2010 Reading #53: All Star Superman by Morrison, Quitely, and Grant
Books 1-10.
Books 11-20.
Books 21-30.
Books 31-40.
Books 41-50.
51. Kitty Pryde: Shadow & Flame by Akira Yoshida and Paul Smith.
52. Best Short Novels 2006, Edited by Jonathan Strahan.
53. All Star Superman Volumes One and Two by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely and Jamie Grant. As I've probably said more than enough times by now, I'm a Superman skeptic, but after reading the first Legion of Super-Heroes Showcase volume, I remembered a bit of the affection I used to have for Silver Age Supes. Since everyone and their tapeworm has been raving about this series for the past several years, and I'm a big Morrison fan, and the covers are pretty, I thought I'd pick it up. It's clear that Morrison has more than a bit of affection for the Silver Age Superman stories; he draws on a ton of that stuff here, even if just for background detail. I have a lot of respect for anyone who, rather than try to refute the wackiness that was the Silver Age--in favor of, say, the gritty "realism" of the Foil Age or the straightforward nihilism that Mark Millar represents--embraces the weirdness, giving it a modern voice and context. That's essentially what Morrison has done here, and he's done it quite well. It's also a surprisingly gentle story, especially for Morrison, and considering that it involves monsters and renegade suns and time-traveling musclehead thieves. The supporting cast gets a nice workout, and did I mention that the art is pretty? Seriously, Quitely's lines are reliably nice, but Grant's colors just leap off the page. Anyway, this is one Superman story I can definitely recommend.
Books 11-20.
Books 21-30.
Books 31-40.
Books 41-50.
51. Kitty Pryde: Shadow & Flame by Akira Yoshida and Paul Smith.
52. Best Short Novels 2006, Edited by Jonathan Strahan.
53. All Star Superman Volumes One and Two by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely and Jamie Grant. As I've probably said more than enough times by now, I'm a Superman skeptic, but after reading the first Legion of Super-Heroes Showcase volume, I remembered a bit of the affection I used to have for Silver Age Supes. Since everyone and their tapeworm has been raving about this series for the past several years, and I'm a big Morrison fan, and the covers are pretty, I thought I'd pick it up. It's clear that Morrison has more than a bit of affection for the Silver Age Superman stories; he draws on a ton of that stuff here, even if just for background detail. I have a lot of respect for anyone who, rather than try to refute the wackiness that was the Silver Age--in favor of, say, the gritty "realism" of the Foil Age or the straightforward nihilism that Mark Millar represents--embraces the weirdness, giving it a modern voice and context. That's essentially what Morrison has done here, and he's done it quite well. It's also a surprisingly gentle story, especially for Morrison, and considering that it involves monsters and renegade suns and time-traveling musclehead thieves. The supporting cast gets a nice workout, and did I mention that the art is pretty? Seriously, Quitely's lines are reliably nice, but Grant's colors just leap off the page. Anyway, this is one Superman story I can definitely recommend.