All-Star Superman
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Frank Quitely
An highly overrated Superman story that had potential, but was far too gimmicky for me...
Ranking: 2 stars
To be quite honest, I'm not a huge Superman fan. I'm not saying I hate Superman, in fact, he's an excellent character. His origin story is very creative and original, his warm and kindhearted personality is admirable, and I love how he uses his powers for others when they could be easily used for his own personal gain. So what is it about a superhero that seems so perfect to the concept that doesn't grab my attention? I'm not completely sure myself, but maybe I feel that he doesn't give the same sense of a realistic, relatable, or energetic character that others give for me (Spider-Man, Batman, the X-Men, and the Watchmen in case you're wondering). Despite that, I still hold many of Superman's stories in high regard. SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL (John Byrne) gave a compelling and somewhat realistic origin to the character while still retaining the classic elements of the man of steel's mythos; SUPERMAN FOR ALL SEASONS (Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale), while a tad overrated, was a deep look into Superman's psychological struggle about finding his place in the world; THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN put the hero to his ultimate test, and shocked readers with the reality that even our greatest heroes are vulnerable (same reason why BATMAN KNIGHTFALL is my number one favorite Bat-tale of all time); SUPERMAN: RED SON (Mark Millar) was a great alternate take on the character, proving that even communism doesn't demonize all under it's influence; SUPERMAN FOR TOMMOROW (Brian Azzarello (ugghh...) & Jim Lee), while it started out with a confusing and boring beginning, the exposition was nice, and the climactic battle between Superman and General Zod was possibly one of my favorite Superman fights. ALL-STAR SUPERMAN however, was not only disappointing for me, but in my opinion, was extremely overhyped by both fans and critics alike as one of the greatest Superman stories, if not one of the greatest comics, of all time (almost every review here on Amazon praises this book like it's the next BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS or WATCHMEN). I’ll be honest here; I personally feel that this is the only book by Grant Morrison that I consider to be overrated (I would also count BATMAN: THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE as Ain’t it Cool News said that “If you don’t pick up this book, you hate comics;” this is where Spock would say, “Highly Illogical”). In general, Grant Morrison is a hit-or-miss writer for most people, as many people either find his writing style too confusing, or hate his reimagining of well-known comic book characters. I’ve personally enjoyed many of his books like BATMAN R.I.P. (my favorite of his, which is highly overhated), BATMAN AND ROBIN, BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM, NEW X-MEN, and FINAL CRISIS, but ALL-STAR SUPERMAN did not do anything for me at all. While the book had one of the best premises in Superman history, and the idea Morrison attempts to convey had potential, the were many elements that personally bother me. Unlike modern Superman stories which have placed limits on his near-infinite powers and gave him more of a connection to Earth than Krypton, ALL-STAR SUPERMAN takes the character back to his god-like Silver Age persona, which I’m sorry, is not very intriguing. I may not be the right person to judge this story (as I haven’t read enough Superman stories to consider myself a fan of the Man of Steel), but I still feel like I need to explain why I think this book is heavily overrated. Set in the All-Star universe (DC’s equivalent to Marvel’s Ultimate universe), the book opens with Superman flying in a beautiful two-page gatefold under the sun (probably the best scene in the book), attempting to save a crew of astronauts whose research craft has entered the path of a solar flare. Although the Man of Steel is able to rescue the crew from disaster, he soon learns that the whole situation was a trap set by Lex Luthor. By flying in close range of the sun (the source of Superman’s powers), Superman absorbs a large quantity of radiation, which is too much for his body to contain, beginning a slow cell deterioration process. The set up presented is perfect, and had the potential to be a great and tragic outlook on the Man of Steel, but what follows falls flat for me. Knowing that he doesn’t have long to live, the Man of Steel decides to dedicate his last days to performing twelve super challenges, including the creation of life, escaping from the Underverse, overthrowing a tyrant sun, and answering the unanswerable question. It is through these feats, that the reader is exposed to numerous gimmicky plot elements that attempt to make Superman less of a relatable protagonist, and more of a god-like messiah. The two aspects that I enjoy the most in Superman stories is while he is a near indestructible powerhouse, he still chooses to use his power to serve others rather than himself, and that he still has limitations that make his adventures believable and enduring. While the kind demeanor of Superman is present in this story, Morrison pushes the boundaries of Superman’s god-like nature and abilities beyond what I can handle in superhero comics. While I can understand how long-time fans can enjoy this Silver-Age incarnation of the character, it really irritates me. If you give a character too much power, it seriously downplays any sense of peril the character may face in dangerous situations. It makes the story less believable and less interesting for me. I’d rather have a character who despite having vast powers, can relate to his audience, rather than a godly powerhouse that escapes the bounds of reality and logic. I know this is where fans of the book would throw Johnny Depp’s “What do you know? Haven’t you heard of suspension of disbelief?” line from Tim Burton’s ED WOOD at me, but there are limits to how far escapist fiction goes, and the campy feats presented here kill it for me. The Man of Steel here is practically a god among men in this book, capable of performing virtually anything, which lends itself to numerous scenarios that are extremely gimmicky. Among these abilities include, shrinking down a star and hammering it down on an anvil to feed a sun eater (eehh…), possessing the Titanic among the trophies in his Fortress of Solitude (a little offensive to those who lost their lives on the ship…), cracking the moon in half when thrown towards it by rogue Kryptonians (“Highly Illogical;” apologies to Spock), and worst of all (MAJOR SPOILER ALERT), building an artificial heart to keep the sun alive (I honestly cannot take that seriously). These devices were extremely distracting from the story to me, and only aided in making Superman less believable and interesting. I know that comics are supposed to have elements that go beyond the concepts of reality, but Morrison really pushes it here. I was just not willing to suspend my disbelief that far, as they go against what makes Superman an enjoyable character for me. While fantasy elements like Krypton’s destruction, the Man of Steel’s limitless kindness, kryptonite, and having various powers due to being in the presence of a yellow sun are necessary for Superman’s characters, an artificial sun heart is too goofy for even Superman standards in my opinion. The All-Star books were meant to introduce their characters to new readers without convoluted continuity, but bringing the character back to his Silver Age roots probably wouldn’t be the best route to gain an audience in my opinion. People’s preferences in comics have changed since the 50’s and 60’s, and the reason for writers humanizing Superman was to link the character to audiences who wanted a sense of realism in their escapist fiction. Audiences are less willing to suspend their disbelief than they were in the past, and by bringing Superman back to that era, it becomes more difficult for the reader to connect with the story. It’s more as if this was a book by Superman fans, for Superman fans, which is not a wise choice when trying to gain new readers. It was with this book that I realized that the All-Star line in general was generally ineffective in reaching a new audience(it’s other book was ALL-STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN which ruined the titular hero to the point of being laughably bad). I like Grant Morrison as a writer, as he is great at introducing new innovating themes to well-established characters, what he does for the Man of Steel does goes beyond what I can handle. It really baffles me to why ALL-STAR SUPERMAN has been so well received by fans and critics. While I enjoyed the direction this story could’ve taken, it was ruined by the emphasis on Superman as a god, the overdose of gimmicky and campy ideas, and would be difficult for new audiences to connect with. While it’s not one of the worst comics I’ve read, I really did not like this one. I know that fans of the book are probably going to trash me with comments that explain why this is the greatest Superman story ever, but that only reinforces my point about this book being overrated. If you like this book, or think it’s one you’ll like, I’m fine with that. But ALL-STAR SUPERMAN was just not for me. It was far too gimmicky and stupid for me, and I’ll never completely understand why people call it the greatest Superman story ever, but if you say so, then that means it just applies to your tastes. Just not for me. “I have great expectations for the future, because the past was highly overrated.” -Sylvester Stallone
