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mpetruce 's review for:
Superman: Red Son
by Mark Millar
This book asks a question that should have been explored (at least in print like this) long ago: What if Superman had landed 12 hours later, in the Soviet Union, instead of Kansas.
The resulting work is mostly good. The art is superb, with the whole book enjoying the look of a Soviet-era propaganda poster (indeed, the foreword includes some Super-Soviet posters, take a look and enjoy).
The story itself isn't bad. Some uneven spots here and there and a few things are downright hokey, but we're talking about superhero comics here, so expect some of that. I thought Stalin was a little too grandfatherly and cardboard cutout, even for someone appearing for as short a time in this book as he did, and the villain who motivates some of the action was kind of in and out. I also find it hard to believe that what little Marxism/Bolshevism/Communism was addressed by Superman would be addressed that way, even for a character who is supposed to be so naive about the system (I suppose the point could be made that it's Superman's powers that make him able to lead a Communist nation and effect that philosophy properly for the simple fact that he does not have the simple human needs and frailties that Communism fails to address, but even so, his thoughts about the Soviet system and how his beliefs and actions were motivated by it, fell a little flat to me).
I really enjoyed the wonderful twist at the end although I am not sure if it should have been altered slightly so the story would end the same over and over again, no matter what the previous action was (I know this makes no sense now, but read it and you'll see what I mean).
P.S. Loved the Batman origin story in this one.
The resulting work is mostly good. The art is superb, with the whole book enjoying the look of a Soviet-era propaganda poster (indeed, the foreword includes some Super-Soviet posters, take a look and enjoy).
The story itself isn't bad. Some uneven spots here and there and a few things are downright hokey, but we're talking about superhero comics here, so expect some of that. I thought Stalin was a little too grandfatherly and cardboard cutout, even for someone appearing for as short a time in this book as he did, and the villain who motivates some of the action was kind of in and out. I also find it hard to believe that what little Marxism/Bolshevism/Communism was addressed by Superman would be addressed that way, even for a character who is supposed to be so naive about the system (I suppose the point could be made that it's Superman's powers that make him able to lead a Communist nation and effect that philosophy properly for the simple fact that he does not have the simple human needs and frailties that Communism fails to address, but even so, his thoughts about the Soviet system and how his beliefs and actions were motivated by it, fell a little flat to me).
I really enjoyed the wonderful twist at the end although I am not sure if it should have been altered slightly so the story would end the same over and over again, no matter what the previous action was (I know this makes no sense now, but read it and you'll see what I mean).
P.S. Loved the Batman origin story in this one.