I read somewhere on the internet that we have too much Lex Luthor and not enough Superman, and I kinda agree. In a sense, that we have a lot more billionaires than we need (which is zero), and the idealized kind people didn’t have that much power to begin with. The system rewards malevolence, and we have no Superman to stop it.

That idealized kind and hopeful version of a mankind in Superman is the point. With all that power, challenges, and tribulation that follows, we should strive to be kind and considerate. Anything else and it’s just misrepresentation and misinterpretation of the character. We are talking about what Superman should be here, not what Superman could be; way too many media already re-imagine that e.g. Omni-Man and Homelander, even in the Superman myth like Bar-El, Red Son, or Ultraman. After all, Superman is not supposed to be realistic, he is a pinnacle of idealistic view.

This idealistic character of Superman is best summed up through this series titled All-Star Superman. The book recounts a tale similar to Herakles’ twelfth labor, but of Superman, before dying due to heavy solar radiation caused by Lex Luthor. Meanwhile, Clark Kent exposed Lex Luthor and get him sent to electric chair. The story revolves around how Superman deals with his mortality, juxtaposed by the distorted view of power by Lex Luthor as perceived projection towards Superman.

Without revealing too much of the story, I think this is one of the best read in DC’s mythology. It got everything: from science-fiction to hefty and important dialogue worthy of reminiscing and reflecting. A magnum opus of a character indeed.

This particular adventure reminds me of Takehiko Inoue’s Vagabond and Makoto Yukimura’s Vinland Saga. The message transcends the cliche, “there is strength in kindness,” because these stories prove that kindness is strength. Yet, the story doesn’t discount violence when it is necessary. It’s not zero-sum, anyway, violence and kindness. The former is a character for act, while the latter is a noun describing the intention. It’s deeply philosophical and fun in it’s whimsical way. A kind of story that is making me believe that the better world is possible.

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Book Identification

Title	: All-Star Superman [DC Compact Comics]
Writer	: Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely
Publisher	: DC Comics
Year	: 2024
Pages	: 320 pages
ISBN	: 978-1-77952-725-7