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All-Star Superman

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23:04 / 12.09.06

Quintum's a totally cooool cat. Cut from similar super-cloth as Monsegnior Luthor but coming out of the postive. Imagine them in a talk out?!! Would quantum Quintum and lithsome Luther (in those shorts!) ever end up in a scene together? Qunitum is Superman's pal too - that's so cool. His eyes multi-coloured like David Bowie's so he's slightly Ziggyoid.

I get the strangest vibe from Quintum that he's actually Jherek Carnelian's dad Lord Jagged, the time traveler who's known adventures have been recorded under the guise of Michael Moorcook's 'The Dancers at the End of Time' trilogy. Also find Mr.Q has something of The Airtight Garage about him. I still wonder what Mr Q. will have to say to Jimmy regarding his directorship of P.R.O.J.E.CT...?

Anyhoo, am looking forward to his return from his adventures in the weird place with the light-lit glowy people.

This planet could REALLY do with a Quintum right now!

00:11 / 13.09.06

>> the drawn-on eyebrow and the Superman swoop are both an echo of Morrison's "Dare" with Rian Hughes, where Dan D has his distinctive eyebrow pencilled-in and enhanced by a make-up lady.

I loved DARE - I have 3 of the 4 issues somewhere in my comic collection and wish I could find the paperback that I think was produced. I think I've seen it once on ebay or someplace like that, years ago [end off=topic] That is the book that introduced me to the wonder that is Rian Hughes, who now mostly designs logos, it seems.

03:25 / 13.09.06

>>>>>> This Jimmy is more symbolically, permanently Elastic Lad - stretching in any given direction for a little while (insanity, superheroics, et cetera) before snapping right back to his baseline.

Holy *$#%@^, you just made my day! It connects even better with the "projector" thingy/ leading man's and Alpha "Director"'s "third degree cousin"/sidekick/Bronze. Like Morrison said it, "the ocasional good loser who knows the score". For instance, an example of another thing I see it as this "meta" thing. I can't read it now without seeing that first Lucy Lane scene as the basis for the "america's sweetheart" comment. Just a tiny joke about the act of reading-projecting that scene (Lucy looks like she's about to "remove" her hair-piece and reveal Jimmy-us as the alone NormanBateish drag-queen, us). And that now I think Quintum's toilet comment might/could be read as a jab on all that (I even considered as a subtle way to reveal he's gay in the plotline without making the usual comic book "gay for pay" moment. Or just a sort of "Tobias" joke from Arrested Develoment, considering the Rock Hansom joke, baiting trough flamboyant AlphaMachismo, rrrreeeedddssss "mind bending mars rocks" like the vulcanic theme through #3).

Has anyone thought, for two seconds, that Quintum is a major enemy player (or a enemy piece? more than what we already saw in #1)? He might be the coolest dude as Superman's friend (so right and fit on so many levels). It's a thought I started considering just because I hadn't thought of at first (because I naturally assumed the cool solar-psychodelic progressive chump could only be friendly...).

Jared Louderback

05:58 / 13.09.06

The Quimtum/Luthor duality is very strange. It seems to me that Luthor is far more on the side of humanity than Quintum. Luthor would be the guy figuring out ways to build a better mousetrap (so to speak) without superman. On the other hand, Quintum sits on the moon all day contacting aliens and researching the underverse. I get the feeling that any beneficial stuff humanity gets from Quintum is incidental. I mean, why go on a mission to the sun or run off with Tungstun light beings when there are important problems on earth? Then again, I guess if he is a super-super genius, he could solve all those simple problems in the first minutes of the day and spend the rest of his time doin awsome stuff.

11:20 / 13.09.06

I don't know, Jared. He's a scientist. Feels like Morrison's working on a subtext that science is the biggest progressive "problem-solver" acomplishment by man. It is man. It behaves like Superman, "the rising sun" on the other side (the supercontext shooting itself towards us in the form of the future), HCE rises and walks. This is the anti-boring 2001, where the hunted Kether is Malkuth (that's why I loved that Superman has the Columbine, the Titanic, that there's a giant pioneering discovering titan called Voyager).

It just happens that some times a big black kryptonite poop is discovered instead of pioneering golden knowledge. Isn't the way to say "ok, no go(l)d here, let's look over there"?

And Q's voyage to the sun wasn't that useless. His travel is our travel, this entire trip is a manned-sun mission mapping, tapping, burning etc (and also, isn't that big sunny thing on the dark side of the moon in #4 a result of Q's trip? That would be a amazing discovery, man having the power of a sun to his own benefit).

Henningjohnathan

14:14 / 13.09.06

I think there is a definite difference in Luthor's dedication to humanity as it is rather than modififying it with superpowers. Quintum's people are more like specialized tools. Luthor's people, to me, would be more like a Neitzschean version of the Overman - infinitely adaptable but still biologically human.

16:06 / 13.09.06

Are you saying that, peversely, Luthor's humanity would be more like Superman?

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

16:49 / 13.09.06

Sparrow: Or just a sort of "Tobias" joke from Arrested Develoment, considering the Rock Hansom joke, baiting trough flamboyant AlphaMachismo, rrrreeeedddssss "mind bending mars rocks" like the vulcanic theme through #3

I tended to read the Rock Hansom thing as Rock being Lucy's presumably gay best friend (based on Rock Hudson), for all his masculinity and space pilot mystique, and Lucy gently poking fun at Jimmy. Their relationship at the end seems to solid to suggest that she was actually going on a date with somebody else for real, although who knows what their relationship set-up actually is.

Henning: I think there is a definite difference in Luthor's dedication to humanity as it is rather than modififying it with superpowers.

It could be that any possibility of Luthor examining evolution and genetic manipulation - put that up against 52's weird metagene expanding Luthor - has been counteracted by his desire to go against Superman. If Superman wasn't around for him to rage against, he might not put such faith in baseline humanity's questing. I think that's Luthor's failing (one of): resisting the possibility of Superman-as-Future or what he perceives as mankind's (Quintum's) drive to be more like the Man of Steel.

Henningjohnathan

17:32 / 13.09.06

If Superman is the man of the future, and he's here now, then doesn't that make everyone else obsolete - especially if they are not pursuing his "Super-Future?" Superman, in his comment about the key, seems to believe that in the future everyone will be as powerful as he is. In this sense, I can see Luthor's point somewhat, that the presence of the Man of Tomorrow has the effect of subconsciously making everyone else feel like neanderthals.

Henningjohnathan

17:36 / 13.09.06

Are you saying that, peversely, Luthor's humanity would be more like Superman?
Not at all, in fact - that is Quintum's vision for humanity - I feel that Luthor's idea of the "real" super man is himself. That, through will power alone - not superpowers - a person should be able to overcome his obstacles and obtain his desires OR be eliminated trying through natural selection. Superpowers, to Lex, are just a cheat - an offense to the honest process of survival of the fittest and human achievement.

23:13 / 17.10.06

Mr. Jamie Grant, I don't know if you're gonna read this, but it's worth the shot to ask you.

I was reading #3 again, and I'm wondering how much of what we see is intentional and pre-discussed (or if I'm just losing it).

The panel where Samson cocks out "Atlas and I will stand by your side", Superman's chest has the most competent color work I have ever seen before. There's a solid sense of Sphinx's physical presence even though he's not on panel. While you made Super's chest bright up, the "S" became hypnotizingly colored -- not only on color-light-and-fabric behaviour, but to, what I assume, the conceptual keys to what this issue works with, the steaming red hot lava reptilian territorial conflict borderlining on homoerotic top-gun jokes (the reason I assumed the DinoCzar explicitly goes "sssss" and "rrreeeedddd", and Samson's first appearance goes with Krull's red cock-tail making a "S"; and other reasons I'd better not list here or else this'll go really long), and Lois' presence as the desired surrendering water element everyone burns-thirsts for (and of course, Superman thirsting but knowing how to be zen-blucool)(and Sphinxs' judgement, where a heart can't be too heavy nor too light = not too cold nor too hot -- and of course the whole Quantum-Schrodinger's Love stuff etc...).

Or other features, like the Yellow in Superman's chest going orange-darker at moments and brighting up like a lightSolar bulb when Supys thinks of the answer (and even goes "Ha!"/Ra, the solar egyptian God in his yellowness) since the red cape no longer is in front of it. Does Morrison discuss that sort of coloring and scenario details with you and Quitely to combine with what's going on in the plot, scenarios and themes, or do you alone have that (amazingly) good of an eye on these things to make your coloring and lightning choices (not only the "technical", but reconciling with the conceptual, contextual and thematic keys)??

PS: I'm in love with this series (only one I'm buying now), and I'm seriously thinking of buying two more copies of each issue to be able to note some issues to death (and also because I'm afraid I'll eat the goddamn comic because of the too-good eye-candy).

PS2: sorry for any confusing parts or misspells. English isn't my native language. I'm brazilian...

23:28 / 21.10.06

Hi Sha*am Sparrow,

Some colouring is intentional... I try to figure most obvious colour to indicate what things are. Choose the archetypal colour for each object, item, environment, super-suit, symbol, effect, etc... Just go with that kind of 'Tin-tin' colouring logic.

With choices for environmental background colours, sometimes it's in the script, other times it just happens like that. Try conjuring up colours that help the storytelling and flow (example – a series of panels progressing from dark area to lighter place (underlit by lava for instance) or different environments (but connected off panel and affecting each other).

For technique – I just follow the sources of light and and their shadow. That's it really. I don't use that many fancy plug-in tools – just paint away. Following Grant's well honed scripts, Frank Quitely's horrendously beautiful artwork stands up well in B&W, but I just love embellishing directional shadow to it and creating that 3D look.

Frank Quitely works here across the hall in his opulent front Studioffice – which really helps on the feedback over the continual stream of pages. Grant drops by from time to time so there's always good feedback on the artwork and the colours (which I dunno how I really colour either). When starting an issue I never know how it's going to turn out – but so far I've been lucky.

Other than the points above, I don't really have a 'system', just put on some good music or radio, get the kettle on, get relaxed and dabble away. I'm an artist and painter so love playing with colour.

I also don't take on any more monthly offers on doing other books since the early Vertigo 'Testament' colours before handing over to co-colourist and all-round quality comicbook artist Jim Devlin (a creator to watch). Didn't like that monthly madness! This easy going bi-monthly suits me just fine. Leaves me time to relax and do other things rather than colour all the time.

Glad you're enjoying the series, I'm am too! It's super lush!!

Hope this finds you well,

- Jamie

12:34 / 22.10.06

Without taking more of your time, thank you so much for that mr Grant. Awfully kind of you to answer and fulfilling some doubts.

(it's so great to be able to 'say' to a creator of something you're loving that you're liking his work. I think this is a first for me).

13:34 / 12.11.06

In #4, I've never noticed before that Jimmy shoots Superman into a toy store. Too perfect. Too right in it's grittyness of Doomsday 90ies against the concept of Superman and what's going on in those panels.

I'm thinking if Lex's attempt to make Clark(/Supes as character and his story-plot overall) seem "unreliable" (the monkey-- "Too Super"/"unbelievable"/"dumb"/"silly") works on the same level of #4-Doomsday's area ("you and they point DUMB GUN at me!" while looking at us, "am no impossible" etc).

And did anyone else stopped to think how Lex's imagined article (as he opens his cell's door) would actually sound to a newspaper reader? If that was intentional by Morrison, too good and even better down the road if by that same track.

And on "wondering of the day # 2", issue 5's splash page of prison has this one panel of a little "cone"-headed criminal that's waaaay too much of a perfect joke. And it's even better if someone confirms something for me: there's two guys with their backs to us and to the little fellow -- are they clenching their butts????? I only thought this could actually be so because of the issue's TopDog theme and it's location.
(funny, I thought this series' treatment on subtexts of gritty-Macho, misogyny and homophobia would be mentioned in the "scary sex stuff" thread and all the comics misogyny debates throughout blogs. I've only found two posts about it: one about Morrison intentionally making Superman a old-time fascist sexist dick in #2(?), and another one disappointed because Lois didn't punch anyone in #3 -- which I thought was the entire point of the issue and the series. Is it a accident that it's issue#5 already and we haven't seen Superman in a "good old wrestling" and punching? -- besides "badde" Superman, I mean)

17:34 / 14.11.06

It felt like I'd been waiting for ages for the next issue to come out, I bought five in August I think, so I asked the comics man.
'Meant to be January but I wouldn't hold your breath' he said.
Great. So ASS is biannual now? GRANT! YOU'RE TAKING ON TOO MUCH DUDE! THROTTLE BACK! The comic shop man reckoned it might be that hanging out with Robbie Williams was slowing him down, but that trying to write seven million simultaneous scripts was also a factor. I'm inclined to agree.

17:42 / 14.11.06

January? Was there any crack on his table at the time? Or is Quitely growing two more arms and will only work after he has 8?

18:09 / 14.11.06

Great. So ASS is biannual now? GRANT! YOU'RE TAKING ON TOO MUCH DUDE! THROTTLE BACK!

18:19 / 14.11.06

On Sale January 3, 2007 says the DC website.

18:23 / 14.11.06

I don't know if it's really my place to say or not, but Jamie's posted as much elsewhere on the 'lith....

I've had the bloody great priviledge of helping out a bit on this issue, laying down flats on a couple of pages to pass on to Jamie "Rainbowpencils" Grant. There was a wee bit of a delay in getting the pages in from Grant, but the full script's been there for a while now and as of last week the pencilling was pretty much finished. There's still a smidge of colouring and adjusting to do, but it shouldn't be long now.

It's worth waiting for at any rate.
It's a pure belter.

20:46 / 14.11.06

*burning envy*

Anyway, I'd like to dispel the notion that Morrison is doing loads of comics - you've got 52, which likely amounts to one issue's worth a month, plus Authority - bimonthly - (+ 1/2), plus Batman (we'll call it one, but it's more like 2/3 given there's a fill-in) and Wildcats and Superman, which probably amount to another half a book a month combined. Sum total = 3 comics a month.

13:47 / 15.11.06

So right after Clark's descent into the underworld at the end of issue 4, we get Clark dealing with what surely looks like Pa Kent's death (mimicing the first Donner Supes movie; which it also seems the regular DCU is fixin' to mimic in the coming year or so) in issue 5 (judging from the cover to #5, of course, or was that 6?). Go emotional/literal underworld/darknightofthesoul! Carried there in the riverboat of the virtual River Styx by a goth nasty. Yee hah.

13:49 / 15.11.06

um, substitute 5 for 4 and 6 for 5 in post above. I got my #s mixed up, thinking that the Lex in prison issue was #4. Time warp due to the sloowwwness of the issues coming out perhaps - but well worth the wait, especially when Bizarro goodness follows Pa Kent issue.

18:05 / 15.11.06

ME AM NOT HAPPY IT'S COMING SOON!!

14:17 / 17.11.06

oh, well...

until then, we can leaf through the comics section of the SUPERMAN THROUGH THE AGES website...

some good stuff there.

09:59 / 24.11.06

Well, since it'll be a looong time until next ish, I felt the need to poke some more at the series.

I've been having some confusions concerning time-lines between issues 1 and 2.

I assumed #2's beginning was right after #1's ending. I'm only having this excessive attention to detail concerning the time-line 'cause I assumed everything Superman's showing Lois in the fortress and in himself is post-Sun. I thought it was the entire point. The "new and improved" Superman, his new toys and new ways. And only now after almost a year that I realized it'd been just a few hours since #1 (by what their exchanges entails, even if Lois' "I don't believe you" seems out of place in time if we're going to be really uptight about it). But I don't know if I assumed wrong or if some of the dialogue actually indicates that most of what we see is a post-Sun reform (the cloak dialogue, for instance).

Sorry if some people feel mad about my analness, but this sort of could change my perspective in the Sun's role and "sun tampering" in the series (which I feel is a major coherent motif throughout it's interplay between the Sun in Superman and general Solar myths).

12:06 / 24.11.06

There's no reason to believe that there's any non-linear storytelling going on. Let's go to the tape:

Issue One: Superman gets supercharged. Luthor gets arrested. Lois gets told.

Issue Two starts almost immediately afterwards, as Superman tries to convince Lois.

Issue Three is Lois's birthday gift. It probably takes place close on the heels of Two, else the gift would be late.

The issue takes 24 hours, as that's the duration of the "exo-gene" potion.

Four specifically mentions his immunity to Kryptonite (gained in Two), but there's no reason to believe it happens immediately after Three.

Given that Clark mentions "having the Luthor interview by Friday" in Four, Five must take place within the same week as Four. My guess is that Four takes place on a Monday (Perry is reading the Sunday paper and talking about the circulation), Five is a day or two later.

So 1-3 take place over a couple of days, and 4-5 take place in the same week. But the gap between 3 and 4 is undefined.

12:21 / 24.11.06

There's no reason to believe that there's any non-linear storytelling going on. Let's go to the tape:

then

So 1-3 take place over a couple of days, and 4-5 take place in the same week. But the gap between 3 and 4 is undefined.

Which would be linear progression.

I think it's pretty obvious that the narrative is linear. As with all comics any ammount of time could have passed between stories, however given that the arrest of Luthor happens in the first one and he's on trial in the fourth I think we can presume they happen relatively close together (couple of months separation max).

Also I don't think Supes is supposed to have that much more time before he pops his clogs (whilst I don't have the comic to hand I seem to recall Quintum giving him a estimated time of demise). I would presume a year at the most, hence the twelve-issue run (although the individual comics aren't being done in a 52 style, the linking of Supe's time remaining with the number of issues is the sort of thing I could see Morribund doing).

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

13:40 / 24.11.06

Evil: I think it's pretty obvious that the narrative is linear. As with all comics any ammount of time could have passed between stories, however given that the arrest of Luthor happens in the first one and he's on trial in the fourth I think we can presume they happen relatively close together (couple of months separation max).

And this is Lex Luthor, kids. As established by the Judge's closing remarks at the beginning of #5, this man is bad. If there was anyone who was going to get a speedy trial - to give him less time to develop a super-escape plan before he gets the chair - I can see the citizens of Metropolis rushing him into court mere days after capture.

The majority of the Fortress treasures are old, Sparrow, part of its day-to-day operation (like feeding the old Sun-Eater) but things like learning to sew are new - don't forget that especially now with the ultra-charge, Kal can become impeccable at anything in minutes. Most of its been there from before but a lot of it is being retasked...

Mxy's been mentioned in the solicits for #6! Woot!

15:18 / 24.11.06

>>>>>>part of its day-to-day operation (like feeding the old Sun-Eater) but things like learning to sew are new - don't forget that especially now with the ultra-charge, Kal can become impeccable at anything in minutes. Most of its been there from before but a lot of it is being retasked...

-----------------

Well I read each thing he shows Lois as a symbolic gesture of re-reading something of the old days (like the key scene) or adding something to the mythos in a metaphorical way; for instance, the Future portal thing always seemed like a middle-aged man getting better grips of how the future develops itself, and Supes' becoming responsible and seeing ahead in longer terms and thinking about family, heirs, legacy, his mark, whatever (becoming old time boring husband-dad -- I swear I'm not projecting like I imagine most late-30ies superheros fans do. I mean, I'm 21 and never cared for Supes until A*S. So might be a bit more understandable why I've seen these things as Post-SunTrip traces).

The sun-eater thing is something I never quite could put my finger on. Never really got it. I imagined a thousand metaphors and symbolisms, but always ends on a creepy tone, like Supes saying "this creepy scary immense dungeon isn't so creepy if you could see what I see".

18:06 / 24.11.06

My guess is the sun-eater bit is foreshadowing. Bet it has a role to play in draining him of his excess solar energy in issue #12.

00:38 / 25.11.06

My guess is the Parasite will get a chance to drain him more (and explode in potential Quitely super-splash page action) and Kalark will twig to using the Sun-Eater as a solar Dyson.

20:46 / 26.11.06

>>>>My guess is the sun-eater bit is foreshadowing

I don't know. I'm hoping he'll won't be used in handling Superman's powers (either the Parasite). Maybe too easy. I'd prefer he died and left Lois loads of serums for two thousand years or one serum for everlasting Superness and the key under his doorstep carpet... Or that only thing left is Clark Kent and Superwoman. Or a Superbaby or something futuristicly hopeful.

---------------------------------

Listen, I have a bunch of things written on my computer concerning women's role on this series ('cause I'm really surprised that in all the debates about misogyny and homophobia in comics, no one mentioned the cool hand playing those in this series -- the traumatized and abused Lois Lane, Superman re-thinking his dickish old ways, the possibility that he's still a dick, maybe even more morbidly sicker etc). After catching that entire blog posted earlier today (Occasional Superheroine) in one read, I felt it could be quite appropriate to discuss a matter that I feel is being treated intentionally by Morrison in the series.

I'm only asking before posting because is a really huge post (in my Word, still incomplete and scattered in random items, is about five or six pages -- and some other places I've written down, a lot more pages).

15:42 / 05.12.06

Final hand in for All*Star Superman #6 inked and coloured pages is Friday 8th December come hell or high water. Afterwards - at the weekend - I'm going to become a hopeless alcoholic!

20:56 / 05.12.06

well. that deserves a "woot!"

22:18 / 05.12.06

YAY!!! Go Jamie Go Go!!! You can do it!!!

The last few issues have been ramping up like mad and I've actually been thinkin about what you guys might have up your sleeve for this issue--best not to guess Grant, really, coz you can never predict what he's gonna do next, but damn I'm so excited! I mean, Smallville and Superboy and maybe some super-duper-color-intensive 5th dimension sequences that will break the colorist's fingers off where each finger turns into an extra hand starfish-style to help out with the work so that it's done 5 times as fast! Yippee! And Mister Mxpltk...Mxzypltk...Mxpltk? Help! How do you spell his name again?

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