Book of the Month: July, 2025
Superman: Red Son
by Mark Millar (Author) , Dave Johnson (Illustrator) , Kilian Plunkett (Contributor)
The Daily Planet, April 30, 2003 — Special Edition
"SUPERMAN: SOVIET SON?"
Global Icon Revealed to Be Champion of the U.S.S.R.
By Lois Lane, Senior Correspondent
Metropolis - The world was stunned today by the revelation that Superman, long thought to be a neutral force for good and protector of Earth, was revealed to be in fact a citizen of the Soviet Union and loyal defender of its regime.
The Man of Steel -previously a symbol of hope for all nations - first appeared publicly under the Soviet banner in Moscow, rescuing civilians from a nuclear mishap and receiving commendations from Premier Joseph Stalin himself. Dressed in a red-and-black iconic uniform, adorned with the hammer and sickle, Superman declared his allegiance “not to any one nation, but to the collective well-being of the proletariat.”
Lex Luthor, the brilliant American scientist and newly appointed national defense advisor, has already called Superman’s presence a “geopolitical threat of superhuman proportions.” Luthor has been tasked with devising a countermeasure, though Pentagon officials declined to comment on unconfirmed reports of a cloning project referred to only as “Bizarro.”
While some in the West view Superman’s alignment with Soviet interests as a betrayal, citizens across the Eastern Bloc have heralded him as the ultimate triumph of socialism. Soviet news agencies hail him as The Champion of the Workers and credit him with unprecedented advances in agriculture, infrastructure, and surveillance.
Critics, however, warn that this “Red Son” represents the birth of a new form of authoritarianism - one not of iron and guns, but of invulnerable flesh and unwavering vision.
The question remains: Can any man - even Superman - wield such power without consequence?
One thing is certain: The Cold War just got a lot hotter.