All*Star Superman #5 - DC

This new concept by DC has been fantastic. Both the All-Star Superman and the All-Star Batman have been phenomonal books. Both titles have taken different approaches also. Batman has gone with a single story arc through it's 6 issues. Grant Morrison has taken a different approach to Superman in that each issue is a self contained story. But this works, especially in that Grant usually puts so much information and ideas into an issue, that you definitely feel satisfied by the end. This issue starts with Luthor in court and he is sentenced to death in the electric chair. And he actually seems oddly appeased by this. His only argument is that Superman should be there with him because, as always, "Superman made me do it." We then go to Stryker's Island, where Luthor is being held, with Clark who is set up to do an exclusive interview. He has 1 hour. Luthor is working on his Bibliobot Mark 2, a hovering robot that is a roving library trying to spread culture to the masses. The incarcerated masses, but still. Anyways later we find out that this robot is actually digging tunnels under the prison for Luthor. As we follow Luthor around the prison, it's more like he's at a private spa, than a prison. There's a guard watching him, but for the most part they leave him alone. And he doesn't seem to have much interaction with the rest of the population, unless he wants it. Lots of ideas and banter is tossed around in Clarks and Lex's conversation. But then he leads Clark down into the general population, which would be fine except that they just happen to be strolling the Parasite past at the time. Of course he starts going wild because he's sucking in all this power, but he doesn't know where it's coming from. Chaos of course ensues and Clark does what he can to contain it, under the cover of tear gas and without letting Lex see what he's up to. Eventually, in his search for more power, the Parasite crosses Lex's past and Lex beats him down like a dog. Well actually like an overstuffed pastry, but with his jelly filling flying all around, you get the idea. Lex leads him to a tunnel under his cell, which takes him to a place that looks like the river Styx, to ferry him back to civilization. He lets Clark know that if it wasn't for Superman he'd rule the planet. And also that he had some plan in place to use the sun to kill him. He doesn't elaborate to much, but it's ominous enough to give Clark something to think about as he's being ferried away. I really could go on and on about this book. There are just so many things that come up in Grant's stories that it's impossible to catch them all the first time through the book. My best suggestion is to definitely pick it up, then read it over and over. You won't be dissapointed.