- Millar, Mark, Dave Johnson, and Kilian Plunkett.
Superman: Red Son.
New York: DC Comics, [2003] 2014.
ISBN 978-1-4012-4711-9.
-
On June 30th, 1908, a small asteroid or comet struck the Earth's atmosphere
and exploded above the
Tunguska river
in Siberia. The impact is estimated to have released energy equivalent
to 10 to 15 megatons of TNT; it is the largest impact event in recorded
history. Had the impactor been so aligned as to hit the Earth three hours
later, it would have exploded above the city of Saint Petersburg,
completely destroying it.
In a fictional universe, an alien spaceship crashes in rural Kansas in
the United States, carrying an orphan from the stars who, as he
matures, discovers he has powers beyond those of inhabitants of Earth,
and vows to use these gifts to promote and defend truth, justice, and
the American way. Now, like Tunguska, imagine the spaceship arrived a few
hours earlier. Then, the baby Kal-El would have landed in Stalin's
Soviet Union and, presumably, imbibed its values and culture just as
Superman did in the standard canon. That is the premise of this
delightful alternative universe take on the Superman legend, produced
by DC Comics and written and illustrated up the standards one expects
from the publisher. The Soviet Superman becomes an extraterrestrial
embodiment of the Stakhanovite
ideal, and it is only natural that when the beloved Stalin dies, he is
succeeded by another Man of Steel.
The Soviet system may have given lip service to the masses, but beneath it
was the Russian tradition of authority, and what better authority than
a genuine superman? A golden age ensues, with Soviet/Superman communism
triumphant around the globe, apart from recalcitrant holdouts Chile and the
United States. But all are not happy with this situation, which some see
as subjugation to an alien ruler. In the Soviet Union Batman becomes the
symbol and leader of an underground resistance. United States president
and supergenius Lex Luthor hatches scheme after scheme to bring down his
arch-enemy, enlisting other DC superheroes as well as his own creations
in the effort. Finally, Superman is forced to make a profound choice
about human destiny and his own role in it. The conclusion to the
story is breathtaking.
This is a well-crafted and self-consistent alternative to the
fictional universe with which we're well acquainted. It is not a
parody like
Tales of the Bizarro World (November 2007),
and in no way played for laughs. The
Kindle edition is superbly produced, but you
may have to zoom into some of the pages containing the introductory
material to be able to read the small type. Sketches of characters
under development by the artists are included in an appendix.
July 2015 