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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
I don't know how many years it's been since I first read this beloved Elseworlds tale, but my opinion of it has dropped significantly. I could've sworn this would be the *one* good Mark Millar comic, but nope, it's almost nothing but one-dimensional characters in a one-dimensional world. All the interesting developments happen off-page, in between scenes, because Millar has no way of explaining how they worked out.
The idea that Superman tries sticking to a more Batman-esque murder-free rule and refuses to invade the two remaining capitalist countries, but says nothing about his enforcers doing all the heavy-handed-oppressive-regime-secret-police shenanigans was not believable. The portrayal of U.S. capitalism vs. Soviet communism seems to be informed more by propaganda and action films more than any understanding of political theories and praxis.
Lex Luthor is the one barely-interesting character in the whole book, and the surprise ending in the final few pages was cute, but the rest of this one-off is a snooooozerrrrr.
The idea that Superman tries sticking to a more Batman-esque murder-free rule and refuses to invade the two remaining capitalist countries, but says nothing about his enforcers doing all the heavy-handed-oppressive-regime-secret-police shenanigans was not believable. The portrayal of U.S. capitalism vs. Soviet communism seems to be informed more by propaganda and action films more than any understanding of political theories and praxis.
Lex Luthor is the one barely-interesting character in the whole book, and the surprise ending in the final few pages was cute, but the rest of this one-off is a snooooozerrrrr.
Very clever. I'm not a huge fan of the silly villain stuff but the writing and art are top notch and has a great ending
A superman comic that I actually enjoyed. What if Superman's space pod had landed in Ukraine instead of Kansas? How would the world change?
2.5, I’m pretty conflicted on this one to be honest, I loved certain aspects and absolutely hated others. I’m confused as to who I’m supposed to be rooting for, and maybe that’s the point but I’m not sure I like that. I adore superman so much and I feel like he was pretty out of character in this, but again, maybe that was the point? There’s some pretty odd political commentary in this that I didn’t like at all, and maybe if I was more of a war history buff I would have enjoyed this more. The time travel ending was so out of place and weird but it was kinda cool honestly, I think that concept for a different superman story would be amazing.
Please ignore this next paragraph I’m just rambling (the fact that I have this much to say about this story also kinda speaks for itself, take that how you will)
I never make my reviews this long but I need to get this out of my system. The one aspect of this story that kind of excuses the parts of it that I didn’t like is the fact that superman potentially turns out to be a direct descendant of Lex Luthor in the past, which I’m choosing to believe is why he did the things he did, if that superman is in fact the one that’s present within the story. If not, I’m not the biggest fan of this representation of the character. side note, I also just hate when Clark and Diana are implied to be in a relationship in any continuity so there’s also that.
Please ignore this next paragraph I’m just rambling (the fact that I have this much to say about this story also kinda speaks for itself, take that how you will)
I never make my reviews this long but I need to get this out of my system. The one aspect of this story that kind of excuses the parts of it that I didn’t like is the fact that superman potentially turns out to be a direct descendant of Lex Luthor in the past, which I’m choosing to believe is why he did the things he did, if that superman is in fact the one that’s present within the story. If not, I’m not the biggest fan of this representation of the character. side note, I also just hate when Clark and Diana are implied to be in a relationship in any continuity so there’s also that.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The premise of the book was really interesting, and the first part of it was promising. The author did not show capitalism versus communism in an effective way. The only part of the story that actually rang true for me was when he described Batman‘s followers as those who who provided a utopia, but fought for their right to live in hill. At the end of the day, the American ideal of the time was free will, so long as it didn’t impede the American dream. Rather than showing the hypocrisy of communism or capitalism, the pitted two totalitarian figures who fought for global dominance, one led by compassion and the other by control. Because the actions and beliefs of the characters were not true to there are respective dogma, the plot spiraled out of control, and made little sense from the middle of the book to end. I’m also not pleased about the way that the female characters were sidelined.
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
if i knew more about the comic universe, i would appreciate this a lot more i think.
It was nicely written at the start showing Superman still as a fundamentally decent person, even when raised in the Soviet Union. It strained credulity, though, when it showed Superman creating a Communist utopia after his ascension to power in Russia. Sorry, even Supes can't change human nature.
SPOILER AHEAD
And Lex Luthor creating a capitalist utopia after he defeats Superman and the Soviet Union suffered from the same problem.
Still enjoyable, but utopias will never exist.
SPOILER AHEAD
And Lex Luthor creating a capitalist utopia after he defeats Superman and the Soviet Union suffered from the same problem.
Still enjoyable, but utopias will never exist.