All-Star Superman (Review)

Citizen's Grade (Graphic Novel): Impressive.
Citizen's Grade (Animated Movie): Impressive.

After years of failure and frustration, the ever diligent Lex Luthor masterminds another plan to destroy The Man of Steel....and this time it just might work. Sabotage is his plan, as he interferes with Dr. Quintum's first manned Sun mission. In order to save Quintum and his associates, Superman puts himself in harm's way once again. But this time, Superman's heroics come with a price.

The sun; the very source of Superman's many superpowers, poisons his cells....Superman is dying! Poisoned by solar radiation, with just weeks to live, Superman embarks on a mission to fulfill his life's dreams.
 Revealing his true identity to Lois Lane and giving her the birthday present of a lifetime, facing challenges by Samson & Atlas, and finding out (once & for all) Lex Luthor's motivations for hatred against Superman.

Dying; but not without hope, Superman sacrifices himself one last time to save Earth from the Tyrant Sun, shows Lex Luthor one last time the error of his ways, and talks with his father Jor-El from beyond the grave.....At the last, Superman sacrifices himself to save Earth by plunging deep into the sun, ending his existence in a final act of heroism.....but not without hope, as Lois Lane waits for him to come back after he's done fixing the sun.

Grant Morrison's epic tale of Superman is one for the ages...All-Star Superman won an Eisner Award for his and artist Frank Quitely's efforts. This is one of the many examples of what makes Morrison such a great writer....he captures the true essence of Superman and weaves that heroism into a tale that transcends anything else that's been done. Quitely's artwork is perfect for this story, just perfect.

The animated movie was written by Dwayne McDuffie (based on Morrison's graphic novel) and stays true to the essence of the story, and captures the same magic that Morrison did. Although they had to leave out some great stuff from the book (because of time constraints), the movie captures the same flavor, feel, and look of the book. The movie stars the voices of James Denton, Anthony LaPaglia, Christina Hendricks, & Ed Asner.

Most enjoyable; in the DVD extras, is an interview with Morrison on the project and how he sees Superman. I recommend either the movie or the book, or (most enjoyable) both!