Superhero Media: All Star Superman (2007)

One of the best comics ever written. Review done, go home. Ok, so how do you tell a story about Superman that celebrates his past, looks to the future and remains true to the intention of the character? You write All Star Superman. I've heard All Star Superman described as "a Superman story for people who don't like Superman", but there's so many deep-cuts and Silver Age references, I tend to describe it more as "the ultimate Superman story". During the course of twelve issues, Superman travels through time, battles Parasite, Bizarro and Luthor, and finally cures cancer before ascending to secular godhood. For many potential readers, hearing "Superman Cures Cancer" can turn them off, fearing that the comic will be ridiculous, but really, it's par for the course for this Superman. The Superman of All Star Superman battles time-traveling gods, goes to alternate universes and does all those great, classic Superman things that modern cinema tries to erase from the character. 

The story begins with Superman rescuing Professor Quintum from the surface of the sun, overloading his Krytonian cells with Yellow Solar energy, which will slowly kill Superman over the course of the narrative. Knowing he will die soon and that the world will be left without its greatest protector, Superman undertakes a series of "Labors" in the manner of Hercules, to leave the world a better place after his passing and to light the way for humanity to come after him. "The Man of Tomorrow" is the best description for the Superman of All Star Superman, as more than just his strength and speed is on display; this Superman displays his great intelligence, compassion and creativity, allowing his foes to have moments of epiphany as well as defeating them more traditionally. When battling Solaris, the Tyrant Sun, Superman already has seen the future where Solaris is an ally, so he withholds his power and his anger to create the path to that future. Despite the temptation, I don't read this Superman as Messianic, he's here to light the way, not die for our sins, more of a Bodhisattva, lifting humanity up, so that we can all be better. 

If you're considering a comic collection, the two trades of All Star Superman are pretty much a must-buy, not only because it's one of the greatest Superman stories of all time, but also because it is a great example of how superheroes can be used to tell a great story without stripping away all of the colour, camp and continuity. Forget your preconceptions, find a red towel to tie around your neck, hide the Kryponite and put your faith in the man with heat vision. All Star Superman is not only a great story, but is a powerful tale of humanity, compassion and hope. You may have seen the page from this comic where Superman takes time out from saving the world to save the life of a suicidal teenage girl (it does the rounds on social media pretty often), it pretty much perfectly sums up the tone of this comic; that of the Superman who saves the day, be it for everyone or just one person whose world is falling apart.