( This article contains spoilers for Batman v Superman.) In Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Superman scowls by default. His angry eyes burn red.
![Superman Superman](http://i.imgur.com/iBQyk4N.jpg)
When a bomb explodes, he makes no move to contain it or shield innocents from the blast. He hovers high in the sky, out of people's reach, posing for an ecclesiastical portrait in onlookers' minds. The crashed ship left behind by his first big fight. The alien indulges a punch-up with Batman he could easily have stopped or avoided.
This is Zack Snyder's Superman. He's everything Superman is not. There is, however, an antidote, a nearly perfect version of the character, in All-Star Superman. Ten years ago writer Grant Morrison and artists Frank Quietly and Jamie Grant began to craft a Superman who distills all the hero's greatest qualities into a 12-issue story (now available in collected form), drawing on the decades of comics history ignored by Snyder's new film. This is a pure Superman, vivid, generous, and confident, humming with the best notions from Max Fleischer's animation, and the comics from editor Julius Schwartz, writer Denny O'Neil, and artist Curt Swan, not to mention concepts from Alan Moore and many others.
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He's a concentrated articulation of all virtues which have made the Man of Steel a paragon for children and adults alike. If Walter White could cook the character in a lab, even he'd be proud of this result. All-Star Superman is fundamentally a story of being alive in the world, even in the face of insurmountable difficulties. It is joyous and hopeful.
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Snyder and David Goyer struggled with Superman's message of hope in Man of Steel and essentially abandon the idea altogether in the new movie. All-Star Supermanbrings the concept to life on every page. 'The work doesn't stop,' Superman says, 'just because I'm dying.' The story opens with Kal-El realizing he's approaching his final days.
Superman's optimism is balanced by the selfishness of Lex Luthor, who breaks an oath to reject actions against the Kryptonian when he realizes that he is noticeably aging as Superman remains young. The industrialist's final plan to destroy Superman actually appears to work as Kal-El is exposed to astonishing levels of radiation from the Earth's sun - radiation that exponentially increases the hero's power even as it triggers a cellular response that will soon kill him. Structured like a 'greatest hits' story, Morrison drives the character through a dream date with Lois Lane, encounters with powerful distractions and more difficult challenges such as Bizarro and the Parasite, the spectre of unfulfilled promises, and the lingering sense of alien superiority that led to Krypton's demise. Each encounter highlights some aspect of the hero's character, a virtue or an effect he has on the world. On a superficial level, All-Star Superman might appear too breezy in its constant addition of classic foes and situations from Superman's history. Morrison folds in so many creatures and details that, on first pass, key narrative elements can be difficult to sort from the set dressing.
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The writer, however, in concert with Quitely's uniquely effective illustrations, navigates the story like a gifted gymnast performing a gold-medal routine. He twists, flips, and leaps from point to point with grace and power. For the true neophytes (and also for the die-hards) the animated adaptation of All-Star Superman from Warner Premiere is a fine primer. James Denton and Christina Hendricks voice Kal-El and Lois; Anthony LaPaglia is a superb Lex Luthor. The story keeps far more than the bare bones of Morrison's story, and makes the action clear for any viewer. Christopher Drake supports the animation with a stellar score, including a title theme that competes heartily for my top favor alongside John Williams' original and Hans Zimmer's excellent work for Man of Steel.
All Star Superman is published by DC Comics. Current price per issue is $2.99. It's a lovely crash course on what has made Superman such a special comic book character. All Star Superman is part of the 'All Star' series of DC Comics. “All-Star Superman” is not only the best superhero comic currently being published, it’s one of the few superhero comics to transcend the genre and aspire to.
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Drake's Theme: I'm not a Superman lifer. My early comic interests were Marvel: Spider-Man and the X-Men, Daredevil, even the alternate-universe faux-DC of Squadron Supreme. After Alan Moore and Frank Miller dominated 1986 I took up Batman as my DC avatar.
Superman was dopey, lame. The Boy Scout. My first university roommate was a big Superman fan, and also a writer. He talked up the character as an avatar; we were both obsessed with Ultima IV, a dense, difficult video game about virtue, and the concept started to stick. Not that I started to read the comics. I only wanted Swamp Thing and Sandman. Finally, a fascination with the structure of personal identity bridged my interests with Clark Kent.
Morrison's Kent is particularly appealing; he struggles to communicate to Lois that Superman and Clark are the same person even as he faces the idea that he has spent a life lying to Lois about his true nature. He can seem overbearing, even a bit of a show-off, as he reveals his secrets. The point isn't to impress, however, but to communicate. The relationship they both want is impossible -- he knows this, just as Lois realizes the same thing in Batman v Superman. The film airs questions of their incompatibility only to discard them.
I admire, too, the writing of Clark Kent as a sort of covert operative. He stumbles, trips and takes pratfalls. Clark plays the fool convincingly, so much so that no one realizes his bumbling is either a disguised way to help people - by pushing them out of the way of danger or directly eliminating a threat without appearing to be conscious of doing so - or a put-on cover to make his targeted stumbles seem more consistent.
Clark is no more a fool or a dope than Superman. They are the same, the two in one always looking ahead. Superman's best incarnations, no matter the writer, are smart. They think many moves ahead. Here, Kal-El's intellect increases along with his physical strength. More godlike than ever, the core of his humanity - the empathy that makes him a representative of what we strive to be - is only enhanced.
Intellect and empathy are not at odds; they work in concert with one another, and in contrast to the cold brutality of Lex Luthor's emotional life. Batman v Superman, on the other hand, with conservative leanings deeply baked-in but never meaningfully examined, approaches the character like a Fox and Friends pundit.
This is a Superman for audiences who look askance at 'elites.' A paranoid rejection of those who prioritize reason and intellect is manifest in Snyder's Superman, who never appears to think beyond his immediate desires. Of course Superman is an elite. He is the elite. He's an alien given a second chance to survive in a new environment, just like the earliest Americans -- an environment in which his inherent strength can blossom into true power. All-Star Superman does contain a scene where Superman is very much like the 'hero' of Snyder's new movie. Exposed to Black Kryptonite, a bit of Krypton 'that's been buried for years in the underverse,' Superman is poisoned by its radiation, turning violently bad.
This 'Black K Superman,' comments Jimmy Olsen, 'was everything you're not. A lot more like Snyder's Superman.
• Publication date November 2005 – October 2008 No. Of issues 12 Main character(s) Creative team Created by Written by Jamie Grant Phil Balsman Travis Lanham Jamie Grant Editor(s) Brandon Montclare Volume 1 Volume 2 All-Star Superman is a twelve-issue series featuring that was published. The series ran from November to October.
The series was written by, drawn by, and digitally inked by Jamie Grant. DC claimed that this series would 'strip down the Man of Steel to his timeless, essential elements'. The series was the second to be launched in 2005 under DC's, the first being.
These series were attempts by DC to allow major comics creators a chance to tell stories showcasing these characters without being restricted. Contents • • • • • • • • • Publication history [ ] Grant Morrison's approach to writing this series was to make the reading as universal as possible. He stated that he wasn't interested in 're-doing origin stories or unpacking classic narratives' but instead wanted to do 'a total update, rehaul and refit'.
However, rather than just creating a 'fresh and relevant' update for new readers, Morrison wanted to write a 'collection of ‘timeless’ Superman issues'. The origins of this lie in a revamp of Superman, Superman Now, which began when Morrison and editor were unsuccessfully brainstorming ideas for a new take on the character outside the, when they had a ' encounter with a man dressed as Superman which helped spark the creative process and inspired the cover to the first issue. Morrison states in an interview: 'He was perched with one knee drawn up, chin resting on his arms. He looked totally relaxed. And I suddenly realized this was how Superman would sit.
He wouldn't puff out his chest or posture heroically, he would be totally chilled. If nothing can hurt you, you can afford to be cool. A man like Superman would never have to tense against the cold; never have to flinch in the face of a blow. He would be completely laid back, un-tense.
With this image of Superman relaxing on a cloud looking out for us all in my head, I rushed back to my hotel room and filled dozens of pages of my notebook with notes and drawings.' The ideas generated by that meeting were refined and pitched to DC in 1998 by Morrison,, and. They picked up on the fifteen-year cycle of reboots to the character, the previous one being 's, and suggested a new approach: The Superman relaunch we’re selling bucks the trend of sweeping aside the work done by those who came immediately before. Unlike the ‘cosmic reset’ revamps all too prevalent in current comics, our New Superman approach is an honest attempt to synthesize the best of all previous eras. Our intention is to honor each of Superman’s various interpretations and to use internal story logic as our launching pad for a re-imagined, streamlined 21st century Man of Steel. The ‘cosmic reset’ notion has been replaced by a policy of ‘include and transcend’ with regard to past continuity.
Our intention is to restore Superman to his pre-eminent place as the greatest super-hero of all. Although initially greenlit, it was eventually turned down and Morrison said, 'I didn’t expect to be doing any further work on Superman' but the chance came as he was finishing his run on. In an interview with Matt Brady from, Grant Morrison stated he was contacted by DC Vice President and asked 'if I'd like to come back to DC to work on a Superman project with an artist of my choice'. He mentioned it worked out well since he was also planning to return to DC 'to do the project and the books'.
Morrison has confirmed that he made use of some of his Superman Now ideas for All-Star Superman, like 'Luthor’s heart-stopping moment of understanding,' as well as drawing on his original proposal for elements later included in the storyline. In his writing of the character Superman, Morrison identifies different aspects of his personality, stating, 'Superman' is an act. 'Clark Kent' in Metropolis is also an act. There are actually two Kents, at least – one is a disguise, a bumbling, awkward mask for Superman. The other is the confident, strong, good-hearted Clark Kent who was raised by his surrogate Ma and Pa in Kansas and knows how to drive a tractor. I think he's the most 'real' of all.'
As the series drew to a close, writer Grant Morrison conceived of a series of one-shot specials, loose in continuity from the original series, that would depict or pay tribute to the Superman, the team, the Superman Squad, the, and the. Publisher has stated that are no current plans for the specials. Morrison would later become involved as writer on a where he used his ideas about the Golden Age Superman. Leo Quintum and his team from are exploring the when they are remotely sabotaged. Rescues them, and acquires the ability to project his bio-electric aura. Luthor orchestrated this event to overwhelm Superman's cells with massive amounts of solar radiation, and Quintum determines that Superman's new level of power is also killing him, and he has one year left to live. Luthor is arrested, thanks to a article.
Superman decides to keep his impending death secret from the public. Superman on the cover of All-Star Superman #10 (May 2008); artwork by However, Superman reveals his secret identity to, because he wants to spend his remaining time with her. Lois initially refuses to believe that Clark and Superman are the same person. For her birthday, Superman takes Lois to the, where they have dinner in a stateroom of the.
During this visit, he also tells Lois that she can explore the Fortress save for one room he is constantly checking. Superman's behavior heightens Lois' suspicions and she becomes paranoid.
She attacks Superman with a Kryptonite laser, but his enhanced powers have rendered him immune to it. Superman calms her down and reveals that he was preparing her birthday present in the off-limits room: a costume for her and a liquefied form of his DNA that will grant her all his superpowers for 24 hours. Using the name ', she and Superman stop a monster attack in involving Samson, and an Ultra-Sphinx. Superman drives Samson and Altas away and he and Lois spend an eventful day that ends with them kissing on the moon before her powers fade and she falls asleep. Superman flies her back home. Luthor is convicted of crimes against humanity and sentenced to death.
Clark meets Luthor for an interview. Luthor discloses his respect for Clark as a journalist and states that he has no desire to escape as long as he defeats Superman by causing his death. He reveals to Clark that Superman is dying, hoping that it will be published in the Daily Planet. Nearing death, Superman accomplishes a variety of tasks that significantly help both humans & Kryptonians and completes his last will and testament. Meanwhile, Luthor survives his execution as he took a serum similar to what Superman made for Lois and escapes. Superman then learns of Luthor's ally, who has tampered with the sun.
Superman engages Solaris until a Sun-Eater that Superman had cared for in the Fortress and subsequently released returns to sacrifice itself to weaken it. Superman defeats Solaris, leaving its body intact because he has learned from the Superman Squad that Solaris will become an ally in the future. Clark returns to the Daily Planet to submit his article but falls dead. As the staff tries to save him, Luthor arrives and attacks Metropolis. Believing he is on his home planet of Krypton, Superman joins his Kryptonian father, who reveals that Superman's body is converting itself to a solar radio-consciousness. He offers him a choice: remain or come back to life.
Clark wakes up and fights Luthor with a gravity gun. The gravity gun warps time for Luthor, burning out his powers. As his powers fade, Luthor briefly sees the world as Superman sees it, and weeps before Superman knocks him out. Superman and Lois embrace and he proclaims his love for her once and for all. He takes off, flies into the Sun and repairs it, saving the day for one last time. One year later, Lois tells Jimmy that she still believes Superman will return. Inside the sun, Superman, now a solar being, maintains machinery to keep the sun alive.
The story concludes with Quintum revealing that if something happens, they will be ready, standing before a door with Superman's characteristic shield, but with its usual 'S' replaced with the number '2'. Kal-El himself would one day emerge from his seclusion: he was seen once from countless thousands of years in the future, having evolved into a sort of, meeting with his past self shortly after the death of Jonathan Kent and his masquerade as the Unknown Superman, and shortly before his own 'death'. The future Superman presented his dying past self with an indestructible golden flower from New Krypton, 'For him, from all of us. In remembrance of all that we are. And all that we will be.' The flower was planted at Jonathan Kent's grave.
Reception [ ] The first issue was released in November 2005 and was a sales success, ranking second in the top 300 comics for that period, with Infinite Crisis #2 being the top seller. The second issue also ranked second in the top 300 comics for the January 2006 period, with pre-order sales of 124,328; Infinite Crisis #4 being the top seller that month. The series completed its run upon publication of its final issue in October 2008.
Jeremy Estes, an early reviewer from, notes the difficulty in revamping the character Superman in his review of the first issue of the series. However, the All-Star continuity allowed the writer Grant Morrison much more writing freedom. Frank Quitely's art is praised as 'fresh and modern', while still 'evoking the classic hero known around the world'. At the time of writing only the first issue had been released, and so Estes was unsure of the direction of the story, noting the creative team 'have set up a promising tale, but only time will tell if they take the last train to Memphis or head West, all the way to Vegas'.
Nicholas Labarre, writing for, argued that All-Star Superman 'confidently exploits the near omnipotence of the main character,' in contrast with other Superman stories. He compared the series favorably with Morrison's other work. Ed Mathews from PopImage reviewed the first collected, which collects the first six issues, and praised the creative team, stating the art is 'the most elegant work out of Frank Quitely I’ve seen to date'. Mathews also singled out Grant Morrison's, saying that the series adds to the Superman mythos 'by tweaking bits and parts from the character’s rich history just enough to make old concepts fresh again'. He recommended Volume 1 of the collected editions, and stated that ' All Star Superman sings a hit'.
Another review of Volume 1 came from Danny Graydon of, who stated that Grant Morrison's writing is 'the most vigorously entertaining take on the 'Man of Steel' in decades' and that the 'nuanced artwork is to be savoured'. Magazine's ranked the graphic novel third in Top 10 Graphic Novels of 2007. He praised the storyline, noting that due to the character's strength and morality, he is a difficult character to write for.
IGN.com's list of top 25 Superman stories ranked All-Star Superman number one on the top of the list, describing it as '. A loving and affectionate celebration of everything that Superman stands for.' The pop culture commentator praised the series suggesting that Grant Morrison had portrayed Superman as 'emotionally intelligent. Thoughtful' and 'compassionate'.
Collected editions [ ] The series has been collected into three in hardcover and softcover format: • Volume 1 (collects #1–6, 160 pages, hardcover, DC, January 2007,, softcover, DC, April 2007, ) • Volume 2 (collects #7–12, 160 pages, hardcover, DC, February 2009,, softcover, Titan, September 2009,, DC, February 2010, ) • All-Star Superman (collects #1–12, 320 pages, hardcover, DC, October 2010, ) In other media [ ] •, a film in the series, is an adaptation of Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's 2005–2008 comic book All-Star Superman. It was written by writer and directed by Sam Liu. It was released on February 22, 2011.
It stars as Superman, as Lois Lane, as Lex Luthor, as Perry White, as Judge, as Atlas, as Nasthalthia 'Nasty' Luthor, as Martha Kent, as Dr. Leo Quintum, as Parasite, as Jimmy Olsen, as Lilo, as Steve Lombard, and as Bar-El. • The 2013 film features a monologue spoken by () taken almost word-for-word from the comic. Awards [ ] All-Star Superman won the for 'Best New Series' in 2006, as well as 'Best Continuing Series' in 2007 and 2009. It also won the for 'Best Artist' and 'Best Single Issue' in 2008. In 2006 it won the for 'Favourite New Comic book' and 'Favourite Comics Cover' (for the first issue), as well as the 2007 'Favourite Colour Comicbook - American' Eagle. • ^ (September 6, 2005)...
Archived from on January 25, 2009. Retrieved April 21, 2008. • ^ Smith, Zack (October 21, 2008)... • Cronin, Brian (February 12, 2009)... Archived from on 2 March 2010. • Brady, Matt (December 22, 2004)...
Retrieved April 21, 2008. [ ] • Renaud, Jeffrey (April 17, 2008)... • Rogers, Vaneta (October 12, 2009)...
• Sneddon, Laura (March 26, 2013).. Retrieved August 9, 2013. December 19, 2005. Retrieved April 21, 2008. From the original on 30 April 2008. Retrieved April 24, 2008.
• Estes, Jeremy (January 6, 2006)... Retrieved April 21, 2008.
• Labarre, Nicholas (April 29, 2008).. Sequart Research & Literacy Organization.
Retrieved February 3, 2011. • Mathews, Ed.. Archived from on May 25, 2011.
Retrieved April 21, 2008. • Graydon, Danny (January 6, 2006)... Archived from on June 20, 2007. Retrieved April 21, 2008. • (December 9, 2007)...
From the original on 24 April 2008. Retrieved April 21, 2008. Comic Book Girl 19. 7 November 2013. Retrieved March 28, 2014. • Graham, Bill (2010-07-24)..
Archived from on 2010-07-25. Retrieved 2010-07-24. • McDuffie, Dwayne (2010-07-25).. Archived from on 27 July 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-27. • ^ Harvey, James (November 30, 2010).. Retrieved December 1, 2010.
• Kit, Borys (2010-09-16).. Archived from on 18 September 2010.
Retrieved 2010-09-17. • Harvey, James (February 15, 2011).. Archived from on October 15, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2011. • Johnston, Rich (July 22, 2012)..
Bleeding Cool. Retrieved 9 August 2013. Archived from on 11 April 2008. Retrieved April 21, 2008.
Archived from on October 22, 2007. Retrieved April 21, 2008.
References [ ] • at the External links [ ] • at the Comic Book DB • •,, October 23, 2008 •,, October 24, 2008 •,, October 27, 2008 •,, October 28, 2008 •,, November 3, 2008.