3. Red Son
Writer: Mark Millar Artist: Dave Johnson
What if Superman's craft had crashed into Soviet Russia instead of a farm in Smallville, Kansas? What if instead of the moral compass Jonathan and Martha Kent gave him, he was indoctrinated in Soviet idealism? Superman: Red Son is an Elseworlds title, a series which posed What If? stories like this that happen outside of continuity. Red Son is also an amazingly imaginative and fun read. Comrade Superman goes from being a soldier of Mother Russia, helping the USSR take over the world - except for America - to becoming ruler of the Soviet after Stalin dies. Superman is still a good guy and tries to change the world for the better by turning it into a socialist utopia. But events work against him from the brazenly rebellious Lex Luthor to the resistance leader Batman (also Russian in this book), until Superman becomes like Stalin, a paranoid introvert who becomes a megalomaniac. But a power-mad and paranoid Superman is far more terrifying than Stalin, and Superman's measures turns his utopian society into a nightmare leaving the re-imagined Batman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern no choice but to fight him in a scene reminiscent of Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. Meanwhile Lex has figured out a way of defeating the Man of Steel once and for all - but is he too late?
Red Son is a super-imaginative Superman story and could well be the best thing Mark Millar has ever written. Assisted with fantastic art from Dave Johnson and Kilian Plunkett, Red Son is a must read for Superman fans and those who enjoy dystopian fiction.