All Star Superman #12

When you're really enjoying any work of entertainment, be it a book, a movie, a comic book or what have you, there's always a tinge of sadness when you reach the end.

That's certainly my reaction on picking up the last issue of Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's run on All Star Superman. Readers who've been following this title have enjoyed one of the best treatments of Superman since Alan Moore took a whack at the Man of Steel.

Morrison's stories can run the range from straightforward adventure to the truly impenetrable, but on this series he's focused on the fantastic qualities that make Superman such an enduring character. He's captured the fanciful attitude of the Silver Age, where the only limit on the character was his own imagination (and this Superman can imagine an awful lot), and infused it with a modern sensibility. Most of all, Morrison has captured the abundant sense of fun that Superman's adventures should have, even when the situation is dire.

Perfectly complimenting the outstanding story is the unique art of Frank Quitely. His style almost defies description - it's really not like any other artist I can name. He's very good at capturing the little things - expressions, gestures, the folds of clothing - his characters seem to live in a place that's like the real world, only bigger and bolder. Terrific stuff.

So what's the story about? Oh, the usual - Superman is powerless and at death's door, Luthor has given himself Superman's powers and is about to kill everyone at the Daily Planet, the Earth is facing destruction, the Sun is being destroyed - that sort of thing.

If you think Superman is an old, tired character, with no stories left to tell, then this series will show you there's still plenty of life left in the old boy - he is, after all, the first great comic book superhero, and he's apparently just getting warmed up.

Grade: A+