*Originally published on 10/3/08
With Grant Morrison's award winning All Star Superman having reached its conclusion, and Frank Miller's All Star Batman and Robin becoming little more then an ongoing punch-line, I think it would be smart for DC to start releasing some other titles under this imprint. It gives writers a chance to write stories without being bogged down by continuity or having to tie in to whatever big event is going on. Each title takes place in its own universe so even a crossover doesn't impact any other book (the Superman who appeared in ASB+R is not the same one from AS-S). The writer can take all of the classic elements that make up the core of any character and bring that to the forefront. There are several heroes in the DC Universe, and while they can't make a book on all of them, there are certainly a lot more than 2 who deserve the All Star treatment. As these stories essentially start from scratch, you can introduce people to comics and to characters without worrying about the customer being intimidated by the back-story and convoluted revamps that have occurred throughout the history of the DC Universe. Here's a list of suggestions that you could take into consideration.
All Star Batgirl
This was a title that was talked about a while back. It would showcase Barbara Gordon as she first takes on the mantle. From what was said, it would not tie into All Star Batman and Robin. Back in The Killing Joke, Barbara was shot and paralyzed by The Joker. Since then, she has been operating from a wheelchair as the tech-savvy Oracle. This title would give fans a chance to see her back in action without having to sacrifice the contribution she makes as Oracle to the mainstream DC Universe.
All Star Wonder Woman
A few people at DC mentioned doing this some time ago at various comic conventions, but it seems nothing has come from it. It's unfortunate, as I think Wonder Woman deserves the All Star treatment. She is the third in DC's big three after all, why shouldn't she get a title under the imprint? Gail Simone's run on the title has been quite good so at first it would seem redundant, but if you can find the right writer, Wonder Woman fans can have two solidly written Wonder Woman titles a month as opposed to just one.
All Star Green Lantern
Like Wonder Woman, the crew behind the main DCU Green Lantern titles has been doing a great job with the characters. Giving GL an All Star title would still be a good idea in my opinion. There is potential for great, epic, space opera type stories here. The only question that arises is which Green Lantern do you use? The obvious choice would be Hal Jordan, but I think using Kyle Rayner would work just as well. You could go really old school and use Alan Scott. It would be simpler as there isn't a whole army of ring wielders and it would give greater exposure to the Golden Age incarnation. My personal suggestion? G'nort...yeah, that's right.
All Star Aquaman
I'll give you a minute to stop laughing.
Done? No? Okay, some more time then...
Alright, that should do it. See, that's the problem, people hear "Aquaman" and they think "lame". This isn't without good reason; we've all seen Superfriends. He gets a lot of insults thrown his way due to his seemingly useless ability to communicate with sea life (imagine my surprise when Hawkman appeared on Superfriends and was actually even more useless). The Justice League animated series did a good job of showing how Aquaman can be a great, interesting, and, dare I say it, bad ass character. Even with this, Aquaman hasn't been able to completely cleanse himself of the impression that Superfriends left. Giving him an All Star title would be a step towards that goal.
All Star Blue and Gold
Blue Beetle and Booster Gold, they're a match made in comedy heaven. Booster Gold has his own ongoing title and Blue Beetle made an appearance briefly reuniting the pair. Here, Ted Kord would be alive and well; you could have your very own buddy comic book. Much like JLI, it would focus less on big action and world spanning threats and focus more on character based "day in the life" stories.
All Star Justice League
A fairly obvious one, but I think it would work well. You would have all of DC's big guns taking on large threats; it's a comic writer's dream job. As far as lineups go, I suggest the one used in Mark Waid's JLA: Year One (Hal Jordan, Black Canary, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, and Barry Allen aka The Flash). They're great characters who don't get as much exposure as DC's big two. While powerful, they're not unstoppable so you don't get stuck having to come up with huge, over the top villains to provide a credible threat.
If it's your opinion that the aforesaid lineup won't sell, well you can't go wrong with DC's big seven (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, Martian Manhunter, and another member of the writer's choosing as this slot has gone to Hawman, Hawkgirl, Zatanna, and Aquaman among others).
There's still potential in the All Star imprint. It would be senseless to throw away such a promising opportunity by limiting it to two titles.
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