I am currently up to #4 in reading All Star Superman. It's one of those limited series that I've avoided ever since it started for a reason I'm completely unaware of, I must just have never given it the thought to actually read it.
Anyway, so right now, like I say, I'm up to #4! Even this early in its easy to see why this was such a highly rated series!
Grant Morrison, the legendary Scottish writer absolutely nails these characters spot on in their dialogue and the way they interact with each other. It is sheer brilliance and is probably one of greatest examples of characterization in comics I've read for a long time, if ever.
The atmosphere in this books is great! It is the kind of thing any Superman or 'old school' (by that I mean anywhere ranging from Action Comics #1 to the early 60's) DC fans can easily get into and enjoy! The art and plots from issue to issue are great, really easy reading but with great action, highly commendable dialogue which can range from being very tense to being hilarious and classically cheesy!
The one thing I love also about this are some of the astronomically imaginative ideas for areas of the plot to be explored, for example, in #4 there is reference to research undergoing in the 'basement level of the universe', a place where even time ages. That is some Mike Allred style s**t right there! I love that!
Classic, 'old school' sci-fi, something which seems to have gone slightly a-miss in today's comic generation!
The plot in this issue is mainly focused around Jimmy Olsen and really goes deep into exploring who this guy is, what kind of person he is and how strong his relationship is with Superman. It's really great and has a highly imaginative, dramatic story twisted around it too top it off in which Superman discovers a new evil threat to him called 'Black Kryptonite' which turns him evil!! It is like I say, a really old school Superman tale with a really energetic, all round good vibe!
If you're not sure about Jimmy Olsen as a character, get this issue and your mind will be made up one way or another.
This is certainly the kind of issue which you can pick up as a stand alone issue and still really enjoy it! That much is blindingly obvious! In fact, most of these issue so far work as great single issue stories. But they do all tie into a main plot theme as well if you want to read the whole 12 issue series, so its great for all readers!
The artwork is decent, its growing on me a lot! I hated the art in #1 but yeah it's defiantly growing on me.
If all the other issues of this series are as good as every issue up to and including #4, then this is one series I could not recommend enough to any comic reader!