“My last adventure is about to begin…”
As many know I’m a hardcore Superman fan and “All Star Superman” is one of the better Superman stories that I’ve ever read. The Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely mini series stands among some of the best literature from the character. Quitely’s highly detailed pop art aesthetic perfectly matches up the story of a god who realizes he’s fading away like the sun. The animated adaptation is thankfully about as loyal to the source material as possible, and while I would have loved about twenty more minutes added to the run time, “All Star Superman” is a top notch adaptation.
Lex Luthor enacts his plan to rid the world of Superman, once and for all. Succeeding with solar radiation poisoning, the Man of Steel discovers that he is slowly dying, and the effects of his disease are irreversible. With what little time remains for him, the Last Son of Krypton must confront the revealing of his secret identity to Lois Lane. On his last days he decides to bring Lois Lane in to his world as Superman, and help her understand his origins, all the while preparing to face Luthor in a final battle.
The late, great Dwayne McDuffie and Sam Liu bring the bittersweet story to the small screen with sheer loyalty not just to the overall idea of the story but to the idea of Superman as a whole. Superman is, was, and will always be such a fascinating superhero ripe for potential to be dissected and analyzed by writers. Morrison and McDuffie do a wonderful job exploring the Man of Steel facing his mortality and how he reconciles that prospect with finding a way cherish the last moments of time that he has.
I especially enjoy the strong performances from the cast which include James Denton as Superman, Christina Hendricks as Lois Lane, Anthony LaPaglia as Lex Luthor, as well as Edward Asner, Linda Cardellini and, Frances Conroy, respectively. While the narrative does go off in a bit of a tangent mid-way with Lois Lane garnering her own powers temporarily, “All Star Superman” is one of the many strong titles from the DC Animated Universe library, and should be appreciated over a decade after its initial release.
This two-disc set comes with a Digital Copy redemption code for consumers. Two brand-new retrospective featurettes are present on the 4K disc, with many of the 2011 Blu-ray’s great vintage bonus features now included on both discs. Exclusively on the 4K UHD there are the new extras An All-Star Adaptation, and eight minute talk with Director Sam Liu, composer Christopher Drake, producer Bruce Timm, and character designer Dusty Abell, all of whom speak about the challenges and rewards of adapting Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s original series into a film, and much more.
There’s also the seven minutes An All-Star Salute to the Silver Age with the aforementioned participants returning for a broader tribute to the campy charm established in Silver Age-era Superman comics (many of which acted as the inspiration for “All Star Superman”), established or continued under the direction of editor Mort Weisinger from 1958 through 1970. The Returning Extras for both the 4K UHD and Blu-Ray includes an Audio Commentary Featuring producer Bruce Timm and original writer Grant Morrison, The Creative Flow: Incubating the Idea with Grant Morrison, the All-Star Superman #1 Digital Comic, and the short segment Superman Now. Exclusive to the Blu-Ray there includes the vintage Green Lantern: Emerald Knights Sneak Peek, and Bruce Timm’s Picks.