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7th out of 54 books
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9 voters
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All-Star Superman: Volume 1 (All Star Superman #1)
Two of the comics industry's top creative talents, writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely, the acclaimed team behind JLA:EARTH 2, reunite to redefine Superman based on the timeless, essential iconic elements that everyone knows about the Man of Steel. In the first volume, the World's Greatest Super-Hero rescues a doomed group of astronauts on the surface of the sun...more
Paperback, 160 pages
Published
September 2nd 2008
by DC Comics
(first published April 11th 2007)
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Okay, other than Frank Quitely giving Supes the physique of a championship bowler, this book wasn’t bad. It certainly, was NOT the loathsome, Batman-raping shit bomb that All-Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder, Volume 1 was (I still haven’t forgiven you for that Frank Miller). I think that Grant Morrison did a good job capturing the essential, archetypal “goodness” of Superman in this homage/tribute/restoration of the icon of icons.
Still, this was a swing and a miss ...more
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In this DC Superman revamp, Superman contemplates his mortality and some absolutely goofy stuff happens. While Frank Quitely's art is downright gorgeous--he expertly presents us with a cuddly Clark and a steely-muscled Man of Steel--Grant Morrison's writing isn't quite up to snuff. A few of the episodes, namely "Superman's Forbidden Room" and "A Funeral in Smallville", have both scatter-shot moments of- and an enormous potential for great tenderness, but Morrison intermixes t...more
Despite the fact that I read a lot of comics -- and I do read a lot of comics -- I don't read a lot of superhero comics. Which isn't true at all, because I read a lot of superhero comics; it's just that almost all the superhero comics I read are Batman. I am absolutely obsessed with Batman in a way I've learned to live with, and I don't feel the need for non-comics fans or non-superhero fans to 'get it,' because so many other people obviously already do.
But. If, say, you were getting...more
But. If, say, you were getting...more
Morrison is a great comic book writer, but he has a few obvious flaws that can make his work difficult to digest, and have always kept him from reaching the same heights as Alan Moore.
All-Star Superman, while using the same deconstructed narrative and mind-blowingly bizarre gift of invention that are his trademarks, manages to overcome those limitations and essentially create the platonic ideal of what a Superman story should be.
In twelve issues this series manages to tru...more
All-Star Superman, while using the same deconstructed narrative and mind-blowingly bizarre gift of invention that are his trademarks, manages to overcome those limitations and essentially create the platonic ideal of what a Superman story should be.
In twelve issues this series manages to tru...more
Look! Superman playing super-fetch with his super-dog! Aw!
Hey, guys. Guess what I read yesterday? Superman. Isn't that weird?
Well, it was "Buy 1 Graphic Novel, Get 1 For $1" Day @ my work. And I had stocked up on the latest volumes of the three series that I am currently in the middle of (Fables, The Walking Dead, Chew). I just needed one more! And the stock was looking slim (yay! sales; boo! none for me). When this guy that I work with, Tyler...more
Hey, guys. Guess what I read yesterday? Superman. Isn't that weird?
Well, it was "Buy 1 Graphic Novel, Get 1 For $1" Day @ my work. And I had stocked up on the latest volumes of the three series that I am currently in the middle of (Fables, The Walking Dead, Chew). I just needed one more! And the stock was looking slim (yay! sales; boo! none for me). When this guy that I work with, Tyler...more

**combines All Star & Kryptonite reviews because I'm lazy & originally appeared on emtoast.com**
When I was about 6 years old I had a Dad crafted fort in my back yard. It was basically just 3 pieces of wood nailed together to form a triangle with a back on it and a curtain for the door. All I had in there was a Superman movie poster and a little lock box that I kept crackers, pepperoni, and a few Superman comics in. It was my mini-me fortress of solitude. Flash forward a few years and...more
When I was about 6 years old I had a Dad crafted fort in my back yard. It was basically just 3 pieces of wood nailed together to form a triangle with a back on it and a curtain for the door. All I had in there was a Superman movie poster and a little lock box that I kept crackers, pepperoni, and a few Superman comics in. It was my mini-me fortress of solitude. Flash forward a few years and...more
Justin
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone who wants a little joy in their lives.
Do you think Superman is too good? Too powerful? Too hard to empathize with? Just too goofy in general? Well, then you need to give this one a look. All the perceived weaknesses of Superman's character are made into something so strong, so iconic, that I have a hard time believing that anyone could hate this book. The writing and art are both nothing short of incredible, with an opening page that serves as an amusingly fast-paced reminder of the origin that even most non-comic book fans know by ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Superman is who Americans think of when they hear the word "superhero." DC Comics has recently been allowing their classic characters to be remolded with new stories that fall outside of the existing set of histories created for them.
This first volume is a collection of the first 5 issues of the comic book line of the same title. Each issue focuses on one of the major characters surrounding superman such as Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and Lex Luthor. To make things more intere...more
This first volume is a collection of the first 5 issues of the comic book line of the same title. Each issue focuses on one of the major characters surrounding superman such as Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and Lex Luthor. To make things more intere...more
Dear Grant Morrison,
It's not you, it's me. I should have known better. I've never been a big fan of Superman. We both know that I'm much more of a Batman sort of girl. I can't think of a single Superman book that I've loved. I probably should have left well enough alone. But I was curious, and anything had to be better than Frank Miller's All-Star Batman. That much was true. At least you seem to understand Superman's character, in a way that Miller no longer understands Batman's and ...more
It's not you, it's me. I should have known better. I've never been a big fan of Superman. We both know that I'm much more of a Batman sort of girl. I can't think of a single Superman book that I've loved. I probably should have left well enough alone. But I was curious, and anything had to be better than Frank Miller's All-Star Batman. That much was true. At least you seem to understand Superman's character, in a way that Miller no longer understands Batman's and ...more
I am going to unashamedly copy whole the review by a well known author in his own right and a good friend of mine (author: andrew mayer)
Morrison is a great comic book writer, but he has a few obvious flaws that can make his work difficult to digest, and have always kept him from reaching the same heights as Alan Moore.
All-Star Superman, while using the same deconstructed narrative and mind-blowingly bizarre gift of invention that are his trademarks, manages to overcome those ...more
Morrison is a great comic book writer, but he has a few obvious flaws that can make his work difficult to digest, and have always kept him from reaching the same heights as Alan Moore.
All-Star Superman, while using the same deconstructed narrative and mind-blowingly bizarre gift of invention that are his trademarks, manages to overcome those ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
"Definitive" is a word that is overused and undervalued in the current world of reviews, but there is no other way to describe this masterful tale about the world's most recognizable Superhero other than THE definitive Superman story. Whether you are a Super Fan or, like me, just casually interested in the big, blue boyscout, Grant Morrison once again does what he seemingly alone is able to do. He takes the most iconic figure in comic book history (and possibly all of popular culture) ...more
This is an unforgettable work of art condensing the many milestones throughout Superman's long career into a single, alternate universe story line in which Superman is dying. Lex Luthor has grokked how to kill the Man of Steel, and put into motion a plan that would eventually overload Supe's cells.
Morrison writes with sensitivity and grace, and coupled with the pencils of Quitely and the colors of Grant, is a piece nothing short of transcendental. How can an alien to our planet be more...more
Morrison writes with sensitivity and grace, and coupled with the pencils of Quitely and the colors of Grant, is a piece nothing short of transcendental. How can an alien to our planet be more...more
Even getting past the fact that I would read Frank Quitely drawing the phone book, this is some of Grant Morrison's best work. I think he is often at his best with work-for-hire, because the conceit, the structure of work he does not own, focuses his imagination. I think I have mentioned this elsewhere, but I wonder if part of what makes his Superman so good is that he realized that in order to bring the all powerful superhero into some semblance of believable scope, he also had to limit himself...more
I'd been hearing ever since this came out how great it was, so I expected more. I've always been a fan of Superman, even though I haven't liked him in the comics all that much. In this one, I love the initial four panel origin story -- awesome. I like the art better than I thought I would too; my initial introduction to Frank Quitely was the Batman and Robin series, and I didn't get what all the fuss was. Definitely better work here, in my opinion. Some of the stories in this first arc are a bit...more
This is a great mixture of simplicity and imagination. Morrison doesn't write Superman as some depressive outsider or someone desperate to make a normal life in spite of his powers. He's a larger-than-life hero whose main concerns are saving people and collecting cool stuff in the Fortress of Solitude. He even wants to be friends with Lex Luthor - who is also quite straightforward, but written very well.
The imaginative aspects (especially everything to do with Leo Quintum) are fun. Som...more
The imaginative aspects (especially everything to do with Leo Quintum) are fun. Som...more
Xmas present. I'm a big fan of comics but not enough to know the various writers and artists, except Alex Ross, but I guess because "All Star" is in the title these guys are supposed to be the best.
Volume 1 only has the first 6 comics in the series, so you need to get Volume 2 for the other twelve.
The deal is that Lex Luthor finally got the best of Superman by tricking him into flying so close to the Sun that his cells are overcharging and dying. The way Supe is...more
Volume 1 only has the first 6 comics in the series, so you need to get Volume 2 for the other twelve.
The deal is that Lex Luthor finally got the best of Superman by tricking him into flying so close to the Sun that his cells are overcharging and dying. The way Supe is...more
There are hundreds upon hundreds of mediocre Superman stories. There are, perhaps, dozens upon dozens of good Superman stories. Morrison and Quitely's All Star Superman is one of the really great Superman stories.
As I understand it, the concept behind the "All Star" books (there was also one for Batman, and I think one for Wonder Woman is in the works or underway) was to put top talents on a 12 issues story arc unbound by continuity. This certainly appears to have worked...more
As I understand it, the concept behind the "All Star" books (there was also one for Batman, and I think one for Wonder Woman is in the works or underway) was to put top talents on a 12 issues story arc unbound by continuity. This certainly appears to have worked...more
it was Grant Morrison who first (to my knowledge) called Superman "the sci-fi Jesus," & i can't think of a more appropriate, succinct encapsulation of the character. he is humanity's savior, delivered from on high, in a rocketship from outer space. his father sent him to us because of our potential, which he was meant to show us, by reflecting the best we have to offer, clothed in the heavenly vestments of his otherworldly father. his earthly upbringing gave limitless power incarnate a...more
[This review is for volumes 1 and 2 together.:]
This was so popular a read on the comics sites I occasion and it's been so roundly lauded on sites that aren't even about comics that I figured that at the least this was some sure-fire entertainment. And I'm sure that for some, it was. I, unfortunately, am not a member of that illustrious Some.
Honestly (I know... if you have to state something honestly it implies dishonesty—or at least a marked predisposition toward dishones...more
This was so popular a read on the comics sites I occasion and it's been so roundly lauded on sites that aren't even about comics that I figured that at the least this was some sure-fire entertainment. And I'm sure that for some, it was. I, unfortunately, am not a member of that illustrious Some.
Honestly (I know... if you have to state something honestly it implies dishonesty—or at least a marked predisposition toward dishones...more
Grant Morrison certainly seems to love putting his characters in the face of mortal danger, mortal being the operative word. But emphasizing vulnerabilities over strengths actually reveals the reasons why we find these old comic book heroes relevant and heroic. Morrison clearly knows this, and in this half-elegy, half-goofy scifi free for all, he showcases all the oddities and optimism that infused the Silver Age Superman, while giving the man himself a quiet, deeply personal send-off.
...more
...more
Taejas Kudva
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone who enjoyed any of the Superman movies.
Recommended to Taejas by:
The proprietor of Pastimes, outside of Asheville, NC
I've never read any of the main stream comic titles, though I know a bit about the lines from comicy friends, and I've liked a lot of the superhero movies, recent and past. This book just goes to show that short run titles are a great addition to the ever ongoing mythos of main books.
The story so far (vol. 1 only goes up to issue 6 of 12, I was told) has been really great. It rolls in a lot of the plot elements of the long running titles but in a very easily accessible way for people...more
The story so far (vol. 1 only goes up to issue 6 of 12, I was told) has been really great. It rolls in a lot of the plot elements of the long running titles but in a very easily accessible way for people...more
It took me years to realize this but the difference between a good classic character comic book series and a great one is that the great ones at their core “are” their characters rather than simply being “about” their characters. You could use Blue to explain Spider Man to an alien visitor or Born Again to teach Daredevil to a time traveler. And that’s the kind of story All Star Superman is, it’s Superman shorn of grit and grime and often misguided attempts at super heroic realism, distilled t...more
The definitive Superman.
If you could bottle up all the different bits that make something what it truly is, but from the eyes of all the people who knew him then you'd get something like this book.
The best Superman story ever told. Mining a lifetimes worth of stories about the Man of Steel, Grant Morrison managed to do what most comic book writers today don't even try for which is to capture the true essence of a character and present it in a whole new story in a modern ...more
If you could bottle up all the different bits that make something what it truly is, but from the eyes of all the people who knew him then you'd get something like this book.
The best Superman story ever told. Mining a lifetimes worth of stories about the Man of Steel, Grant Morrison managed to do what most comic book writers today don't even try for which is to capture the true essence of a character and present it in a whole new story in a modern ...more
Let it not be said that throughout my history of reading comics I have not given Superman and his creative teams ample opportunity to make me a fan. Because I have. Probably more opportunity than both my free time and my wallet really appreciate, to be honest. This persistent (and futile, I now realize), pursuit of the Man of Steel's fandom was most likely fueled by a few fleeting moments of brilliance in stories about him I've read in the past. (Those stories being It's a Bird... by Steven T. S...more
This book was so highly recommended, and I am not a fan. I would not recommend it. It was disjointed and uninspired, at best. The art direction seemed inconsistent, the writing was flat, and the characters were intangible.
If you want to read a stand-alone Superman book, read Superman: For All Seasons.
If you want to read a stand-alone Superman book, read Superman: For All Seasons.
Ah. Now *this* is a good Superman story. Definitely an approachable and enjoyable tale for those not versed in the 70+ years of retcons and alternate universes and multiearths and so on. It's a stand-alone 12-part story, and quietly retells the "need-to-know" information (Superman is the sole survivor of the planet Krypton, the earth's sun gives him the powers flight and super-strength and heat-vision, his secret identity is Clark Kent of the Daily Planet, his secret clubhouse is th...more
I'm definitely not a fan of the Man of Steel. He always comes off to me as too perfect, too much of a goody-two-shoes. Superman doesn't have any grit, and besides Kryptonite, few flaws. He's essentially the male version of a Mary Sue in tights and spandex: perfect in every way.
Morrison's version of Clark Kent in All-Star Superman made me take pause, however. A lot of the material here is poignant, quiet, and touching in its one little ways. Sure, it's zany and crazy and full of comic...more
Morrison's version of Clark Kent in All-Star Superman made me take pause, however. A lot of the material here is poignant, quiet, and touching in its one little ways. Sure, it's zany and crazy and full of comic...more
One of the better Superman stories. Lex Luthor is at it again and manages to trick Superman into saving Earth, but at the cost of his own life. As his body degenerates, Superman performs a checklist of miracles to leave the world in a better place than he found it.
Superman's character development in this first volume is close to stellar. Some of the interactions with Lois are phenomenal. My only complaint is that their relationship is very bland, but that has been a complaint of min...more
Superman's character development in this first volume is close to stellar. Some of the interactions with Lois are phenomenal. My only complaint is that their relationship is very bland, but that has been a complaint of min...more
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Scottish comic book author Grant Morrison is known for culture-jamming and the constant reinvention of his work. His often controversial books also rate amongst some of the most popular and critically-acclaimed. He is also active in screenwriting.
More about Grant Morrison...
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