All Star Superman Reviews

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I'd been told this series really gets Superman, so I was eager to check it out as my introduction to Superman comics. Ultimately, though, I think it was quite the wrong choice.
Maybe it's because I'm not an avid comic reader, but the overall story just seemed really disjointed to me. Each issue has an entirely different subject matter, but with an overarching theme of Superman tying up all loose ends before he dies.
The first three issues did show promise, especially with everything involving Lois Lane, but after that I found it just lapsed into tedium, constantly bringing up plot elements without any introduction and acting like we were supposed to be familiar with them already. Right off the bat, when Quintum and his team were introduced, I wondered, "Who are these guys?"
I've heard that it's meant to serve as an homage to the Silver Age of Comics, but still telling a serious story about mortality in that style. Okay, fair enough, but I didn't read any of those comics, so the reference is lost on me.
My favourite issue is the ninth one, which introduces two Kryptonians who view humans as mere insects. Superman's humanity is really put on display here, as he has to defend the planet he calls home.
I just don't think this is very friendly to new readers. The dialogue and story structure are too erratic, and at the end it had me wondering, "What the fuck did I just read?"

My rating: 50%