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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
The trade paperback I got this with came with an essay at the start praising Mark millars writing prowess because "any other author would write a simple America good communism bad tale but millar always excelled at shades of grey morally" and then you contrast it with the insanely stupid and facile comic that comes after. Morally grey and yet the nkvd kills scores of people for no reason other than "we are evil"? This is hardly the kind of nuanced writing that people talk about this elseworld with. The highlight is definitely anarkiddie batman blowing up half of Moscow because Superman won't open the Soviet Union up to foreign investment through multinationals which is basically totalitarianism lmao. The nod to doc Savage's crime colleges was a good bit, and if you're wondering why the ending seemed like there was more than 4 seconds of thought put into it, that's because it's an idea Grant Morrison came up with and gave to millar to use because Morrison could never find a story for it to fit into. Which is insanely funny that just having one Morrison idea managed to elevate millars worst writing.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Red son is a decent enough time and it really is a cool inverse of Superman and everything you love about him. Thing is though you can still see his true energy in this. Even though it is a vastly different interpretation it still gets to the heart of the character. Something some people forget when adapting big blue cough snyder cough.
A co-worker recommended this to me when I told him I thought Superman was boring. I was interested in the premise, but ultimately this book didn't change my mind.
For most of the book, I wasn't really sure what the author was trying to get at, but by the end I realized that the premise was that capitalism will solve everyone's problems. A dude like Lex Luthor, given a tool like capitalism, will gain Godlike glory, and a dude like Superman, given a tool like communism, will turn earth into a crappy [b:Brave New World|5129|Brave New World|Aldous Huxley|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327865608s/5129.jpg|3204877]-esque nightmare.
Yawn.
For most of the book, I wasn't really sure what the author was trying to get at, but by the end I realized that the premise was that capitalism will solve everyone's problems. A dude like Lex Luthor, given a tool like capitalism, will gain Godlike glory, and a dude like Superman, given a tool like communism, will turn earth into a crappy [b:Brave New World|5129|Brave New World|Aldous Huxley|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327865608s/5129.jpg|3204877]-esque nightmare.
Yawn.
It has taken me quite a while to come around to being a fan of Superman. Because of this and because of the current political hellscape we find ourselves in, I was reluctant to pick this one up. I was disappointed that I hadn't read it BEFORE...you know what I mean. The first comment I made after starting it was a somewhat relieved, "Superman gonna Superman". If i tell you what happens after that moment I'd give away too much. Sorry/not sorry because it is worth it-I promise.
I’m trying to learn Spanish so I read this in Spanish and English. The original English was best.
Red Son is about as good as it gets I think for your standard superhero tale. It really is an excellent “What If” representation of the genre. Superman is probably the hardest hero to write well. He is basically a demigod. How do you get into the mind of something like that? In addition, unlike most heroes he isn’t human no matter how much he may try to fit in. This along with “Superman: For All Seasons” and “Whatever Happened to The Man of Tomorrow” are all the best I’ve read.
Red Son is about as good as it gets I think for your standard superhero tale. It really is an excellent “What If” representation of the genre. Superman is probably the hardest hero to write well. He is basically a demigod. How do you get into the mind of something like that? In addition, unlike most heroes he isn’t human no matter how much he may try to fit in. This along with “Superman: For All Seasons” and “Whatever Happened to The Man of Tomorrow” are all the best I’ve read.
I'm glad I finally got around to reading this, a really unique and interesting take on Superman.
It's interesting how similar this Superman, and his actions, were to the Superman in Injustice. I am guessing that game and its storyline drew heavily from this classic for inspiration.
There is a lot to like here, subtle political commentary, nice references to historical events, great artwork, and twists on common DC characters. What I think is best, and most central to this story, is watching the slow corruption of Superman, as his absolute power warps his perspective and turns him into a dictator.
I highly recommend fans of comics, or even people curious why people read comics, give this a try. However, it isn't flawless.
The ending (sorry no spoilers) ties things up oddly. I also felt like other then Superman, many of the other supporting characters felt a little flat. The story's timeline is also a little difficult to follow, as it jumps twenty years suddenly, but doesn't make it incredibly clear, and then it seems to jump again. The main way to recognize this is human characters suddenly looking older.
There is a small narrative centered on Lois Lane, which I thought wasn't very well done and distracted from the overall story as well.
Despite these flaws, well worth a read.
It's interesting how similar this Superman, and his actions, were to the Superman in Injustice. I am guessing that game and its storyline drew heavily from this classic for inspiration.
There is a lot to like here, subtle political commentary, nice references to historical events, great artwork, and twists on common DC characters. What I think is best, and most central to this story, is watching the slow corruption of Superman, as his absolute power warps his perspective and turns him into a dictator.
I highly recommend fans of comics, or even people curious why people read comics, give this a try. However, it isn't flawless.
The ending (sorry no spoilers) ties things up oddly. I also felt like other then Superman, many of the other supporting characters felt a little flat. The story's timeline is also a little difficult to follow, as it jumps twenty years suddenly, but doesn't make it incredibly clear, and then it seems to jump again. The main way to recognize this is human characters suddenly looking older.
There is a small narrative centered on Lois Lane, which I thought wasn't very well done and distracted from the overall story as well.
Despite these flaws, well worth a read.
This classic Superman alternative universe tale must have been very bold for the time, and it was an enjoyable read. But I found the "supermen" aspect of this Superman tale, Lex Luthor vs Superman, to be obnoxious. Randomly inventing wild technologies, learning foreign languages in minutes of study, and the idea that a man, super or otherwise, could make either Communism/Captialism function perfectly in the real world by force of intellect & will.
And the inclusion of Batman in the Soviet Union really detracted from the book's conceit that baby Superman landed in the Soviet Union instead of Kansas - so why the hell is Batman now a Soviet as well?
Despite these problems the book was enjoyable for even casual superhero fans like myself, and it certainly had a 5 star ending that may help account of the book's reputation as a classic.
Personal Note: 2nd hand TPB passed on to me by W.C.
And the inclusion of Batman in the Soviet Union really detracted from the book's conceit that baby Superman landed in the Soviet Union instead of Kansas - so why the hell is Batman now a Soviet as well?
Despite these problems the book was enjoyable for even casual superhero fans like myself, and it certainly had a 5 star ending that may help account of the book's reputation as a classic.
Personal Note: 2nd hand TPB passed on to me by W.C.
I was hoping to really like this graphic novel as the concept sound great. Superman a communist, Russia becoming the great super power. What could go wrong?
In my opinion the writing is very sub-par. It was so distracting it took away for the story. I am not sure what it was about the writing style but it didn't work for me. The story was not nearly as good as I tought it was going to be. Superman becomes a politician and nearly creates Utopia. I guess I was hoping for Superman to be more of a bad guy.
I do like the art in the book and seeing superman in a different costume is a fresh take.
I would say this is a pass. I great thought but poorly executed.
In my opinion the writing is very sub-par. It was so distracting it took away for the story. I am not sure what it was about the writing style but it didn't work for me. The story was not nearly as good as I tought it was going to be. Superman becomes a politician and nearly creates Utopia. I guess I was hoping for Superman to be more of a bad guy.
I do like the art in the book and seeing superman in a different costume is a fresh take.
I would say this is a pass. I great thought but poorly executed.