Books: Inspirations for the new Superman movie

Rather than review the new Superman movie directed by James Gunn (which I have mixed feelings about), I thought it'd be fun to look at the comics that inspired Gunn's take on the world's most famous superhero:

All-Star Superman

I tend to agree with the critics that Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, and Jamie Grant's All-Star Superman is one of the greatest Superman series ever.  It's inspired by the Labors of Hercules - after being overcharged by solar radiation from a Lex Luthor plot, Superman only has a year to live, but so much left to so.  Faced with mortality, can the Man of Steel make the most of his remaining time?

Freed of the restrictions of continuity, the series jumps from vignette to vignette, telling its versions of classic Superman tropes (the "Superman reveals his secret identity to Lois" story, the "Clark Kent vs. Lex Luthor" interview, the "Pa Kent dies" melodrama) in a way that feels both reverent and contemporary.  Morrison has a knack for bizarreness and humor that doesn't undermine the emotional heart of the story, which is a very fine line to tread (and one the 2025 Superman movie doesn't quite manage).

Superman: Birthright

Like most major superheroes, Superman's origin story has been told and retold multiple times in film, print, and television. Mark Waid's Superman: Birthright is the culmination of these efforts, synthesizing flourishes from the Golden Age, the Donner movies, and even bits from the various Superman TV series into a meaty, comprehensive whole.

Things get iffy in the third act, which reads like a watered-down Watchmen and features some pretty boneheaded decisions by Lex Luthor (sadly, James Gunn's Superman ends a lot like Birthright).  But the first two acts of this series are excellent, probably one of the best-ever renderings of Clark Kent's inner voice and his decision to become the hero we all know and love, so it's still a good read.