Stocking Stuffer: Superman: Red Son
Need a last-minute gift? Here's one that seems always to be in stock at both my regular comics shop and the big-box bookstores in my town: Superman: Red Son, a reimagining of Superman based on what might have happened had his escape craft crash-landed in the Soviet Union rather than the United States.
This is a fascinating book full of grand ideas that lend it the expansive, grandiose feel of the mid-20th-century, globe-spanning science fiction written during the time period this book uses as its setting. The idea is simple: the Soviet Union's power waxes and America's wanes when Superman's presence as a mascot causes a domino effect mirroring the one experienced in real history but run in reverse. Watching Superman struggle with questions of his purpose and identity aren't necessarily anything new even though he often seems like the superhero most comfortable in his own skin; however, setting all that against the contrasting backdrop of the Soviet bloc is an ingenious way to cast all of that in a new light without compromising the essential character of Superman: regardless of who, how and when he is, Superman is a hero and a friend to those in need, period.
The artwork in this book is absolutely beautiful. Drenched in dark blacks, steely industrial grays and the rich reds and golds of the Soviet flag, Dave Johnson's art seeks to wed the slightly gauzy, rosy-cheeked apex of Superman's kitsch potential and the overblown heroism of Soviet propaganda posters. There are times when the art consciously mimics those profile-in-ascension depictions of heroes of the republic and times when it pulls off the illusion of letting such allusions seem to happen by accident, little moments when the reader is first captivated by the heroism of Comrade Superman and then floored by the strength of their own reaction to his appeal. Ultimately, the art works overtime both to cast Superman as a hero and to question that heroism.
There are alternate versions of other heroes in the book, but really this is the story of a world protected by a Communist Superman more than anyone or anything else. The story itself never fails to surprise, winding up in a resolution I found deeply satisfying and tremendously surprising at the same time. Highly recommended. Pair it with Grant Morrison's All-Star Superman (Vol. 1 and Vol. 2) to give that special someone a mismatched set of neatly self-contained takes on Superman, visions that both celebrate and interrogate the whole question of a savior from on high.
Klarion
Posted to Trade Paperback on 22 December 2009
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Other stuff like this: Dave Johnson, Frank Quitely, Grant Morrison, Mark Millar, Superman
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