Publication History
The ideas that made up the story came together over a long stretch of time. Millar has stated:
| “ | Red Son is based on a thought that flitted through my head when I read Superman #300 as a six year old. It was an imaginary story where Superman's rocket landed in neutral waters between the USA and the USSR and both sides were rushing to claim the baby. As a kid growing up in the shadow of the Cold War, the notion of what might have happened if the Soviets had reached him first just seemed fascinating to me. | ” |
| “ | As I got older, I started putting everything together and I first pitched something to DC when I was thirteen, I think - although it was in a much cruder form, of course, and my drawings weren't quite up to scratch. | ” |
By 1992, he had already developed many of the plot points:
| “ | Instead of landing in Kansas as a child, I've decided to explore what could have happened if his rocket would have landed on a collective farm in the Soviet Union. Instead of working for the Daily Planet, he'll be a reporter for Pravda. There's a reversal of the current situation, this time it's the U.S.A. that's splitting up with Georgia and Louisiana demanding independence - tanks rolling through the streets of New Orleans. I'll be including a whole bunch of DC characters, like Batman and Green Lantern - who you'll see in a new light | ” |
Grant Morrison has given interviews about giving good friend Mark Millar the idea of sending Superman back to the past, as was used in the end of Red Son.
Certain images from the series are taken from famous comic book covers or panels. A splash panel from the first issue references Superman's pose on the cover of Superman #1. Also, a panel showing the riots in the U.S. mimics the famous cover to Action Comics #1.
Read more about this topic: Superman: Red Son
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