Superman Red and Blue #1

 Superman Red and Blue #1

Originally released in 2021

Written by John Ridley et al

Art by Clayton Henry et al

Superman Red and Blue is another anthology series like Batman Black and White, and not to be confused with the time where Superman split into two energy beings that were both Superman. (ah, the 90s...)  This one covers a wider period of Superman's life than Batman Black and White did for Batman, with one of the stories dealing with Clark as a kindergartener.

The first two stories were darker than I expected, with the first story (written by John Ridley and drawn by Clayton Henry) dealing with Clark Kent interviewing a former dictator who, years ago, had captured and tortured Superman for months.  It was nice to see the Clark Kent side of Superman get more focus, but the plot didn't really mesh with the character (or at least my understanding of him).  There's a moment in Clark's internal monologue where he hopes that the ex-dictator is unrepentant and imagines killing him with heat vision, which seems very un-Superman-like.  It's nice to see Clark as a journalist, but this first story seems to be taking a Silver Age story and making it darker and edgier, with Clark only feeling hopeful at the very end.

The second story focuses on how Superman gives people hope, though that message is contrasted by a woman falling into drug addiction and dying.  Ultimately, it's how Superman inspires people to be better, but that isn't always enough, and he can't save people from themselves, which seems like a gloomy way to end it.  Brandon Easton did the writing for this one, while Steve Lieber did the art; the message is mixed, and Superman's involvement seems secondary, but it's still a touching and tragic story.

The third story is more optimistic, focusing on a boy who saved Superman's life during a fight with some sort of creature from Apokolips early in Clark's career.  The boy, Abdi El-Kahl, lost his arm in the process of trying to get Superman to the roof of an apartment and into the sunlight, but Superman clearly appreciates everything that he did, calling Abdi his hero, and later on in life, he gladly chooses to vouch for him when Abdi is applying for a job at the Daily Planet, even if it's ultimately unnecessary since Abdi got the job that he was after.  Wes Craig did both the writing and the art here, and I thought it did a better job with highlighting the positive impact that Superman has on the people of Metropolis, and the world as a whole, than the second story.

The fourth story gets more creative, with a fifth dimensional imp (not Mr. Mxyzptlk this time) stealing all of the colour of the world and putting it into a box.  He gives the box to Superman, letting Clark choose which colours to bring back if any.  While the narration describes him ultimately bringing back all of them, he starts with two colours. (the title of this anthology's a bit of a giveaway for which ones)  There's a nice nod to Batman Black and White when Batman makes an appearance, and the writing (by Dan Watters) does a great job with establishing why we need colours, focusing on the good and bad things associated with red and blue.  The art, by an artist who's just credited as Dani, gives us a great look at the impact that the return of these colours has on the world, and how people react to colour being brought back into their lives once more.

The final story switches things up by focusing on Clark's first day of school, long before he became Superman.  This was a really charming story about Clark's worries about making friends and his desire, even at this young age, to help people who weren't finding it as easy to make friends as he was.  Jill Thompson's art has a wider variety of shades of red and blue compared to other stories in this collection, still sticking to the theme while making the pages stand out.  Marguerite Bennet's writing really captures Clark's youthful fears and worries, along with Ma and Pa Kent's perspectives on Clark's situation.  This story might have been my favourite of the bunch.