Loved it so much I wrote about it in my blog:
Years ago, when comics were still young and the industry generated so many avenues and possibilities, Superman rose from the ink and newsprint as a creature that personified his industry: An American original made relatable by the fact that he was soaked in the immigrant struggle (or at least the desire to overcome it all).
Superman, like all things mass-produced and consumed by an insatiable public, lost his way. A fact that was defined by cynical, changing times and well-intended yet misguided editorial decisions. Newer heroes overtook him. The type that late-Century readers could relate to. Superman became irrelevant (Me? I always thought DC should treat Superman like Disney does Mickey Mouse. Only break him out for special occasions).
Through the soul-selling magic of Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, we have ALL-STAR SUPERMAN. A reminder of not just the Man of Tomorrow…but us as humanity.
Let's be honest, every person, place, or thing that has inspired people has been made fictional. Martin Luther King. Ghandi. John Lennon. Jesus. While evidence proves them to be real, to most observers they are bigger than life. Made surreal. Made fictional. So why wouldn't Superman join their ranks as a motivational figure? His impossible-feats can be compared to walking on water....on paper, of course.
Like all great stories, it's a simple yet emotional story. Technicolored with painstaking detail and depicting a Superman decaying from solar over-radiation. Ironically enough the sun, his power source, is killing him. Lex Luthor had a little something to do with it (naturally) but the Man of Steel's greatest challenge isn't megalomania, it's the guarantee of his earthly legacy. Have we learned anything from him?
Humble as always, even SuperMan doesn't know in the end. He’s too busy crossing off his list of final things to do.
The closing issue (#12) of the Eisner-stealing, ALL-STAR SUPERMAN arrived this week. WOOSH-ing anticipation with its cape. This is the book to beat for the foreseeable decade…if not more. (Hm. I like that. “ALL-STAR SUPERMAN: The Decade-Beater”). In a quiet way, It is the Fantastic Four #1 of the 1960s. It is the Giant-Size X-Men of the 1970s. It is the Watchmen of the 1980s. It is the Action Comics #1 of the 30s. A book that, to actual comic fans, has turned the industry in yet another direction (if only the world still weren't too cynical to notice it).
To understand ALL-STAR SUPERMAN is to understand the creators. Writer, Grant Morrision must’ve waited for this moment. Morrison, a walking, talking Sci-Fi/Fantasy himself, has been writing since he was 17 years old. This man with his ability to make you believe every word he writes has fortunately made his home in comics. Yes, he uses "magic" in his projects. I don't know if I believe in the stuff...but it works.
Frank Quitely is a bit more elusive (honestly, they both are). If you guessed, that's not his real name. Mr.-Play-on-Words, like Morrison, is also a Scot. His penmanship allows him to create Pop that talks, breathes, and swells. There's movement in the way Superman sits on gold clouds of issue #1's cover. When Clark Kent stumbles into the Daily Planet's main office. When Supes gives a non-verbal "F*ck you" to Hercules in an arm wrestling match.
Their collaborative efforts (NEW X-MEN, WE3, and now, ALL-STAR) are about to allow them to join the ranks of Superman: Bigger than life and fictionalized.
You can almost hear John Williams' horn section.
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