In what could be seen as quite an easy choice to write about, this week’s cover of the week is from the modern classic All Star Superman. This book was inevitably going to be mentioned by me due to either it’s stellar writing, it’s amazing interior artwork or it’s iconic covers.

Created by the talented team of Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, All Star Superman was a project with a specific aim in mind. Create a timeless Superman story that is simultaneously a throw back to classic comics of the past but also a modern spin on some story elements and have it’s own unique story twists.

The covers of All Star Superman do something that a lot of comic do, be part of and connected to the comic in the interior pages. It has almost become a standard in modern times to have the comic cover be severely unrelated to the interior panels. A stronger aim to make eye catching covers that may do a better job of selling the book but I feel more work could be done to make the two element interconnect more fluidly.

All Star Superman’s covers contain story elements and scenes that occur in the interiors. The covers are usually from different perspectives and add qualities needed to make the cover eye catching and work as a cover of a comic book.

With that in mind I have chosen issue no.1 as it sums up All Star Superman in a nutshell.

I chose this cover in particular because it has a fantastic scale to it, with Superman sitting on a cloud looking down at Metropolis, and has the fantastical and super powered elements of the Superman myth. But also gives a humanizing element to Superman.

Having him sit on a cloud high above the city is a very subtle way to demonstrate Superman’s power. It comes across as a way to humanize the character by having him sit there in reflection instead of speeding through the air or smashing through a wall. This book was aiming to be a quintessential Superman book so having more subtle study of the character on display is a good way to achieve this and sets out the mission statement of this book really well.

Artistically, Frank Quitely nails Superman completely. He has a muscular look that Superman of course should have. But there is a softness in his face and posture that gives him a warm, friendly attitude that sums up his friendly, good natured attitude. Jaime Grant’s colours compliment Quitely’s lines and add an overall warm, welcoming tone that adds to the overall theme of the cover.

Something I rarely talk about in cover of the week, but is extremely important in cover design is the logo. The typeface of the Superman logo is a simple and subtle logo compared to other books and it results in an iconic look that works with the rest of the cover.

In conclusion if the aim was to create a quintessential Superman book, I’d say Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely succeeded, and this cover sums up their achievement pretty well.

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