Superman Red Son is the thought of Mark Millar. He Took everything you think you knew about Superman and gave you something else to think about. The 3 issue series was based on Supernam landing in 1950’s Soviet Union and not in Kansas with the Kent’s. An idea like this opens up myriad possibilities. We see reimaginings of characters in traditional roles — Superman’s childhood love Lana Lang becomes Lana Lazarenko; Jimmy Olsen is a government agent; Oliver Queen (better known to us as Green Arrow) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer for the Daily Planet; Lex Luthor is a doctor working for S.T.A.R. Labs and is considered “the smartest man alive”; and Lois Lane is married to Lex. Even the superheroes are different. Green Lantern is a government-sponsored agent developed by Luthor in an effort to bring down Superman. Wonder Woman converts to communism and joins Superman’s cause. And Batman is an insurgent working to bring about rebellion against Superman from deep within Russia’s party lines. We see Russia grow and thrive under Superman’s protection — and later, his direct leadership — while the United States languishes and crumbles, clinging to old ways and failed ideologies. And at last the stage is set for a clash between Eastern and Western ways of life — and things don’t end at all the way you would expect.

That seems to be the largest problem with Superman: Red Son, really — that Millar doesn’t seem to know just how to treat the subject matter. Does he make it into a self-parodying echo of 1950s propaganda? Does he have the doubts and fears and hatreds of the Cold War permeating every page? Does he make it ridiculously silly so that we see it as laughable instead of an all-too-possible future? Scenes where the Russian people talk about the dangers of offending Superman (disobedients are mechanically lobotomized and turned into robot servants) are juxtaposed with shots of Batman wearing a manic grin and a furry hat on top of his cowl. Superman vacillates between being reluctant to act with his full strength, letting humans make their own path, to ruling with an iron fist and forcing the world to see that his way is best. The tone swings wildly from “morality tale” to “absurdist propaganda” to “action-packed blockbuster movie”, and the transitions are sometimes so jarring that the reader is often left wondering just what the point is.

Artistically, Superman: Red Son shines. Pencillers Dave Johnson and Kilian Plunkett have given us a fine look at this “other” Superman. The features we know and love — barrel chest, square jaw, steely blue eyes, even the spit-curl — are all still there, even the S on his chest has been replaced by a hammer and sickle. Plunkett and Johnson have done some very fine reimaginings of costumes and character designs and are to be commended for it. Longtime Superman mainstay characters are always recognizable but are given enough of a different spin to make things interesting. Inkers Andrew Robinson and Walden Wong keep up very nicely, providing razor-sharp work that doesn’t overspill the strong design and layouts Johnson and Plunkett have produced. Paul Mounts’s colors are serviceable and well blended, and Ken Lopez’s lettering is well delineated. No, you definitely can’t fault the artistic side of this series!

Despite its inconsistent writing, I’m tempted to call Superman: Red Son an unqualified success because of its unique idea, excellent storyline and plot depth, and top-notch art. I’m going to temper that somewhat, however, and say that I think this book’s a “definite maybe” for most people. I recommend it, but I would also recommend picking it up at your local comics shop and flipping through it a bit before you make your decision one way or the other and thanks to Phil for the story.

I think this would make a great story for a move.

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