Superman: Red Son

(DC, 2003)
™ and © DC Comics

A project that would have been unthinkable during the height of the Cold War, Superman: Red Son poses an interesting question: What if Superman had landed in communist Russia instead of the good ol’ USA? Mark Millar answers the question by portraying Superman as a good and noble being who fights for what is right, regardless of the nationality of the people in need. The first issue of this prestige-format, three-part series takes place around the time of Stalin’s death, and it would have been nice to see The Man of Steel rebuke (or at least lament) Stalin’s infamous purges. The purges are mentioned (in clever fashion), but Superman remains a steadfast supporter of Stalin. This supports Superman’s iconic status in his adopted Russian homeland (and his Dark Knight Returns-fueled reputation as lapdog for the state), but his silence on the purging issue is disturbing.

The emphasis of the story is squarely on America’s paranoid reaction to the sentient Soviet super-weapon and what Russia in general (and Superman specifically) will do in the aftermath of Stalin’s death. After all, though he was a brutal, murderous, unforgiving dictator, Joseph Stalin (whose last name means “man of steel”) did modernize Russia’s economy and help give the country super-power status.

One of the strong points of this first issue is the clever way in which Millar toys with the Superman mythos. His Elseworlds versions of Wonder Woman, Jimmy Olsen, Lex Luthor, and others are fun to watch.

— Brett Weiss

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