On April 11, DC Comics presents All Star Superman: Volume 1. It’s the first hardcover graphic novel collection of the new All Star Superman series by writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely. This is the same creative team behind JLA: EARTH 2. The graphic novel collects the first six issues in the All Star series. The story begins with an epic rescue of a group of doomed astronauts from the surface of the sun that can only be called super. Then the World’s Greatest Hero is exposed to massive amounts of solar radiation. How does this effect him? Only the diabolical Lex Luthor knows.
Entertainment Weekly calls it, “A stirringly mythic, emotionally resonant, and gloriously alternate take on the Man of Steel.” This may have been true for the first few issues, but the series has since taken a nose dive in appeal.The loosly interconnected plot gets precipitously more nauseating after the third issue; each subsequent issue presents more and more ambiguity to the reader. The reader is left with only one question. What’s the point? This story gets a 3 out of 5. Hey, the Bag Man likes the “S”-man. Hopefully, the next six issues can somehow bring this series home.
All Star Superman: Volume 1 will hit bookstores priced at 19.99, or the price of two movie tickets in certain states. If you do decide to buy this emotionally hackneyed tale, do yourself a favor and buy it on Amazon.com for 32% off.
