All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison

Grant Morrison is that kind of “rockstar” author, known by his mad stories. With the help of the comic artist Frank Quitely; They brought perhaps the definitive story of Supermen.

Grant Morrison is known by flirting with ideas of Occultism so here in this story wasn’t different and couldn’t be. Superman through the time achieve one of the highest positions on the pop culture. For example in the second edition (I don’t want give much spoilers here) basically is a story only centered in Supermen and Lois Lane.

2nd story represents 2nd house of the signs which it’s Gemini sign. Coincidence? Not in Morrison’s stories.

The premise of the story is Superman discovering he has a terminal cancer and needs to prepare the humanity to lives without him. He is the figure of Hierophant: The aspiration of the divine and inspiration for people. He’s the natural leader of humanity. At some moment of the story, Superman had his DNA “scanned” by a woman; She said: “Oh It’s like Bach”.

J. S. Bach dedicated all his work to God, his propose was to had a music that shows divine perfection.

During the story is known that he needs complete 12 labours, referring the Hercules’s 12 Labours. (there’s a good animation from Disney about this story) The 12 labours refers to the 12 signs and also to the 12 months and if we think that’s this story at that time was published monthly, we can understand as testament of myth or Hero’s Journey of Superman by Morrison.

Here enters the XII arcana Hanged Man: he’s passing by a trial, a voluntary sacrifice to the greater good. According with Robert Wang’s Qabalistic Tarot the myth of the Dying God is present in this card, at least a aspect of it. Christ, Odin, Osiris etc. All they passed by moment of sacrifice, death and rebirth.

At the end Superman has completed all his tasks and need to face his fate now. He gave Lois his red cloak and go towards the sun. Isn’t explicit if he died or not, who reads Morrison has some interpretation. Even the link with the sun gives us this clue. The same red cloak he gived Lois I see in the card of the Sun with the kid. For me is explicit, he assumes himself the God-Sun.

All-Star Superman was a beatiful, emotionally reading. A truly homenage, deserve all the attetion and another read certainly. As any another work of Morrison.