All-Star Superman

[comicstock]

I recently finished the Grant Morrison / Frank Quitely masterpiece.
Why can't all comics be this good?

[jaydeebee]

The following contains strong opinions which may evoke a strong reaction from the reader. Consider it to be the insane ramblings of a lunatic mind...and please don't take it too seriously. #blahblah#

I admit that All-Star Superman wasn't as bad as I expected when I first heard about it. But to me, a masterpiece is something like The Dark Phoenix Saga which works within the established continuity of the characters and situations. Writing such as that requires skill and imagination. On the other hand, it's quite simple to take someone elses work and turn it on it's ear, without being confined by what has come before or by what the aftermath of your story will mean for the characters. The current Brainiac story arc or the Superman & the Legion of Super-Heroes arc both in Action Comics comes far closer to the masterpiece designation than anything Morrison has done in All-Star. (although both arcs do turn continuity slightly on it's ear, we'll just blame it on Final Crisis or magic.)

It's no secret that I am no fan of either Grant Morrison or Frank Quitely. However I will admit that Morrison was toned down enough that he didn't make the series into a joke. He cleverly referenced Silver-Age Superman lore in All-Star Superman enough to make it recognizable, if not a tad goofy at times. But then, the Silver Age was known for that sort of story-telling. It's obvious from his treatment that Morrison is a fan of the Man of Steel.

On the other hand Quitely's anorexic stick figures and chunky Man of Steel added nothing to the series and in fact, in my opinion detracted from it. Quitely's Lois Lane is the ugliest creature I've seen in comics since his Jean Grey and his Emma Frost, which had been in a tie as the ugliest comic female ever. His Jimmy Olsen looked like an escapee from the loony bin (put white face on him and he's the Joker) and his saggy-short Superman was just sad. Frank Quitely may be the most overrated comic book artist of all time.

Why can't both All-Star books, Superman and Batman, have both superior writing AND superior art?

While All-Star Superman arguably may have had superior writing, the art was never good. Then you have All-Star Batman wherein the art is beautiful, but the writing is horrible.

Why can't we have both?

Anyway, no offense to comicstock intended. Just so you know that I'm not picking on modern artists. Carmine Infantino was universally heralded as a great artist, but I never saw it. I used to complain about Star Wars when Marvel had the franchise using Carmine Infantino for art...it never suited the series and no matter how good the story would be, the art always took away from it. Of course back then there was no Internet and no Comics Corral, so no one got the benefit of my opinion. #blahblah#

Brrrr....scary! :eek:

[fastballspecial]

I thought the All Star issue with Superman talking to his dead father in bandages was very touching. I dont like Morrison never have never will, but he gets alot of things right in AS Superman that most Supes writers just never do.

[marvelguy]

I thought the All Star issue with Superman talking to his dead father in bandages was very touching. I dont like Morrison never have never will, but he gets alot of things right in AS Superman that most Supes writers just never do.

Ditto for me.

Isn't Grant supposed to do a second volume of All-Star Supes? I remember reading somewhere that Chris Weston of The Twelve wanted to draw the second volume when he heard Grant is doing a 2nd series.

Now, I'm still waiting for that thumb of Adam Hughes to heal so he can go ahead and get to work on the All-Star Wonder Woman. #rockon#

[panjisudoyo]

Personally, i have always liked Frank Quitely's art all the comics that i've seen him do ( The Authority, We3, 2020 Visions, etc ).
I think his art is detailed, composed and unique. He can draw characters doing things in a certain angle that i don't think any artist can do.
For me, he was perfect for All-Star Superman.
That being said, i've only read half of 'em (#1-6) because i don't buy moderns at cover price anymore. I prefer waiting until i get a good enough deal to buy a set as well as cover the shipping to Indonesia and STILL be lower than cover price ( almost won it the other day..soon, though..very soon #whack# )

The only thing i can't resist buying at cover price are those beautiful Absolute Editions..Now, if DC were thinking of making one for All-Star Superman...:rolleyes:

[marvelguy]

Personally, i have always liked Frank Quitely's art all the comics that i've seen him do ( The Authority, We3, 2020 Visions, etc ).
I think his art is detailed, composed and unique. He can draw characters doing things in a certain angle that i don't think any artist can do.
For me, he was perfect for All-Star Superman.
That being said, i've only read half of 'em (#1-6) because i don't buy moderns at cover price anymore. I prefer waiting until i get a good enough deal to buy a set as well as cover the shipping to Indonesia and STILL be lower than cover price ( almost won it the other day..soon, though..very soon #whack# )

The only thing i can't resist buying at cover price are those beautiful Absolute Editions..Now, if DC were thinking of making one for All-Star Superman...:rolleyes:

Good luck on the run. It has been hailed as a new classic.

[camper49]

I agree with your spin on Infantino.
I was never a fan of his artwork, especially in the last 50 or so issues of The Flash (Barry Allen) that he did.

[pasnat54]

jdb, I agree with you on Quitely's art. His women are okay, but look at almost any tight shot of Superman, and you'll see that his neck is substantially bigger than his head, circumference-wise. I generally don't like artists who play fast and loose with anatomy, like the late Michael Turner, who thought Stretch Armstrong legs on women were sexy, and Rob Leifeld, who... just doesn't have a clue

[jaydeebee]

jdb, I agree with you on Quitely's art. His women are okay, but look at almost any tight shot of Superman, and you'll see that his neck is substantially bigger than his head, circumference-wise. I generally don't like artists who play fast and loose with anatomy, like the late Michael Turner, who thought Stretch Armstrong legs on women were sexy, and Rob Leifeld, who... just doesn't have a clue

I can usually forgive the occasional anatomical abnormality if the art is attractive in some way, as in the case of most of Michael Turner's stuff. However, I never understood why they gave the janitor a pencil and told him to draw, as in the case of Rob Liefeld. I suppose he's lucky in a way that he rose to prominence in the era before Internet forums and chat rooms, because I really don't think he could do it today what with the fans having so many outlets to express opinions.

Back when Liefeld came on the scene, I like so many others bought everything that he did, but I can't say I really ever liked any of it. That was during my "must collect everything that is published" phase and so since Liefeld's junk was considered gold, I bought it, but I never understood why he was considered to be a hot talent. Looking back, it's even worse than I remembered. I have a similar sentiment about Todd McFarlane, not as bad a Liefeld, but I never really liked his work. Both seem to suffer under the delusion that what comic readers want to see are big-eyed, big busted women with 2-inch waists, daggers for hands and no feet...oh, and of course eye-tattoos. :shock:

[panjisudoyo]

And pockets, Jay!! Don't forget those damn pockets!!
I still have no idea why Liefeld loves them so much. Virtually EVERY character he invents or RE-invents ( such as Captain America, fer instance ) have lots and lots of pockets!!
Belt pockets? Check.
Leg pockets? Check.
Arm pockets? Check.
Butt pockets? Check.
It's bloody annoying!! #banghead#
Even Batman's utility belt doesn't seem to have that many pockets, and he actually uses them!!

[marvelguy]

And pockets, Jay!! Don't forget those damn pockets!!
I still have no idea why Liefeld loves them so much. Virtually EVERY character he invents or RE-invents ( such as Captain America, fer instance ) have lots and lots of pockets!!
Belt pockets? Check.
Leg pockets? Check.
Arm pockets? Check.
Butt pockets? Check.
It's bloody annoying!! #banghead#
Even Batman's utility belt doesn't seem to have that many pockets, and he actually uses them!!

How about the big guns? I saw a re-appearance in Secret Invasion somewhere...

[jaydeebee]

Why does Liefeld love to put so many pockets, etc. on his characters? Simple really. Because he knows how to draw pockets and nothing else. A bunch of pockets can cover a multitude of sins anatomically speaking. I wouldn't be surprised to see him create a character who is all pockets one day...POCKET MAN with his loyal sidekick, Pocket-Boobs, the Girl Wonder!

[comicworkbench]

I really like Quitely's art, it is different. I loved his New X-men issues and enjoy his version of Superman. I like his details and imagination, I seem to remember a really cool X-men issue where we went into Professor X brain or was it the White Queen.

I also only have #1-6 of All Star Supes. Hopefuly I can pick them up somewhere in the local comic shops. I am laying off ebay for a bit as our Canadian dollar is pretty weak against your green back.

Honestly, Infantino is an artist I never really was into. I really liked Barry Allen - Flash but now try and stay away from Infantino's issues, which is hard.

I have noticed Turner's anatomy problems. I have a Turner Flash poster in my son's room. I still love his work even with his imperfections.

Liefeld was sort of original in his day. He was along the lines of McFarlane but not as good, obviously. I kind of feel sorry for the guy now. We all bought his books in the past. His New Mutants stuff was okay and at the time I really liked it. His proportion is pretty wacky. Teaching art, it would have been difficult for him not to notice his obvious anataomy modifications. He must have done it on purpose.

[panjisudoyo]

I only have # 1-3 of All-Star Superman at the moment, having borrowed # 4-7 from a friend of mine to read.
I too have given up buying new Moderns because our Indonesian Rupiah is really sliding at the moment and getting new comics at cover price (actually, MORE than cover price because they charge a bit more for "shipping" reasons here) is just too hard for me.
So i'm learning how to be patient so i can get deals like these:
- http://cgi.ebay.com/ALL-STAR-SUPERMAN-1-6-MORRISON-and-QUITELY-1st-Ed-NM_W0QQitemZ160305190760QQihZ006QQcategoryZ64QQssP ageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
- http://cgi.ebay.com/ALL-STAR-SUPERMAN-7-12-MORRISON-and-QUITELY-1st-Ed-NM_W0QQitemZ160305190788QQihZ006QQcategoryZ64QQssP ageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Even including shipping, they're still around $10 cheaper than had i bought them when they came out. After months of watching and checking, those were the cheapest set i could buy. It's still quite a hot book. The one that i previously bid on before this had a final price of $31.99 (NOT including shipping). #superman#
Also, i can have my extras of # 1-3 to give away to lure in new comic readers or bring back old collectors ( there's nothing more satisfying for me than getting someone to like comics here. It's quite hard ).
And All-Star Superman is the perfect title for new readers because they're essentially stand-alone issues, unlike, say, Infinite Crisis, where you have to know about the entire history of the DC universe before you can understand it.