These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things
1. A rescue mission... TO THE SUN. No fucking around here.
2. A new power that is visaully striking, and just downright cool.
3. Blowing a monster into the sun... BY LOOKING AT IT WITH SUPERCRAZY VISION.
4. A four panel origin that sums up the tragedy of Superman like a brilliant haiku
5. The two panel spread of Superman flying around the sun- look at his expression.... does he know he's doomed? He looks like a man ready to die to save just one life... but there's no extended internal monologue explaining everything to us.... just a subtle bit of drawing around the eyes.
6. "Death. Courtesy of Lex Luthor!" When was the last time Luthor was actually scary?
7. Jimmy Olsen has a super-watch and a Jetpack. No six-issue miniseries explaining where they came from, it just simply, awesomely is the way it is.
8. No long winded crap about how much Lois loves Superman. Just a guy who's jealous, and that says it all. She has so much faith in the Big Guy that she writes the headline before she knows anything for sure...
9. The Daily Planet rises above everything else on a serene, sunny day. It's apparently the last bastion of integrity, about to take down an evil man, despite the world against them.
10. Luthor's anger as he stares down a high ranking general. Chilling.
11. "Only NOTHING is impossible..."
12. Superman pushing a testing machine so hard that the whole array comes unbolted.... quietly, in the background.
13. The tour of Quintum's lab... science fiction at it's most insane and lovely.
14. Quintum and his his partner... what strange, vivid supporting characters. Not just scientists in labcoats this time, no sir....
15. "There's ALWAYS a way." Isn't that kinda the point of it all?
16. Superman's determination in his profile, as he looks ahead to death, brave as ever.
17. He saves a boy and his dog. We don't even see it... does anyone? Does it matter?
18. Clark fumbling in a sequence straight out of a Windsor McKay strip. Classic.
19. Clark saves someone. Again, it's not even in the foreground... but he saves everyone he can.
20. Of course the last page; more subtletly and power in showing a dropped basket of fruit than any other version of this scene I've ever read. Superman's sincerity and a quiet sense of importance in what he has to do.
21. Lois is capable and self-confident, but not annoying or obnoxious. Superman is the strong, quiet, likable, and inspiring. Perry White is the kind of editor we wish all newspapers had, and Lex Luthor is genuinely creepy and dangerous. Clark is pigeon-toed.
This is all in one issue. Four plus Superman book a month for the past ten years, and not all of them combined have summed up what is amazing about this character the way this One Comic Book has.
It's pretty okay.
posted by Alex! at 10:57 AM
12 Love Letters:
... Meh.
As I said elsewhere here it's nowhere NEAR Morrison's best work.
Maybe the expectations were too high but I was really disappointed.
Hopefully it gets better.
The Shadow
1:10 PM
It might not've been Morrison's best work, but it sure as hell was the best Superman's been in years. Alex, you're making me wish i had the comic in fron of me so I could relive all that coolness you point out.
Ananymous Whiner
2:05 PM
Come on, let's fight already!
6:44 PM
The shadow obviously hates you all with a bitter vengeance... and checks this blog on a regular basis.
Sometimes there's a fine line between love and hate.
And why don't you guys just all have a fantard slap-fight and get this over with already?
10:53 AM
We're lovers, not fighters.
11:43 AM
Supes is like jazz, man. Like SUPER-jazz.
12:52 PM
really_rather said "The shadow obviously hates you all with a bitter vengeance... and checks this blog on a regular basis.
Sometimes there's a fine line between love and hate."
No... what I don't hate anyone... but I enjoy is discussions with peoplr about comics. I didn't HATE All Star Superman... but I was disappointed in it.
1:02 PM
I think "The Shadow" is just lonely.
Hold him in the dark, cold night. Hold him and make him feel like he's worth something.
3:17 PM
Thanks Kevin!
Not lonely at all... but as I said I enjoy talking comics!
The Shadow
2:24 AM
7. Jimmy Olsen has a super-watch and a Jetpack. No six-issue miniseries explaining where they came from, it just simply, awesomely is the way it is.
This was my second favorite thing. Mainly because it made sense and it was "brilliant!" and yet so "obvious". I mean, if you are Superman's best friend, you're going to be packing 'something!' And when you think about it, it never made any sense why you would have your own jet-pack when visiting Kandor, but not take it home with you afterwards.
And if the reason was that Jimmy had to stay weak and dumb so that Superman could rescue him all the time; well that sure explains why the Big Boy Scout needed Morrison so badly!
8. No long winded crap about how much Lois loves Superman. Just a guy who's jealous, and that says it all. She has so much faith in the Big Guy that she writes the headline before she knows anything for sure...
That's no Guy! That's Steve Lombard! Ex Grid-Iron Great and current Sports writer!
Minor Quib though: It is my understanding that Newspaper Writers DON'T write headlines. That's the editor's job. So even though the scene makes its point, it lost its effect on me on account that I knew this.
13. The tour of Quintum's lab... science fiction at it's most insane and lovely.
I liked Quintum-Wonka's Lab, but three things annoyed me. First of all, Morrison didn't say where this lab is located;
and I would like to know! Is it on the Moon? On Earth? Mars maybe?
Second of all, Superman doesn't mind his DNA being cloned and his genes being experimented upon? (That was weird, plus awkward. I would definitely be weirded out if all my clones looked like superpowered rejects from Night of the Living Dead)
And Finally, the transitions between panels was clunky. (I think)
Superman went from being tested to... well, I don't know. Was he still on the same floor?, was he looking out a window?, was he looking at a picture?, or was he on the lab's roof?
Quitely lost me there, and Morrison seemed more concerned with sci-fi techno talk.
But that was it. Everything else was brilliant.
16. Superman's determination in his profile, as he looks ahead to death, brave as ever.
I have to hand it to Morrison. He got me thinking. Superman went from wondering if he will ever die, to wondering how long he has to live.
Wow. I can't wait to see how Superman handles all this.
19. Clark saves someone. Again, it's not even in the foreground... but he saves everyone he can.
This was my favorite! Brilliant! I mean, you can see Clark's clumsyness is premeditated! He still gets grief for it! And you see Lois and Clark together, and you KNOW why Lois would never date Clark.
Look at that scene again.
Lois is mega-HOT and Clark is a big puffy nerd. They don't look right together. They would never be together, at least not as equals. It works there because Lois is the big Queen Bee and Clark is the dofus drone bee; but a couple, they do not make.
And I will say that I've never seen a drawing or a picture of Lois & Clark, in which this disparity was more evident. A lot of artists have drawn Clark Kent and he comes off as a regular guy in glasses. A lot of artists have drawn Lois and she comes off as pretty and beautifull, but attainable nonetheless. A lot of artists have drawn Lois & Clark together and you get the sense that they look okay together. In fact you get used to seeing them together.
Quitely is the first artist I've seen were I instinctively went like "Ugh! Clark shouldn't even be in the same panel as Lois!"
And I thank him for it!
12:36 PM
red said "Quitely is the first artist I've seen were I instinctively went like "Ugh! Clark shouldn't even be in the same panel as Lois!"
LOL
Great quote and I agree!
The Shadow
12:38 AM
I thought it was good, but both Morrison and Quitely have done better work.
And that bit where Quintum is talking about creating a slave race from Superman's DNA bothered me. I'm not sure Superman would be that excited about a chuffing slave race. In fact, I'm pretty sure he'd turn around and liberate the poor sods.
I'm thinking that Red Ricky's right. Morrison got carried away in that scene a bit.
10:22 PM
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