ME AM NO GREATEST SUPERMAN STORY EVER!!!
This is my 150th review, end of story.
I love this book I wasn’t a Superman fan before I read this book, but afterwards I really like the character and its half the reason I read Superman Unchained now, but this still remains a favourite story of mine, and I’ve re-read this loads of time.
Plot
Superman travels to the sun to help a science team from falling into it, but Lex luthor has poisoned Superman due to him being to near to the Sun and Superman begins to die, but his powers have been increased significantly. Superman then tries to finish off his life by completing several tasks he has been said to do, and a whole lot more happens.
Review
What can I say this is the one trade other than Born Again that I have read dozens of times because I love it so much. It’s a wonderful read really clever, fun, and well timeless it isn’t pegged down at all by continuity there are no references to previous stuff because it’s in the All-star line, but of course the essentials about his origin are there. This is a fantastic read it has so many great characters in it, and villains, and the plot overall is great with some great character work as well. One of the great things about this book is it’s a long story arc all joining up, but each issue could pretty stand on its own at least the first 9 or so as the final few are more connected up.
THE GOOD
- · The covers to all of these issues are fantastic creative original and represent the story pretty well while still being quite funny on quite a few as well as sad as well.
- · I will not in this review go onto specific details on everything in this book it would take too long to do, I mean this is 12 issues and a lot happens in each so I’ll get down to my absolute favourite points, but let me say this there was absolutely nothing wrong with the story in this series everything in this I liked from the Superman squad that appears later, and Samson and Atlas everything was brilliantly done, and all of it felt relevant to the story and exploring Superman, and it was all a lot of fun to read, maybe this feels like a cop out, but when you read this you’ll realise that the review would be over about 9000 (total guess) words I really don’t want to write that, and I’m sure you don’t want to read all of that.
- · This series really goes into depth about Superman and what he represents on the first few pages it shows his power, and strength, but later you begin to see the best of him, and what he represents, and the fact that Morrison shows this in the most explosive, and spectacular ways possible is even better. To put it simply Morrison may get Superman better than a lot of people as is evident with this book, as this is why I’m now a Superman fan, Morrison in my opinion created the definitive version of him.
- · The premise of this book is simple Lex Luthor won he managed to kill Superman or at least trigger that process. When I first read this book I couldn’t believe what was happening and that’s what I liked about it this is out of continuity, so you could do this, and well it puts an interesting amount of tension on the book and what happens in it.
- · The supporting cast of this book is well written you’ve got all the classics like Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen and Perry White. Lois is really well written, and she’s got that sort of smart streak that makes her great to read, but Jimmy Olsen is my favourite he’s the eccentric in this book, and when he first appears he makes you laugh just because of how wacky he is. Leo Quintum he’s an interesting addition to the book as well with his science facility on the moon, and his lab is interesting as well, and he plays an interesting part in this story.
- · Lex Luthor is the main villain in this book, and he is so well written this is hands down the best characterization of him ever I mean Scott Snyder’s doing a great job in Unchained, but the eccentric element in him in this really makes it my favourite version of him. Morrison understands Luthor’s obsession with Superman, and how he believes Superman is a pest on this planet. I think what really drives it home with Luthor is my all-time favourite title for a comic, and maybe my favourite Superman issue although I haven’t read much, and this is my opinion. This is the gospel according to Lex Luthor which is really, really clever in what it does, and how it explores Luthor’s way of thinking, and well the first page is just hilarious.
- · There is a mini story in this series set back in Smallville, and while I won’t spoil what happens it’s a touching issue while still adding a bit more to the mythos, and Krypto’s in it which was a lot of fun.
- · One of the best additions to this book is Bizarro who I’ve always found to be a really interesting villain, but in this it’s on a whole other level of wackiness especially Bizarro world. The beginning of this story is fantastic with some really fun action, but Bizarro world is about the weirdest thing I’ve ever read especially the Bizarro Justice League (flash was my favourite), but it was really fun to read, and the fact it seems to take Superman apart and rebuild him again was clever, also the surprise appearance in it made it all the more interesting.
- · The 12 super challenges of this series is interesting as it makes it feel a little mythical, and how it drives Superman makes it even more interesting.
- · The two kryptonians that appear once again add a little more to the story adding a sort of fun yet slightly sad feeling to it at the end of the story, but I like how Morrison put them in as it lead to a great fight as well.
- · The finale to the series is poignant its powerful clever and wraps the entire series, up and the culmination of all the running plots make it really fulfilling while still being quite open ended at the end of the story that made you wonder what was going on in the story. The tyrant sun aspect of the story was clever, and what it lead Superman to do was amazing, and the twists to the book were great.
- · Frank Quietly will never be a favourite of mine his art just isn’t my sort of thing as to many people have faces like dried raisins, but I have to admit he does a really great job of adding a lot of style to the book and detail and the way the pages are put together to tell the story in interesting ways is creative, and the designs to the book looks good especially Bizarro world. Quietly does a great job with character work as well making each character look different, and he goes out of his way to make Superman and Clark look totally different which was a nice touch to the story as well. The opening double page with Superman makes him look all powerful like a god while still looking a bit human I just loved how Quietly did it.
The bad
- · Some of the characters looked like dried raisins occasionally, that is my only complaint.
Verdict
Buy this book I’ve re-read it loads of times, and will do so again for years it’s a fantastic read full of great characters action, and ideas this really is all you could want from a comic, and it got me into the character which is something considering I was a skeptic before.
