Look! Up In The Skies!

It is no secret that Superman is the superhero for the ages. Forget about his feeble moral compass directed towards the good, weakness to kryptonite, and the fact that he wears his trunk above his pants: Supe has the most complete set of superpowers one will ever come across in the make-believe world of comics.

At the same time, from a perspective of someone who knows shit about comics, Superman may arguably be the most predictable and banal character one will ever read because his amazing abilities has elevated him beyond the dilemmas and inadequacies regular people cope with in their everyday lives. With this in mind, writers are faced with a gargantuan task of giving Superman storylines to keep his persona fresh and relevant in the modern times.

In fact, Superman has undergone countless reinventions, unless you’re a real comic book fan, you’ll lose track of them all. There have been hits, misses, and controversy surrounding his recreations – The Death And Return Of Superman springs to mind, albeit in terms of gearing everyone’s attention.

However, he is finally given a refreshing take by writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely in All Star Superman. Considering that the series has just started a couple of years ago, readers have yet to reach the outcome of the story, but from the looks of it, we get to see glimpses of Superman as his most contemplative and introspective, stripping the Man Of Tomorrow to his bare essentials.

The story starts when Supe saves Dr. Quintum from an accident while traveling to the sun. As Superman returned to earth and was tested after the near-catastrophe, his proximity to the sun has astonished his cells, thus tripling his strength and making him immune to kryptonite. However, his cells have been overloaded with solar radiation, which degenerates them and leaves him with only a year’s worth of life to spare. The whole thing was actually set up by Lex Luthor, his arch nemesis, who seems to have finally succeeded in putting an end to Superman’s life. With this knowledge in mind, Superman must do what he has to do, before it’s all too late.

Grant Morrison has been involved in some of the better comic book series of our generation (JLA, We3, X-Men), and he seems destined to achieve even more massive heights in All Star Superman. He handles the subtle nuances of the characters to great effect, most notably the stark difference between Superman, hero extraordinaire, and Clark Kent, bumbling buffoon of a writer, together in one person. On the other hand, part of the story is told through the art, which is why Morrison’s understated storytelling seamlessly coincides with Quitely’s lush and crisp drawings, brining readers to a different, if not better, experience of Metropolis.

As mentioned earlier, anything can happen since the series is still running. However, the great ensemble handling the series reintroduces Superman in fine fashion, and it will most likely stay that way until the climactic end. Highly recommended.