| All-Star Superman | |
|---|---|
 Cover ofAll-Star Superman #1 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Schedule | Bimonthly |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | November 2005 – October 2008 |
| No. of issues | 12 |
| Main character(s) | Superman Lex Luthor Lois Lane |
| Creative team | |
| Created by | Grant Morrison Frank Quitely |
| Written by | Grant Morrison |
| Penciller | Frank Quitely |
| Inker | Jamie Grant |
| Letterer(s) | Phil Balsman Travis Lanham |
| Colorist | Jamie Grant |
| Editor(s) | Brandon Montclare Bob Schreck |
| Collected editions | |
| Volume 1 | ISBN 1401209149 |
| Volume 2 | ISBN 1401218377 |
| Absolute Edition | ISBN 1401229174 |
| Deluxe Edition | ISBN 1779513445 |
All-Star Superman is a twelve-issueAmerican comic book series featuringSuperman that was published byDC Comics. The series ran from November 2005 to October 2008, written byGrant Morrison, drawn byFrank Quitely, and digitally inked by Jamie Grant. The series revolves around Superman as he accomplishes many heroic feats (The Twelve Labors of Superman) and attempts to make peace with the world before his imminent death due to overexposure to Earth's Sun.
The origin of the series started with Morrison's desire to tell a "timeless" Superman story that was not an origin story or followed a classic narrative. Morrison originally planned a revamp of the Superman character, titled "Superman Now", but after the approach was declined, they decided they would not write anything related to Superman until DC Vice PresidentDan DiDio contacted them. Some of the ideas planned for "Superman Now" were subsequently reused forAll-Star Superman.
The series was the second to be launched in 2005 under DC'sAll-Starimprint, the first beingAll Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder. These series were attempts by DC to allow major comics creators a chance to tell stories showcasing these characters without being restricted byDC Universecontinuity.
All-Star Superman received critical acclaim for its emotional story, characterization, writing, and artwork. It is now widely seen as one of the greatest Superman stories ever written and one of the best comic books of all time.[1] Ananimated adaptation was released in 2011, and the 2025 filmSuperman takes inspiration from the comic book series.
Grant Morrison's approach to writing this series was to make the reading as universal as possible. They stated that they were not interested in "re-doing origin stories or unpacking classic narratives" but instead wanted to do "a total update, rehaul and refit". Instead creating a "fresh and relevant" update for new readers, Morrison wanted to write a "collection of 'timeless' Superman issues".[2] The origins of this lie in a revamp ofSuperman,Superman Now, which began when Morrison and editorDan Raspler were unsuccessfully brainstorming ideas for a new take on the character outsideSan Diego Comic-Con, when they had a "shamanic" encounter with a man dressed as Superman which helped spark the creative process and inspired the cover to the first issue. Morrison states in an interview:[3]
He was perched with one knee drawn up, chin resting on his arms. He looked totally relaxed... and I suddenly realized this was how Superman would sit. He wouldn't puff out his chest or posture heroically, he would be totally chilled. If nothing can hurt you, you can afford to be cool. A man like Superman would never have to tense against the cold; never have to flinch in the face of a blow. He would be completely laid back, un-tense. With this image of Superman relaxing on a cloud looking out for us all in my head, I rushed back to my hotel room and filled dozens of pages of my notebook with notes and drawings.
The ideas generated by that meeting were refined and pitched to DC in 1998 by Morrison,Mark Millar,Mark Waid andTom Peyer.[4] They picked up on the fifteen-year cycle of reboots to the character, the previous one beingJohn Byrne'sThe Man of Steel, and suggested a new approach:
The Superman relaunch we're selling bucks the trend of sweeping aside the work done by those who came immediately before. Unlike the 'cosmic reset' revamps all too prevalent in current comics, our new Superman approach is an honest attempt to synthesize the best of all previous eras. Our intention is to honor each of Superman's various interpretations and to use internal story logic as our launching pad for a re-imagined, streamlined 21st century Man of Steel. The 'cosmic reset' notion has been replaced by a policy of 'include and transcend' with regard to past continuity.Our intention is to restore Superman to his pre-eminent place as the greatest super-hero of all.[5]
Although initially greenlit, it was eventually turned down and Morrison said that they "didn't expect to be doing any further work on Superman" but the chance came as they were finishing their run onNew X-Men.[3] In an interview with Matt Brady fromNewsarama, Grant Morrison said that they were contacted by DC Vice PresidentDan DiDio and asked "if I'd like to come back to DC to work on a Superman project with an artist of my choice". They mentioned it worked out well since they were also planning to return to DC "to do theSeven Soldiers project and theVertigo books".
Morrison has confirmed that they made use of some of theirSuperman Now ideas forAll-Star Superman, like "Luthor's heart-stopping moment of understanding", as well as drawing on their original proposal for elements later included in the "DC One Million" storyline.[3]
In writing the character Superman, Morrison identifies different aspects of his personality: "'Superman' is an act. 'Clark Kent' in Metropolis is also an act. There are actually two Kents, at least – one is a disguise, a bumbling, awkward mask for Superman. The other is the confident, strong, good-hearted Clark Kent who was raised by his surrogate Ma and Pa in Kansas and knows how to drive a tractor. I think he's the most 'real' of all".[6]
ArtistFrank Quitely devised the visual style to present Superman as a "deity" and contrast Clark Kent's appearance as "ifWill Eisner had drawn Superman in the 1940s", allowing him to "release his posture so that his shoulders slumped, his spine curved, and his belly stuck out".[7]
As the series drew to a close, writer Grant Morrison conceived of a series of one-shot specials, loose in continuity from the original series, that would depict or pay tribute to theGolden Age Superman, theSuper-SonsWorld's Finest Comics team, the Superman Squad, theSuperman of the 853rd Century, and theSuperman dynasty.[8] Publisher Dan DiDio stated at the time that there were no plans for the specials.[9] Morrison would later become involved as writer on a2011 relaunch ofAction Comics where they used their ideas about the Golden Age Superman.[10]
Superman rescues Dr. Leo Quintum and hisP.R.O.J.E.C.T. team from an exploration mission to theSun that was remotely sabotaged byLex Luthor, and acquires the ability to project his bio-electric aura. Luthor orchestrated this event to overwhelm Superman's cells with massive amounts of solar radiation, which greatly increases his power but is also killing him, with Quintum giving him one year left to live. Luthor is arrested after the publication of aDaily Planet article written byClark Kent, while Superman decides to keep his impending death secret from the public.
Nonetheless, Superman reveals his secret identity toLois Lane to spend his remaining time with her. Although Lois initially refuses to believe this, Superman treats her to a birthday dinner in theFortress of Solitude. Superman's furtive behavior and an airborne chemical in the raised and restoredTitanic rouses paranoia in Lois and she accidentally attacks Superman with aKryptonite laser, but he is unharmed by it due to his new powers. Superman calms her down and reveals that he had been preparing her birthday present: a liquefied form of his DNA that will grant her all his superpowers for 24 hours, as well as a leotard costume. Using the name "Superwoman", she joins Superman as he stops a monster attack inMetropolis involving Samson,Atlas and an Ultra-Sphinx. Superman drives Samson and Atlas away and he and Lois spend an eventful day that ends with them kissing on the moon before her powers fade and she falls asleep. Superman flies her back home. Meanwhile, Luthor is convicted of crimes against humanity and sentenced to death. Clark meets with Luthor for an interview atStryker's Island. Following a violent encounter with theParasite in which Clark manages to conceal his identity, Luthor reveals that he respects Clark as a journalist and that he has no desire to escape because he has fulfilled his dream of killing Superman.
Nearing death, Superman accomplishes the "Twelve Labors of Superman" – a variety of tasks that significantly help both humans andKryptonians – and completes his last will and testament. Meanwhile, Luthor survives and escapes his execution after taking a formula similar to what Superman made for Lois, and he begins razing Metropolis with the aid ofSolaris, an artificial star that corrupts the Sun and turns it red. After Superman defeats Solaris, Clark returns to theDaily Planet to submit his article, but falls dead. As the staff tries to save him, Superman awakes on his home planet ofKrypton and meets his fatherJor-El, who reveals that Superman's body is converting itself to a solar radio-consciousness. He offers him a choice; remain dead or return to life long enough to defeat Luthor. Clark wakes up, and confronts Luthor, firing a gravity gun at him. The gravity gun warps time for Luthor, speeding up the exhaustion of his powers. As his powers fade, Luthor briefly sees Superman's vision of Earth, and weeps before Superman knocks him out. Superman proclaims his eternal love for Lois and kisses her before becoming a solar consciousness and repairing the Sun.
One year later, Lois admires a monument dedicated to Superman and tellsJimmy Olsen that she believes Superman will return if he can create an artificial heart for the Sun. Superman, now a solar being, lives inside the Sun and maintains machinery to keep it alive. Meanwhile, Quintum reveals a new P.R.O.J.E.C.T in case something happens, and unveils it by standing before a door with Superman's characteristic emblem, with its usual "S" replaced with the number "2".
The first issue was released in November 2005 and was a sales success, ranking second in the top 300 comics for that period, withInfinite Crisis #2 being the top seller.[11] The second issue also ranked second in the top 300 comics for the January 2006 period, with pre-order sales of 124,328;Infinite Crisis #4 was the top seller that month.[12] The series completed its run upon publication of its final issue in October 2008.
Jeremy Estes, an early reviewer fromPopMatters, notes the difficulty in revamping the character Superman in his review of the first issue of the series. TheAll-Star continuity allowed the writerGrant Morrison much more writing freedom. Frank Quitely's art is praised as "fresh and modern", while still "evoking the classic hero known around the world". At the time of writing only the first issue had been released, and so Estes was unsure of the direction of the story, noting the creative team "have set up a promising tale, but only time will tell if they take the last train to Memphis or head West, all the way to Vegas".[13] Nicholas Labarre, writing forSequart, argued thatAll-Star Superman "confidently exploits the near omnipotence of the main character" in contrast with other Superman stories. He compared the series favorably with Morrison's other work.[14] Ed Mathews fromPopImage reviewed the first collectedtrade paperback, which collects the first six issues, and praised the creative team, stating the art is "the most elegant work out of Frank Quitely I've seen to date". Mathews also singled out Grant Morrison's, saying that the series adds to the Superman mythos "by tweaking bits and parts from the character's rich history just enough to make old concepts fresh again". He recommended Volume 1 of the collected editions, and stated that "All Star Superman sings a hit".[15] Another review of Volume 1 came from Danny Graydon ofThe First Post, who stated that Grant Morrison's writing is "the most vigorously entertaining take on the "Man of Steel" in decades" and that the "nuanced artwork is to be savoured".[16]
Time magazine'sLev Grossman ranked the graphic novel third in Top 10 Graphic Novels of 2007. He praised the storyline, noting that due to the character's strength and morality, he is a difficult character to write for.[17]IGN's list of top 25 Superman stories rankedAll-Star Superman as number one, describing it as "a loving and affectionate celebration of everything that Superman stands for".[18] The pop culture commentatorComic Book Girl 19 praised the series suggesting that Grant Morrison had portrayed Superman as "emotionally intelligent, thoughtful" and "compassionate".[19]
All-Star Superman won theEisner Award for "Best New Series" in 2006,[20] as well as "Best Continuing Series" in 2007[21] and 2009. It also won theHarvey Awards for "Best Artist" and "Best Single Issue" in 2008. In 2006 it won theEagle Award for "Favourite New Comic book" and "Favourite Comics Cover" (for the first issue), as well as the 2007 "Favourite Colour Comicbook - American" Eagle.
The series has been collected into following formats:
| Characters | |
|---|---|
| Locations | |
| History and themes | |
| Ongoing publications | |
| In other media | |
| Related | |
