Friday, September 19, 2008
Comics Out September 17, 2008
All Star Superman 12. My third post on this blog, back in March of 2006, was Jamie Grant and the second issue, and in the first sentence a referenced something I said on a CGS interview: I claimed at the time that Morrison and Quitely on Superman would be like Miller on Batman -- the definitive run. In my third post here I said two issues in I stood by that opinion, and now at 12 issues in I STILL stand by it. It is just wonderful and sweet and the final issue was great in part because it did not climax to some fever pitch -- it was just another day in the life of Superman. I liked how the ending implied that the next Superman story is the last Superman story -- Morrison's own DC: One Million. I mean, that is it -- You have the Superman story you need and then the Paradiso ending. And that last panel -- you just know Morrison had this brilliant idea of what the poster should look like for a Superman 2 movie, and the moment having past (in the first cycle) or being doubtful (the next movie will surely not be a sequel to Superman Returns), he used it as the last moment in the run.
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11 comments:
Words cannot describe how wonderful and lovely this series has been. I bought it before a meeting, sat in my car and read it. I cannot wait to get home today, so I can read the whole thing in one sitting.
There are several works that never leave my nightstand:
Watchmen
Ronin
The Dark Knight Returns
Miller's 1st run on Daredevil (the 3 Visionaries tpbs)
Abnett and Lanning's Majestic (I know it's not well known, but it's a personal favorite)
and of course, this.
I would highly suggest you check out Brubaker and Fraction on Uncanny X-Men. They are just the boys to follow up Morrison and Whedon
As for All Star...I never want this series to end.
You're totally right, Geoff.
At first reading I thought "This is a bit anti-climactic" but, then I realized this, and last issue, weren't meant to be climactic... they were the denoument. Issue 10 is the series climax and it is an emotional one rather than a physical one... and that issue has become my favorite single issue of a comic of all time.
The page of Superman building an artificial heart in the sun though.... absolutely brilliant.
I can't wait to read the whole thing from beginning to end now to see how it reads.
Yeah Geoff, I just want to add, that I glossed over All Star when Issue number one came out. Then YOU reviewed it, and I thought to give it a second chance. I loved issue 12, I thought it brought the whole thing to a nice conclusion. Fantastic, I think it's the greatest Superman story of all time! (Yes better than Alan Moore's "For the man who has everything!"
I agree completely with Scott on the highlight being 10, though a clerk at my LCS preferred the Hercules bit (3?).
This was totally lovely.
The best intertwining of Superman/Luthor threads - the way their dialogue/perpsectives/even the panels interplay, trade off each other, swap and swerve (in this issue and throughout the series) is just fascinating. Splendidly, Luthor's evil comes from his unopressable cynicism. Where is the truth? Can I touch it?
Brain does beat brawn, even as Superman is punching Lex out. Genius. That's as awesome as having Luthor read a self-help book earlier in the series. Complex. Simple. Contrary. Right. Easy.
Great moments throughout the run. 'What're you talking about?! I'm Jimmy Olsen! I look great!' (that hair!). Mr Action takes a jetpack to work - world with a Superman. The timetravelling Super-Strongmen (a wonderful phrase that scans deliciously and references Superman's circus strongmen heritage). Highlight of the run? Lois Lane getting bonked on the head by a rock, her face cracks me up every time. Luthor's incredibly camp hardbody gym session - "feel that!" The Steinbeck/Faulkner American gothic Supermen from the future. Morrison travels back through time and allows himself to create DC One Million, simultaneously (audaciously) making All Star Superman canon. DC One Million is the last Superman story, but All Star #10 is the best Superman story (whereas JLA: World War Three is both the last and best JLA story). Perfect perfect perfect.
There are some neat thoughts on Morrison's strange career trajectory here. Although I disagree on Final Crisis, which I think may turn out to be a masterpiece, and the best, last DC superhero story (Morrison's kinda sorta stated intention).
Comics rule.
Jog had some great comments about that "brains beats brawn" bit.
Jog is so right to refer to issue 2's: "I want them to know how it felt to live at the dawn of the age of superheroes." It's this, more than anything, that I found breathing through these issues.
And I think it probably is more skepticism than cynicism as the(/a) defining Luthor characteristic.
I am so glad Batman did not show up in this issue.
Highlight of the whole run? The reveal of Earth-Q as being our earth: In a world without a Superman... we would have to make one up.
All Star Superman is easily my favourite Superman story of all time. It even beats out What Ever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow by Alan Moore for me.
I've tried to collect Superman comics over the years but I've never stuck with it as there never seemed to be any sense of danger surrounding the character. Morrison takes care of that right away with a deft turn. It made me emotionally involved in the narrative from the start.
I'm so sad it is ending but glad to have read it all the same.
I made my first trip to the comic shop since the day before I interviewed Matt Fraction (still available for watching on Youtube for those that missed it.) I have been so busy completing my short zombie film for the George Romero competition - that I haven't had the time to make the long trek to civilization to retrieve my books.
I would like to admit one thing.
Geoff - I did something today that I never thought I would do. I bought a book on understanding poetry.
Of course, I have three months worth of comics to read before I can get to it - but first up is All Star Superman!
Huzzah!
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