One of the main draws of doing a graphic novel book club in a school setting is the immediate buy-in you get from offering readers books featuring characters they already love. Take Superman, for example: he’s one of the most immediately recognizable figures in contemporary American culture, and his books are fun. Offer a Superman book as a book-club selection and the kids will immediately be clamoring to join. The problem is that it can be difficult to find fun, big-name books that also are of high enough quality and feature complex enough themes to support your goals of promoting literacy and critical engagement with the text. That’s where these two gems come in.
 
All-Star Superman, Vol. 1 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely



Synopsis: After Lex Luthor tricks him into flying into the sun to save a sabotaged spaceship, Superman realizes that he is dying. He then receives a strange prophecy from the future that tells him that in his final days, he will perform some of the most amazing feats of his life. Superman will defend Metropolis until his last breath, but how will he say goodbye to the people he’s closest to? Inspired by the off-the-wall comic book stories from the sixties, All-Star Superman is by turns thought-provoking, funny, exciting, and moving.
Themes: What it means to be a hero, self-sacrifice, literary dualities

Content Advisory: Comic book violence, largely of the bloodless variety
Discussion Questions:
1. Look at the first three pages of the story. What do these three pages tell you about Superman?
2. When Superman tries to tell Lois that he is Clark Kent, she doesn't believe him. On page 49 she says, "What if there really was some part of him that was bumbling, oafish Clark Kent? I just don't know if I could live with that." Why does Lois have a hard time with Clark being Superman?
3. Why does Lex Luthor hate Superman? Why does he like Clark Kent? How is it different from how Lois Lane feels?
4. Based on the last story in the book, what conclusions can you come to about Superman's humanity? Do either Lois or Lex see the "real" Superman?
 
All-Star Superman, Vol. 2 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely
Synopsis: The story of the last days of Superman continues! Superman confronts two very different sets of doppelgangers—the backward supermen of the Bizarro planet and two arrogant Kryptonians looking to take over Earth! How can a weakened Superman defeat them, let alone the deranged Lex Luthor, who has one final plan for revenge?
Themes: Self-sacrifice, the power of compassion, literary dualities
Content Advisory: Comic book violence, largely of the bloodless variety
Discussion Questions:
1. How is Zibarro—the “imperfect” Bizarro clone—shaped by his life on the Bizarro planet? Is this similar to or different from Superman’s life on Earth?
2. What makes Superman different from Bar-El and Lilo, the Kryptonian astronauts?
3. What does Superman mean when he says to Luthor, “You could have saved the world years ago if it mattered to you?” How are Luthor’s ideas of saving the world different from Superman’s?
4. What do you make of the last few pages of the story? Is this a satisfying ending?