#585 in Books
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Reddit mentions of All Star Superman
Sentiment score: 19
Reddit mentions: 35
We found 35 Reddit mentions of All Star Superman. Here are the top ones.
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- DC Comics
Features:
Specs:
Height | 10.17 Inches |
Length | 6.61 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | October 2011 |
Weight | 1.15301763026 Pounds |
Width | 0.5 Inches |
It's all one run, it wasn't part of the regular Superman title. It was only 12 issues, so really the best way to read it is to just buy the trade. It's not divided up or anything, just one big graphic novel.
Here's a link to it on Amazon for anyone interested. I seriously can't recommend it enough.
I personally don't think All-Star Superman is the best place to start for the character. I've seen new readers pick it up and enjoy it, but it probably won't live up to the praise due to unfamiliarity vs the book being a celebration of decades of Superman comics.
Going forward, here are some Superman modern essentials:
All-Star Superman | #1-12 | 2005-2008 | MorrisonWhen you're done with all that, revisit All-Star Superman. I'd be willing to bet you have a different opinion on it then.
The best way to start, imo, is with graphic novels/collections.
Going into a store and buying individual issues is going to be overwhelming, as you experienced.
As a DC reader I can recommend some books for you:
Batman - Batman Vol.1: Court of Owls has the first few issues of New 52 Batman and it's fantastic.
Superman - All-Star Superman is a great book, and widely considered THE best Superman book.
Or maybe you would think differently about the character because most of the time it's not about how badly Superman is going to fuck shit up, it's about himself and what it means to be take up that role. That's what this did great at accomplishing.
All Star Superman by Morrison and Quietly is a great arc that captures a lot of what makes Superman well, Superman.
Red Son looks at how things might have gone if instead of ending up in Kansas, he landed in Soviet Russia.
/r/comicbooks can help too!
A lot of 'I'm not a fan of Superman but it was good' folks here.
Might I suggest some really good Superman comics?
Superman - Action Comics Vol. 1 - Part of DC's New 52 reboot, these comics are by Grant Morrison (who is a great writer and something of an expert on comics, especially Superman) and shows a young Superman at the very beginnings of his superheroics.
All-Star Superman - Another Grant Morrison work, All-Star Superman is an Elseworlds (set outside main canon) that is by and large considered one of the definitive works of Superman stories. A little camp with lots of love given to the Golden and Silver Ages but played straight and fantastic story.
Kingdom Come - Another Elseworlds set in a dark, alternate future, where Clark has given up being Superman and the world pretty much standing on the edge. Amazing art by Alex Ross.
Superman: Red Son - An Elseworlds in which Superman landed in Communist Russia as an infant and raised by the state. The concept is silly but it's honestly a great read.
Superman: Birthright - A retelling and modernization of Superman's origin, it's a pretty good read and probably what Man of Steel is drawing a lot of inspiration from.
Superman Annual #11: "For the Man Who Has Everything" - It's a Superman story written by Alan Moore. I don't want to say anymore due to potential spoilers.
Rubix89 also said "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice & the American Way?" which is pretty much a response to the question of 'What's so great about the big blue boyscout in this day and age?'
EDIT: Formatting
Here's a big list of DC recommendations I've made before. You can pick them up in trades, or as single issues. Check Amazon, or Comixology, or InStockTrades.
> For New 52 Batman and Batman-related books, I recommend the following:
 
>For other New 52, I would recommend:
 
>And here are some good pre-N52 that you should definitely check out:
On the Marvel side, I personally recommend Matt Fraction's Hawkeye, Mard Waid's Daredevil, Nathan Edmondson's Black Widow, Cullen Bunn's Magneto, and Matt Fraction's Invincible Iron Man.
With Superman, I'd say read Superman Birthright then work your way through the recommended reading in the /r/Superman sidebar. If you want something current, read Superman/Wonder Woman (from #1) or Action Comics (from #25). Make sure you read All Star Superman though, it is definitely the best Superman story I've ever read. Do NOT read the main new 52 Superman series. It's bad. Superman: Red Son is really cool too.
With Wonder Woman and Justice League, just start with the New 52 series. Both of those are great.
Used book stores usually have a great treasure trove.
If you aren't familiar, most comics come originally in single issues, but then are later collected into what's called trade paper backs, or TPBs. Collecting TPBs are much easier than hunting down original issues, and is a great way of starting a collection
For Captain America, I would start here. Also, take note, that a lot of used copies are for sell there that start about 5 bucks instead of the full price of $17. You'd have to pay for the shipping, of course, but it's still a great opportunity load up.
Edit: And while a lot of people have been disappointed with it, I've really enjoyed the current run of Captain America. You may like it, especially since you don't need to know a lot about his history to get into it.
If you want to work your way into the Avengers after getting a feel for Cap, a great starting place is Avengers Disassembled. I have been an X-Men fan most of my life, so jumping into the Avengers seemed daunting. This book was the start of the modern age for the Avengers, with writer Brian Michael Bendis tearing them apart, and then putting them back together through New Avengers, Mighty Avengers, and many other books from then on for years. I'm sure you could get a reading list of the order of which books came out when. Because since then, it has been more or less a big, interconnecting storyline where one event leads naturally to the other. The Civil War, Secret Invasion, Dark Reign, etc. Great story telling that weaves a much bigger picture.
Also, any Superman fan will tell you probably the best Superman story is All Star Superman, and then maybe Red Son after that.
Ahh, but don't you mean an extra $19? :D
A very long list that I believe is full of gems:
Preacher, Volume 1 by Ennis
Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes by Gaiman
Invincible: Family Matters by Kirkman
Southern Bastards
Kingdom Come
Marvels
Watchmen
Saga
Mind MGMT
Daredevil: The Man Without Fear
Batman: The Long Halloween
Pride of Baghdad
All Star Superman
The Walking Dead: Days Gone Bye
Thor: God of Thunder
Annihilation (read it digitally on Marvel Unlimited, finding it in print is costly)
Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman, Volume 1 (by far, my favorite take on the characters. Hickman writes them to perfection.)
Spider-Man: Kraven's Last Hunt
This, and the other things I've seen posted, are incredible.
Is this All Star Superman a current series, or is, by chance, this?. If it's the latter, I'm buying it like, now.
EDIT A lot of people chimed in to confirm that the book I linked to was in fact where these images are from, and on the awesomeness of the book. As I stated in many of the posts, I picked up the book today. I just got home and am excited to crack in to it. As I explained, I'm not much of a Superman guy- just never got in to him, and for no good reason other than I'm honestly not a capes guy, with the exception of Batman.
That said, I'm pretty excited about what I see here, and to dig in to this book. For good measure, as well, I picked up Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo's Luthor which I presume to be somewhat a version of what they did with The Joker- getting in to the main villain of the story. The Joker was pretty unique, without question, so it will be interesting to see how Luthor is in comparison.
Thanks again for all the great comics-talk over the last couple of days. I love reading comics, but I really love talking comics too.
Also, and I'll probably make a stand-alone post about this lest the mods advise otherwise, but Barnes and Noble has a sale right now (that I was told will probably go on through the month) where Marvel and DC books are buy 2, get 1 free (and I'm pretty sure she said mix and match is OK).
Ok, for dark and creepy in the new 52 you want to read Animal Man, Swamp Thing and I, Vampire.
Definitely read Action Comics for some great Superman. And pick up the "trade paperback" for All Star Superman (it's older, but by the same guy who's writing Action Comics right now and considered one of the best Superman stories ever told).
If you want good original horror stuff, pick up the trade paperbacks for Locke & key. I think they're up to issue #20 or so now, so it would be difficult to pick up the single issues.
For X-Men, Wolverine and the X-Men just started at #1 last week and is really good.
For thor I'd recommend Thor: The Mighty Avenger, and the newish Mighty Thor that's currently on issue #7 and the first 6 (I'm guessing) will be coming back in trade paperback in December
Something I always harp on with new readers that is otherwise unrelated: PAY ATTENTION TO THE WRITER AND THE ARTIST OF THINGS THAT YOU END UP ENJOYING. Most comic enthusiasts follow writers and artists more than they follow specific characters. The writing quality varies just as widely as the quality of films, tv, etc. You might love The Walking Dead TV show right now, but if the old writers quit and they hired the writers from Gilmore Girls and the O.C. to replace them you probably wouldn't enjoy it anymore... and the equivalent to this happens quite regularly in comics.
Introduction to Comics
How to Get Into Comic Books (13:40) | Patrick Willems
Consider your intent/commitment. Think about your favorite shows, movies, books, etc. Reading primarily for enjoyment or encyclopedic knowledge? Collecting? Have the time/resources to read 50 or 500 comics per character?
Don’t try to read everything at once. There’s too much. Forget about catching up, continuity, universes, etc. for now. Older comics can be an acquired taste for modern audiences, so they aren’t necessarily ideal starting points. Writers change often, characters get re-worked, and origins are re-told. Remember, there are many great characters, creators, publishers, etc. to explore.
Pick an interesting character/team and seek their most popular/acclaimed stories. Focus on self-contained, complete stories in one corner of the universe. There will be unexplained references/characters, just persevere or Wiki. Don’t let the tangled web of shared-universe comics overwhelm you. Think of it like solving a jigsaw puzzle one small piece at a time until you finally see the big picture.
Discover your preferences and let them guide you. Don’t get stuck preparing/over-analyzing, just start reading. Do you like/dislike old/new comics? Specific writers/genres? Cartoony/realistic art? Familiar/weird concepts? References/self-contained? All-ages/mature content? Follow these instincts. Didn’t understand a reference? Maybe read that next.
Acquire/Buy comics:
Marvel
DC
You can skip to the 2016 re-launch with DC Universe: Rebirth and then any Rebirth series #1.
Other
I’m assuming you probably heard or read a lot of these already but their worth repeating on the chance that you haven’t.
OK. Just read their descriptions, see if you find them interesting. I loved or liked all of these, so I'll vouch for their quality, but you won't love everything you read.
For DC:
For Marvel:
Welcome to the club! Of course the "required reading" (the best of the best) for Superman is All-Star Superman, Superman: Secret Identity, Superman: Red Son, Superman: Birthright, and Superman: Secret Origin. Those are the real creme dela creme. Happy reading!
Mark Waid's Current Daredevil is great. All Star Superman, and lastly it doesn't seem like you've read much Alan Moore and I would suggest any of his popular books despite it being cliche.
All Star Superman is available as a single paperback volume, all twelve issues. Here's the Amazon link but it's available everywhere.
Ok, here are some great stuff from him (but seriously, read anything you can that's written by him if you like his writing):
All Star Superman - The best Superman story I ever read, it really captures what the character is all about.
Animal Man Omnibus
The Doom Patrol Omnibus
The Invisibles Omnibus
New X-men
If you want to start with Deadpool, Marvel has been releasing these nice big Deadpool Classic trades, which collect his earliest appearances and then his 90's comic series, which outshines the current one to infinity. The first trade can be found right here and there are four more after it, with a sixth scheduled for next year.
As for Spidey, start with Brand New Day and work your way up from there. New stories, new villains, new cast -- it's perfect for you. Here's a link for you.
As for Batman ... well, I never recommend Batman, so read this awesome Superman story instead: Link
I wasn't a big fan of Supes but I grew to like him after reading Superman: Red Son and All Star Superman
Thanks for reminding me to add Hawkguy to my Marvel/DC list lol I only read the first few.
Do you know of any good solo Gambit stories?
As far as Magneto, check these out:
For other good, foundational reads, check these out:
Batman; Year One
Daredevil, vol 1
Daredevil; Born Again
Walt Simonson's Thor
Watchmen
All Star Superman
Marvels
Kingdom Come
V for Vendetta
X-Men; Dark Phoenix Saga
Interesting, it seems like this version of All star superman already hasthe first 12 issues of the original. Sounds like a pretty good buy. Missing one that the first volume of the Chronicles has but i think i can manage.
If you want to read a Superman comic, I recommend All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely. It's not directly linked to any continuity, and AV Club selected it as the best place to start with superhero comics.
Is this the full collection of All Star Superman? I see a lot of different buying options on Amazon. Some are only part of it so I want to make sure this is the full story before I purchase it!
Thanks for all these suggestions. Are there any that aren't Superman as well?
A couple of recommendations...
If you like any of these, check out what else the writer and/or artist has done and expand from there. For instance, I liked Frank Miller's early Batman comics and was then introduced to his run on Daredevil, which I loved even more. Also, a lot of modern creators are also doing creator-owned comics at companies/imprints like Image and Vertigo and I would implore you to check those out as well. Happy reading.
EVERYTHING in this list.
and All Star Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely.
The movie is alright, but has to cut quite a bit. The comic is one of my Top 5 things to come from DC
https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-Star-Superman-Grant-Morrison/dp/1401232051/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464260789&sr=8-1&keywords=all+star+superman
There are two comics you need to find if you like Luthor. There's Superman: Red Son that follows an alternate universe where Supe's baby pod crashed landed in Russia instead of the US. Luthor ends up in charge of the West, and it's really all generally fantastic.
Then there's Lex Luthor: Man of Steel. In terms of plot, it's pretty much like most Superman stories, but from Lex's point of view. It dives into his philosophy, history, and why he views Superman as bad for humanity.
I really can't recommend those two runs enough; I absolutely love them. (And for the record, I usually hate Superman comics - he's just about the most boring hero there is IMO). If you read those two and want more, check out Grant Morrison's All-Star Superman, in which Luthor conspires to give Superman supercancer. It's kind of a Superman's greatest hits but with a little more purpose behind it than usual. Also, I just plain love Frank Quitely's art style. There's also an animated version if you don't like reading or something.
Batman: Year One is this the one I should get or another specific edition?
All-Star Superman is this the right one?
Wonder Woman is this what I'm looking for? Is there a cheaper alternative?
Flash right one?
Omega Men is this all? Any volume 2 or beyond?
Thanks for your help.
Just read All-Star Superman.
It only costs $20 and it'll show you everything you need to know about why comics are awesome without you needing to know a goddamn thing about comic books or superheros.