This week, we're putting Mark Millar in this segment's spotlight. The creative mind behind CIVIL WAR obviously has a lot of quality stories to choose from, but after really thinking it through, we believe comparing and contrasting two alternate universe stories from the big two could be a whole lot of fun. In one corner, we have SUPERMAN: RED SON. While it may not have nearly as many issues as its competition, it's one hell of a "what if?" story and has an absolutely brilliant ending. Plus, Batmankoff! In the other corner, we have THE ULTIMATES. 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. We adore both stories, but if you had to pick one over the other, which would you side with and why?

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

The poll will stay open until Friday morning (ET). That should give you more than enough time to really think this one through and then cast your vote with some degree of confidence. And if you haven't read either story, this gives you at least four days to finally check them out. Or, you can be incredibly lazy and just vote for the "I haven't read either" option. The choice is yours. After casting your vote, we encourage you to jump into the comments and get your elaboration on. Give the winning story a good amount of support and there's a chance we'll include it in Friday's article. Getting the post of the week isn't up there with winning a medal or anything like that, but it gives you a little bit of bragging rights, yes?

Last but not least, give the Comic Viner Squalleon some love in the comments below. They were not only the first person to correctly guess this week's match-up based on the teaser image, but they were also the very first post in the article. You've got a keen eye there, Squalleon.

Check the homepage on Friday to see which story won and why. In the meantime, feel free to make future match-up suggestions in the comments below or via Gregg's Twitter page.

Dis gonna be hard.

The Ultimates hands down

not even a competition

Red Sun hands down IMO. Never cared for Ultimates. lol

dammit why not both

all of these favorite runs competitons seem to have very clear winners. I haven't read either but from what I've been told Red Son would be the obvious choice and I don't really see i losing

The Ultimates.

Red son take this with ease

No contest. I jusy recently read Red son and while some parts were intersting I don't really care for it or see the big deal.

Then u have Ultimates. One of thr greatest comic runs ever. With amazing characters and beautiful art.

Yea not really any contest.

Red Son any day!

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! Son!

ANYTHING beats Ultimates

Red Son.

Red son is sooo overhyped but so are these volumes of the Ultimates.

And you voted for...?

Definitely voting for The Ultimates. I still re-read my Ultimate trades pretty often. Modernizing Marvels super-team was one hell of a feat.

But you can definitely hear his accent in his writing. And also, what's with the numerous celebrities peppered throughout? Those are my gripes

What's clear to me from all of these comments is that I really need to read both titles. I'd like to be caught up in the struggle of deciding who to vote for myself.

Red Son. There is no way to beat Superman without Kryptonite. This does not exist in the Marvel Universe. How could they win?

I'd recommend reading the article.

RED SON definitely.

Ultimates, by a mile.

Ultimates for me. You could say it has more of a lasting impact on the comics and movies. The same can't be said for Red Son.

of the the two? ultimates hands down. didnt like red son at all

@pltrgy13: Please tell me you're kidding :P

i only read red son

so im not voting

I like them both, but Red Son wins.

Red Son FTW

@k4tzm4n:

Might I suggest Geoff Johns' Aquaman vs Green Lantern

Red Son.

@k4tzm4n: A Suggestion. Loeb's and Sale's Superman: For all Seasons vs Batman: Long Halloween.

These last two have been so difficult to choose. I'm not a Mark Millar fan and hated Old Man Logan. I love both theses stories so much, so this is really tough. The Ultimates had all unlikeable characters, yet somehow, I wanted more from them. I thought it was a far better character story than Watchmen. I'm sick of origins yet for some reason, I never get bored of seeing different interpretations of Superman's, and Red Son is no exception. The Ultimates was a fantastic one as well! Ultimates 1 and 2 are my favorite Avengers stories and I never liked the Avengers until I read them. The only other Avengers I really enjoyed was Brian Bendis' run, which I loved. I love Superman, but I'm going with the Ultimates.

Hey all,

Today's the last day to vote. So, if you haven't already done so, cast your vote and get your post on. And, if you're feeling up to it, please spread the word to get more voters in here.

kthxbye!