superman. With allies, Superman beats Solaris. There’s some setup for this confrontation, but not much. There’s no backstory for this conflict provided.
Clark Kent dies as he presents his final story to the Daily Planet. Deceased, he meets his natural father, Zor-El, who gives him the option of returning, which he does. Luther attacks and Clark confronts him. Still maintaining his secret identity to the end, Clark is revealed to be Superman himself in disguise.
In the fight, Luther nearly beats Superman just as his power runs out. Luther suddenly has a personal revelation and understands Superman’s perspective on the world, right before Superman punches him out. Finally, Superman tells Lois goodbye before he flies off to save the sun.
I saw the animated movie version of this after reading the book. It’s pretty faithful to the original. (It only uses the iconic opening page as a voiceover by Luther at the end, though.) The movie does skip over the Jimmy episode (too bad), along with going back in time to see his dad and the whole Bizzaro storyline. The changes made to the story in general make it better. There’s a short, but very heart-tugging scene between Superman and Ma Kent. The ending is different with a repentant Luther providing a solution to the world without a Superman. They did maybe stay a little too close to the original in not setting up or explaining the ending very well.
*****End of Spoilers*****
Overall, this story does have problems. It’s silly in places, as an homage to the Silver Age Superman. Alan Moore’s Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow, the traditional coda of the Silver Age Superman, is deadly serious by comparison. The final conflict isn’t set up well. Lex is just a cartoon villain. It felt like Superman’s romance with Lois should have been more prominent. Here the animated movie maybe handles these two issues a bit better, which is an acknowledgement of the weakness of the original. Even then, it still had to stick to the basic plot.
All that said, All-Star Superman is a classic. Unlike Batman:Hush, which I was really disappointed by (except for the artwork), this story is mythic and could only star Superman. (Everyone who says Batman is their favorite superhero, hasn’t read his comics in a while.) I hesitated doing a full recap, because so much of the enjoyment of the story is turning the pages and not knowing what sort of surprises will be there. It may be a bit all-over-the-place in narrative, but it will delight you in the unexpected. Even knowing the story, you’ll still amazed by the details and imagination.
For $9.99, this is best comic book you can get. Definite purchase.
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