Superman Through the Ages! Forum

 How much control does Morrison have over this series? I imagine since DC owns Superman they can kick him off at any time (as much of a mistake as that would be). So who gets to decide where the direction of this series goes? So far it looks like he gets complete freedom in terms of what happens but I'm sure he still has to answer to somebody. There is already talk of Quitely leaving, what if Morrison gets bored with it after a time? Is this "Grant Morrisons take on Superman" or is this series just something that can be handed off to anybody? I don't know the backstory on this series so I don't really know what the arrangement is.

 If Morrison does leave, what is the likely hood that they will handle it the same way they handled Sandman after Gaiman left? Just pull the plug on it and move on?

They will both leave after issue #12.

Morrison has said that he doesn't want to do the book with anyone other than Quitely.

It's been a long time since the "All-Star" projects were announced (don't be fooled by DC's inability to get more than a handful of issues of either title on the stands...they were announced a looong time ago) but my understanding was that they always planned to have rotating creative teams on the books.  The selling point was that the stories told therein would be independent not only of "official" DC continuity but even of continuity from one team to the next, freeing the creators to get...well, creative...and making the books more appealing to new readers not interested in wading through volumes of backstory just to know what's going on. 

In other words, I don't think the book is called "All-Star" because DC is putting Morrison and Quitely on a pedestal above the other Superman writers and artists.  I think the idea was that each teaming on the book would pair a "name" writer and "name" artist, the kind of creators who might have Superman stories to tell but would never commit to a long-term hitch on the regular books.

Of course, the "All-Star" books are redefining just what "long term" means, but that's another rant...

 I asked a friend of mine the same question today and that's basically what he said. Does anybody know who takes over after Morrison leaves?

nope!

At this rate, it is still pretty far off in the future ;)

Personally I hope they don't announce the next team until Morrison and Quitely are done.  Announcing things like that might build anticipation for the "next big thing," but it also conveys a "lame duck" status to the guys doing the book NOW.

Also, I wouldn't be at all surprised if the whole series ends with the last issue of their run.  DC's inability to get this book out on time is just embarassing, but if they end with #12 they manage to save some face by calling it a "special project" (one that's already won one Eisner award and is nominated for another) instead of just another monthly that became a bi-monthly, then a quarterly, and so on.

The Batman book is even more of a train wreck, as it started before Superman and to date has published less issues!  Plus, it's absolute garbage (hey, there's a cool title for the oversized hardback!) and it officially puts the success rate of this two-title venture at a dismal 50%.  There's got to be a temptation to cut their losses and drop the whole "All-Star" banner once these series wrap up...if ever.  I think it's telling that there's been no expansion of the "All-Star" line to include any other characters, like a certain Amazon for instance, or the JLA.  I'm betting we've seen the only books that will ever be in this line, and their days are numbered.

My vote is for "Absolute Guano".

I thought the All-Star titles were just supposed to be limited 12-issue series. I wouldn't mind it if All-Star Superman went on beyond #12, provided that a good writer/artist team could be found, but you know it's just going to deteriorate. Wasn't Legends of the Dark Knight supposed to be a title that only employed "quality" talent (almost as if DC were admitting that they usually employ hacks)? I haven't read it in centuries, but I seem to remember it hit the skids pretty quickly.

Permanus writes:


LOTDK lasted over 150 issues, if memory serves, though I admit it started a lot stronger than it finished.  The problem, in my opinion, was that the book was pitched as a place to tell "untold" stories from throughout Batman's career (including his future) but quickly settled in to a "Year One" rut and rarely got out.  And many of the stories could just as easily have fit in any other bat-book.

As far as "quality" talent goes, don't forget DC fought tooth and nail against putting "name" creators on Superman (and I guess Batman) for years there, and I think the "All-Star" books were at first envisioned as a way to get such luminaries on the characters without breaking the "no stars" policy.  Of course in the time since the books were launched, DC has reversed course and put such big names as Richard Donner, Geoff Johns, Kurt Busiek and the Kuberts on the "regular" books...

As to the "A-S" books being limited to 12 issues, I really don't think that was the original intent, or else they'd have named them something else, something that reflected the specific contents.

They did announce All-Star Batgirl (by Geoff Johns and JG Jones) and All-Star Wonder Woman (written and drawn by Adam Hughes), but they haven't been solicited yet, probably for pretty obvious reasons.

Aaah, I get it now, thanks. I like the idea of having a sort of extra-continuity title (at the risk of bringing down the wrath of JulianPerez).

I didn't know that DC had a policy of keeping "name" creators off. Bloody stupid, if you ask me, Curt Swan's artwork must have sold a lot of comics back in the day. I suppose they think that people buy a title based on the character, not the artist. They're probably right, too, they've got market research people. I sometimes pick up Firestorm, though it is badly written and drawn, just because I like the character. Got to stop doing that.

 I was told that the reason that ASS always came out late or at odd times had more to do with Quietly's art style. He likes to take his time with his drawings and apparently that wasn't something he got to do on X-Men since it was a regular title. I guess Morrison isn't the only one who got creative freedom on this title.