All-Star Superman


Oct 22, 2009

All-Star Superman 1All-Star Superman 2It's true to say I've been a Superman fan as far back as I can remember, but it's also true to say I haven't always been a fan. Because there are really many different characters called Superman: the original Golden Age character who didn't fly and was much less of a Boy Scout than the character later become; the Silver Age goody-goody with the complex mythology and the huge cast of characters; the 1980s reboot; the George Reeves TV version; the Christopher Reeve movie version; the Dean Cain TV version; the Tom Welling TV version; and many more. Superman is a character who has been reinterpreted countless times, some more to my liking than others.In All-Star Superman, writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely give what could be considered a basic interpretation of Superman and his friends. Taking the best, most accessible qualities of the characters from the 1940s to the 1980s, then throwing in Morrison's trademark postmodernist psychedelia and weird science, they create a rollicking, funky, exciting and moving story, high on imagination and deep with emotion. All-Star Superman is divorced from any specific comics continuity, so even casual readers can jump right in, while old-school fans like myself can revel in the nostalgic atmosphere. Morrison keeps the pacing quick, the dialogue snappy, and the mad ideas coming fast and furious, while also focusing on some of the core emotional reasons why Superman is such an endearing, inspiring character. Quitely's art doesn't appeal to everyone, but I've always loved it, and he's in top form here.All-Star Superman, like Alan Moore's Supreme,  is perfect for former comics fans who haven't read superhero comics in years, long-time fans who want something fresh, and casual readers who like stories loaded with fun and high-level imagination.

Reviewed by Josh N.
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