Product Description

The bestselling and critically acclaimed creative team of Grant Morrison ("The Invisibles", "JLA") and Frank Quitely ("We3", "JLA: Earth 2") bring their unique vision to the "Man of Steel"!Following a desperate mission to rescue a team of astronauts from the Sun, Superman's whole body is super-charged with solar power - to the point where it will kill him! Now the world's greatest superhero must set his affairs in order, beginning by telling Lois Lane the truth about Clark Kent's secret identity, and taking in a series of Herculean trials which will change Superman's world forever!Packed with beautiful artwork, thrilling ideas and senses-shattering plots, this is a definitive take on Superman, presented by two of comics' finest creators!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10463 in Books
• Published on: 2008-10-24
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

About the Author
Grant Morrison is one of comics' greatest innovators. His long list of credits includes Batman: Arkham Asylum, JLA, Seven Soldiers, Animal Man, Doom Patrol, The Invisibles and The Filth. He is currently writing Batman and All-Star Superman. Frank Quitely has won acclaim for his work on high-profile titles including We3, JLA: Earth 2, The Authority, and New X-Men.

Customer Reviews

A beautifully written and lovingly illustrated little masterpiece of modern superhero storytelling
Wonderful! That's the word to sum up this graphic novel. Absolutely wonderful! It is not a superhero slug-fest - so if that's what you want, please look elsewhere - but a deeply moving and lovingly created exploration of Superman's affect upon the world of mankind and the world of mankind's affect on him as he approaches his death, brought on by a cataclysmic and very cosmic accident.

Each chapter (original issue) deals with Superman's connection with those he both loves (Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, etc.) and those he tries not to hate (such as Lex Luthor).

This may well be the greatest Superman graphic novel/comic ever produced, and it is certainly the finest work of art produced by the fabulous team of Grant Morrison (writer) and Frank Quietly (artist). Though I also recommend their other collaborations We3 and JLA: Earth 2.

If you like your superhero storytelling to be somewhat more cerebral and full of compassion and feeling and touching enough to produce a tear or two, then you will utterly love this (and most probably seek out volume 2 as well).

If you want extra clarification on this point, check out the 29 five star reviews on Amazon.com.

Simply Brilliant!
Best Comic Series, so far......

Grant Morrison crafts together the best Superman tales to date.

The first volume collects the first six issues of the All Star Superman series.
Each episode is an issue of that series. Although each is a stand alone story they are linked by the first event that occurs in Episode One - the saving of a ship from destruction from the sun.

The series is DC continuity free, so Grant is left to pick through Superman's history and craft a story that elevates Superman to greatness. Too often Superman is perceived, as too powerful/god like to write in a convincing manner.
So inevitably, Superman has been written as prevaricating individual, doubting his abilities with a naïve point of view
Not here, as Morrison's take on Superman here and in his run on JLA, is of a humble individual, unaware of his celebrity status amongst his superhero peers, but committed to doing the right thing because it needs doing.

The awe-inspiring wonder of Superman is evident throughout these pages (the fortress of solitude, a key weighing thousands of tons, hidden civilisations of dinosaurs beneath the Earth's crust). Morrison writes Superman so that his abilities are never used to show off excessively but often to make the world or himself a better place/person to be around - not of a bored god with nothing better to do. Who else would learn to sew, replicate and cook from a menu from the Titanic to impress his potential girlfriend?
Interestingly, Morrison resurrects the idea of a lineage of Supermen from his JLA stories to excellent and humorous effect.
His supporting cast is lean but exceedingly well written.
Frank Quitley's work is spot on as always. Maybe his artwork is not as inventive as his work in WE3 but it is still as graceful and elegant here.
His posture's for Clark often emulates Christopher Reeve's demeanour (from the films) as a stumbling, shy retiring farm boy lost in the big city.
Superman does not resemble a body builder- so much the better for it. Lois and other woman are do not look like glamour models and stand like normal people as opposed to staged poses that exaggerate their `assets'.

I even loved the care and attention that DC have taken over the design/look of this book. It is evident from the sprawling title of the book across the front cover to the graphic composition of the fill-in pages between episodes. DC have come a long way from collecting original comics into trade paperbacks and simply blocking out original captions/page numbers of the original comics

All in all this is rivals Superman for all Seasons as my favourite Superman story

Recommended for all who thought Superman was a little too stuffy for his own good.

We3
JLA: Deluxe v. 1
Jla Deluxe Vol 2
JLA: Earth 2
Superman for All Seasons

This is NOT the whole story!
First things first, All Star Superman Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 combined is a fantastic story. However, this first book takes it's time to set it's elaborate pieces into place; it's really complex as well and rewards multiple readings. Think of it as more of an extended introduction. As a result of this the first half, while still very impressive, is nowhere near as emotionally powerfull as the second book. In fact one starts to wonder why DC havn't made this one volume.

To summarise I would give this book on it's own three stars,however combined with the second half this is easily a five star read. So if your buying it dont give up halfway, you'll regret it!