All-Star Superman #6 (March 2007)

It's that time again! It's time to join the Man of Steel in what appears to be his final grand adventure! Last time, we witnessed the Gospel of Lex Luthor. We got to see how he views the world, with a little bit of mythological reference. So, where do we go from here? Let's find out in All-Star Superman #6!

The cover is a Frank Quitely and Jamie Grant piece. It depicts Superman and Krypto standing at the grave of his father, Jonathan Kent. It's a very nice cover. It shows Superman being more contemplative, more thoughtful. It's not something you see often on superhero comic covers.

"Funeral in Smallville"
Writer: Grant Morrison
Penciler: Frank Quitely
Inker: Jamie Grant
Colorist: Jamie Grant
Letterer: Phil Balsman
Editors: Brandon Montclare, Bob Schreck
Executive Editor: Dan Didio

The story begins in Smallville, located in the bright farmlands of Kansas. Amber waves of grain, and all that. We look in on Jonathan Kent talking to his adopted son Clark about how the Kryptonian hero came into his life. He and Martha Kent had been married for about ten years, and they were trying to have a little child of their own. Jonathan so wanted a kid, he came out to the farm and prayed, despite his not being much of a church-sitting guy. And then, one night a short time afterwards. It happened.

Well, kind of. Krypton blew up, not Earth. Obviously. A small rocket containing Krypton's last hope (and presumed last survivor) crashed near the Kent farm. It was almost like a miracle. Jonathan and Martha Kent found themselves the proud parents of a bouncing alien baby boy.

Jonathan musses Clark's hair, going on about how perfect his boy is, and how he's destined for great things. Superman is invulnerable to many things, but even he is not immune to being embarrassed.

Thankfully, Clark sees an old tree that got hit by lightning and offers to move it. A simple thing for a man of his strength. And an old buddy arrives.

"...Bacon? I smell bacon!"

It's Krypto! Soon to make his live-action film debut in James Gunn's Superman flick. The two play a bit and go to move the tree. Jonathan watches, and he lets out a little grunt and holds his chest. Foreshadowing...

Martha notices that Jonathan looks pale. However, the man is more concerned about some other questions. Mainly the type of questions philosophers like to tackle. Why here? Why us? Why is peanut butter so good? He knows Clark doesn't belong on a farm. After all, he's meant for...bigger things. Fighting alien warlords and getting kittens out of trees and the like. The two are then approached by another man, who has something to say.

"No, the lighting does not make me look ominous. It's just my face."

Yeah, that totally is not foreboding or anything. Meanwhile, the Man of Steel and Krypto are having a little fun out in space together, ending with them on the Moon, looking at Earth. The next day, Clark notices that a trio of odd men were helping Pa with the harvest. Pa introduces them to Clark. He told them that he's studying journalism.

"Good thing yer pa just lets any random strangers help on the farm."

Yup, this is a flashback tale. Not that I could tell. More on that later. Clark spends some time hanging out with his childhood friends Lana Lang and Pete Ross. Clark tells them that the new farmhands have gotten him a bit suspicious, but Lana thinks he's gotten some of that big city cynicism. Clark is also struggling with what to do next in his life. He likes farming, and he's not sure if he even needs to be in the city. Lana asks if he wants to see the world, as she herself wants to. The three take a picture together, but Clark's super-hearing picks up talk of a "Kansas Superman", and he goes to investigate while claiming his stomach is acting up. When he leaves, Lana grumbles about her and Pete having to pretend they don't know he's Superman.

Clark and Krypto are on a silo, watching the mysterious new farmhands.

"Could be worse. Could have eaten Khund chocolate. That stuff turns you inside-out. Literally."

Calvin Elder manages to sneak up on Clark, revealing that he is actually Kal Kent, the Superman of the 853rd century, the setting of DC One Million. Yeah, Morrison has connected these stories before, so that's not surprising. The other farmhands are fellow members of a Superman Squad, protecting spacetime. They are the Unknown Superman from A.D. 4500, and Klyzyzk Klzntplkz, the Superman of the 5th Dimension (where Mr. Myxzptlk comes from). GOD, I HATE THE FIFTH DIMENSION'S NAMING CONVENTIONS.

They're hunting a monster known as the Chronovore. Been tracking it across ten centuries so far. Huh, that means they get a free soda now. Get it? Ah, never mind. Anyway, as the name suggests, the Chronovore is a time-eating monster. And it's come to Smallville.

"HUUUUUUUG MEEEEEEEE!"

Ugly spud, ain't it? This is what happens when you let Dr. Putrid T. Gangrene cook a meatball and chicken meal. The Superman Squad engage the time-eater. Superman wants to help, but Kal tries to get him to stop. Superman says there's something weird about all of this and tries to fight off Kal. However, being his distant descendant, Kal is much more powerful. But Clark has another secret weapon: Krypto. During this time, the Unknown Superman visits Jonathan. 

The two talk a little, Jonathan complimenting him and his associates on their help with the harvest. Jonathan reveals that Martha wants to concentrate on the family's general store in Smallville, which I think is a reference to the Bronze Age Superman mythos. Jonathan feels this is the end of the line, not just for the farm...but for him. He asks the Unknown Superman if Clark will be okay. The Unknown Superman assures him it will all comes out right in the end.

Superman tries to engage the Chronovore, and Kal reveals why he didn't want this to happen. Remember, the Chronovore eats time. This battle will result in three minutes of Superman's life being consumed. Those three minutes are very important, as in those three minutes...Jonathan Kent dies of a heart attack. The Unknown Superman arrives, telling Clark they've got this. Then to his horror, Clark discovers he can no longer hear Jonathan's heartbeat. He flies back to the farm. He goes so fast that his hair bursts into flames, screaming for his father. 

Time passes, and now we're at his funeral. Clark is speaking at said funeral, talking about all the lessons that Jonathan taught him. The strong have to stand up for the weak, that bullies don't like being bullied back, that a good heart is worth far more than money. Jonathan helped lay the foundation for Superman, and that is something Clark will always be grateful for. 

Their mission accomplished, the Superman Squad get ready to return to their proper time. The Unknown Superman removes his bandages, revealing that he's the Superman of the present. He thanks the Superman Squad for letting him help with this, as it allowed him to see his father one last time. Other members of the Squad arrive.

"I interrupted my regular replating for this. Theresa is going to yell at me so much."

Superman asks the golden version of him in the center which of his descendants he is. Goldie responds with a "Ha". That's because that's Superman himself from the far future. It's another tie-in to DC One Million. Golden Superman recalls this is another one of the Twelve Labors of the Man of Steel. He gives his past self a little gift: an indestructible flower from New Krypton. For Jonathan, as he not just helped lay the foundation for Superman, but for the entire dynasty that would follow. 

The story ends with Superman at Jonathan's grave, the Kryptonian flower planted in front of it.

I enjoyed this little flashback tale. It was rather heartwarming and tear-jerking. The only complaint about it is that if you read DC One Million, you know that this is truly not the last days of Superman. Not only will he live through this mini-series, but he'll end up still being around in the 853rd century. So, yeah. It's still a great story, though. Clark gets to see his father one last time, and I can imagine that he managed to find a little peace in these supposed last days of his life. 

As for Frank Quitely's art, I've talked before how to me, the way he draws people is off. His way of drawing people always comes off as...well, uncanny valley to me. At first, I didn't realize it was a flashback tale focusing on a younger Clark because to me, Clark did not look any younger in the story, if you get what I mean. I do like his take on the chronovore, though. It was really cool. 

If you want to read this story for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2011 trade paperback All-Star Superman. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!