Man, Myth, and
Superman by David Faust AKA Simulated Stereo
With their
twelve-issue run on All-Star Superman having come to
an end, Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely have given us
something that has often been talked about, but not often
seen: Superman as American mythology. All the more
impressive that this was achieved by two Scotsmen, which on
the surface could seem quite unusual, but this sort of thing
has been happening for years. In a recent interview, former
Talking Heads front man and visual artist David Byrne said
of his long-time collaborator and friend Brian Eno:
Foreigners, maybe starting back in the 1960s, were kind of the first ones to hook onto American rock and roll; Little Richard, or the blues. Brian said he finds gospel music very amazing, whereas a lot of people here, if you're dialing on the radio, would just skip through those stations. You kind of ignore the stuff because you just figure it's out there, so you don't need to know about it. Sometimes it takes foreigners to kind of point it out and say you've got some amazing stuff going on in your midst. And the foreigners will do a version of it and sell it back to you.
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/
This I think is
very similar to what has been happening with American comics
since the 1980’s.
Writers and artists from other countries have been, for
years telling amazing stories based on their own perspective
of the American comics they grew up reading, and the stories
they have been telling often seem so new and fresh to us.
Also one of the great Platonic Ideals of America is that it
is a place where people from other countries can realize
their dreams and aspirations.
But back
to the story itself: from the beginning Morrison was working
in elements and themes taken wholesale from Greek mythology
along with elements of Hebrew mythology as well,
specifically the one page/four panel retelling of Superman’s
origin in issue one, like the story of Moses and the
appearance of (a somewhat re-imagined) Samson in issue
three. Professor Quintum, an important character throughout
the series is very much like the Greek Titan Prometheus,
even referring to himself has having tried to steal fire
from the sun. However, unlike the Titan of mythology,
Quintum is not punished for his actions, but is instead
rewarded later by Superman when he gives Quintum his DNA and
the DNA of Lois as a means to continue the legacy of
Superman. Again, this strikes me as a unique and ultimately
American revision of the Prometheus legend, where one is
rewarded for his endeavors to serve humanity rather than
punished.
In
All-Star Superman, we see a Superman who is very much a
God among humanity, but it is in the face of this God that
we see the reflection of the ideals of humanity: truth,
justice, and the drive to improve ourselves and those around
us. One interesting point in the story is that Superman
needs humanity as much as humanity needs Superman. In an
early issue, Professor Quintum remarks that all clones of
Superman so far have resulted in imperfect Bizarro
creatures, but with the combined DNA of Kal-El and Lois Lane
it is assumed that the addition of humanity to Superman’s
alien DNA is the key to continuing the legacy of Superman.
Kal-El is the world’s
greatest hero not only because of his alien origins and
physiology, but also his very human and idyllic American
upbringing.
Tying all
of these ideas together is the basic story of this heroic
God (actually demigod seems more appropriate). From the
beginning where, through his actions as well as through the
machinations of his nemesis Lex Luthor, Superman is told
that he is slowly dying, we watch as he confesses his love
to Lois and grants her his powers for a short time, travels
back through time to have one last moment with his father,
confronts members of his long-dead race who, while as
physically strong as Superman, and outnumber him two to one,
are unable to defeat him because of who he is. In issue #10,
(in my opinion one of the best issues in the series) Kal-El
creates life, which in turn evolves and ultimately creates
its own version of Superman as a fictional character—possibly
our own universe. Until the final confrontation with Lex
Luthor where Superman ultimately triumphs yet in a way
sacrifices himself to save the Earth by going into the Sun
to repair the damage caused by Solaris, the tyrant sun.
Like
all enduring myths and stories, All Star Superman is
both simple and very complex. Take for example the portrayal
of Superman’s
enemies Lex Luthor and Solaris. Until the last issue of the
series, all confrontations between Superman and Luthor are
by proxy; whether Luthor talking to superman through his
“human
suicide bomb”
or Superman as Clark Kent talking to Luthor in prison. We
learn a great deal about how each sees the other. Superman
sees Luthor as a disappointment to humanity—a
man with immense intellect and resources who has done
nothing in all of his years to better mankind. Luthor sees
Superman as an alien intruder holding humanity back, but
this is only his way to justify his own actions and an
excuse for not helping to make a better world, since it’s
clear he despises the world and everyone in it. Solaris, a
uniquely Morrison creation is an interesting character in
its own right; a version of the thing that gives Kal-El his
great abilities that wants nothing more than to destroy him
as well as Earth itself. In the end Superman defeats
Solaris, overcomes his own impending demise, and defeats Lex
Luthor, but the victory is short-lived since Superman has to
leave Earth and everyone he loves to repair the damage to
our sun caused by Solaris. In the end this is also a kind of
victory for Luthor who finally has a world without a
Superman, at least until Professor Quintum can perfect his
cloning technique and continue the dynasty of El, similar to
how Morrison described it a few years ago in the DC
1,000,000 storyline.
It has been said by many that All Star Superman is quite possibly the greatest Superman story ever written and I find it hard to argue against that (although I would have liked a Brainiac appearance). Morrison and Quitely have given us something that will be written about and puzzled over and reinterpreted for many years to come. And for that they have my eternal gratitude.