Superman For All Seasons

Jeph Loeb delivers a really personal Superman book with Superman For All Seasons. Every season in Smallville, the crops of the Clark family require a little something different, and every season of this book Superman grows up from a boy to a man. But he never forgets Smallville. Everything about Superman For All Seasons is interesting and heartfelt. Fans of the television program Smallville will be interested to know that this mini-series is one of the main influences on the creation of the show. I really have to give it to Tim Sale on this one, because his big splash pages are just fantastic. At first the art style didn't seem all that comic book-y, but I soon realized that it was the perfect art for such a moody story. I'd definitely check out Superman For All Seasons. I've never been much of a Superman fan, but this story captivated me.

All-Star Superman

My friend Chad once described the strength of Grant Morrison (and also Geoff Johns, but he's not the subject of this post) as the fact that he's able to advance a character in innovative and mind-changing ways while also paying homage to the character's long history. All-Star Superman is intended to sum up everything important about Superman from his inception in 1932 to his first appearance in 1938 to now, resulting sometimes in camp ("The last thing I wanted on your birthday was a reptile invasion from the Earth's core.") but always in a heartfelt and true drama. The overarching story of this series is that Superman essentially has Kryptonian cancer - he's absorbed too much solar radiation - and has only a couple weeks to live. Grant Morrison challenges Superman to conclude his story by bidding farewell to those people he cares for and making plans for a world without Superman. It is one of the most touching DC stories I've ever read, and I highly recommend All-Star Superman.