All Star: Superman #6

Released: January 3, 2007

Publisher: DC

Writer: Grant Morrison

Pencils: Frank Quitely

Inks: Jamie Grant

Colors: Jamie Grant

Letterer: Phil Balsman

Cover: Frank Quitely & Jamie Grant

 

These issues continue to drift along, marginally doing what the ‘All Star’ label was meant to accomplish, namely compete with Marvel’s Ultimate Universe. The All-Star label’s M.O. is similar to Ultimate’s: get high-caliber talent to do stories about the headlining characters. While neither is in normal continuity, All-Star isn’t meant to become a universe unto itself but simply exist as a sandbox for these top creators to play in without treading on any continuity toes (or allow the decades of continuity to interfere with All-Star).

 

All-Star Batman is on, what looks to be, a permanent hiatus after its ill-fated, short lived, and glacially paced run. The label has stalled. Yet Morrison and Quitely continue to be given the space allowed them to produce the best Superman stories I’ve ever read. Smartly allowing each issue to stand on its own, Quitely’s slow output hasn’t hurt the series, and while it certainly hasn’t built up a huge momentum, it also hasn’t lost any. It continues to sell high and produce ‘done-in-one’ stories that are beautiful and entertaining.

 

Morrison has taken all the random elements of Superman’s mythology and set the series somewhere in the middle as if they’ve always been there. So Krypto shows up and everyone knows him, but Jonathan Kent hasn’t died yet, well, until this issue. Another theme Morrison is keeping alive is the slightly wacky elements of Silver Age superheroes/science fiction, and he revels in them.

 

Case in point: a group of future Supermen show up, hunting down a time-traveling monster. It isn’t a coincidence they come to Clark at that specific time, a touching surprise implying it’s impossible to shake fate, even with time travel. A small paradox ensues of the type all time-traveling stories usually have, but it’s such a common part of the genre that most won’t give it a second thought.

 

This isn’t the best issue so far, Lex Luthor’s prison break issue probably is, but none of the six have even been close to bad. They might entirely forget Frank Miller and Jim Lee’s All-Star Batman, and All-Star Wonder Woman is still a ways off, yet Superman is still proudly doing what the All-Star label should: reaching out to non-Superman fans to create stories everyone can enjoy.

 

Rating - 7