Mog Elffoe said:
Uh... What version of Superman: Red Son did you read? Superman becomes a global dictator in that book, who lobotomizes his enemies using super science, and follows in Stalin's footsteps. That's a 'close to perfect rendition' of Superman? Wha...!? Okay, your idea of Superman and my idea of Superman are WA-A-A-AY different...
I did like Red Son, as an Elseworlds story. It was a good read, mainly for the Lex Luthor character and how his storyline plays out.
I do believe that Millar has an affection for Superman, though. His Adventures of Superman comics were excellent. If you wanted to say that Millar presented a 'close to perfect rendition' of Superman in those comics I'd be more inclined to agree with you.
In Red Son, though? No way. Not even close. That was the point of the Superman character in Red Son.
I would respectfully disagree with that. Superman in Red Son is one of the first renditions of Superman in quite a while to capture an essential 'Superman-ness' that's usually missing from the monthlies. All the essential elements of the mythos is there, bar kryptonite, though in different and unique ways.
One of the more interesting aspects of the Superman character has always been his sociological impact. Superman has usually in the comics tended to adopt a passive stance with regards to humanity - he will fix big natural disasters and save lives, beat down alien invasions and such, but usually try to leave human social and technological development alone. There is a number of Superman stories in which he crosses that line, and those are remarkable for that reason alone. This issue, of Superman's sociological impact on humanity, was addressed by Elliot S. Maggin in the Silver Age, often considered the definitive Superman writer, when Superman was essentially put on trial by a cosmic tribunal of sorts. There have been many tales since in the same vein, such as the Armageddon 2001 Annual Elseworlds special from '91, where Superman becomes president of the US, or the more recent Superman: King of the World. Red Son is, in many ways, a more extended version of this kind of take on the character. The Superman movie (the first one, which is also by far the best) also had a very strong emphasis on this motif, with Jor-El's doctrine of non-interference in human history, which Superman violates in the end to save Lois Lane.
Superman's motives in Red Son are inherently good. The triggering event that caused him to embark on the path he took was in issue #1, when he met Lana, and saw that people were starving, due to the inefficiencies of the communist system. 'Tell your friends they don't have to be scared or hungry anymore, comrades. Superman is here to rescue them.' That's a fairly nice and representative slogan for Superman, wouldn't you say? That's what his mission in this book is. To better humanity's lot.
Now, a core conflict in Superman's character has always been the perfection - the 'super' - against the humanity. Superman isn't flawless. He makes mistakes. In Red Son, his mistake is that in saving humanity, he also makes humanity dependent upon him, taking away all freedom. The reprogrammed insurgents are both symbolic of this, and a form of foreshadowing. It is perhaps a somewhat blunt way of showing exactly where Superman is going too far.
In the end, the defining moment of the book is when Superman realizes his error. When all hope seems lost, all resistance crushed, the single sentence that Luthor composed shows him his mistake. It is then shown that he has been manipulated by Brainiac for years; that is also shown previously in the conversations in #3. In this part of the story, Superman's defeat of Brainiac is highly symbolic of his coming to the realization that controlling humanity the way he has done is wrong. His final, heroic act, is to save the Earth from the exploding Brainiac vessel. That is also a thoroughly Superman-esque act, in the non-interventionistic sense. Self-sacrificing, noble, and heroic.
Unlike a real dictator, Superman was never evil, vicious, or paranoid. He had certain ideals that he stood by. They were essentially the same as the regular Superman's, but colored by his communist background. That said, this story doesn't really have political undertones as much as it uses the political backdrop to tell a specific type of story, set in a familiar style. Any dictator is bad, no matter which 'system' or 'ideology' he confesses to. But sometimes, a dictator is better than the alternative.
There have been other Superman stories which went in similar ways - Kingdom Come is one example. Superman makes mistake upon mistake in how he handles things, and in the end, it all comes crashing down on him. Kingdom Come has a lot of similarities to Red Son in that regard, except that there, Superman isn't alone. Kingdom Come had other themes too, such as the very 90ish conflict between 'humanity and superhumanity.'
Red Son is a brilliant take on Superman, because it addresses not just most of the famous elements of the Superman mythology, and some of the DCU, but because of the way Superman is portrayed. As ever, he wants to help people - but he makes a mistake and goes too far. When he realizes it, he drops it all in the blink of an eye. It's also great how Millar manages to paint both Luthor and Superman as both hero and villain, and make it believeable, while staying true to the genre.
In terms of being a Superman story, there's much more depth to this than 'Superman becomes a global dictator.' It's a story that actually has a heart. And it has a great ending. Last time there was a Superman story with similar heart in the main books was Action #775 - Superman vs the Elite [Authority]. And before that, you have to really start reaching deep into the barrel. Godfall tried, but didn't quite make it, IMO.
