Grant Morrison. You're on Comic Vine, so it's safe to say you know how significant his work in the comic industry has been, right? There's so many great stories which have come from his mind, yet this week, we wanted to compare and contrast his iconic work with two of DC's most legendary characters: Batman and Superman. The poll was created on Monday, giving the Comic Vine crowd plenty of time to reread these tales and eventually vote and explain why they voted that way. The poll is now locked and one story soared high above the other. Ladies and gentlemen, ALL STAR SUPERMAN wins.
The non-canon mini-series earned an impressive 59% of the votes. BATMAN R.I.P. was able to receive 23% of the votes and 6% claim to love both stories equally. Meanwhile, 5% say they aren't a fan of either and 7% state they haven't read either book.
When fans talk about what the best Superman stories are, several pieces of work appear time and time again. However, many -- and I do mean many -- consider Morrison's ALL STAR SUPERMAN as the top choice. Because it's not attached to the primary universe, this gave the writer the creative freedom to explore everything he wanted to with Clark Kent and create a completely engrossing journey. There's a wonderful sense of adventure and emotion as Superman faces all kinds of challenges, but most important of all, it illustrates why Superman is such an important character. ALL STAR SUPERMAN gives Morrison the opportunity to explore what makes Superman inspirational. Some seem to believe it's his raw might that makes people love and respect him, but this story shows he's praiseworthy because of who he is... not what he is. If you've ever wondered why people look up to Superman or just want to read more stories with the character, we strongly recommend picking up ALL STAR SUPERMAN.
Viner Post of the Week for All Star Superman is by Lvenger
"Damn two of my favourite stories about my two favourite characters from my all time favourite writer. In normal circumstances, this would be a close call on any front, especially given Morrison's deep understanding of both characters. Batman RIP is a downright stunningly brilliant storyline exploring the nature of Batman all the while stripping Batman as a character and a concept down to its core. Easily one of my favourite Batman storylines after The Killing Joke.
But...well it's definitely no secret I'm a big Superman fan and if there's one story which distills the history, mythology and core ideology of Superman, mixes it in with a Silver Age flavour and presents a stirringly mythic yet also emotionally humanising take on the Man of Steel, no story, not even Whatever Happened To The Man of Tomorrow?, does this better than All Star Superman. Morrison delivers a dream version of Superman into the reality of the comic book pages. One whose ideals strive to the best of what humanity can offer, whose character is noble and regal yet friendly and charming and whose resolve to do the right thing carries him towards his very 'end.' If ever there could be a definitive version of Superman, this would be it right here. Everything that makes Superman the cultural icon he is in the eyes of the world is evidently prevalent in this story as well as delivering a sci fi Silver Age storyline with modern sensibilities and a brilliant interpretation of Superman's world. So it's All Star Superman all the way for me. These factors along with many more have made it into my all time favourite Superman and comic book storyline."
Comic Vine writer Corey "Undeadpool" Schroeder also decided to chime in!
"All-Star Superman: This is the title that I always recommend to people who think that Superman is "boring" or "overpowered." Sure, his power set is essentially limitless, but it's a love letter to a bygone era (the Silver Age) when Superman's powers were literally whatever the team made up. But Morrison, being the mad shaman of comics, leans into this notion, crafting stories that are not only challenging (sure, he's powerful, but is he as strong as Samson AND Hercules?!) but emotionally resonant (his battle against a creature that literally eats moments in time will leave you searching for a tissue and making excuses about dust). It isn't that there are no challenges for Superman to face, it's just that for them to be truly compelling and interesting, it needs to be something more than what he can punch out of orbit. From his perilous journey through Lex Luthor's prison to his final, incredible battle with a sentient sun, All-Star Superman is everything a Superman story should be.
Batman RIP: I absolutely hated this story until I read it all the way through from Batman and Son to RIP and realized that it was some kind of mad, wild ritual celebrating the Jungian archetypes (or perhaps the raw spirituality) of Batman. This story truly isn't for everyone and I don't say that to sound elitist. I can absolutely see not liking this story, it requires an AWFUL lot of the reader, but if you're willing to let the shaman be your guide, you are in for an absolute treat. From Joker as a mad prophet of divine, malevolent mischief to a conspiracy that reaches across the ages and all the way back to Bat's origin to, I kid you not, making Silver Age Batman's stories canonical (ZUR-EN-ARRH!!!!!), Morrison treads well-worn territory, but he does it in a way that no prior creator had or has. It's a Batman story that spans only a few months of actual canon, but also spans decades upon decades.
It's a tough choice, but I'm going to have to go with All-Star JUST narrowly edging out RIP and it's for one, simple reason: modern Superman has so few truly incredible, moving and, perhaps most importantly, accessible stories. All-Star is, as I said above, a story for ANYone to get into Supes' universe with because it speaks to his fundamental character and while RIP is compelling as HELL, it's barrier to entry is astronomical."
Because we love you, we've included a teaser for next week's match! Be the first to guess it correctly and we'll give you a mention in the upcoming article. Please try to only guess after you think you're able to identify both of the covers -- otherwise you're just helping the competition! Last Friday, the Comic Vine mod Saren was the first to properly identify the teaser. So, go ahead and give him a round of applause and shower him with praise. Anyway, go on and check out teaser below. Good luck!
Want to suggest a writer and two of their stories for the segment? Tell us below or send it to Gregg via Twitter.
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