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All-Star Superman

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Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

06:51 / 28.05.08

And then they make out.

Oh, come on. You'd totally read Lex/Solaris slash fiction.

Keith, like a scientist

12:26 / 28.05.08

Isn't comix day tomorrow cause of the Memorial Day holiday?

13:03 / 28.05.08

Yep. Comics pushed to thursday in the us because of things like war and remembrance.

21:20 / 28.05.08

Daleks. The lot of them.

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

21:46 / 28.05.08

You should move to Canada, Children of the Lith, because this has been such an awesome Wednesday New Comics Day. I'll save my major thoughts, feelings, blubberings, etc etc until tomorrow when more people have SEEN THE LIGHT, but just: dinner. Only major complaint was that Quitely's Jimmy wasn't quite some fucking hot in this one (bah).

Plus, Trips, dude! Robots!

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

21:47 / 28.05.08

Also, Superman totally loves Battle of the Planets.

19:58 / 29.05.08

a welcome mat.

how. cool.

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

20:09 / 29.05.08

I still can't get over the subtle bit of Fourth Wall use that Quitely pulls off.

20:23 / 29.05.08

I like the bizarro cowrilla having a play with her udders.

20:24 / 29.05.08

I spotted Einstein in Luthor's stuff! (That plaster head / computer system that was on his huge desk in JLA:Earth 2) What an awesome little detail. Actually, there's this wonderful subtle contrast between Superman's Fortress and "Luthor's Lair" that is wonderful. Good for poring over.

After reading this, despite the whole "neo-classic" feel of the series, I really can't imagine how this is going to end in the next issue. I hope the Abominable Snowman GM mentioned in an early interview shows up before the series ends. More fuel for the Superman mythos!

P.S. Solaris is beautiful. I want an big-sized action figure.

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

21:12 / 29.05.08

Plus toy Superbots, as well.

Luthor's Lair is, I suspect, down in the subway system, based on the small view of the outside when he enters.

Luthor spittin' bullets!

23:12 / 29.05.08

And Superman taking off his costume! SEXXX

Nasty's reappearance is a real treat for this issue--it rounds out the structure nicely since they set her up in issue 5. They should revive her in the regular DCU!

Also: I seem to recall this thread discussing a thematic falling action that began in issue one and reversed around issue 8, where Superman escapes the Underverse. Is it still consistent with the rest of the series?

23:15 / 29.05.08

Hate Americans and Canadians.

Edit: and Philippinos.

Edit 2: and the Scotch insiders...

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

23:27 / 29.05.08

Well, he does RISE up to fight the Tyrant Sun in this issue, and there's that dramatic page -- my favourite of the issue -- where he's flanked by his adoring robot labour union, rising out of the Fortress.

He's deteriorating health-wise, though, so that muddies the metaphor.

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

23:27 / 29.05.08

(BUT, dude, is this issue not the Myth of Icarus or what? I'll post more when I'm off work!)

23:29 / 29.05.08

The honeymoon on Pluto is cancelled.

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

23:30 / 29.05.08

Oh, honey no!

(Why is it so delayed in the UK? Was there more than one BH this week?)

23:42 / 29.05.08

It's possibly a combination of British bank holiday and American remembrance thingy. I am speaking to the Ritz Pluto right now. Ia!

Cowboy Scientist

02:22 / 30.05.08

It's like a reverse Myth of Icarus, 'cause it's the Sun that ends up falling to Earth!

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

02:27 / 30.05.08

Solaris is like that drunk moron at parties, shouting things at people, trying to sound like a big man, who ends up falling flat on his face.

12:57 / 30.05.08

Oh he's Tim Finnegans fallen drunk dead, by scotch to rise again. Humpty Dumpty to be mend by the King's Superman. One of millions suns to hit the earth's horizon to later ascend. Icarus and his melted wings and I can't rhyme for shit.

Ultraman-like spermsuit was awesome. I imagined there'd be an even cooler "S" than the ying-yang version (and imagined Solaris would be the Final Boss taking a hold of the sun in bigger ways than simply turning it red), but still. Just the right amount of the "It's now, I'm going" vibe in it ("I'm serious, Robot7. I might be dead, but DO NOT fuck with my savegames on Spore, I'm fucking serious"). It's like those moments before astronauts go off, but high-pitched into the already bar-set-high of what constitutes the ground floor here.

Lana's time-saving picture in the background and the mention of Zibarro's poetry was just so beyond bittersweet. And I laughed a bit too much with that "Oh Hai! Welcome there!" mat over the key. Olsen wasn't the jizzabomb here, but we did get teh heart-pounds with Superman stripping to his hairless flesh and Nasty's incest-suggestive tiny S&M bottom playing a weird new iteration of the Teschmacher/Otis role.

Was it Perry or Lombard crying "No! NO!", or was that a mistake from someone? Lois says "Lombard", but would it really hit the same emotional note than if it was Perry?

I just can't get over
a) the gorgeousness FQ and JG brings. Jesus, look at that panel with his new power, the way it deflects Solaris' beams. Or the beautiful hot red that clashes with the artic cold of the scene; and

b) how Quitely manages to convey movement (not "just" a matter of bringing spark to the compositions themselves, but the use of this weird living suggestion of flow in-between panels is still jaw-dropping to this day) and the way he contributes to the 'beats' and hits the right notes in dramaturgical turns so beautifully (compare to the way the dramatic action -- be it an action scene or conversation -- here is 'framed' to something like Final Crisis 1 -- just this weird tone-deaf "and then this, then this, then this").

I really don't know what to expect. SuperLois, Quintum, superhumanity, Golden Sups, I just don't know in my raving excitement.

And amazon put out the cover for the Vol 2 trade. It's the cover of #10. Rightly fucking so.

13:37 / 30.05.08

So amazing. SO. AMAZING. oh God. I literally was saying "Oh my God, holy shit!!!" in a pizza place in NYC as I read this and the new Mozzer Batman.

Nasthalia being led to spare someone's life for face time in the media - she came off like Paris Hilton-as-Supervillain. Love it!!

Where's the Battle of the Planets-esque thing that was referred to here? Didn't quite get it.

Great explanation for the SUPERMAN DEAD headline. (Clark's not faking being feeble here at all) And what a cliffhanger ending!! Damnnn!!!! Was very very impressed. The Tyrant Sun was scary but we knew he couldn't win. I was sad that he actually killed the Sun-Eater, esp. when the Sun-Eater showed such loyalty to Supes (with Supes even pleading for the Sun-Eater to turn back initially).

So were we to assume that Supes was filled in with more detail than we heard/saw about how to defeat the Tyrant Sun? We know Supes was warned about Solaris, but here it seemed like Supes had all the information he ever needed about Solaris - future research, I suppose?

Loved that new costume. And even it was almost entirely messed up/dissolved/torn up by the end of the battle.

Sad that #12 is the last issue, but we still have Final Crisis: Superman Beyond! and the talked-about All-Star Superman Special by Morrison (I don't think they're the same thing).

13:38 / 30.05.08

Jamie/Jaime Grant, if you're still out there in Barbelith-land, thanks for one heck of a job. I would imagine you're done with your work on the series now (or working on #12)...?

14:02 / 30.05.08

Something about the new costume looks very familiar... especially the way Supes' face looks shadowy under the helmet. I'm going to have to dig a bit.

14:42 / 30.05.08

The "S logo on the new costume did remind me of some old-school 1950s/1960s alternate Superman costume from some crazy Julie Schwartz-era costume I feel like I'd seen (or Mort Weisinger or whatever)... but it might not be a specific costume they're referencing so much as a general look/style/feel from that era.

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

14:50 / 30.05.08

Where's the Battle of the Planets-esque thing that was referred to here? Didn't quite get it.

I was referring to the look of the solarsuit, which reminded me almost immediately of the BoTP costumes.

I keep getting stuck on the Fourth Wall use in the "gravity stable," all that cleaner dribbling down an invisible-to-us surface. Quitely really brought it this time, man.

I maintain that Kal is the only person around who has probably unionized his robotic labour force. All the stuff with Robot 7's secret shame and how it connects to Lex's wild boasts early in the issue totally smacked me out of left field while also tying up that earlier plot point -- though I think GM could have dropped an earlier hint in between to point it out more.

Finder-- I assumed that this Superman and his JLA have had a One Million crossover of sorts, or he's just learned a bit from his encounter with the Superman Squad.

Patterns hereabouts being the Myth of Icarus (He builds himself a special suit/wings to fly close enough to the [red] sun, etc...), and the Fall of Lucifer (war in heaven between [solar] deities, the attempt by a smaller sun to supplant the big old yellow sun). Lex also adheres to the Icarus structure to some extent, but I also like the idea of him being Perseus, Solaris being his patron god (supplying party favours/powers/divine weaponry) to fight his personal Super-Medusa -- Lex is the antagonist, but he's always the hero in his twisted little headgame.

Lots of Superman stripping or in torn tights this issue. Suggests him divesting himself in preparation for entering the underworld proper, Inanna-style, but that's reaching for it a little bit too much.

Perry says the dialogue at the end, but I think (based on the way Steve's positioned), that the balloon may have been misplaced. Which is sort of interesting, given how much Lombard ragged on Clark all the time.

I like that Clark's collapse -- his moments of real weakness -- are punctuated by his lack of body language control -- "Are you kidding? He looks buff."

Lois (and maybe Jimmy) about ready to give up the secret. The need for secret identities is waning.

17:10 / 30.05.08

Barbelithers, Finderwolf et al,

Sorry for not posting for a while, daily tasks and usual deadlines are my only excuse.

Picking up the reins of the last issue. Cheers for the interesting comments and emails.

Thanks, this was fun.

18:05 / 30.05.08

Balls solid issue. Couple word balloon snafus, and it feels a little like a 'between' issue as we're waiting for the final headkick in #12, but balls solid.

White Supersuit's gorgeous. Battle of the Planets/Gatchaman was also the first thing I thought of on seeing it:

The reference is appropriate, whether intentional or not (though I think it is) - what with all the teamwork focus on that show, and their big spaceship that bursts into flames like a Phoenix in the sky. The suit also brought to mind Marlon Brando's get-up from the first Superman movie.

Final tour through the Fortress was gorgeous, all the Lex stuff, his stunted, inflammatory posturing, all just right down to the grit of the character; angry, old, brilliant, spoiled, jealous child.

Finder/Papers: I likewise just assumed that some form of the DC 1,000,000 story was in this Superman's past, that he knew the future history of Solaris and the Superman Dynasty (though maybe not his own super-long life). Since Jimmy in the cab also knows about Solaris' future, it makes sense.

Can't wait 'til it's finished and I can look at the whole beautiful ASS. It's been a great series, a good work.

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

18:49 / 30.05.08

Whoa! Marlon-El! I hadn't made that connection at all, but it's utterly mint.

So, this issue's Shields watch--

"S" is for Sun Shield! I like the pentagon burning up into a sun, and the way that this "S" is defined by positive space rather than sculpted out of negative spaces.

LL-shields. Lex Luthor as brand icon. Lex Luthor refusing to wear his own icon (wouldn't want to mirror his bastard rival too much, yeah?), but having his icon everywhere (because, also, LLs are EVERYWHERE in Metropolis and surrounding environs of Atlantis, Smallville, etc.).

Also -- was Nasty's mother Lena Thorul, Lex's darling sister?

21:26 / 30.05.08

Originally, she was a cousin. In this universe, who knows?

(I'm not sure, since in the Silver Age, Lena's whole character was "Lex's sister, who doesn't know about him", so how could she be mad at him?)

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

21:31 / 30.05.08

She's the only sister I know of, by name anyway. And she's obviously mad at him because her daughter is being inspired to call herself a "Luthor" and be a super-villain.

That I can really blame Nasty, of course. She was born to be bad, one suspects.

00:14 / 31.05.08

Again, a great, heart-breaking ish.

It seems pointless trying to analyise it; surely everything you'd need to know is there on the table, as it were?

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

01:02 / 31.05.08

But it's more fun if we argue and discuss it.

01:23 / 31.05.08

Of course, of course.

16:53 / 31.05.08

Also -- was Nasty's mother Lena Thorul, Lex's darling sister?

Yes she was. Also, every robot or costume that you see on the walls of Luthor's lair have been cribbed from the covers of old Superman stories of yesteryear.

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