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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I found the premise of this book very promising — how would being raised in the Soviet Union shape Superman’s approach to his powers? (Though, to be honest, it doesn’t seem like this setting would have that different a result; after all, the “collective over the individual” mindset aligns pretty well with Clark’s “help all those in need no matter what” original upbringing.) However, I find that Red Sondoesn’t actually deliver on this concept, instead turning what could be an interesting exploration of the political landscape of the Cold War into another generic “totalitarian Superman” story.
While it may have been intriguing at first —I liked seeing Superman as a propaganda weapon, and, as always, I enjoyed seeing how well-known characters are used in a different setting (though some choices felt… questionable, unnecessary, or plain convenient)— the story quickly fell off; I lost any interest I had in the book after the first issue. (I still finished it, though — I’d already bought the book.)
The story felt extremely rushed; instead of taking the time to portray the Soviet expansion or Superman’s progressive descent into global authoritarianism, or bothering to really depict any measures taken by Lex’s or Superman’s administrations, all the heavy-lifting is left to the narration boxes, which are very generously used throughout the book to share random numbers and statistics that don’t actually mean anything. This can very easily be attributed to the fact that this is a miniseries, and therefore they had to be economical with the action, dialogue and plot progression, but it still held the story back, for me.
The characters —other than Superman, and, honestly, even him— aren’t developed at all, instead being reduced to a single character trait or narrative purpose. This I find to be true especially of the women — Lois and Diana are, technically, part of the main cast of characters, but they’re extremely underutilized. (Once again, this may very well because they only had 3 issues to work with.)
This all boils down to my main problem with this miniseries: unfulfilled potential. Red Son is presented as “a world with Soviet Superman”, but his being raised in the Soviet Union doesn’t actually matter, in the grand scheme of things — he becomes a totalitarian leader in an attempt to make life better for everyone, which, really, could have happened no matter his background. True, it’s said that he rules most of the world under communism, but we aren’t shown how this worldwide regime works. (This entire alternate world, in general, isn’t really explored.)
Overall, I wouldn’t really recommend this if you’re looking for an in-depth exploration of an alternative universe, but I think Red Son can be entertaining if you’re simply looking for a short Superman story that has a bit of a different take on the character.
An interesting look at an alternate timeline where Superman landed in Soviet Russia. The concept is cool and Superman is still a good guy – though he uses his goodness and perfection to become the world dictator. Lex Luthor is still a supervillain – and he’s still not a good guy. He’s obsessed with defeating Superman; not out of a sense of goodness but out of competitiveness. Batman appears in Russia, too – I guess it’s the new epicenter of superheroes? Here, he is anti-Communist and therefore Superman’s enemy. Sadly, that story was super short.
Great idea, interesting read.
Great idea, interesting read.
Un interesantísimo what if, basado en qué habría pasado si Superman hubiera aterrizado en la URSS de steal en vez de en EEUU. No cuento mucho por no desvelar nada, pero es una historia rica en matices, humana, y que aborda varias de las preguntas esenciales acerca de Superman. Un clásico.
Really good. I love a good study of Superman and this is one of the best. The art is excellent but I have a few issues with the storyboarding. There are a couple of leaps in sequence which had me scratching my head.
Definitely a modern classic.
Definitely a modern classic.
Great concept; disappointing execution. I thoroughly enjoyed the world-building and characterization in the first quarter of this book, as the author established what the world would look like if Superman had crash-landed in Ukraine instead of in Kansas, but once the story got going, it devolved into a convoluted mess that seemed more like fan-fiction than a DC comic.
2.5 stars
The execution could have been better, the concept and premise had so much promise but in the end it focused on the aspects of the Superman mentality; moral superiority and blind views on how the world should be. The fact that the story went off the rails after the introduction of wonder woman did not help things. No real development or character depth was shown through the plot, nothing really changed. And perhaps the fact that this rings true in real life as well as this comic book is why I was so disappointed. Underwhelming; Wonder Woman and Batman were also robbed of any personality and sense so that was a disaster to read. Good concept, bad execution.
The execution could have been better, the concept and premise had so much promise but in the end it focused on the aspects of the Superman mentality; moral superiority and blind views on how the world should be. The fact that the story went off the rails after the introduction of wonder woman did not help things. No real development or character depth was shown through the plot, nothing really changed. And perhaps the fact that this rings true in real life as well as this comic book is why I was so disappointed. Underwhelming; Wonder Woman and Batman were also robbed of any personality and sense so that was a disaster to read. Good concept, bad execution.
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I haven't read many Superman comics, so my expectations for the character might have been low. This book examines what the world would have been like if Superman had landed in the Soviet Union rather than the United States.
The creativity behind this story is amazing. I like how Superman develops as a son of the Soviet empire over the story, but many of his defining characteristics are still there. This makes the story stronger because it doesn't try to warp who he is into something wholly unbelievable. That creativity goes beyond Superman to the litany of DC characters that show up in the book. Most of them are well used, such as Wonder Woman and Batman, but some of the appearances are forgettable.
I'm not sure if it's this book or Lex Luthor in general, but he seemed to be more of a jerk than I was anticipating. Lex is the biggest detractor for my enjoyment of this book. Beyond his attitude, his role toward the end of the story didn't work for me. But the rest of the story and the art more than make up for him. This book is extremely well illustrated. The costume changes for Superman over the three parts are particularly nice. My favorite drawing element has to be Batman's hat. It is so ridiculous and appropriate. As an alternate take on a major DC Superhero, this book does a superb job. It isn't necessary to know all the DC titles and characters to enjoy this book, but it doesn't hurt.
The creativity behind this story is amazing. I like how Superman develops as a son of the Soviet empire over the story, but many of his defining characteristics are still there. This makes the story stronger because it doesn't try to warp who he is into something wholly unbelievable. That creativity goes beyond Superman to the litany of DC characters that show up in the book. Most of them are well used, such as Wonder Woman and Batman, but some of the appearances are forgettable.
I'm not sure if it's this book or Lex Luthor in general, but he seemed to be more of a jerk than I was anticipating. Lex is the biggest detractor for my enjoyment of this book. Beyond his attitude, his role toward the end of the story didn't work for me. But the rest of the story and the art more than make up for him. This book is extremely well illustrated. The costume changes for Superman over the three parts are particularly nice. My favorite drawing element has to be Batman's hat. It is so ridiculous and appropriate. As an alternate take on a major DC Superhero, this book does a superb job. It isn't necessary to know all the DC titles and characters to enjoy this book, but it doesn't hurt.
I can’t decide if I really love the ending or really kind of hate it...