A review by bellatora
All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison
3.0
According to Wikipedia, the DC's All-Star imprint was designed to allow creators to interpret DC characters "for a modern audience that have not read these DC characters' comics previously, or had not seen them lately. The creative teams were not beholden to any previous and present continuities, and told stories that featured 'the most iconic versions of these characters.'" As someone who is a casual fan of Superman in pop culture but not really a comic book reader, this should be a good jumping off point for me. Although I haven't read many comics, I have loved Superman TV shows. Lois and Clark was one of the first "adult" shows I remember enjoying as a kid when I was allowed to stay up and watch with my parents. And I watched all 10 (TEN!) seasons of Smallville.
Unfortunately, I did not feel like this was a good introduction to Superman comics. I will start with the good first. I loved Grant Morrison's take on Clark Kent. I'm not sure if other comic book writers have done this, but it's a different take from the TV shows. Grant Morrison's Clark Kent has a clumsy farm boy persona. And he uses that persona to save people. He will "accidentally" knock someone over on the street like he's a Great Dane puppy that doesn't know how to handle his limbs and size - but in reality, he knocked them over to prevent them from getting crushed by falling debris. Even Lex Luthor has an odd affection for the big dumb puppy that is Clark Kent, because he's such a bumbling fool, but so golden-hearted, you can't be mad at him.
What did not work was that Grant Morrison seems to have taken every weird, out-there, sci fi element of Superman and decided to incorporate it. There's a billionaire good-guy (?) who loves clothes in multi-colored hues who has some kind of space base on I think the moon? That Jimmy Olsen can appear at for a quick "day in the life" fluff story without a hitch. Metropolis gets attacked by dinosaur people who live in the center of the earth (who are, hilariously, ruled by the "Dino-Czar"). Biblical character Samson (who is now a time traveling strongman) and Greek myth Atlas (also a time traveler) try to woo Lois Lane away from Superman. Then the Ultrasphinx appears and chokes Lois Lane into a state of Quantum Uncertainty, neither alive nor dead. And Lex Luthor allies with an evil star (as in, sun star, not famous person). There are multiple instances of Superman going into the "Underverse." Every new issue was another new, strange villain or plot. It felt like this comic jumped from adventure to adventure and I was being thrust into stories with only half an understanding of what was going on, and I never found my footing. It definitely did not feel like this was written for someone who is a new or casual reader of the Superman canon.
Unfortunately, I did not feel like this was a good introduction to Superman comics. I will start with the good first. I loved Grant Morrison's take on Clark Kent. I'm not sure if other comic book writers have done this, but it's a different take from the TV shows. Grant Morrison's Clark Kent has a clumsy farm boy persona. And he uses that persona to save people. He will "accidentally" knock someone over on the street like he's a Great Dane puppy that doesn't know how to handle his limbs and size - but in reality, he knocked them over to prevent them from getting crushed by falling debris. Even Lex Luthor has an odd affection for the big dumb puppy that is Clark Kent, because he's such a bumbling fool, but so golden-hearted, you can't be mad at him.
What did not work was that Grant Morrison seems to have taken every weird, out-there, sci fi element of Superman and decided to incorporate it. There's a billionaire good-guy (?) who loves clothes in multi-colored hues who has some kind of space base on I think the moon? That Jimmy Olsen can appear at for a quick "day in the life" fluff story without a hitch. Metropolis gets attacked by dinosaur people who live in the center of the earth (who are, hilariously, ruled by the "Dino-Czar"). Biblical character Samson (who is now a time traveling strongman) and Greek myth Atlas (also a time traveler) try to woo Lois Lane away from Superman. Then the Ultrasphinx appears and chokes Lois Lane into a state of Quantum Uncertainty, neither alive nor dead. And Lex Luthor allies with an evil star (as in, sun star, not famous person). There are multiple instances of Superman going into the "Underverse." Every new issue was another new, strange villain or plot. It felt like this comic jumped from adventure to adventure and I was being thrust into stories with only half an understanding of what was going on, and I never found my footing. It definitely did not feel like this was written for someone who is a new or casual reader of the Superman canon.