Rating: 
Summary: a myth retold
Review: I should say here that I am not a comic book reader on a regular basis. This book took me by surprise. It made me realize what I loved about the Man of Steel when I was six years old and spent every penny I could beg from my dad on buying Superman comics. It made me realize, also, what Superman means to me now, thirty some-odd years later, and how there is still resonance and life for this great literary creation (and I'll back that up with detailed arguments if I have to) all these years since his creation. Superman, here, is a man, and a man of conscience. His greatest power has never been his strength or his speed or his invulnerability. It has always been his conscience, his need to set things right, to save lives, to basically "do the right thing." In "Superman for All Seasons," his humanity and his conscience are brought out and emphasized. It is easy to lose sight of those two attributes, and even DC has lost sight of them before. Not here. They are front and center, for your attention. And you should pay attention. Loeb, Sale and Hanson put Superman/Clark Kent back in his roots, showing his life on the farm, his first love, and the tragedies and triumphs that make him who he is. He is not simply a "big blue boy scout" here. He is a man of conscience, and someone who broods a lot, and someone who doesn't have all the answers. But what he does have, he gives freely, and he does his absolute best at all times. Other readers have commented on the differences between Batman and Superman, but they all come down to this: Batman is motivated by vengeance. Superman is motivated by responsibility. Responsibility is underrated. Vengeance is more sexy, but what quality would you rather have in a fireman? This is a "corny" story. It's about responsibility, and caring for people, and doing the right thing. And yes, there's even a dog. I hate to use the word "values," since it has been co-opted by people who have no interest in the true matters of the heart, but this story has them. It's worth reading if you're six or if you're forty-six, regardless of whether you care about comics or not, simply because it finds the heart - the essence - of this hero, and it reflects the heart of what is good about Superman. And by extension it shows what is good about the society that created Superman as a literary figure. I cannot recommend "Superman for All Seasons" more highly; it is essential for students of American culture, for people who still dream, and for people who want a good story well told.
Rating:
Summary: a myth retold
Review: I should say here that I am not a comic book reader on a regular basis. This book took me by surprise. It made me realize what I loved about the Man of Steel when I was six years old and spent every penny I could beg from my dad on buying Superman comics. It made me realize, also, what Superman means to me now, thirty some-odd years later, and how there is still resonance and life for this great literary creation (and I'll back that up with detailed arguments if I have to) all these years since his creation. Superman, here, is a man, and a man of conscience. His greatest power has never been his strength or his speed or his invulnerability. It has always been his conscience, his need to set things right, to save lives, to basically "do the right thing." In "Superman for All Seasons," his humanity and his conscience are brought out and emphasized. It is easy to lose sight of those two attributes, and even DC has lost sight of them before. Not here. They are front and center, for your attention. And you should pay attention. Loeb, Sale and Hanson put Superman/Clark Kent back in his roots, showing his life on the farm, his first love, and the tragedies and triumphs that make him who he is. He is not simply a "big blue boy scout" here. He is a man of conscience, and someone who broods a lot, and someone who doesn't have all the answers. But what he does have, he gives freely, and he does his absolute best at all times. Other readers have commented on the differences between Batman and Superman, but they all come down to this: Batman is motivated by vengeance. Superman is motivated by responsibility. Responsibility is underrated. Vengeance is more sexy, but what quality would you rather have in a fireman? This is a "corny" story. It's about responsibility, and caring for people, and doing the right thing. And yes, there's even a dog. I hate to use the word "values," since it has been co-opted by people who have no interest in the true matters of the heart, but this story has them. It's worth reading if you're six or if you're forty-six, regardless of whether you care about comics or not, simply because it finds the heart - the essence - of this hero, and it reflects the heart of what is good about Superman. And by extension it shows what is good about the society that created Superman as a literary figure. I cannot recommend "Superman for All Seasons" more highly; it is essential for students of American culture, for people who still dream, and for people who want a good story well told.
Rating: 
Summary: A different view on a well know character
Review: I'm not going to say this is the best Superman book ever wrote because it isnt..but its still a good read simply because of the perspective...Both Jeph Leob (the writer) and Tim Sale (the artist) are new names to me but thumbs up to them if they are new to the game. .Rather than stick our hero in one action packed battle after another (which happens only once in the whole book) they pits Superman against either a natural or man made disaster..And then analize Supermans emotional reaction to it..The whole book is sections of Supermans life running from his early teens through too and just after he moves to Metropolis..For loyal fans its a good read ,if a little old fashioned.The art work may seem a little strange at first but onece you get into the story the two work well together. At the end of the day its just another story about why Superman is Superman so dont expect anything to new, concept wise..For new readers make this anything but your first Superman buy.Better to buy the Death and Return of trilogy first..In both cases probably better to wait for the paperback version and save yourself a bit of money.
Rating:
Summary: Wow...the heart and soul of the Man of Steel.
Review: I've never been much of a Superman fan. I've always thought he was too good to be true. He seemed to have no failings at all, and that made him a hard character to relate to. I gave this book a try based on what this incredible creative team had done with Batman (Long Halloween and Dark Victory). It also didn't hurt that it had some truly amazing coloring. I wasn't expecting to be thrilled, but that's exactly what happened. Superman for all Seasons gets right to the heart and soul of this hero and shows his humanity. Loeb focuses on Superman's early years in Smallville, his adoptive parents, and his journey to Metropolis. We get a rare treat in seeing Clark grow up, learn about his abilities, and struggle to find his place in the world. Superman is still the same uncompromising champion of truth and justice, that much never changes, but now we have a greater understanding of why he is that champion. We can now see the man in Superman. It's hard to put into words just how wonderful this book is. I heartily recommend it for any and all fans of Superman, comic books, or just a good story.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible all the way around
Review: I've tried to throw out my Superman bias for this review.
Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's best known collaboration together may very well be Batman: The Long Halloween, but this very different story certainly deserves some consideration. Unlike Batman, who is a hero to some and a menace to others, Superman is always viewed as a hero. Thus, the Batman stories are darker, filed with more angst, whereas Superman stories usually involves some interstellar menace (such as Imperex) attacking Metropolis. What Loeb and Sale do here is humanize the Man of Steel. Yes, he may be a strange visitor from another planet, but he still has feelings. In this book, which focuses on some of Superman's early heroic deeds, we see him go to Metropolis, only to be such a wreck there emotionally that he has to return to Smallville. All of this in the span of a year, told in 4 chapters, hence the 'For All Seasons' name. It sounds like a simple story, but Loeb is able to convey a lot of emotion in a comic book, which is hard to do these days.
This isn't Sale's best work, artistically. I'll always believe that he needs to stick to strictly Batman, but the artwork is still well above average. His distinctive style with facial features is ever-present in all of the characters.
This book is also suitable to read to a younger child. The themes are easy enough to follow. Overall, even the casual comics fan can enjoy this one. Loeb and Sale give Superman fans a real gem here. Let's hope its not their last Superman story together.
Rating:
Summary: A MODERN FAIRY TALE
Review: If Frank Miller defined BATMAN as Dark Knight, Jeff Loeb has done a marvelous job incarnating SUPERMAN as Knight in Shining Armour FOR ALL SEASONS. Art work by Tim Sale (the technique is concatenation of family-photo-like album pictures with minimalistically stylized "larger-than-life" drawings on water color background) is deceptively child-like. The existential "meaness" structured into Miller's opus is challenged by Loeb's theme of a good man evolving, ready to fight for GOODness on uncommpromised terms. The story tells of Clark Kent's boyhhod; his love for wise and caring, foster parents, Martha and Jonathan...as well as his first(and PERHAPS)only true love,Lana Lang. Lex Luthor is featured as Superman's antagonist. But his arch-enemy is not really focus of the tale. Clark Kent's "ordinary" hopes and feelings contrasted with extraordinary POWERS and requisite RESPONSIBILITY is what this quest adventure in mythology of The Hero is about. Miller's DARK KNIGHT RETURNS concludes with Batman gathering a remnant of Lost Boys he has saved and--barely--converted to his cause to fight against "a world plagued by worse than thieves and murderers". Batman hopes this will be life that's "good enough". Jeff Loeb's SUPERMAN ends with him rescuing a youngster not yet jaded by the POST MODERN world. "GO MAKE THINGS SAFE, SUPERMAN!" are Lana Lang's last words to Clark Kent. Seeing a boy risk his life(to "foolishly" save a kitten), Superman reflects: our best should be as good. In the final frame, SUPERMAN flies-off resolved "with new hopes, dreams and prayers" ready for life-long ordeal as SUPERMAN FOR ALL SEASONS......
Rating: 
Summary: Not Your Father's Superman
Review: If you're looking for the traditional Superman graphic novel, with The One Who Wears Tights splitting asteroids in two, or having to contend with some superbaddie who for a hundred or so pages slams Soopey's big red ess through half of Metropolis, stop now. To be sure, there's the requisite lifesaving and feats of strength; you can't have a Superman story without it. But it's not the focus of this book. This graphic novel is a thoughtful examination of why Superman does the hero bit. Now this question has been asked and answered before, but "Superman for All Seasons" takes a look at Superman from adolescence to manhood. Each "season" is narrated by a different person in his life. Jonathan Kent, his father, narrates Spring, Lois Lane-Summer, Lex Luthor-Fall, and Lana Lang narrates Winter. The graphic novel is drawn in a definite homage to the Superman of the late 30's and 40's, a style that I've always liked. Part of artist Tim Sale's dedication reads, "For Norman Rockwell and his love of a vision of Americana that resonates through its limitations..." It's clear that he drew upon the illustrations of Rockwell for inspiration in this book. For the first time that I know of, young Clark Kent is drawn as a big, pudgy, Midwestern kid. It's appealing, mainly because I was a big, pudgy, Midwestern kid (okay, perhaps a little more than pudgy). Nevertheless, as I looked at Clark I got the feeling that Martha Kent and my grandmother both bought our clothes from the Sears catalog. I half expected Clark to bend over and see the old Sears "Toughskins" brand label that they put on jeans for "husky" boys. It made Clark seem a little more familiar. You're thinking, "I could play Playstation with this kid." If Playstation had been invented in 1938, that is. So, why does Superman do what he does? Why does he spend his time saving lives? Why not use his abilities to take over the world? One concludes from "Superman for All Seasons" that inside the Kryptonian we call the Man of Steel is a little boy raised in the cornfields of Kansas. A regular guy, just like you and me. He saves lives for the same reason that cops and firemen and paramedics do. They see that people everywhere need help and feel a responsibility to try to do something about it. Okay, so there's nothing earthshatteringly new here, but the story and the way it's told is enjoyable, and so is the art. If you're a die-hard Superman fan, I can think of worse ways to spend 24.95. If, however, your tastes lean toward knock-down drag-outs, the price and the subject matter might not appeal to you.
Rating:
Summary: Believe the Hype!
Review: It is rare to find a decent Superman story. They're usually too cheezy to do justice to an American icon. Superman is everything good about America. Most comics fail to capture the majesty and spirit of America, throwing flash and unbelieveable stories upon the poor reader. SUPERMAN FOR ALL SEASONS is not one of those stories. This, like KINGDOM COME and THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, is a work of art. This gives Superman the justice and glory a story he richly deserves. If there is one comic book you buy, please spend the money on SUPERMAN FOR ALL SEASONS. It is a terrific read!
Rating:
Summary: Centering on the man who is Superman
Review: It's very refreshing to read a Superman story where he is humanized and the other cast members in the book; Lois Lane, Jimmy Olson, Lana Lang,Ma and Pa Kent, and Perry White are all written as people that we like to know better. Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale did this book in a more detailed way. Closer to a novel then a regular comic with better detailed writing and a complex story. I have not liked the recent stories as told in the Superman comics, but this book was a good read. Makes me wonder how Superman would do as a regular written series of novels. It has possibilities.
Rating:
Summary: One of the all time great stories, comic or otherwise.
Review: Jeph Loeb has written an incredible story. The art is just as good. This really shows Superman as a man.
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