Announced on May 8 and released June 24, “All-Star Superman” originally released as a 12-issue comic book run. Now, 10 years later and in time for James Gunn’s new Superman movie, Penguin Random House and DC comics have adapted one of the most influential Superman stories into an audio drama.

Something Brand New?

The product early on falls into Graphic Audio novel territory, but quickly differentiates itself with less narration and more dialogue. I specify “novel” as opposed to one of their older comic book audio dramatizations, because their novel adaptations are more heavy in narration due to the nature of books. Of the audio dramatizations of comics I’ve listened to, their comic book adaptations come in two forms: One that uses the art from the comics and ones that shy away from it. I’ve only compared a comic book with the Graphic Audio dramatization once with “These Savage Shores.” It could be that the source materials for “Marvel Civil War“(Audible #Sponsorship: Get the audiobook with a free trial) or its sequel “Death of Captain America” do a good job at depicting the artwork through narration.

An All-Star Blend of Episodic and Serialized Storytelling

The most obvious element of this Superman adaptation is the format. An over exposure to solar radiation is killing Superman. After the stakes have been set by the end of chapter one, the story does a balancing act between more episodic content like Lois Lane’s birthday, and the adventures spanning multiple chapters like when Superman becomes Bizarro.

There are moments where Superman’s mortality becomes an afterthought. A choice that is both welcome and unexpected. It would be easy to have Superman constantly worry about his impending death. The stakes are basic, bordering on cliche. A character’s physical death is often the least engaging for a reader or listener. While the mortality isn’t ignored all together, the plot acts more like bookends for the story. Everything in between either deals with it directly or indirectly. An example of the latter is the chapter titled “Funeral in Smallville.” As the name suggests, it’s about the event that teaches Superman he can’t save everyone. Despite the tragedy, Clark’s eulogy for his adoptive father is filled with hope.

Bizarro Superman and Stranger Chapters

Quantitatively, the chapters focused on Bizarro have the most time focused on them. This is appropriate on a meta-contextual level. After all, having three chapters focused on Bizarro and his lore feels more out of place in a story about Superman’s mortality. Perhaps the one thing going for it is the humor, but thematically those chapters could be cut or changed. I’m not sure what they add. From chapter six onward, the story gets a lot more disjointed. We have a chapter from Lex Luthor’s perspective followed by a two-chapter arc focused on Bizarro/Zibarro (after the episode where Clark gives the eulogy to Pa Kent). The first of these chapters on Bizarro has a zombie apocalypse tone to it. However the very next chapter is a bit like the classic “Planet of the Apes” franchise.

Aside from the four competing tones of chapters five through eight, I don’t remember much about the chapter titled “The Gospel According to Lex Luthor” outside of Parasite being the main physical threat, and Luthor acting like he’s the smartest guy in a room. Emphasis on acting as the voice of Lex didn’t convince me of this aspect of his character. It’s the whole how does nobody recognize Superman argument people have in real life, but it’s the supposed smartest person in Metropolis who notices Clark acting strange. Luthor literally thinks Clark is somehow seeing through the wall between them and Parasite. I’m not sure how they handled that in the comics, but here the scriptwriting doesn’t fit the audio medium and comes off as more than a bit stilted.

An All-Star Adaptation?

I do think the ending was a bit too focused on action, choosing form over function. Lex Luthor’s whole plan after effectively killing the man of steel comes with only one foreshadowing moment in the same chapter where he enacts his scheme. All rho and the unmemorable nature of the last two chapters as a whole are the weakest parts of the story on a big picture level.

Finishing on a hopeful note, the chapter where Superman consoles someone about to end their life is simple, yet moving. Social media is both a blessing and a curse when it comes to people understanding other people. Whether the connection is through memes and humor, or through conversation with a stranger or friend — never underestimate the impact of telling someone “you’re not alone.” There’s something powerful when someone shouts back from the place you believed nobody listened to you. Marc Thompson in that moment captures Superman’s essence. Something the source material is known for accomplishing well enough to inspire many of the newer iterations of Superman.

Rating: High Internally Consistent (8.5/10 Stars)