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This week’s recommendation is a graphic novel. Graphic novels are full length novels written in comic strip format. You might already be familiar with anime novels (Naruto, anyone?), but the genre isn’t limited just to the Japanese art style. Today we’re recommending a twist on one of America’s favorite stories: Superman!

Trigger Warnings: Book contains mildly strong language and a marriage between Lois Lane and Lex Luthor (which is frankly just poor decision making).

Plot Review:

“Superman: Red Son” begs the question: What would happen if Superman was a Russian communist instead of an American freedom fighter? The answer to that question is that the world becomes an incredibly safe place… as long as you obey Superman’s rules.

Some elements of the original Superman story remain the same: Batman is still obsessed with the death of his parents and Wonder Woman thinks having a boyfriend might not be all that bad of an idea. And not even an AU could thwart the natural enmity between Superman and Lex Luthor. Some things are simply fated to be.

Raised in the Soviet Union, Superman is introduced to the world as an alien super soldier, ordained to spread the communist message throughout the world. Superman isn’t entirely sold on communism, but he is very interested in helping people. After Stalin’s death, Superman realizes that he can best serve humanity’s woes by taking over as the Soviet Union’s dictator and head of the Communist party.

In this version of the Soviet Union, the Russian people don’t starve or disappear into the night. However, they are in a state of total control. Superman’s devotion to a perfect and safe world turns him into a very terrifying and benevolent Big Brother over the motherland. His super hearing allows him to hear any word of dissent and his political power gives him access to “reformation” programs that turn any anti-communist into a thriving follower.

Art Review:

One thing to know about graphic novels is that the setting is given in the pictures, while only the dialogue is shown in the text boxes. You have to look at the picture and its corresponding text before moving on to the next panel. Here’s a sample page:

The illustrations in “Superman: Red Son” do a great job of showing strength, power, and emotions, but without too much gory detail. You never see anyone actually die, but you will see some comic blood-spatter in the background.

The attention to detail of the clothing felt realistic enough to represent the 1950s in Russia. Though my time in Russia was limited to a 2015 experience (a full 20 years after the downfall of the Soviet Union), some of the clothing from the USSR era still made cameo appearance in everyday fashion. I enjoyed seeing the soviet jackets and headscarves on the characters.

The illustrators were thorough in their Russian spelling. See that label “MOCKBA” in the upper right corner? Москва is pronounced “Moskva,” the Russian name for Moscow!

Communist Superman was such a fun idea to explore with great DC characters. My personal favorite was Batman as a diehard Russian anarchist. In my opinion, that is honestly the best version of Batman that there is! I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a spinoff alternate universe series. You can check out Superman: Red Son by Mark Millar here!