Post by droidofages on Sept 25, 2008 10:53:22 GMT -4
I was thinking of writing a big article on why I think All Star Superman is one of the best superhero comics to come out since Kingdom Come, Watcmen and Dark Knight Returns, but I realized I ramble too much on this forum as it is, and I found an article on CBR that covered the subject much better than I could, so HERE's a link to the full article followed by some of my favourite quotes from the author Timothy Callahan:
MORRISON'S FIRST WORK WITH SUPERMAN
"Morrison first tackled Superman -- in comic book form -- in a two-page scene from "Animal Man" #2, from the late summer of 1988. As everyone knows, Superman had been around for 50 years by then, transforming from a New Deal strongman to a sci-fi god to an anxiety-ridden savior to a good-hearted farm boy over the intervening years. But as Buddy Baker sits on a low-slung rooftop eating nachos and thinking about how little he knows about his current case, Superman appears with a smile and a wave and a simple, "hi there." Morrison's version of the character may have drawn upon five decades of baggage, but his portrayal is crisp and streamlined."
THE TIMELESS ICON
"Superman, with his red and blue tights and flowing cape looked hopelessly out-of-date compared to the jacket-sporting Animal Man. Now, looking back on that scene, it's Animal Man who looks like a fashion victim while Superman's costume remains as iconic as ever."
A SIGN OF WHAT'S TO COME?
"Morrison has produced one of the great superhero stories of all time [in All Star Superman]. So great, actually, in its simplicity and elegance that it might well point the way toward lean and crisp superhero storytelling of tomorrow."
WHAT IS SUPERMAN?
"In Elliot S! Maggin's "Miracle Monday," Superboy dissects a grasshopper to discover the mechanics of life, in a scene that horrifies Pa Kent, who thinks that perhaps his son has killed the creature just to find out how it works. When Pa Kent learns that the grasshopper was dead when young Clark found it, he breathes a sigh of relief, but not completely, for he realizes that there's little he, or anyone, could do if Superboy were to turn against humanity. It's only the ethical code imparted to him by his adopted parents that keeps him huma ... in "All-Star Superman" #9, ... Kryptonian astronauts Bar-El and Lilo show what an undiluted Kryptonian perspective would look like. He doesn't belabor the notion that the Kryptonians consider humans to be "apes," nor does he show the two as being particularly malicious. Instead, they are quickly defined as a superior species full of all the arrogance that humans have in their dealings with lesser life forms. And when Lilo chastises Superman for not using his powers to build a new Krypton "in this squalor," Superman's reply is just as simple and direct: "That's not fair. What right do I have to impose my values on anyone?" In those two sentences, Superman's ethics are apparent. He believes in fairness and everything it entails. As Bar-El lies near death, he wonders why Superman shows him so much kindness - Superman admits, "It's in my nature to observe and to learn…and not to interfere too much. Perhaps I could have done more." It's the Maggin-esque portrayal of Superman's scientifically detached persona, but with a very human sense of under-achievement."
THE ROLE OF SUPERMAN FOR HUMANITY
"Superman has to think differently from us, and when we see into his head, we should be shocked by the clarity and simplicity of his brilliance and compassion. This is a god sent to Earth not to suffer and die but to live and inspire and change the face of the galaxy by his deeds and reputation. He's the fertility god, the Adonis who brings about the ascendance of humanity. Morrison has referred to "All-Star Superman" as "Apollonian" not just in concept but in execution. If drama which aspires to the Apollonian is based on principles of beauty and clarity and perfection, "All-Star Superman" has achieved that goal. In many ways, it's Morrison's most straightforward work, with little of the subtext or layered symbolism he relies upon in his other projects. It's not the complexity of "All-Star Superman" that brings about catharsis, it’s the perfection of its form -- in all of its bright, shining, transcendent Apollonian splendor."
MORRISON'S FIRST WORK WITH SUPERMAN
"Morrison first tackled Superman -- in comic book form -- in a two-page scene from "Animal Man" #2, from the late summer of 1988. As everyone knows, Superman had been around for 50 years by then, transforming from a New Deal strongman to a sci-fi god to an anxiety-ridden savior to a good-hearted farm boy over the intervening years. But as Buddy Baker sits on a low-slung rooftop eating nachos and thinking about how little he knows about his current case, Superman appears with a smile and a wave and a simple, "hi there." Morrison's version of the character may have drawn upon five decades of baggage, but his portrayal is crisp and streamlined."
THE TIMELESS ICON
"Superman, with his red and blue tights and flowing cape looked hopelessly out-of-date compared to the jacket-sporting Animal Man. Now, looking back on that scene, it's Animal Man who looks like a fashion victim while Superman's costume remains as iconic as ever."
A SIGN OF WHAT'S TO COME?
"Morrison has produced one of the great superhero stories of all time [in All Star Superman]. So great, actually, in its simplicity and elegance that it might well point the way toward lean and crisp superhero storytelling of tomorrow."
WHAT IS SUPERMAN?
"In Elliot S! Maggin's "Miracle Monday," Superboy dissects a grasshopper to discover the mechanics of life, in a scene that horrifies Pa Kent, who thinks that perhaps his son has killed the creature just to find out how it works. When Pa Kent learns that the grasshopper was dead when young Clark found it, he breathes a sigh of relief, but not completely, for he realizes that there's little he, or anyone, could do if Superboy were to turn against humanity. It's only the ethical code imparted to him by his adopted parents that keeps him huma ... in "All-Star Superman" #9, ... Kryptonian astronauts Bar-El and Lilo show what an undiluted Kryptonian perspective would look like. He doesn't belabor the notion that the Kryptonians consider humans to be "apes," nor does he show the two as being particularly malicious. Instead, they are quickly defined as a superior species full of all the arrogance that humans have in their dealings with lesser life forms. And when Lilo chastises Superman for not using his powers to build a new Krypton "in this squalor," Superman's reply is just as simple and direct: "That's not fair. What right do I have to impose my values on anyone?" In those two sentences, Superman's ethics are apparent. He believes in fairness and everything it entails. As Bar-El lies near death, he wonders why Superman shows him so much kindness - Superman admits, "It's in my nature to observe and to learn…and not to interfere too much. Perhaps I could have done more." It's the Maggin-esque portrayal of Superman's scientifically detached persona, but with a very human sense of under-achievement."
THE ROLE OF SUPERMAN FOR HUMANITY
"Superman has to think differently from us, and when we see into his head, we should be shocked by the clarity and simplicity of his brilliance and compassion. This is a god sent to Earth not to suffer and die but to live and inspire and change the face of the galaxy by his deeds and reputation. He's the fertility god, the Adonis who brings about the ascendance of humanity. Morrison has referred to "All-Star Superman" as "Apollonian" not just in concept but in execution. If drama which aspires to the Apollonian is based on principles of beauty and clarity and perfection, "All-Star Superman" has achieved that goal. In many ways, it's Morrison's most straightforward work, with little of the subtext or layered symbolism he relies upon in his other projects. It's not the complexity of "All-Star Superman" that brings about catharsis, it’s the perfection of its form -- in all of its bright, shining, transcendent Apollonian splendor."
