Splash Panel

A few months ago I was reading a lot of Superman stories. It felt very strange because I hadn’t read a superman story since I began reading superhero comics during the death of Superman storyline from the early 90s. What happened was the the likes of Mark Waid, Kurt Busiek and Mark Millar all decided they wanted to write a superman story. Each story is completely different to the other, on completely different ‘worlds’ but all concerning the big boy scout. The artwork on all three books was spectacular however I ended up loving Red Son the most out of the three of them. Red Son was years in the making but all I can say is that’s it worth the wait and then some. This is an Elseworld tale set in the DCU. What this means is that they take a character and alter a small element of the character’s established history and see what manner of fun they can have. Millar’s idea is what would happen if Superman landed in the USSR instead of in the USA all those years ago. A powerful idea is a wonderful thing and to me that idea and it’s execution has created one of the most enjoyable, if not the most enjoyable Superman story I’ve ever read.

So Superman landed in the Ukraine instead of the USA while everything else pretty much remained the same. I think that tagline for the series sums it all up however:

Let our Enemies Beware: There is only one Superpower now

Everything is very twisted however the staple elements remain the same. Lex Luthor is still the arch nemesis, however he’s now got Lois Lane at his side. The crazy machines and inventions of Lex continue to plague Superman, as you would expect, however it’s no longer just an ego thing on Luthor’s part, he’s got the entire country backing him up now. It’s Lex Luthor against the rest of the world. This story however isn’t just about Superman, all the major players (at least in my eyes) show up for the event as well. When Green Lantern turns up I got goosebumps as it was completely fantastic entry to that character. The alternative Batman is brilliant even with his stupid hat that ‘keeps him warm’.

Best way I can describe the dialogue is completely crackling. That’s always been something that Mark Millar always did really well. He can use a few words that will live with you for a while and that’s his greatest strength as a writer I feel. He makes everything sound far too cool. A lesser writer would have screwed those moments completely or worse made them non-moments but Millar hits it out of the park. One of the strangest things I’ve read in an interview with Grant Morrison claiming that he actually gave Millar the idea for the ending. If that’s true then Millar owes Morrison BIG TIME, because the ending to this series is easily what makes it one of the better Superman stories out there. I wouldn’t dream of spoiling it but know this, it’s pretty damn good.

So the real reason this book took as long to come out as it did (I’m not privy to the exact number but we’re talking YEARS here) can be landed on the head of one man. Dave Johnson. Dave’s an exceptional talent, which I’ve got to say I didn’t see at first. He’s the regular cover artist on 100 Bullets and at first I was disappointed with the covers and thought Vertigo could do better. My god how wrong I was. I mean the man is easily one of the best designer/artists in the business bar none. What’s great is that he really puts this to use in this series. He get to go a bit hog wild with a slew of things, redesigning all of DC comics’ staple characters. Everyone gets the Johnson treatment and he seriously does a spectacular job of making these characters his own. The man was so slow however that he only really got to complete the first two chapters and Kilian Plunkett came to his (and everyone else’s rescue) and without missing a beat he completed the story in a fashion that did not jar with what was already established. It’s pretty freaky how the two styles are different and yet similar. He was a fine replacement otherwise we would probably be waiting for this book to be completed.

Brilliant graphic novel that you should have on your shelf if you’re a Superman fan or not. It will reward you as one of the better Superhero comic book tales on the market.

This entry was posted Monday, April 17th, 2006 at 7:30 am and is filed under Superhero. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.