Dave Johnson (1)Reseñas

Ah, Mark Millar...one of those comic book writers who, along with Brian Michael Bendis, Alan Moore, Dave Sim, and Donny Cates, used to be really good, but then...I don't know...maybe started believing their own press? But somehow, some way, they just started pumping out less than stellar product.

I cannot and will not read anything Millar puts out now, but I thought going back a couple of decades might be a safe bet. Turns out I was wrong. Maybe this is where the problems started.

I know most people absolutely love this graphic novel and, to be fair, there's a lot to love. It's Millar's What If...? take and there's some cool stuff here, including the actual underlying idea. The art is fantastic.

But my biggest problem with Millar is that he writes like a hyperactive child with no attention span, and this book reads like a horribly hacked up abridged version of a much longer and much better story.

Millar, it seems, has given up on stories with any sort of build up, or nuance, and instead writes a series of set pieces that look cool. He introduces and throws away characters in the span of a couple of pages. Instead of a narrative, there's just a few familiar faces that go through their motions to get to the big build up and pay off at the end.

And Lex Luthor? While Millar takes liberties (as he should, in this what if scenario he's sketching—and it's all sketch, not painting) with all the pre-existing characters, it's Lex that's so stupidly over the top. Millar's basically mashed Dr. Manhattan from Watchmen, and Tony Stark from Iron Man into this frenetic, stupidly obsessed anti-hero.

If only Millar had a fraction of his obsessiveness to detail, this graphic novel would have been longer, paced better, and would have been far more satisfying.

As it is, it feels like it was a quickly babbled out joke just to get to his three-or-four page punchline at the very end.

fantastic Elseworlds series until the unnecessary, far too comicbooky ending that muddles the themes of an otherwise beautiful political/character focused story

Red Son is an elseworlds story positing what might have happened if the pod carrying the infant Superman would have crash landed on a farm in the Soviet Union under Stalin's rule. It's a pretty awesome idea for an elseworlds story, but I thought it could have been much better than it was. I suppose I can cut some slack for the fact that it was only three issues long.

The idea behind the overarching plot, though it comes at it from an entirely different setup, is that superheroes have the ability to change the world and help humanity - but should they? It’s sort of another riff on the "With great power comes great responsibility" idea - or maybe more along the lines of "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." The questions of this nature explored in Red Son are very similar to the questions asked in Kingdom Come. But where Kingdom Come posits that Superman is ultimately sort of more human than human, and would never forget his roots even if he got a little distracted in a quest to make the world a better place, Red Son seems to be saying that just being born and raised in Communist Russia would take things to an entirely different and necessarily bad end, that his desire to help humanity would inadvertently lead to his becoming a dictator.

In a way this makes sense; Clark Kent is so inherent to Superman's character, and the very concept of him. It's interesting to think about what Superman would be like if Clark Kent were not the really good guy we know and love, but someone else entirely - 'born' somewhere else, and raised by different people in a different environment. But I think it's a little insulting to say that, even without changing much else in his upbringing - still growing up among hard working farm folk, even if they aren't gone into in any detail - just growing up in Communist Russia would take away all the goodness in Superman that would keep him from becoming the controlling leader of a totalitarian regime. It also portrays the perfect society Superman builds as being inherently flawed, while the virtually identical one Luther replaces it with is somehow happier and more stable, which just seems like rhetoric to me.

That being said, the book is in many ways equally as critical of both anarchist martyrs and capitalist demi-gods. It seems to highlight the goods and ills of all three main political dogmas. And truthfully, it is only all the people opposed to Superman in the book who seem to think he is power mad and selfish. Superman is actually portrayed more as being caught up in the whirlwind and just wanting to help, which seems more natural to me.

I suppose in a way, because he is so perfect, and because of his unfailing black and white morals, Superman always leans toward the line of Fascism - like Captain America, perhaps. That's something that gets to be explored more in this book, and I appreciate that.

As far as form goes, the story is a bit rushed. A lot happens very fast, and for all the major player cameos that are given space (there's even an elseworlds communist Batman origin story and an unresolved revenge plot going along with that) there are other things not gone into enough or completely left out. Superman's childhood is pretty much glossed over - if the book is supposedly positing that a different origin/upbringing would change who Superman is (something I agree with and find fascinating) it would be nice if they focused on all aspects of that. I don't know very many (or any!) people whose entire personalities are formed more by their national climate and surrounding political dogma than by their parents and childhood experiences. I also think other books set around the cold war have given a better feel of what that time was like. Red Son, for all its emphasis on the Soviet Union and the competition with the United States, doesn't portray that period with any weight or realistic feeling. I also think the tone and voice of Superman are all wrong; he doesn't read like Superman at all - which is maybe to be understood, given the changes made to his character - but he doesn't seem much like a Stalinist either. He doesn't even sound Russian, in tone or mannerism. (I'm glad they avoided giving him some kind of dialect accent, though.) And finally, the book has an interesting looping effect in the story that I'm not sure I like... I think it's a bit cheesy. I also thought that the way Luthor finally 'defeats' Superman was a bit lame.

Overall Red Son has a really cool concept, and despite all the little things that I found to be disappointing in the execution of story, it is interesting and entertaining this is probably one of the better Superman stories around. It can be hard to relate to the ever perfect man of steel, and sometimes his character is about as interesting or accessible as a cement wall. He seems to flourish in elseworlds stories, though, and Red Son is an excellent example of that.
(less)

668

It had to happen and happen it did. The quintessential all American modern Hercules transposed as its Marxist antithesis. Superman, the Stalinist God.

His ship crashing into Russia, the young Kal-El matures worshipful of Communism and becomes his nation's premier guardian. But this not only brings him into direct conflict with the United States but also with what it truly means to be human while believing in a contradictory ideology beset by inhumanity.

im not a big superman fan (always found the character and his associates and villains boring), and this was pretty enjoyable. so big props

Interesting comic. It's the ultimate "what if" story - what if Superman landed in Soviet Russia and grew up to be Stalin's buddy instead of the ultimate all-American jock?

For decades, Superman has been on his unending battle for truth and the American way. He's a household name, even amongst the non comic book readers. We've watched his movies and know his origins. His story is something of an American mythology now. America in the flesh, born on a distant, destructed planet. Sent here so that he might live while his planet was consumed by its own red sun.

That's until Mark Millar decided to go on the opposite direction. Much of Superman's American ideals comes from the fact that his ship crashed landed in a farm in fictional Smallville. He is raised by his foster parents Martha and Jonathan Kent, he attends school and goes off into the real world, just as any normal human being might do. He meets Lois Lane and falls in love with her. He feels a sense of responsibility to use his powers for the good of mankind, sparking jealousy from his arch nemesis, Lex Luthor.

That is the Superman we've come to know over the ages, but Mark Millar pondered the what if of our hero's origin. What if Superman's ship crash landed in a Ukrainian field, rather than Smallville? What if he was raised to believe in Communism, rather than Capitalism? What if Superman was an enemy of the state?

But Superman Red Son is more than just a tale of the what if; it's also a colorful depiction of the what is. From America's constant need to be on top of the world, demanding others to follow suit, insisting anyone against Capitalism as a dictator, a tyrant, a foe, a terrorist threat to our way of life. In this alternate world, Superman comes out from obscurity, promising to do what is right. He doesn't only save lives from within the USSR, but aids America as Sputnik 2 nearly crashes into Metropolis - as part of Lex Luthor's plan to figure Superman out. Lex Luthor is the evidence of a visionary gone awry. Unlike his "real world" counterpart, Lex Luthor does promise to fix the world and he does in the end. But much like the Lex we've come to know and hate, his goals can only be met by destroying Superman no matter who is killed or injured in the process. And in this sense, Lex Luthor is the embodiment of the American Way. As long as the consequence turns in favor of the American people, then things went as according to plan.

Red Son also gives us the origins of other well known DC Universe heroes. A young child who witness his parents slaying by a KGB operative vows revenge, becoming a masked terrorist who stands opposed to Superman. Wonder Woman falls in love with a blind-to-the-fact hero turned USSR leader, sacrificing her well being in the process. Green Lantern appears as a USA military force along with his marines with the same advantages. It seems a perfect example that despite the alteration of history, people still have a legacy to follow.

Mark Millar's story is seasoned with inside jokes that one can only understand if you're a fan of the Superman mythos - and even if you're not a fan of the comic books, TV shows or movies, I mean, it's pretty common sense things. Two memorable scenes that both made me snicker and groan both contained the probability how things would be if the ship had crashed in America. A scene with President Eisenhower remarks to Agent Jimmy Olsen, "Just think, Agent Olsen: if that rocket has landed twelve hours earlier, this Superman they're talking about would have been an American citizen." Later, Lex Luthor is speaking to Agent Olsen: " It's such a shame he works for the other side. I honestly believe that Superman and I would have been the best of friends if he'd popped up in America."

Altering more facts, Mark Millar allows us a glimpse into the future and leads us down the Superman bloodline. The ending is both cunning and probably the most original since Krypton exploded for the first time over half a century ago.

And let's not ignore the incredible art work. Had it not been for the artists involved, the concept of Superman as a member of the socialist party wouldn't have been as convincing. Nor would had the transfer of Batman as terrorist or Wonder Woman as part of the regime.

It's something worth reading and having upon your shelf for the times when you feel like seeing the world through a different lens.

2021 book #55. 2003. Great alternate universe. What if Superman's baby spaceship landed in the Soviet Union instead of Kansas? Well drawn and entertaining. The story went to places I didn't expect which made it even better.

A very interesting alternate take on Superman, with him landing in the Soviet Union of the 50's. I haven't really read any Superman before, but I really enjoyed this. Some interesting perspectives on communism and capitalism, with the lens of a perfect (or near perfect?) super-mind.

Millar does a solid job with what could have been something ugly or boring, and wisely realizes that the juice in the story lies in a Superman with a slightly skewed moral code and view of the world and not in rehashing the Cold War ("but with Superman this time!"). I don't think it's an absolutely perfect story (I'm usually not one to say this, but there are some bits of the plot, especially the middle act with Lois, Wonder Woman, and Batman, that don't make a lot of sense), but like Gotham by Gaslight (which it seems like this comes up in the same breath as now) this is a great demonstration of what the Elseworlds line can do.

I love the idea behind this graphic novel. Superman, instead of being raised by the Kents in Kansas, instead lands in the middle of Russia and is raised on a collective farm. Growing up, instead of embodying the American Dream, he becomes the Champion of the common worker. And so much of it is just cool. There are loads of great touches, I loved the idea of the alternate Batman.

Unfortunately it never got beyond the “oooh that sounds cool” aspect of the story.

Full review: http://www.susanhatedliterature.net/2010/04/28/red-son/

This was a very interesting take on the Superman tale. Those of us who remember parts of the Cold War and Soviet Union will likely appreciate the history a bit more. Millar's take on the characters is pretty good. It is a comic, but it does have some depth to it. I am not as sure about the somewhat circular ending (which I will not reveal for those who may want to read this). It's the only thing keeping me from giving it the five stars. Unlike True Brit, which I reviewed here as well after reading it, this comic has a serious tone (the British take is more humorous, something I enjoyed too). Overall, I found this a good read, interesting, one that made the reader think of different possibilities. And it does make an interesting commentary, if you read closely, about our current world. Now, if only we could get our act together and solve the world's problems. Now there is a thought.

The concept for this book is amazing. And, on the surface, it is a hilarious critique of "nanny-state" big-C Communism (centrally planned by Stalin's heir Superman), and "nanny-state" centrally planned "democracy" (as created in the US by Lex Luthor).

And the concept of an anarchist-terrorist Batman, whose mission was to create the chaos necessary to demolish the state and its all-seeing all-knowing father, Superman, is amazing and totally badass.

It falters however. This is not your regular "what if..." Elseworlds. There is far too much the reader needs to suspend disbelief on, from the shrinking of Stalingrad, to Superman's infallable omnipresence. Then, when Superman finally falls (sort of), Luthorism (where everything is centrally planned by Lex Luthor) takes things to beyond ridiculous. I appreciate comics for their relation to the real world. If I have to suspend disbelief for a character with superpowers, then OK, but it is interesting to watch the REAL world react to that superhero.

Also, the Batmen (anarchist freedom fighters) only paved the way for Luthorism in the former Soviet empire: "Freed from Superman's all-seeing eye, the Soviet Empire descended into chaos for a while until the batmen reappeared and brought justice to the streets again. Within six months, Luthor was running the economy. Within a year, even Moscow had signed up with his Global United States." Then we never hear from them again. For literally a billion years. That is some bullshit. Anarchists, knowing that "democratic-centralism" under Luthor is no better than "democratic-centralism" under Superman, should have been there to fight the United States as well. *sigh*

This book is worth reading for sure, but borrow it from someone, because you will probably regret buying your own.

As a graphic novel, this is probably worth 5 stars. The art and design add to the story and make this a top notch effort. The story itself is good, certainly innovative, but maybe not different enough? I guess ultimately it is difficult to separate Superman from his original origin story. So one spends this story just contrasting one origin story from another, and deciding if it makes sense for Superman to act in the new way. Ultimately alternate histories are more fun for me when based on real history as opposed to just a different made up history.

One of the best graphic novels I've ever read, and what a way to get into Superman. A terrific story, the artwork is incredible, the concept is as intriguing as any other comic book story. Never been more interested in Lex Luthor, it's his story as much as the Man of Steel's. Great stuff.½

3.0

I read this graphic novel with great hope as it was based on a great idea. Imagine if Kal-El, son of Krypton, had landed not in Smallville in the American midwest, but on a collective farm in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic during the Stalin era.

Sadly, the book does not live up to the possibilities and quickly becomes just another superhero story. All the usual characters are there — Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, etc., as are real figures, such as Stalin himself.

But the authors, while steeped in Superman lore (they recreated the shrunken city of Kandor as Stalingrad), seem fairly ignorant about most (or all) things Soviet.

What a pity. This could have been so much better.

Superlative. A simple idea done better than it had any right to be done. What if Superman landed in Soviet Ukraine instead of Kansas? Beautifully, slyly drawn, showing the rich mythos of DC comics rhymed and reflected in a new context. A masterpiece, probably. Worth it for dissident Batman alone.

This comic does not fuck around. God damn.

An alternate history arc in which Superman's pod crashed in Soviet Russia rather than Kansas, leaving Superman the ultimate weapon for the Soviet cause.

I always enjoy a good alternative spin on a universe that's well known and this take is particularly fun. Watching Superman fight for the Communist cause, while still adhering to his central belief that saving people regardless of political alliance is what matters most, is a fascinating arc. It's also a delight to see what becomes of characters in this alternate universe. I got a particular kick out of Jimmy Olsen's career trajectory in this world. A solid thought experiment for what political context would do to Superman.

In this graphic novel, written by Mark Millar and illustrated by Dave Johnson and Kilian Plunkett, the classic story of Superman as created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in 1938 is reimagined to tell a provocative parody of Cold War psychology and politics. Instead of landing in Kansas, the escape pod bearing the infant from Krypton lands in the Ukraine in 1938. Superman is lovingly raised by his parents, peasant farmers working on a state commune, and later by state institutions, to be a loyal and strong youth dedicated to the Soviet Union. On his uniform chest, he proudly wears the emblem of the Hammer and Sickle as he sets out to make the world safe for Truth, Justice and the Communist Way. His nemesis will be Dr. Lex Luthor, sinister chief scientist and weapons designer for the United States.

Superman: Red Son by Mark Millar (Author), Dave Johnson (Illustrator), and Kilian Plunkett (Illustrator) is a graphic novel which collects the four issues of the comic book mini-series of the same name. The comic books were published in 2003 by DC Comics and were nominated for the 2004 Eisner Award for best limited series.

In an alternate reality, Superman’s spaceship fell into the Soviet Union, where he was raised in a collective farm. Superman is indoctrinated into the Soviet style communism and becomes a hero of the Stalin’s Soviet Union.

On the other side of the world, the United States greatest scientific mind, Lex Luther, is trying to figure out how to give his country an edge, as it seems they are about to lose the Cold War.

I read Superman: Red Son by Mark Millar (Author), Dave Johnson (Illustrator), and Kilian Plunkett (Illustrator) when the mini-series first came out and clearly remember I could not wait for the next issue to come out. My son asked me about the storyline when we were playing Injustice: Gods Among Us, the Red Son team were some of the strongest characters. I told him a bit about the book (much of the details has been lost in my all too busy mind) and we went to the library to look for the book.
Alas, it was not to be – until last weekend.

Finally we found the book in our local library and immediately checked it out. Once home, I sat down to re-read this beloved story. I was glad to discover that the story has lost nothing of the excitement, freshness and uniqueness due to the passing of time.

The story is not part of the Superman canon, it is what is known as the Elseworlds imprint for DC Comics. Elseworlds are stories that took place outside the established DC Universe.

The artwork in the book is wonderful, a cross between Communist era art and traditional American comic book art. The colors match the stylistic choices of the time, the whole book has a retro feel, similar to Bruce Timm’s animated series.

The book is still one of the smartest, self-contained graphic novels I have read. The art is gorgeous and the story is interesting with great twists and surprises. If you haven’t read this classic, do yourself a favor and pick it up.

For more reviews and bookish posts please visit: http://www.ManOfLaBook.com

A great 'what-if' story about Superman landed in the Soviet Union. Terrific alternate DC universe, highly recommended for all fans.½

This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Wordpress, Blogspot, Booklikes & Librarything by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission.

Title: Red Son
Series: Superman: Elseworlds
Author/Artist: Mark Millar, et all
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Comics
Pages: 160
Format: Kindle digital edition




Synopsis:

Superman lands in the Ukraine and a Communist Collective instead of in Smallville, USA.

The Man of Steel promotes communism and once Stalin dies, takes over as President Superman. Lex Luthor, last hope of the Free World, makes it his mission in life to bring down the Man of Steel, even at the sacrifice of his marriage to Lois Lane. Superman is being guided by Brainiac and can Wonder Woman, Boris Wayneski, a newly minted core of Green Lantern US Marines and even Superman himself stop Brainiac from completing his nefarious plans?



My Thoughts: Spoilers

I enjoyed this the first I read it but I never recorded that I read it, so this is my first time rating and reviewing it.

I always enjoy the Elseworld stories because they do what all the phracking ridiculous and completely unnecessary reboots attempt, and miserably fail at, doing. IE, bringing us the characters we know in new ways with new stories and new variations. In fact, I would say that is the main fun of these, seeing the familiar turned at a 37° angle, just enough to skew everything but still the same enough for you to recognize.

First off, lets get through the bad. Stalin. For all that Hitler is vilified and made the devil incarnate, Stalin was truly worse. He was a butcher, plain and simple. So, for Superman to admire him was a bit of a let down. I'm not talking about Superman and communism, but Superman and Stalin. Then there is Boris Wayneski. I don't even know if that was his name in the book, he was simply the Russian Batman. He was almost a caricature and I would have enjoyed the story more if it had been someone else. However, the frenemy status between Supes and Batman goes way back, so it makes sense why it was included.


The good stuff.

Superman looked good. He looked good in his suit and with the hammer and sickle on his chest. I'm pretty picky about my Supes, as I liked Dan Jurgens version from the 90's, but this was a creditable job and the art didn't detract from my enjoyment.

Lex Luthor. He is portrayed as the smartest man alive here. While his quest to overcome Superman takes the lead, the advances he makes in doing so drags humanity upward, in all ways. In fact, his name becomes so great that his descendants take on his name, as L, or eL. You can see where that is going.

And that brings me to the ending. I loved it. I can see it pissing people off though. Superman is NOT from Krypton. He is from Earth, sent back in time to try to change the future created by Lex Luthor and the House of L. Of course, the story ends with his little craft landing in the Ukraine, hence beginning the whole cycle again
.