Archive for the ‘Grant Morrison’ Category

Action Comics #8 Review

Posted: April 5, 2012 in Action Comics, Comic Book Review, DC Comics, Grant Morrison, Rags Morales
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Written by: Grant Morrison
Pencilled by: Rags Morales
Inked by: Rick Bryant
Cover Color by: Brad Anderson
Lettered by: DC Lettering

Oh Lois, you’re so clever!  Not only did coin Kal-El’s super powered alter-ego, you also gave birth to the Collector of World’s name as well.  Perry White would be proud!

Superman goes tooth and…uh… tentacle in this final battle for the safety of Earth.  But the Collector of Worlds decides to give Supes a challenge – choose to reenter Metropolis within the bottle, or save the bottled city of Kandor.  Which will he choose?  The answer won’t surprise you.

Grant Morrison, while not my favorite writer (as you all WELL know) has been treating Action Comics so well that it’s becoming one of my more anticipated monthly titles!  He’s found a way of reintroducing many of the themes that made Superman who he is, but giving each theme a fresh twist.  No doubt, Morrison puts more ideas and concepts of every page of his stories than any other writer in the field.

However, as awesome as Action has been these last seven months, #8 proves that Morrison can’t get away from making his arcs confusing.  I understand what happened in the fight, but where did those darn Crystals go?  Morrison did attempt to explain through the voices of the characters, but the explanation became lost in a plot progression filled with unfathomable jargon.

More shockingly was the visual presentation by Rags Morales.  Forget 3D, Rags makes it look as if Superman is coming straight off the page…

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a .....HOLY SHIT!!!!

I typically love Morales’s art, but this was a little TOO jolting.  But as scary as it is, there’s also a certain amount beauty to it as well – personifying a young superhero who’s enjoying his first major victory over his first foe; The details of his costume, facial structure, and background, both in penciling and color give life to this battles end, culminated in one fantastic page!

The best parts of this issue lie within the book’s closing; the chat Clark has with Mr. Taylor, with his landlady who asks him a question of identity, and his humbling moment in front of the people of Metropolis while accepting the key to the city.  Lois’s question, however, was quite an interesting one, making way for Superman’s inevitable Fortress of Solitude.  Looks like there’ll no longer be a cave of ice, but rather a space dwelling domicile powered by the Brainiac computer.

I’m still confused as to how things transpired the way they did, but there’s enough good in this issue where I need not dwell on those trivial things.  Here’s to another powerful story arc for Action Comics, cheers!

8 out of 10 stars

Action Comics #7 Review

Posted: March 8, 2012 in Action Comics, Comic Book Review, DC Comics, Grant Morrison, Pat Brosseau, Rags Morales
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Penciled by: Rags Morales, Bradley Walker
Cover Color by: Brad Anderson
Lettered by: Pat Brosseau
Ok, there’s a new logo, AWESOME!  Let’s move on to the more interesting aspects of this month’s installment of Action Comics…
So, my physics friends, what do you think of a comic book superhero, who has just saved the city by unrealistic means, who makes this kind of statement?…
“Who says you don’t meed physics in the real world?”
Steel, once again, bears his undeniably annoying metal butt back on the pages of the new DCU in a secondary story after the Man of Steel’s MAIN one.  While Superman is out in space trying to save the recently bottled city of New Troy, Steel is waging war against the tide.  It’s a nice little reminder that, while the big name superheroes are out defeating the alien baddies, Earth is still in peril with the seemingly much “smaller,” yet terrifying disasters amongst the common city folk.  I’ve never liked Steel, but I guess he is the perfect choice for this side story.
The bigger, more important story of #6 is undoubtedly a humdinger!  Even Superman’s leather boots couldn’t take the pounding of this excellent installment of Action Comics.  Of course, with the destruction of Superman’s boots, before hurtling off into space, comes the inevitability of the examination of his Super wardrobe.  As to HOW Superman gets his costume, I’m certainly a fan of it. However, I’m not sure I understand how it automatically changes colors from solid white to the more recognizable Blue, red, and yellow.  Explanations please!  I’m glad to see that Supes will finally be donning some threads that won’t tear under pressure.
Al Gore is definitely going to take issue with DC proclaiming the internet to be an alien piece of technology, and not something if his design.  It was a clever move on Morrison’s part to make one of Superman’s most intelligent enemies more like a hive-minded entity that went from planet to planet, supplying each world with data, information, technological connectivity, and world-wide communal access…..and porn.  (Thanks Avenue Q for cementing the idea of what the Internet is ACTUALLY for.)
Everything is still a mystery though!  Brainiac, or the Collector of Worlds, has a very unique form.  Much more slug-like than humanoid.  Plus, the story behind Superman’s origins is still floating around with no answers in sight.  All we know is that the answers we as readers need to understand everything are hidden within the Bottled city of Kandor.  If Morrison keeps this up, the NEW revelations behind Superman’s past should be quite entertaining.  And the characteristic that the majority of people dub as a “boy-scoutish“ attitude from the Man of Steel (Stupid fans) is definitely rearing it’s head.
Rags Morales is certainly giving the world something to look at!  This issue might just be the best art I’ve ever seen him deliver; it’s expressive, moving, emotional, fun, and full of energy.
Knock on wood, I think Morrison is writing a Superman story worth remembering!  I had thought that with his All-Star Superman story he should never be allowed to come near the title again with his dirty, continuity destroying pen in hand.  But this go ’round his seems to be taking extra care and finally writing a story worthy of the character.
9 Out Of 10 Stars

Action Comics #6 Review

Posted: February 2, 2012 in Action Comics, Andy Kubert, Comic Book Review, DC Comics, Grant Morrison, Sholly Fisch
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Inked by JOHN DELL
Colored by BRAD ANDERSON
Lettered by PAT BROSSEAU
Backup story art by CHRISCROSS
Cover by ANDY KUBERT
Variant cover by RAGS MORALES
B&W Variant cover by ANDY KUBERT

Talk about giving Superman a back bone, great Scott!!  Superman critics will be delighted to know that Superman’s “boyscoutish” nature has been wiped out with the rest of the previous DC continuity.  One can always assume that boys will be boys, and Action Comics was presenting us a young man driven by testosterone and a need to show off; however, five years into the future Superman is still ornery and in-your-face, ready to knock the teeth out of anyone who scorns him!

A lot of continuity building happens in this issue, establishing Superman’s relationship with the Legion of Superheroes with first impressions.  It’s interesting to see how the original Legionaries weren’t falling head over heels for the Boy of Steel, finding him to be quite annoying.  Their respect for the role model of the future, however, is all that matters as they understand that meeting the Legion was one of the greatest influential periods of Superman’s life.

Grant Morrison keeps Action Comics spinning with fantastic new takes on things we always assumed we knew about Clark’s upbringing.  Certainly, no follower of Superman will ever consider Smallville a canonized adaption of the Man of Steel’s legacy, but the detest that Superman has for his birth parents is certainly being applied into this origin story.  Clearly, Clark hasn’t quite figured out everything concerning his home planet or the intentions of his parents when sending him to a safe planet for him to grow up on.  How this will pan out for Superman in the long run has only been revealed minimally, but there’s no doubt that this is a Superman that has a lot more baggage to deal with then the pre-reboot Superman.

The most impressive part of Andy Kubert’s art in this issue is how well he makes Young Superman resemble older Superman!  Not to mention Brad Anderson’s amazing coloring job.  Both artists work well together to create amazing visuals that look like this…

The book concludes with a secondary story trailing back right before Clark moved to Metropolis. It’s much slower and more sentimental in comparison to the more important story, but it’s filled with a lot of heart.  As to what purpose this secondary story serves for the overall picture, I’m not certain.  More than likely it’s simply setting up the overall remapping of Superman’s origins and beginnings.  And while I loved reading it, I’m not certain there was much point to it in connection to the bigger story at hand.  However, I don’t think it lessens the reading experience in the least.

This isn’t the best issue of Action since the reboot, but without a doubt it’s one you don’t want to skip out on!  Six hits in a row for Morrison, this rocks!

9 out of 10 stars!

Action Comics #5 Review

Posted: January 9, 2012 in Action Comics, Andy Kubert, Comic Book Review, DC Comics, Grant Morrison, Pat Brosseau
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Written by GRANT MORRISON
Backup story written by SHOLLY FISCH
Art by ANDY KUBERT and JESSE DELPERDANG
Colors by PATRICK BROSSEAU
Backup story art by CHRISCROSS
Cover by ANDY KUBERT and JOE PRADO
Variant cover by RAGS MORALES
B&W Variant cover by ANDY KUBERT

Here it is, 6:30 on Sunday night, facebook is all a glow with Tim Tebow worship, and I’m sitting on the couch finishing up rewatching the first season of Heroes and writing a review of Action Comics #5.  Where are the internet hits going to be punching to tonight? The answer, the playoffs and the Broncos.  So I’m exceptionally happy, dear reader, that you’ve decided to take the time and venture on over to the geeky side of life and take a look at my review of the 5th installment of Superman’s marque title.

It’s been told time and time again…Superman’s origin story!  Only this time Morrison has given us a new perspective on the Baby of Steel’s upbringing.  Narrated by Baby El’s escape pod, (yes, you read that right) we are jettisoned from Krypton to Kansas farmland where Jonathan and Martha Kent find themselves in the midst of a baby boy bundled up in his family crest bearing blankets.

Flash forward to issue #1 of Action’s reboot and we are reminded of the somewhat sentimental moment Supes shares with his ship.  All of the sudden with the story context of issue #5 does everything start to make sense.  But what does this mean?  Is Brainiac’s technological consciousness going to take over and attack Kal-El while he’s at his weakest?  Of course it will!  That’s a no brainier!  But what will the implications of this new twist on Kal’s upbringing do for the future of the hero?

I can’t remember for the life of me how much of Brainiac’s involvement was tied to Krypton’s fate and Superman’s origin.  I seem to recall, however, that Brainiac being apart Krypton’s technological life was a new twist on the Superman folklore made by the Superman Animated series.  Unless I’m mistaken, Morrison has fused that into the actual Superman cannon.  There also seems to be bits of the horribly campy TV show, Smallville, added into this comic series.  Superman’s escape pod now has a consciousness and will be playing a much bigger role in the overall story than Siegel or Shuster ever intended.  The new stuff keeps a-comin’, the twists and turns are endless, and Morrison continues to amaze me!

Flashback to Krypton before it exploded, Morrison has also given Laura more of a purpose in her son’s story.  She isn’t simply some woman who always stays home while Jor-El went out making the bacon, but rather a technical designer, one who helped with the creation of the escape pod.  Finally, comic book women are being given more of a purpose that is (almost) at the equivalent of men’s.

A nice little change in the philosophy of Superman’s powers has also risen with the reboot.  It seems that Superman’s abilities are not as mythological as we thought.  Jor and Laura ask Brainiac to target “worlds where the gravity is weak so that he [Kal-El] will seem to fly,” giving a more scientific explanation to Superman’s abilities.  Is Kryptonian physiology tailor made to withstand incredible gravitational force?  Is that why Superman can fly on Earth?  More to come on this, I’m sure.

To continue this overly drawn out review, Martha and Jonathan Kent have a nice little storyline where they get their “sexy” on.  Martha is unable to conceive a child, so it’s a wonderful coincidence that Kal-El falls right in their backyard.  Something Jor-El didn’t plan as he told Brainiac to target ANY planet with the Same solar make-up of as Earth.

Kubert and Brosseau are no strangers to excellence when it comes to Superman.  The reboot is supposed to be new and refreshing, but it’s like I’m seeing a golden age of excellence that resembles so much of the old art style fused with the new!

Morrison is bringing in something I thinks he’s wanted for a while; combining his literary vision of All-Star Superman with what the ignorant public knows thanks to Smallville.  Morrison just might have created the ultimate Superman beginning…one that both old and new fans can enjoy!

10 out of 10 stars

Action Comics #3 Review

Posted: November 3, 2011 in Action Comics, Comic Book Review, DC Comics, Grant Morrison, Rags Morales
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Written By: Grant Morrison
Pencils By: Rags Morales & Gene Ha
Inked By: Rick Bryant & Gene Ha
Colors By: Brad Anderson & Art Lyon
Letters By: Pat Brosseau
Cover By: Rags Morales & Brad Anderson

Ok, let me get something off my chest…Is it really necessary to charge us $3.99 for a comic that only has 20 pages of story, only to have the remaining 10 pages filled with “previews” of the other Superman and superfamily titles?  I’m as much of a fan of artwork as the next comic book nerd, but we’ve already seen this stuff.  Don’t try to manipulate us in thinking we’re buying something EXTRA with your repeat preview pages DC…it’ll only piss off your fans.

WHEW, ok, I’m done with all that, now on to the good stuff!

It’s only issue #3 and we’re already diving into things we, the DC readers of old, already know about; Krypton’s on the cusp of exploding, an alien intelligence is making his way into the life of Superman, and Sargent Corbin’s beginning his journey onto Superman’s arch nemesis’ list.  Krypton maintains its familiar air of clothing from a poorly made sci-fi film, but the tailor seems to have upped the quality not only with the threads, but in design and artistry as well.

Rags Morales also presents an interesting look in our mild-mannered reporter, Clark Kent, giving him a very raged and beaten up alter ego.  Certainly Supes is going to undergo some beatings in these early days of his superhero career where he hasn’t quite honed in on the extent of his powers, so what better way to cover up than by carrying on as a dead-beat high school/college drop out?

Morrison definitely shows us a world where superheroes are not welcome, almost as much as X-Men did back in the day.  But it also focuses in on the never addressed question…How are innocent bystanders affected by the explosive and destructive heroics of superheroes?  Of course, we the readers know that, regardless of how much damage superheroes do to public property, the other side of the coin would have been much worse.  How do you stop a bomb?  By exploding an even bigger bomb!

I do feel that the introduction of Krypton into the rebooted mythology came a bit earlier than should have been, but I’ll give it some time to see what Morrison does with the plot.  The destruction story of Krypton has gone through many reincarnations, but my favorite has always been the one where Brainiac had a hand in its demise.  It’s nice to see that Morrison is pumping up the mystery with the planet’s destruction with a good old fashioned robot centered terrorist attack.  But the question remains, will Brainiac turn out to be an artificial intelligence, or a flesh and blood alien?

From what I can see, Morrison is still bringing his A-game to the front of the stage with Action Comics.  There’s so much meat and excitement with this issue that I’m uncertain if the two super titles, Action Comics and Superman, can meet on equal playing fields.  Only time will tell!

10 out of 10 Stars

Action Comics #2 Review

Posted: October 6, 2011 in Action Comics, Comic Book Review, DC Comics, Grant Morrison, Rags Morales, Superman
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Written By: Grant Morrison
Art By: Rags Morales & Brent Anderson
Inked By: Rick Bryant & Bent Anderson
Colors By: Brad Anderson
Letters By: Patrick Brosseau
Cover By: Morales & Brad Anderson

What Happens When You Piss Off A Superhero?
Is it just me, or does trying to push an indestructible man to the brink of insanity sound like a bad idea?  Lex Luthor certainly learned this as he ran excruciating test after test on the new comer known as Superman.  Still recovering from being hit by the full force of a locomotive, Superman sustains every test that Luthor throws at him.  Not only that, but Supes finds a way to taunt Luthor to the point of annoyance until, at long last, has enough time to recover, regain his powers and break free of his entrapment.  Of course, in that trademarked Luthor way, Old Lexy has something else up his sleeve.

Issue #1 of Action Comics was a big hit with fans last month…even me!  I still think, overall, Grant Morrison’s story telling is very “eh” and incomprehensible, but he definitely won me over last month with Action #1.  Now, 30 days later, I’m STILL going gaga over Morrison’s Superman!  What’s most appealing to me is how well the story is evolving into something mysterious and adventurous at the same time.  We already know about Superman’s past and his upbringing, so Morrison isn’t wasting time on retelling us things we’ve heard far too often, thanks to the multiple origin retellings DC and Elseworlds has given us.

And The Love/Hate Relationship Begins…
It’s obvious that this issue’s purpose is to start the turmoil between Superman and Lex Luthor, but also to show how a kid, who’s out on his own and has two deceased parents, is going to handle finally being able to let loose and show the world what he can do.  Superman is shown having forgotten his alias, Clark Kent, and fully embracing his Kryptonian heritage, flying around Metropolis with an attitude.

In issue #2, he has yet to adopt his more mature, intimidating persona of OLDER Superman that’s both honorable and terrifying at the same time.  This is a Superman who’s at the “inbetween” stages of his life, no longer under the guidance of his parents, and with very little life experience to help guide his choices.  He laughs right in Luthor’s face as he escapes from the testing observation chamber, something Lex hated, I’m sure.  And Superman can’t seem to take life seriously as he burst through the building, pummeling through all of the military personal, walking away without a scratch…all done with a smile.  It’ll be fun to see how Lex and Supes go at each other with this new twist in their meeting.

Just a side note, I wonder how Jeff Lamb, owner of the Comics Conspiracy will handle all the nasty half, unintelligible swear words this time?…

Definitely not "GD," but still somewhat suggestive right?

Kind Of Like Smallville, Maybe…
There’s a scene where Superman finds his space ship that brought him to Earth years ago.  In that scene, both Superman and the ship seem to have a moment as the craft begins uttering Kryptonian jargon towards Kal-El…and in response, he tells the ship to take care of itself as it forms a crystal barrier.  Why do I get the feeling that Morrison is building Action Comics into an epic series that resembles the TV sci-fi dramas like Smallville, Lost, Battlestar Galactica, etc etc?  I have no fears of Action Comics becoming as cheesy and poorly written as Smallville, but there seems to be that type of angst and suspense building up amongst all the action and adventure.  If this is the case, I’m definitely going to be hooked on Action Comics and will be making it a top priority each month.

Lex Luthor is definitely starting off on the right “evil person” foot by his refusal to call Superman a “he” and constantly reminding everyone around him that only humans have rights, not aliens.  I’m sure Luthor’s story will come out in time, but right now all we know about the Lex Luthor of the DCnU is that, for some reason, he doesn’t trust Superman and wants to know what makes him tick.  But with how Superman mocked Luthor as he escaped, Luthor will only get crazier with hatred.  Action Comics is already the best title in DC’s reboot repertoire, so it’ll be exciting to see how Morrison develops everything over a period of 12 issues.

Artist toggling, why why why why why????
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again…man I hate artist toggles!  I can definitely tell when Rags Morales it’s penciling this comic, versus when Brent Anderson is.  Both are talented, but Anderson’s style doesn’t resemble Morales’ in the least, and that makes for a visually jolting experience for me.  I’d have much preferred Morales staying steady with the art rather than Anderson, but I want ONE ARTIST, not TWO!!!!  Please pick one DC!

With that being said, there’s still a lot of clarity and attractive scenes with every page turn.  Morales is a master of expressive faces and action, while Anderson’s not so visually appealing style still rings of quality and gorgeous color.

There you have, another successful turn out for Action Comics!  Am I getting sick? I enjoyed TWO comics in a row by Grant Morrison???  Maybe I should lie down…

9 out of 10 stars

Superman Said A Dirty Word! Let’s Boycott Him!!!

Posted: September 13, 2011 in Action Comics, Grant Morrison, Superman, The Comic Conspiracy
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Yes it’s true, and It’s hitting the internet like crazy…Superman said a swear word!!!  What are we to do now?!?!?  Superman is an American icon, and to hear him use the Lord’s name in vein is to deny that wholesome and virtuous aura that has been sprinkled all over this wonderful country of ours right?

Again, another instance where a fan complains too much!

Apparently the owner (Named Jeff Lamb) of the comic book shop, The Comic Conspiracy, located in California, order his stack of the September 7th release of new number 1′s by DC Comics, and got a little irked.  I can only imagine how this fellow comic shop owner went about his weekly reading comic book routine by starting with Action Comics…sitting back in his chair, popped open his deliciously disgusting can of Bud Light, leaned back, opened Action Comics #1 and saw this…

I don't know about you but I always take the Lord's name in vein by omitting the incredibly unimportant vowel known as the letter "O"

If you your near sighted, and don’t have your glasses on, the letters in that thought balloon are “GD.”  So, yes, the owner of The Comic Conspiracy store blew a gasket because Superman let out a grunt of pain after being hit by an explosion of brick, cement, and fire.  The full story can be found at Comic Book Resources and Digital Spy.

Certainly, I’ve always known that the best way to swear and get people riled up about it is by omitting the vowel sounds within those swear words.  Ya know, like “sht,” or “dmn,” or “fck,” or my personal favorite, “Jss fckng Chrst!”

Of course I’m being sarcastic, but let’s look at what the owner posted on his own Facebook Page…

“As of today’s release of Action Comics #1 by Grant Morrison, The Comic Conspiracy, will until further notice, be boycotting all future Grant Morrison books. If you want Action Comics, you will have to buy it elsewhere.”

“I could see Guy Gardner and maybe even Hal Jordan (Green Lanterns) saying it. I could see Oliver Queen (Green Arrow) saying it. I could easily see Damian Wayne (Robin) or MAYBE even Bruce Wayne saying it. But Superman was created to be the “perfect” super-hero. Unblemished. Superman is an American icon.”

“This wasn’t creative flow. It wasn’t necessary in the story. It isn’t Superman at all. And it goes against a basic Christian principle. It was a blatant stab.”

“I deal with books like “Crossed” and “The Boys”. I accepted gay characters being introduced into a children specific book like Archie Comics. I however am getting very tired of having comic writer’s liberal agendas force fed to me. Mr. Morrison has stepped over my line. If I have to stand alone on this… I will.”

Action Comics #1 Cover

I understand that, now, the owner still isn’t going to be purchasing any comics by Grant Morrison but will order them for any customer from Diamond Distributors upon request.  Furthermore, any title that he deems to be an “ADULT” book will not be available to purchase at his store unless by personal request.

I can understand holding firm to your beliefs, but to take a stance against something that was obviously a misunderstanding goes a bit too far.  I know I’ve read bits and pieces of comics and /or books and misunderstood the intent behind them, but I don’t go to an extreme like a BOYCOTT.  But for someone as well read in comics as I’m sure this man is, he sure doesn’t seem too familiar with the typical grunts and moans that come along with comics books, especially within the superhero genre.

Comics are, and have always been a bit edgy; pushing the issue of violence and sex since the late 1940′s.  The women in comics are typically depicted as sexual beings and are often times portrayed as a weaker vessel simply in how they carry themselves.  Could it be argued that the portrayal of women in comics is an ungodly depiction?

Likewise, the act violence within comics goes even further by not only being the most consistent theme within the genre, but also being glorified as a righteous and justified aspect of life.  Again, could this be viewed as an ungodly lifestyle being promoted by comics?

Out of response to the widely publicized boycott, an artist over at “Let’s Be Friends Again” drew up a very funny comic strip showing how ridiculous the shop owner is being…

When Batman grunts, he gets applause and money, but when Superman grunts, the world comes to an end!

This specific comic shop owner can uphold any belief he wants and has the right to say what he wants about literature that seemingly goes against his upbringing.  But I would recommend to this person that, before you go making claims that someone is portraying God in a terrible way, make sure you aren’t interpreting the author’s intentions incorrectly and calling him names because of it.  As you state on your facebook page Mr. Lamb, you believe people should get a life and stop belittling you for having a belief that does not mirror your own.  Practice what you preach and you may get that same courtesy.

Action Comics #1 Review

Posted: September 8, 2011 in Action Comics, Comic Book Review, DC Comics, Grant Morrison, Rags Morales
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Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Rags Morales
Colorist: Brad Anderson
Letterer: Patrick Brosseau
Cover Art: Morales and Anderson

The Plot

The New 52 ventures onward with Action Comics #1, and Superman is an unknown vigilante that the citizens of Metropolis are only starting to get to know…and fear.  Supes maintains a level of confidence, unaffected by the Metropolis police force (and their meaningless bullets) as he goes on a quest of do-gooding and vigilantism.  Looming in the background, however, is military power house, General Lane, and soon-to-be psychopathic genius, Lex Luthor…And both men are out to exploit this super powered newcomer to Metropolis…by any means necessary.

My Heretical Opinion

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again…Man I hate that Grant Morrison fellow!  However this go-round is different.  Much like with his beginning work on the Batman and Robin title before the reboot, Action Comics is showing some major promise, bringing a new twist to the Superman mythos and his beginning ventures living in Metropolis.

Supes showing the cops what he's made of...

Superman has this cocky and arrogant demeanor, verging on being as maniacal as the Dark Knight himself.  What do we know about the old Superman?  To coin a phrase that irks me, he’s a boyscout.  And what that means is, he’s one of the only superheroes who’s more concerned with being a friend to even the most vile of criminals and evil doers.  But now, Grant Morrison presents a Superman that defies everything we know about the Kryptonian legend.  Whether you are a fan of the comics or a fan of the series, Smallville, one thing is for certain, this is not your grandfather’s version of Superman. Look out Metropolis!

For the first six pages, Superman’s pupils are filled with a fiery intimidation, with a side of smirkiness that would make any man wonder if this vigilante is crazy…or crazy.  Falling off balconies with the baddies in his arms is not a sign of a sane person.  This Superman is an in-your-face kind of hero and not the kind that hopes everyone will get along.  He’s not concerned with playing nice or holding up an unquestionable moral code, and constantly trash talking not only the bad guys, but the local law enforcement as well.  As he states on page eight, “You know the deal Metropolis…Treat people right or expect a visit from me.”  This is going to be a fun ride!

But let’s analyze this even further.  For any of you who feel this take on Superman is a bit “out of whack” and too closely resembling our man of the night, Batman, take a look at the pages 12 and 13 of the original 1938 Action Comics #1…

Grant Morrison certainly did his research, bringing Superman back to the golden days of comics.  this is almost EXACTLY like the NEW Action Comics #1.  But this begs the question, is the new “rebooted” Superman going to be more like the all powerful hero of the Golden Age of comics, before DC “depowered” him in order to make him more relatable and down to Earth for the sake of the fans?  Without a doubt, Action Comics is going to be the comic looked forward to the most by comic readers for the next few months.

In the same degree as Justice League #1, Morrison is taking his sweet time in developing the new “younger” version of the Man of Steel.  He’s distanced Supes from Lois Lane and his pal, Jimmy Olsen, only known to them as more of a consultant…one they aren’t entirely sure they trust.  But even with the distance, Superman is still drawn to saving Lois from danger in a subway catastrophe for the ages.  Congrats to Rags Morale for giving us such a gorgeously destructive work of art.

Lex Luthor makes a pleasant appearance that foreshadows what’s to come.  It’s clear Luthor has plans of bringing down this super powered bafoon to help maintain his place as the hero of Metropolis…and possibly the world.  It will be interesting, in addition, to see how this relationship between him and general lane blossoms.

Rags Morales definitely brings his “A” game to the pages of Action Comics #1.  He’s always been a DC big gun, but there’s so much depth and beauty within his artwork here.  Every crinkle of the metal trains, every bunching of clothing as Superman bends his knees, and every expression on each character’s face is a fantastic piece of artistry that I can only dream of acquiring.

Week one of the new 52 is starting off flawlessly with Action Comics #1, and I have a feeling it’s only going to get better from here.  However, even with this amazing first issue paving the way for the amazing onslaught of the new 52, I still have a little bit of anger building up inside of me that Action Comics was hindered from reaching the mile-stone of 1000 issues.  #1 was fantastic, but Grant Morrison had better continually deliver for the duration of his time on Action Comics, otherwise I’m dropping this title like a batch of hotcakes.

10 out of 10 stars.

All-Star Superman Film Review

Posted: March 4, 2011 in All-Star Superman, DC Comics, Dwayne McDuffie, Grant Morrison, Movie Review, Warner Brothers
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Click To Enlarge

Directed by Sam Liu

Starring:
James Denton as Superman / Clark Kent (voice)
Anthony LaPaglia as Lex Luthor (voice)
Christina Hendricks as Lois Lane (voice)
Linda Cardellini as Nasthalthia Luthor (voice)
Matthew Gray Gubler as Jimmy Olsen (voice)
Arnold Vosloo as Bar-El (voice)
Alexis Denisof as Lilo (voice)
Edward Asner as Perry White (voice)
Frances Conroy as Martha Kent (voice)

Rated PG

The Over-Powered Plot

Empowered by his hatred for Superman, Lex Luthor seems to have accomplished the impossible – the death of Superman.  How did he do this?  By forcing Superman to save a team of astronauts during a mission to study the Sun, causing the Man of Steel to have an overexposure of solar radiation which is slowly destroying his biological mass.

With only a few weeks to live, Superman ventures out to fulfill a few dreams and do what he can for the universe before time runs out.  But what are Luthor’s ultimate plans after the savior of Metropolis has been buried and forgotten?

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My Desperately Fanatical Conclusion

OK, to preface this, we all know I hate Grant Morrison; he’s a fantastically poetic writer who can string dialog together better than most writers in the genre. But good grief!!  His storylines are so confusing and lacking in purpose that the worst migraines I’ve had in my entirely life can be attributed to him.  However, I tried very hard to not judge this film based on my utter dislike for Grant Morrison.  I placed all my preconceived notions of the comic book into a little imaginary envelope which I locked away in Al Gore’s lock box while watching this film.  Of course, I’m still in trouble because the screen writer is quite possibly just as bad as Morrison.  I understand Dwayne McDuffie has passed on and I’m very sad that it happened…but that doesn’t negate the fact that I didn’t like his writing style in the first place.  So, when you take a bad writer’s story and put it in the hands of another bad writer…things are bound to puddle up in an unmitigated mess.

It’s Not All Bad

The film starts out really good; Superman flies out to save the day in a triumphant manner, ridding the universe of another intergalactic terror…and with such style!  The most interesting aspect of this entire story is how Morrison decides to go against the popular “powering-down” of the Man of Steel by overpowering him.  Within the last few years, writers have tried to bring Superman down to a relatable level by making him seem more much more vulnerable and susceptible to human emotions – a modern change that I prefer to be honest.  But Morrison goes out of his way to make Superman almost as powerful as a God, hence the reason for fighting two super-powered macho-men, Atlas and Samson.

I appreciated the traveling back in time of the Silver Age campiness comics that still plagues Superman to this day.  It made the film humorous and reminded me why comics today are so much better in this contemporary age.  We now have a modern film that allows the younger generations to understand what comics were like when their parents were kids; The fumbling Clark Kent, the ridiculously obscure fight sequences, the patriarchal attitudes on life and the prominent view of women being delicate flowers which are prizes to be won, and the incredibly pushy and egotistical Lois Lane (wait, that hasn’t changed) are all properties of a Silver Age superhero comic book.  It’s a fun idea to run with, no?

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The Bad Definitely Outweighs The Good

To be honest, the first quarter of the film is a lot of fun to watch.  But once Superman returns from outer space after a two month-long search of the galaxy to find a suitable planet for the bottled city of Kandor, the film becomes a series of random events that are so disjointed it throws the story’s purpose down the drain along with the baby and the bath water.  At least with Grant Morrison’s twelve issue comic series, the story’s purpose was never lost.  The animated film, however was unable to keep the continuity of the original script intact.  Part of this could be due to the fact that much of the comic’s original story segments had to be taken out due to time constraints.  I was hoping to see Bizarro make his appearance and see the mind-boggling change that Jimmy Olsen had when becoming Doomsday, but for the limited time the film makers had, the more important story segments were kept.  But regardless, the story toggling was not handled very well.

The casting of voice actors was less than satisfactory, using actors and actresses that had no more life in performances than my 14 day old left over pizza from Old Chicago that I seemed to have forgotten was in the refrigerator. (oops) James Denton and Christina Hendricks had great starts, but their performances never grew into anything more.  Denton had a hard time moving past using the stoic, deadpan timbre within his voice, even during the more hectic and violent scenes.  While Hendricks had a little more buoyancy in her performance, she felt more like someone trying way too hard to be Lois Lane.  Anthony LaPaglia presents the best performance by any voice actor on this film, but even he can’t get past the dull, lack luster mentality that seems to permeate throughout the entire movie.  Needless to say, the excitement was not successfully executed in anyone’s performance.

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The animation is very well done, especially in how it mimics the art of Frank Quietly in almost every detail.  However there seemed to be an inconsistency in animation quality.  Like many “made for DVD” animated films, the more intense fight scenes tend to have a much more fluid and seamless approach, paying attention to even the smallest details.  But during the slower, more dialog based scenes, the animation became a little more choppy and out of sync with the sound effects and dialog.  But this is my nit-picky side coming out of me when it comes to animated films.  Most likely, your average animation lover won’t even notice the minor inconsistencies.

Should You Buy It?

You know, this is a tough decision.  Should you watch this?  Yes.  But whether or not you should own it I’m a little more hesitant to say.  I’d say, rent it first then decide if it’s your cup O’ tea.  I bought it simply because I’m a collector and I’m trying to build on my already massive collection of Superhero films, animated AND live action.  But in my personal opinion, I don’t think it’s worth the price tag put on it.

5 out of 10 stars