Comic Reviews for April 30, 2003
Well, it's just 'Comic Review', as I only have one book on me right now. The rest of them are currently at home, and I don't think I'll have the time to review them. The book I picked up this week is another one of those random pickups, which I will show you in a moment. Regular reviews will begin again next week as school is now finishing up. Let's get this started.
===
Superman: Red Son 1
Red Son Rising - By Mark Millar, Dave Johnson, and Andrew Robinson with Paul Mounts; published by DC Comics/Elseworlds imprint
Two things: one, it's rare for me to collect DC comics, as the continuity is just so heavily convulted that it's impossible to get into it; two, it's even rarer for me to collect a Superman comic, namely because the character has really been quite dull (from what I know) since the early ninties during the Death of Superman arc. So why get this? Well, it has Mark Millar, who has written some good stories for Ultimate X-Men and the Ultimates. It has Dave Johnson, a highly noted cover artist who rarely does interiors (I've read this somewhere, cause I don't think I've heard of him before). It's got an interesting subject. What if Superman was raised in the Soviet Union instead of the United States?
Of course, that doesn't mean squat if the book is bad. But it isn't. Millar, more noted for his action scenes and occasional cynical writing, turns out a rather nice character piece about Superman coming to Moscow and being a hero for the people, not the government. News spread, and a new arms race had started, this time with 'supermen'. There are several new interpretations of characters, the most notable being that of Lex Luthor as a genius scientist, responsible to creating the U.S.'s own superman. Lois Lane is Lois Luthor, married to the scientist. She works at the Daily Bugle. Other than that, it's mostly about Superman and his attempts of just being a man for the people, until the end, where he decides to take matters into his own hands in the Soviet Union.
Johnson does a remarkable job on the interiors. Absolutely nothing wrong with it. He's good with the occasional fights, and he's good with facial expressions and body movements. Nothing much else to say, except a pretty nice job with the story. His inking team works well with him.
Great start.
Score: A
===
Well, that's all. Yeah, I know: you're wondering why I shouldn't do more. Oh well. Next week will be a doozy. I believe there are eleven books scheduled for next week.