SUPERMAN: RED SON, The Deluxe Edition by writer Mark Millar and illustrators Dave Johnson, Kilian Plunkett, Andrew C. Robinson and Walden Wong (DC Comics, November 2009) Hardcover, 168 pages. ISBN: 1401224253 / 9781401224257
Strange visitor from another world who can change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel in his bare hands… and who, as the champion of the common worker, fights a never-ending battle for Stalin, Socialism and the international expansion of the Warsaw Pact.
In this startling twist of a familiar tale, a certain Kryptonian rocketship crash-lands on Earth carrying an infant who will one day become the most powerful being on the planet. But his ship doesn’t land in America. He is not raised in Smallville, Kansas. Instead, he makes his new home on a collective in the Soviet Union!
From the mind of Mark Millar, the best-selling writer of THE AUTHORITY and WANTED, comes this strangely different take on the Superman mythos. Featuring art by Dave Johnson, Kilian Plunkett, Andrew Robinson, and Walden Wong, with an introduction by film producer Tom DeSanto (X-Men, X2: X-Men United, Transformers), this Deluxe Edition also features an extensive sketch gallery by Johnson, Plunkett and Alex Ross.
My Four-Star Review on the Goodreads website . . . . .
In comics, Elseworlds (DC), What If? (Marvel) and other imaginary tales allow writers to break continuity on an established character and create a different version of a popular superhero.They are often interesting but I've yet to come across one that I would place on a plateau with the best of the best. The fact that it's not intended to be part of the regular storyline takes some of the impact away. It all goes back to normal/standard/regular after the last page.
I don't read many Superman stories, but I'm familiar enough with the character to recognize an above-average story featuring this too-powerful, too-impervious to injury, too-perfect, too-noble superhero. Also, I'd heard so many favorable accounts about RED SON that I eventually found a copy at a fair price and scooped it up. One of my friends described it as "the best Superman story ever", which may have set my expectations too high.
The world-building here by the imaginative Mark Millar is incredble, but so many missed opportunities to tell an even better story is why I only rate this Four Stars. The series details how DC's comic book history would have changed if the son of Krypton's infant rocket ship had landed in Russia instead of the United States. How would Superman develop from 1953 and the rule of Stalin through the Cold War and into the 21st century?
This was originally published in 2003 as a three-issue prestige format limited series. There's enough content here that it could easily have run anywhere between six-to-twelve issues and probably resulted in an even more impactful story. With today's comics industry tendency to release lengthy epic mini-series I'm sure that it would have received this type of treatment if published in 2021. Throughout RED SON I was amazed how some very significant details/events are revealed in a single text box or one line of dialogue. These could easily be expanded and tell a much better story, but not possible within a three-issue limitation. I also know that the Mark Millar of today has evolved so much in his story-telling capabilities that this could have become a masterpiece.
That would have allowed Millar some additional pages to explain how Nixon won the presidential election versus Kennedy (and was later assassinated instead of JFK), how and why Lois Lane came to marry Lex Luthor (a workaholic in need of a trophy wife, apparently), and how second-tier newspaper reporter Jimmy Olson become a CIA director, and many other intriguing story details.
More development/reveals of the inner psyche of the two main characters, Superman and Lex Luthor, would have been a little more to my liking. While we do learn some about their personal philosophy and morals, it happens through their actions and dialogue and very briefly. I'm guessing because of the big scope of this tale (taking place over 47+ years) Millar had to keep it moving quickly in order to include everything. What I especially miss is learning how being raised by collective farm workers in Russia changed Superman's mindset and what specific values did his foster parents instill in him.
Obviously, having the biggest super-being on the side of communists would definitely shift the Cold War stalemate in favor of Russia. Millar makes sure to include enough of those details that RED SON could also be viewed as an allegory on politics and governing philosophies. Both he and Luthor later come to be Presidents of their respective countries and things under both of their rules improve. However, good intentions can have unexpected consequences as one review pointed out so well.
The art team helps create the atmosphere of the story, reminding me of the art deco style of those Fleischer Studio Superman cartoons from the 1940's. This is definitely worth a look despite the minor flaws. Just don't approach this with lofty expectations. No plateau has been attained.
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