All-Star Superman #2 (Grant Morrison/Frank Quitely)

Grant Morrison, as ever, does a fantastic job here of putting us right back in that universe of a Superman with a hundred bizarre things in his Fortress, who has a hobby of inventing super-things all the time, about whom you just accept all this.

This is really like the Superman most of us recall, who embraces being Kryptonian and all that goes with it. I never really liked Byrne's Superman, the one who's perfectly happy to be a humble farmboy. I prefer a Superman who's smarter than me or anyone I know and who can do miracles. That's who everyone pretty much thinks Superman is. Why humble him?

Although this is also the Superman that Tarantino means in KILL BILL, the one who kind of looks down on us.

But what really makes this special is Frank Quitely's almost effortless emoting of Superman. Quitely's said he believes Superman, given his invulnerability and power, would be the calmest motherfucker in the world, and indeed that's how he comes across. This Superman is more of a godlike being like we recall, but Quitely makes him friendly, accessible, totally mellow and likeable, with a sense of humor and very complex, and subtle, expressions. It appears the more cartoonish jut-jawed Supes from the first issue is slowly giving way to a somewhat lankier, more 70s Swan type, but it works.

I'm not sure I'm very big on this Lois, though. For one thing, alone among all the characters, she doesn't bear much resemblance to any previous recognizable Lois, so it's hard to accept this one visually, cute as she is. She seems to be that same Quitely-woman you see in FLEX MENTALLO(the protagonist's angry girlfriend) and WE3(the scientist who makes them). And to be honest, it gives the impression of Katie Holmes playing Lois. Which doesn't work. Lois should come off as a woman, not a girl, and this one's a bit too girlish.

Although Superman revealing his identity to her right off makes sense and Morrison's wise to have gotten it out of the way--though I suspect some super-amnesia thing will pop up later. Sure, she needs to be protected from his enemies, and they can't know who he is. But her? She'd be in danger only if she revealed she had the information, and besides, wouldn't most just assume she knew, being Superman's known girlfriend and all? She's already in danger because of that; screw his secret identity!

Interestingly, Lois does reference all the vicious tricks he played on her in the Silver Age when she was trying to prove he was Kent. And now that she knows, her reporter's pride doesn't allow her to accept it. Which is funny.

But well worth grabbing and reading. Unlike All-Star Batman & Robin, this comic is fun.