COMICS | LIFE
How Superman’s Death Became a Stirring Celebration of Life
'All-Star Superman' colours the Man of Steel's final days with an earnest warmth
Superman’s physical prowess and absolute morality inspire awe but also evoke distance. In All-Star Superman, Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely counteract that impression by offering readers an intensely personal insight into the moral icon who fights for ‘truth, justice and the American way’. Their 2006–08 run works the character from all angles, giving equal weight to Clark Kent (one whole chapter focuses on a prison visit he makes in order to interview Lex Luthor for the Daily Planet!) as well as to the Son of Krypton.
What renders this adaptation unique, however, is that both personas bleed into each other, heroism being transfigured into a dual identity of sorts. That means we get a Superman whose human sensibilities are strong enough to adopt a sun-eater (a shadowy being whose name alone explains the major existential threat it poses to humanity) as a pet, whose death he even mourns. But it also means that we get to see Clark Kent, the clumsy, big-hearted oaf who writes ‘poetry’ in his articles (Lex Luthor’s words!), play the hero for once by physically launching himself at a gun-toting criminal. Given the fact that Superman is often…
