Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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55 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Superman Behind The Iron Curtain, February 4, 2004
I have enjoyed many of the Elseworlds books ever since the precursor, Gotham By Gaslight. This is probably the best Superman title and one of the best overall.A few hours difference in the arrival of superman's space capsule could mean landing half a world away from Kansas and that is the premise. Superman has landed in the Soviet Union and has been raised by loyal Socialists. Superman's presence in the Soviet Union drastically alters the future. Superman rises to power despite the conflict of political ideals and the Warsaw Pact signs on new members. We see the world change and see the lives of many familiar figures form the DC universe; Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, etc. This is more than just a remake of the Nazi Superman (Ubermensch) as seen on Saturday Night Live. The story is fairly believable and Superman is as true to his upbringing as in the regular DC universe. The story progresses nicely until we see the final surprise plot twist. A wonderful story for Superman and Elseworlds fans.
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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An alternate history for science fiction readers, August 3, 2004
This graphic novel is not a parody, it's an alternate history. A most unusual alt-history: an alternate to a fictional reality, rather than an alternate version of our history. (The most popular themes for alternate history are, What if the South won the Civil War?, and What if the Germans won WWII?)
Alternate history is a concept generally more familiar to those who read SF novels rather than comics/graphic novels. Many of us SF novel readers did read a lot of comics when we were younger, though, and I think this particular graphic novel is aimed at us. We read Superman - and Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman - in the 50's, 60's and 70's. So, although we may not have read any other of this particular series of graphic novels, we have quite a bit of background in the Superman mythos - his real parents, where he grew up, girlfriends, enemies, etc.
I think that knowing that background from the original comics may make this book more enjoyable to my middle-aged generation than to people who are used only to the graphic novels. As well, my generation had the advantage of living through most of the history that was really happening from 1950 on. For those who know the history of the Cold War only from school, many of the details wouldn't make sense. It helps a great deal in reading this book if you are familiar with the course of the Cold War, and that you know not only who JFK was, but some of the celebrity gossip about him as well as the official records. (The name Norma Jean should mean something to you.) You should know what the Warsaw Pact was, and something about in what order the Soviet Union took over various countries.
I liked the way the book involved similar alternate twists on Batman, and brought in Wonder Woman and Green Lantern as well. Batman's hat is the funniest thing I've seen in a while!
A couple quibbles: having the artwork done by more than one artist is distracting; a couple times it was hard to recognize Lois Lane as herself. And I do wish that illustrators would STOP trying to use the Cyrillic alphabet incorrectly. If you can't use the letters for what they really are, don't use them, please. The thing that looks like a backwards R is NOT an R. The letter that looks like a backwards N is NOT an N. So stop it already! Just go for English in the signs and titles, or for accurate Russian. (One illustrator did this correctly, but on many pages, and the cover art, these letters are used incorrectly.) OK, that's one of my pet peeves, since I happen to be able to read Russian a little; it may not bother other people as much as it bugs me.
Summary? A graphics novel that may be of more interest to an older generation that doesn't usually read them, in a vein more familiar to SF readers than comics readers.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very, very, very good, March 26, 2007
First things first.
I am not a gigantic comics fan. I've never been to a comic book shop. I know the big names. Basically, if they had a live action TV show, I know them.
So, my opinion is not as well-informed as that of some.
But, I know what I like and I thought this was some grade-A, high test sci-fi with a good deal of political science thrown in.
Superman has always been of limited interest to me. He can't be hurt (technically, I know he can but who has Kryptonite sitting around?), he has the tools to deal with any situation. He has a healthy psyche. Good guy to have on your side but not particularly interesting.
But, let's take away his All-American freedom-loving politics and partner him with a truly soul-crushing totalitarian regime. Stalin backed by Superman's talents is a truly scary thought. Soviet theory becomes reality. A true dictatorship of the proletariat becomes possible since Superman hears and sees nearly everything.
With that you have enough to make this history teacher happy. Add to it the Lex Luthor (USA)/Superman (USSR) Cold War, a reference to Plato's "Republic", a Soviet Batman (loved him! Loved the hat!), Wonder Woman, Area 51 and Nixon winning the 1960 Presidential election instead of JFK and you've got a great read!
Some may quibble with details, but when you get down to it, aren't the comics supposed to entertain and take you to another world for a little while? Mission accomplished.
Bravo.
I give this one an enthusiastic A+.
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