All Star Superman - Britta Frazier

1. Idea - Secondary

*Spoilers* To me one of the big ideas in the story is coping with death. In the first episode (as they're called) Superman flies too close to the sun and damages his cells beyond repair, the affect is now slowly killing him. Episode 6 is all about the death of Superman's human dad, and how Superman copes with it. It's an overarching theme but not front-stage enough to be called primary.

2. PG - For frightening images and very brief partial nudity. Any teenager would be fine with this but a younger kid may be a bit frightened by some of the aliens/monsters. Gross monsters pgs. 14, 19, 21, 22, 60-62, 99-102, 118-125, 144, 147-149. Partial nudity pg 42.

3. Springboard - One thing the artist would need to have is a knowledge of how to draw buildings and architecture. I mention this because it is one of my weaknesses. Most scenes take place in the city or inside spaceships or buildings. Also, and more importantly, the writer/artist needs an immense knowledge of the Superman universe, including character's from older series. I decided to do some research on a character that was a bit of a mystery to me but seemed to have deep root in the Superman world, Jimmy Olsen.

Apparently Jimmy Olsen was a recurring small character in the original tv series Adventures of Superman. Apparently he was prone to humorous transformations, in one episode even becoming a Giant Turtle Boy. Which may explain the existence of this photo in All Star Superman.

It would also explain Jimmy's enthusiasm for dressing up. For a while Jimmy had his own comic series called Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen.

4. Apply - I learned a lot just by examining the style of this book. I struggle with making panels look to empty. I noticed that many panels in this comic have very little filling them, but they feel full because of small details and textures put on the characters and objects. Lack of a background does not have to make the panel feel empty.