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neilrcoulter 's review for:
Superman: Red Son (New Edition)
by Mark Millar
This book begins with a great question: What if Superman had landed in Communist Russia instead of America? Predictably, the story itself can’t match the completely intriguing concept—but it’s still a really fascinating book. In particular, I like some of the other questions it brings up. Near the end of the story Superman wonders, for example, what Lex Luthor might have accomplished if he had been free to apply his mind to something other than fighting Superman. Have I done more harm than good on Earth just by being here, Superman reflects.
Lois Lane married to an obsessed Lex Luthor works as an interesting counterpoint to her more traditional role as the love interest of Superman. Is she always destined to be attached to a man who is more focused on saving the world than on building a relationship with her? The character of Lois isn’t as full developed in this book as I would have liked, which is too bad.
The artwork through the whole book looks excellent. Very classic style, without much obvious intrusion of digital enhancement. The dialogue isn’t too bad, which is a pleasant surprise for a superhero graphic novel. The strangeness of the story and setting allow for occasionally hilarious one liners: “Armed only with a pair of magic bracelets and a lasso allowing her to dominate her foes, Diana became my international peace ambassador”; “Life was so simple in those days: deflecting meteorites, welding tectonic plates, managing a global economy single-handed”; “Lex Luthor and Jimmy Olsen won a landslide victory in 2004, re-elected to the White House with a staggering hundred and one percent of the vote. To this day, scientists and mathematicians are baffled by the result.”
The appearances of classic Superman characters are mostly not distracting. It’s much more natural than what Marvel did with the Spider-verse comics, for example. But that Batman costume . . . who at DC approved that fur hat?
A big problem this book has is just the age-old problem of any Superman story: How does anyone defeat Superman? The answer in this book is no better than any other answer, and so that conclusion is a little disappointing. However, the second ending that comes after that was very surprising and perfect. It’s an intriguing idea, that archenemies were really just fighting themselves, in a way.
Overall, I really enjoyed Superman: Red Son, and I only wish it was at least twice as long. I feel cheated, not getting to see any of Superman’s growing-up years on the farm in Ukraine. There’s also a lot more that could be said politically about what Superman goes through from decade to decade, and how he becomes what he is at the end of his reign.
Lois Lane married to an obsessed Lex Luthor works as an interesting counterpoint to her more traditional role as the love interest of Superman. Is she always destined to be attached to a man who is more focused on saving the world than on building a relationship with her? The character of Lois isn’t as full developed in this book as I would have liked, which is too bad.
The artwork through the whole book looks excellent. Very classic style, without much obvious intrusion of digital enhancement. The dialogue isn’t too bad, which is a pleasant surprise for a superhero graphic novel. The strangeness of the story and setting allow for occasionally hilarious one liners: “Armed only with a pair of magic bracelets and a lasso allowing her to dominate her foes, Diana became my international peace ambassador”; “Life was so simple in those days: deflecting meteorites, welding tectonic plates, managing a global economy single-handed”; “Lex Luthor and Jimmy Olsen won a landslide victory in 2004, re-elected to the White House with a staggering hundred and one percent of the vote. To this day, scientists and mathematicians are baffled by the result.”
The appearances of classic Superman characters are mostly not distracting. It’s much more natural than what Marvel did with the Spider-verse comics, for example. But that Batman costume . . . who at DC approved that fur hat?
A big problem this book has is just the age-old problem of any Superman story: How does anyone defeat Superman? The answer in this book is no better than any other answer, and so that conclusion is a little disappointing. However, the second ending that comes after that was very surprising and perfect. It’s an intriguing idea, that archenemies were really just fighting themselves, in a way.
Overall, I really enjoyed Superman: Red Son, and I only wish it was at least twice as long. I feel cheated, not getting to see any of Superman’s growing-up years on the farm in Ukraine. There’s also a lot more that could be said politically about what Superman goes through from decade to decade, and how he becomes what he is at the end of his reign.