Favorite Comic Runs VOTING: Mark Millar's SUPERMAN: RED SON vs. THE ULTIMATES

Red Son. It's the only Millar book I know that's not deep into "edgy as f**k" territory.

Red Son. The Ultimates felt at times a bit edgy.

BB

Red Son. It held back on the edgy.

Sadly, I haven't read Red Son so...yeah. :/

His Ultimates was so good the movies are using some of his ideas and the 616 too.

As much as I loved The Ultimates (it was pretty good), Red Son was a great spin and a fabulous what-if..? styled tale of the Man of Steel.

Going with Red Son. I prefer Ultimates 2 over Ultimates 1.

Red Son. As awesome as Ultimates was, despite it's EDGY and perverse take on a lot of characters, Red Son is one of the best Superman & Elseworlds stories ever.

This segment is taking his entire run with the team into account.

"Over the course of two volumes, Millar and Bryan Hitch put a brand new spin on quite a few of Marvel's A-listers and the end result is ride that is nothing short of epic."

... oh...

... so... the poll might be off by one point now.

The Ultimates' blood is on your hands, sir!

Pft. Look at that poll! Red Son was destined to win, with or without me!

No blood on my hands, good sir! None! *desperately washes hands*

Red Son

It's to hard to vote right now so I'm gonna reread them again then vote

Red Son. I may be biased a little since it is a Superman story and a good at that.

What I love most about Red Son is the fact that it reflects the DC history. Superman is the first superhero and the center of the superhero world changing the DCU based on how he is different.
Even though the art is good, the biggest asset of RS is the story, the reimagining of this magnificent world in another era, familiar but different at the same time. The great supporting cast true to their original characters but with a nice twist, Batmankoff, Diana and especially Luthor. Luthor is a great villian, driven by jealousy and ready to prove by any means neccessary that he is the best, proving that some things are the same no matter what the situation. And of course there is the twist in the last pages of the last issue changing the dynamic between Luthor and Superman and creating a fantastic ironic element.

On the other hand Ultimates is great too. With (subjectively) better art and while it is a nice reimagining of the classic Avengers, it doesn't have the same heart in it as RS. It does the same mistake every movie/book/comic does when it tries to be realistic, it makes everyone dark and edgy but it is a minor grip in the overall book which is a really good read and a book that I often find myself browse through.

Ultimates = the reason I got into comics

Ultimates easily, but the Superman fanbase on the Vine is too strong. Red Son will probably win.

@squalleon: I disagree with your "dark and edgy" comment, The Ultimates are a realistic take on the Avengers and the world mirrors the real world. My point being they are facing real world consequences with their actions and problems, which I think The Ultimates nailed that setting

Red Son all the way...

Alright, kidding, but still Red Son by some margin.

Red Son

A fantastic example of a great elseworld story

I've not read either, nor will I have the time this week. I go in the "shame on me" box!

Red Son had a much better storyline (concept and execution). On the other hand, the Ultimates definitely had better battles.

My vote goes to Red Son.

Red son

yay im in the monority !, go ultimates!

The Ultimates.

Red Son has my vote

Reminder: if you're not happy with the poll, making a thorough post and rallying support is far more effective than complaining.

Red Son. I liked Ultimates but Red Son was simply better

The Ultimates.

I have to admit that this isn't a difficult decision for me to me. While Superman: Red Son is a wonderful story, it just isn't as groundbreaking or influential as The Ultimates was.

The Ultimates did for the Avengers what Christopher Nolan did for Batman. It brought the colorful characters created by Marvel in the 1940s and 1960s into a post-9/11 world to say something about the state of our country and the human experience today. Captain America's entire story arc--the legend settling into a seedier version of his old neighborhood--reflects the drastic contrast between the beautiful illusion of 1940s America and the harsh reality of Post-9/11 America.

The Ultimates may have been the most authentic Marvel book to hit the stands in the entire decade. Mark Millar distilled Stan Lee's Marvel Hero formula but adapted it for the 21st century. The Ultimates presented heroes you believed could exist in our world with personal problems as serious as the problems they faced in the field. The heroes fought and lived in places readers are actually from. The characters name dropped celebrities we're all familiar with. The entire atmosphere of the book really captures the feel of the extraordinary meshing with our the ordinary.

On a purely technical level, the book is not only perfectly plotted with a compelling beginning, middle, and end (a rarity in the current state of comic books), but it is also one of the most beautifully illustrated books to ever hit the stands.

Bryan Hitch's widescreen, cinematic compositions created a sense of wonder in the book and added greater depth to the realism Millar wanted from the book. When people were hurt physically or emotionally, you could feel the weight of it. I mean, who can forget the fight scene between the Ultimates and the Hulk in Manhattan? Who can forget the aftermath?

Finally, you cannot ignore the massive influence this book has had on Marvel Studios' Cinematic Universe. Not only did this book give us the Samuel L. Jackson version of Nick Fury, it also gave us cocky-booze-hound version of Tony Stark that Robert Downey Jr. was able to tap into.

It gave us the blueprint for several of the cinematic costumes we see on screen today. And it firmly established the relationship between the Ultimates and SHIELD that would carry over into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If a book can do all that and isn't considered great, I don't know what is.

-Captain13

Red Son. It's the comic that's responsible for getting me back into comics after a 6 year hiatus. It's also so well done that, every time I read it, I notice a new facet of it. I've lent my copy to over a dozen friends because I feel everyone should check it out.

Eh no, realism doesn't mean everything is edgy the ultimates are edgy not realistic! Yeah they are more realistic than the 616 versions but that doesn't mean much since the 616 aren't supposed to be like that. I don't mean Hank Pym since I understand what fame can do to a person but incest, a woman that gets turned on when her boyfriend changes into a monster that kills civilians, the ultimates making money from DVD's showing a tragedy, Thor is the only heroic figure and is labeled as a hippy.
Yeah no edgy at all...

I voted for Red Son. I think it is a better story.

All the Ultimates put their lives on the line for other people, like our men and women in the service. How is that not heroic?

I haven't read Red Son, but I have read Ultimates.

Thor is the only "classic" heroic figure. The one that is inherently good.

Unfortunately I have not read either one, although Red Son is on my list. But I won't have the money to pick either of them up any time soon, so I voted for shame. :(

I have to give it to Ultimates 2 just for convincing me that Thor was not actually a god if only for a little while.

And then Loki said this just to rub my stupidity in my face:

This cemented Ultimates as one of my favorite books.

I think it was the best Lex Luthor story ever.

Red Son. The Ultimates had its awesome moments but it seemed to take every character and go overboard with the personality flaws, to the extent virtually every character could be diagnosed with some sort of personality or mental disorder. To be fair, that seems to be what modern media does in general to old characters and new characters alike.

Case in point, Captain Kirk from the old Star Trek series vs Captain Kirk from the new films. Old Captain Kirk occasionally disregarded authority and occasionally let his emotions get the better of him, but generally followed protocol, was a damn good captain and was intensely loyal to his ship and crew. New Kirk was immensely self-destructive, always disregarded orders, and couldn't lead worth a damn. He was a narcissist through and through. Also, while both were shown to be womanizers, old Kirk was very respectful and loved by women, while modern Kirk seemed to be what geeks thought of "douchebags" who slept around.

I talked to some English majors from my old college, and apparently this is standard modern writing 101. All characters are basically defined by their flaws now, to the extent they are parodies of what they represent (another example, old school James Bond vs Archer). Their negative personality traits trump their positive traits, to the point they are completely unlikeable as characters.

....Red.....Son?

Red Son has to be one of the best Superman vs Lex Luthor and my personal favorite Lex Luthor story. We see that no matter where Superman lands, Lex Luthor will always want to kill Superman, even though Lex Luthor in this story says that if Superman had landed in American they'd be great friends.... riiiiight?

Red Son. Only read a little of it, but I'm mostly voting because Ultimates has Ultimate Captain America, who I really hate because he's an absolute insult to one of my favorite characters.

Well one got and Eisner award and the other one didn't. Shouldn't be too hard of a choice.

Ultimates for sure

Wow, there really should have been a too close to call for this one.

RED SON!

the ultimates are a coordinated military team. not only with great tacticians and smart powerhouses, but with abilities that can take on the man of red steel.

superman is of course, superman, he's possibly the strongest character there is, but strength and speed, while contributing factors are not the only ways to win. the hulk in this situation, is of course, the ultimate hulk, who was shown in ultimate iron man and the hulk to have the ability to adapt. if trapped in space, he adapts to not needing to breathe. to weight that gets heavier and heavier, his body adapts to the pressure and pushes back.

thor is of course, the god of thunder, with incredible speed, strngth and prowess, with also incredible combat intelligence gleened from thousands of years of fighting

captain america is no superhuman, but his brain is his asset here. out thinking his opponant and getting his players into position are what will prove him to be a leader.

hawkeye is indeed a supersoldier here, and can identify what weak parts of supes there might be. there could be none, but regardless, his speed and sight will prove useful.

Im a DC guy not a marvel guy but Ultimates 1 + 2 are some of the best books ive ever read. Top 5

exactly. The Ultimates get my vote--I love the Ultimate Universe in general because of the way it tries to stay more realistic, if albeit darker at times.

gotta admit thou: Red Son is easily the best Lex story ever

10% of Comic Viners haven't read either!!?!?!?!?! WTF?!?

Red Son, as a history buff, it was very clever to mix up elements of the cold war with the DC comic history and as a comic fan, it was fantastic story with great art especially those propaganda posters. My only problem with it was Wonder Woman, a bit off that story.