This week, the Comic Vine community was forced to choose between two of Mark Millar's excellent elseworld stories. Did they side with his jaw-dropping "what if?" tale about Superman growing up in Russia... or did they support his epic revitalization of the Avengers? Prior to this match-up, "Favorite Comic Runs" usually had one story take a pretty strong lead over its competition. However, this battle between two great books was a much, much closer race. After four full days of voting, Comic Viners have finally declared a winner: SUPERMAN: RED SON.
While Millar spent two whole volumes establishing a brand new mythos for a new version of the Avengers, he was able to tell a stunning Superman elseworlds story in just three chapters. Not only did it capture the essence of the iconic character and provide a hugely entertaining course of events, but it also created a gripping and unique alternate universe. Batman and Woman Woman had excellent roles -- everyone loves Batmankoff, after all -- but the in-depth focus on Lex Luthor was downright superb. This is every bit as much of a Lex Luthor story as it is a Superman one. And the conclusion? It's certain to leave you speechless. This is often regarded as one of the "must read" Superman stories for a reason, Viners.
In the end, 48% of the community voted for the DC storyline. The Ultimates put up a solid fight and 43% of voters had its back. Meanwhile, 9% shamefully admitted they haven't read either story. Well, we at least hope this segment has motivated some of them to check these stories out.
Viner Post of the Week for SUPERMAN: RED SON is by Squalleon
"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 necessary 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."
There will be a new match on Monday, but seeing as we're so nice and all that, we're going to give you a teaser. It's just a small sample of the image that'll be used in next week's article. Be the first person to guess both stories correctly and we'll give you some praise in Monday's article. Oh, and please only post your guess after you think you can identify both of the stories. Anyway, let the guessing games begin! Don't forget to check the homepage on Monday to vote for the next match-up.
Want to suggest a writer and two of their stories for the segment? Tell us below or send it via Twitter.
Log in to comment