Absolute ALL-STAR SUPERMAN

I think the All-Star Superman trade cover says it all. When Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely wrapped their acclaimed run, Vin drew one final image for the All-Star Superman collection—crystallizing their story, and Superman, forever. This humble image, used worldwide many times over as a cover, hung in gallery exhibits, and even made into a statue by DC (see additional images). I’m truly honored to be its custodian. Thank you, Joe Melchior. And thank you, Frank Quitely—aka Vin.

I’ll start by saying I’m endlessly fascinated by how stories re-manifest across time and cultures—the same structures wearing different skins. It’s as if these invisible, eternal monoliths exist outside of space and time, just waiting to be uncovered and repainted. That brings me to this little essay about All-Star Superman—aka 2D Jesus.

Thousands of creators have worked on both Batman and Superman over the decades—sculpting them, refining them, nudging them closer and closer to what I’d argue are their final forms. Batman, in The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, becomes the most grounded man of grounded men. Untrusting of everything. Prepared to take down his own friends if needed. Hopeless in a bleak world. Operating in the dark. A completely material existence as Bruce Wayne. Entirely mortal. Buried in mud. On that 2nd cover…one foot from the grave. The godless man.

Superman, in All-Star Superman, is the pure symbol of hope. Powered by the sun (the light), coming from above. Essentially a god living humbly as a man—who knows his time on Earth is limited. Who doesn’t leave until even the man who schemed to kill him is saved. He leaves behind not just strength, but his example of goodness. His message of hope. His way.

This cover—especially when placed next to the cover of DKR #2—makes the contrast clear. 80+ years of mythology were funneled through two Franks: inky black grit from Frank Miller, delicate graphite grace from Frank Quitely. Bookending these icons. Elevating them into their ultimate forms. The Dark. The Light.

What blows my mind is this: how do we instinctively—and sometimes unconsciously—just know when Batman is acting like Batman, or when Superman is being Superman? We all feel it. We all know it. Separately, and somehow together. And that’s wild to me.

And it’s not just the thousands of creators—it’s the millions of fans, too. Readers supported the versions and runs they loved most, telling editors and publishers what resonated through their buying power. Together, fans and creators co-sculpted these characters into what they are today.

Anyway, I’m honored to own Superman’s “bookend” image—the final cover of All-Star Superman. Miller deconstructed Batman into his gritty, inky essence. Morrison and Quitely crystallized Superman into his final, divine form—and Vin actually had the balls to just draw it. This cover reminds me of those Jesus-on-a-plate pictures hanging in your grandma’s kitchen. And I love that.

Lastly, I’m calling The Dark Knight Returns and All-Star Superman the bookends of these characters. Not because they’re everyone’s favorite versions—though for many, they are. My claim is this: whatever your favorite version of Batman or Superman is, it probably lives somewhere between these two books, and these two images. These are the myths—actualized, fully formed.

ComicsBeat covered some of the arguments over the price for this cover (my ramblings about the piece expressed here on CAF made the article in a more argumentative form)… https://www.comicsbeat.com/sale-of-crucial-frank-quitely-superman-cover-kicks-off-controversy/

And here’s Frank Quitely offering some insights about the piece and what Grant and his goals were with All-Star Superman… https://youtu.be/PPrqxB6ZNx8?si=DG5q4mQMNnvj5foI