Superman goes back to Smallville to re-live the tragic day when Johnathan Kent passed away. It is a story clearly out of either mainstream or Silver-Age continuity but that doesn't keep it from being a good story. Morrison gets to play with various concepts he introduced in recent years like the League of Supermen from various eras, time-eating monsters and fifth-dimensional descendants but basically, this is a very intimate, moving tale of how Superman realized he had grown too big for Smallville. Some of the changes in the story look out of place like the ethnic Lana Lang (is she black, hispanic or what?) and the rather rotund Kent couple, who sometimes look more like plush dolls than people. It is also a bit hard to tell which parts of the story took place in the past and which parts took place in the future as modern Clark looks virtually identical to Smallville Clark. But these are minor quibbles in a comic that tugs on the heart-strings without getting sappy or whiney. The art, as mentioned, could use some fine-tuning in character designs but it serves the story well, showing both the majestic and the human sides of Superman excellently.

All-Star Superman # 5