15 DC Comics Graphic Novels You Must Read Before You Die
8. Superman: Red Son
DC's Elseworlds line offered a glimpse into alternate worlds where its top heroes were altered by one fundamental change. One of the most fascinating is Superman: Red Son.
This version of Superman crash landed in Ukraine rather than Kansas and grew up in the Soviet Union, under the close supervision of Joseph Starlin himself. The result is a Man of Steel who no longer stands for "truth, justice and the American way", but rather for "Starlin, socialism and the international expansion of the Warsaw Pact".
What makes this story so interesting is how Superman retains his inherent goodness, a willingness to help save the world and stand up for his fellow man. He even saves Metropolis from a falling Sputnik satellite. However, he is now a much more pragmatic hero, someone who is willing to conquer the world and crush individual liberties to achieve lasting world peace.
This is paralleled by Lex Luthor's rise to become President of the U.S.A, a country that happily elects a madman who resorts to insane, dangerous and often illegal practices to try and combat a perceived threat from another county. And you can read into that whatever subtext you want.
The story also features appearances by other DC heroes like Wonder Woman and Green Lantern, but the highlight is Russian Batman, a lunatic revolutionary in a pointy-eared ushanka.