Barbelith Underground > Comic Books

so my buddy Chico asked me if i could post here these impressions he had posted in his blog a while ago; it seems his barbelith membership was not approved or something got lost in the way, i dunno. he would like to know what you guys think.

So, i've been tripping a lot on All Star Superman. I think it has something different about it, something more. I tried to read every post of the thread of the forum and so for as i can see nobody talked about some of this stuff that i'm going to talk about now. In the first number of the ASS when the exploding man try to explode the Ray Bradbury he say something, a kind of manifesto:
- The purpose of my existence is to explode! You have no right to limit my ambitions, facist! No Right at all to stand in the ways of my self-realization!

and Superman:
- You misunderstand. I'm here to help you with that.

THAT'S exactly what Superman is. He inspires Lex to be the asshole that he is, inspire Lois to be better than the cynical journalist that she is. He give his special touch to everybody around him. Jimmy isn't the crappy pushed over guy, he is the best pal of the Superman. It's really nice to read this. And there's a lot of other great stuff.

There's a lot of things that i want to talk about but they are kind tripping and i want to see if somebody agrees:

1. As the series goes theres he breaks a lot the fourth wall. At the ASS#2, at page 9 Lois looks directly to the car at page 8. At page 12 i keep wondering that they are looking at us. The choose of the images as he arm wrestle Atlas and Samsom for Lois keep me thinking, it's kind of strange.

2. I'm still think about the Ultra-Sphynx: "Return what have been stolen AND pay the price."

3. I keep thinking that Altas and Samsom are Super-versions of Mr Lombard and Jimmy Olsen, competitors of Clark.

4. "Well... I guess there has to be one thing that I just cant help, Lois." It´s a lot of love. I love it.

5. At the page after the kiss on the moon, check this out: "You know... I do OTHER things. BESIDES being Superman" i think Superman is talking about sex. After it Lois seems to be doing a blowjob on him.

6. Daily Planet Globe = Barbelith

7. At the fourth issue, if you put the third page against the light and look to Jimmy's hand: "We can't go wrong". At the fourth page if you put the head of Quintum against the light you're going to notice a "holy light" (i dont know the name in english) in his head. I think that "Electrokind" that Quintum visits is actually our world.

8. "Okay, P.R.O.J.E.C.T.'S obivously an ACRONYM: Can anyone tell me what it STANDS for?" It's a tricky question, we are never gonna guess what it means but what it "stands for" is a better world. What do you stands for?

9. The Haiku i used Lennon, but it is not "right":

Imagine all the
people living
for today

9. "- Unlike YOU, our social roles are predetermined. It prevents CONFUSION.
- Wow! I can't decide who I am from one day to the next!"
So, Quintum's helper was not talking about Jimmy, but us. The whole series is like that. Jimmy with the Apocalypse gun that insists to get out of the fourth wall and at the end he look at us:
- And the gun's not for you superman.

10. "Feel what?"

11. At the fifth issue it is quite trip, but...
- "How about this pair of fat girls?
- I would call them girls..."
and if you notice the cover of issue #7... Lex Luthor seeing the future?

12. "I have friends in high places". I think he is talking about Quintum, not that they're friends, but Quintum happens to help Lex anyway. Clark pissed of with Lex is GREAT.

13. Issue #6. One of the best thing written to Superman. I am a little bit of a pessimist and can't think like "It all comes out right in the end." Sixth issue raised my expectations that is a very buddhist comic book. I don't know to point out exactly what is buddhist, except the flower of New Krypton.

This is it. What do you think?

All-Star Superman