AS Superman #1 - perfect!

[deathlok]

All Star Superman was okay at best.

 

I continue to pick it up, but it wasn't as great as you guys are gushing about. I'm kinda unclear as to why you think it was so great. Nothing really happened in the story, Supes didn't fight anyone, and it basically seems like a copy of Spider-Man's current story arc "the Others."

[nearmint]

I like Quitely's style but the cover seems a little well freaky to me. Sups just looks like a big goofy kid sitting there looking down. I am looking forward to reading it though.

 

Rumor has it that at last year's SD Con('04), a DC editor was hounding Morrison about writing a Superman series. Morrison refused, saying he didn't have a take on the character. This conversation happened in the evening, across the street from the convention center. While they were talking, a tall, really ripped guy in a Superman costume came walking down the railroad tracks. Morrison yelled something at the guy, and he responded in character. Morrison asked the guy if he could talk to him for a minute, and they sat down to chat. They proceeded to have a 90 minute conversation, Morrison asking questions and Superman answering in character. Morrison asked "what's up with you and Batman?" Supes responded, "you know, he thinks everyone has darkness in their hearts, and I just can't buy into that."

 

While they were talking, Morrison took note of Superman's body language. He was relaxed, a really muscular guy in a goofy outfit, yes, but relaxed. Not posing like a bodybuilder at a competition.

 

Morrison walked away from the conversation with his take on Supes.

[SuperBird]

It was the characterization, the dialog, the little extra touches on every page, the unique pacing, and most importantly- the fact that Morrison seems to 'get' that because of Superman's god-like powers, you can't write him like a regular real-life superhero. He's just a character that is impossible to pigeonhole into the standard superhero template, and everytime someone attempts to do that-basically every book since Byrne rebooted him- he just comes off as a boring version of 'generic superhero comic book X'.

 

As to spiderman's current story arc, i haven't read it, but it seems pretty dull. It's not the fact that Superman is 'dying' in AS Superman that make sit great. It's the overall storytelling.

[rob_react]

I like Quitely's style but the cover seems a little well freaky to me. Sups just looks like a big goofy kid sitting there looking down. I am looking forward to reading it though.

 

Rumor has it that at last year's SD Con('04), a DC editor was hounding Morrison about writing a Superman series. Morrison refused, saying he didn't have a take on the character. This conversation happened in the evening, across the street from the convention center. While they were talking, a tall, really ripped guy in a Superman costume came walking down the railroad tracks. Morrison yelled something at the guy, and he responded in character. Morrison asked the guy if he could talk to him for a minute, and they sat down to chat. They proceeded to have a 90 minute conversation, Morrison asking questions and Superman answering in character. Morrison asked "what's up with you and Batman?" Supes responded, "you know, he thinks everyone has darkness in their hearts, and I just can't buy into that."

 

While they were talking, Morrison took note of Superman's body language. He was relaxed, a really muscular guy in a goofy outfit, yes, but relaxed. Not posing like a bodybuilder at a competition.

 

Morrison walked away from the conversation with his take on Supes.

 

[Darthdiesel]

just picked this up, and it's absoluetly the best take on the character I've ever read. Perfect blend of everything that was good about the Silver Age, the first movie, and current comic sensibilities. If only ASBatman was 1/100th this good...

 

 

Does he say "I'm the Superman" in it? Or is it "gosh-darn"?

[deathlok]

It was the characterization, the dialog, the little extra touches on every page, the unique pacing, and most importantly- the fact that Morrison seems to 'get' that because of Superman's god-like powers, you can't write him like a regular real-life superhero. He's just a character that is impossible to pigeonhole into the standard superhero template, and everytime someone attempts to do that-basically every book since Byrne rebooted him- he just comes off as a boring version of 'generic superhero comic book X'.

 

As to spiderman's current story arc, i haven't read it, but it seems pretty dull. It's not the fact that Superman is 'dying' in AS Superman that make sit great. It's the overall storytelling.

 

I guess it just doesn't appeal to me. It's not the first book that I haven't enjoyed that everyone else enjoys. I was never a big fan of Pitt or Wildcats, but everyone else liked them.

 

The Spider-Man story is one of the better story arc that have come along in awhile. Much better than the Sins Remembered/Avengers Disassembled/etc..

[Aman619]

well, "greatness" will have to wait for a few issues. But it was a solid interesting new direction with a lot of possibilities. And I dont think th edying part hit me so much, I dodnt even register that Spideys going thru the same thing. Somehow it seems like a subplot (I hope it is anyway) AND - - SPidey is "dying" to be reborn "permanently". AS S is just a finite miniseries Elseworlds style. (I typed A S S before and it came back as [embarrassing lack of self control])

[shrunkenhead]

 

Rumor has it that at last year's SD Con('04), a DC editor was hounding Morrison about writing a Superman series. Morrison refused, saying he didn't have a take on the character. This conversation happened in the evening, across the street from the convention center. While they were talking, a tall, really ripped guy in a Superman costume came walking down the railroad tracks. Morrison yelled something at the guy, and he responded in character. Morrison asked the guy if he could talk to him for a minute, and they sat down to chat. They proceeded to have a 90 minute conversation, Morrison asking questions and Superman answering in character. Morrison asked "what's up with you and Batman?" Supes responded, "you know, he thinks everyone has darkness in their hearts, and I just can't buy into that."

 

While they were talking, Morrison took note of Superman's body language. He was relaxed, a really muscular guy in a goofy outfit, yes, but relaxed. Not posing like a bodybuilder at a competition.

 

Morrison walked away from the conversation with his take on Supes.

 

That sounds like crazy Grant, alright!

[Kermit the frog]

I like Quitely's style but the cover seems a little well freaky to me. Sups just looks like a big goofy kid sitting there looking down. I am looking forward to reading it though.

 

Rumor has it that at last year's SD Con('04), a DC editor was hounding Morrison about writing a Superman series. Morrison refused, saying he didn't have a take on the character. This conversation happened in the evening, across the street from the convention center. While they were talking, a tall, really ripped guy in a Superman costume came walking down the railroad tracks. Morrison yelled something at the guy, and he responded in character. Morrison asked the guy if he could talk to him for a minute, and they sat down to chat. They proceeded to have a 90 minute conversation, Morrison asking questions and Superman answering in character. Morrison asked "what's up with you and Batman?" Supes responded, "you know, he thinks everyone has darkness in their hearts, and I just can't buy into that."

 

While they were talking, Morrison took note of Superman's body language. He was relaxed, a really muscular guy in a goofy outfit, yes, but relaxed. Not posing like a bodybuilder at a competition.

 

Morrison walked away from the conversation with his take on Supes.

 

wow, what a nice way to grab a story/take...

i'll take a look at it tomorrow

 

regards

[Crows]

I think its great

[Timulty]

Pretty good book. Superman's characterization when faced with his own mortality....well he seemed way too calm. But then at the end we get a sense of the true character he is. Yep, pretty good book. Can't wait for #2.

[helionaut]

The story about Morrison and Raspler talking to a guy in a Superman costume is in this week's Comic Shop News. His take on Superman is basically that if you are so immensely powerful, and you know you are, and you are mentally equipped to handle it like Superman is, you'd be cool, just hanging out on a cloud, a benevolent kind of supervisor of all you survey.

 

I really liked it. I don't know how anyone can think nothing happened in this issue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[spoilerS]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We learn that Luthor has been jailed and then released on the promise that he work for the military developing weapons, and a mid-life crisis has prompted him to get back to his true raison d'etre, killing Superman. With all the tools at his disposal, that's what he's set about doing. By genetically sabotaging a scientist on a spaceship in close proximity to the sun, he's lured Superman out there to over-expose him to the sun's rays, setting off a cellular chain-reaction that will sooner or later kill Superman. This realization, and his apparently immediate acceptance of his own mortality (which I had my only quibble with), has made Superman reveal his alter-ego to Lois, who is excellently portrayed as her original tough-gal metro news reporter self. Throw in lots of great visuals and sight-gags that you have to expect from Quitely, some very salient characterizations of old characters (Perry White, Jimmy Olsen, and Luthor, apparently cloned from New X-Men's Cassandra Nova) and great science babble from Morrison including an intriguing nice-mad-scientist guy (though you know he's going to be trouble in the future), and a story set in contemporary times free of most of almost 7 decades of continuity baggage, and you've got quite a nice way to spend $3.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[/spoilerS]

[Lazyboy]

Rumor has it that at last year's SD Con('04), a DC editor was hounding Morrison about writing a Superman series. Morrison refused, saying he didn't have a take on the character. This conversation happened in the evening, across the street from the convention center. While they were talking, a tall, really ripped guy in a Superman costume came walking down the railroad tracks. Morrison yelled something at the guy, and he responded in character. Morrison asked the guy if he could talk to him for a minute, and they sat down to chat. They proceeded to have a 90 minute conversation, Morrison asking questions and Superman answering in character. Morrison asked "what's up with you and Batman?" Supes responded, "you know, he thinks everyone has darkness in their hearts, and I just can't buy into that."

 

While they were talking, Morrison took note of Superman's body language. He was relaxed, a really muscular guy in a goofy outfit, yes, but relaxed. Not posing like a bodybuilder at a competition.

 

Morrison walked away from the conversation with his take on Supes.

 

Although most of the basics are there, that's not the way I heard it.

 

From page 1 of the article/interview:

 

grant morrison: flick the switch

by Jason Louv (jlouv@cats.ucsc.edu) - May 06, 2003

 

Editor's Note: Special Thanks to Jason Louv, Webmaster of King Mob, who taped this interview at the San Diego Comic Convention (22 July 2001), and then transcribed its 23 pages.

 

I only just found that, thanks to wdb23's post in this thread. It really is amazing how things tie together sometimes.

 

 

On the subject of the actual finished comic, I wasn't sure if I should pick up this book. Though after hearing many positive things about it, maybe I will.

[Zonker]

Thanks for digging that up. I had vaguely remembered that Morrison/Superman story, but thought it pre-dated Grant's recent assignment to the All-Star project. As I recalled it, Morrison, Waid and perhaps a few others had put together a proposal to fix Superman post-Byrne, and DC management was too timid at the time to adopt it.

 

Sounds like Didio is going to get the job done now.

[Timulty]

Oh, yeah. Did anybody get a Willy Wonka kinda vibe off the the mad-scientist dude? I mean, the technicolor long coat and all. I see a bad moon rising with that guy.

[Rocketeer]

...I wasn't crazy about it,...to me it read like a marvel Ultimate book,...lots of pretty pictures but that's about it,...I think I blew through it in less than 10 minutes...

[Timulty]

Same here, I did go through it really quick. Maybe, that was my problem with it, not substantive enough.

[Jayman]

Oh, yeah. Did anybody get a Willy Wonka kinda vibe off the the mad-scientist dude? I mean, the technicolor long coat and all. I see a bad moon rising with that guy.

 

First thing I thought too...Willy Wonka!

[Timulty]

Willy Wonka....instead of making candy he makes.....genetically altered lifeforms. Hmmmm.....I wonder, if this is going to be another man has went against the laws of nature and -up everything royally kinda plot. I am looking forward to the rest of this series though.

[nearmint]

Although most of the basics are there, that's not the way I heard it.

 

Sorry, a friend told me the story. Guess he left out the part about it all happening in Grant's mind!

 

Although, kinda sounds like it was real to him.