Naoko (as Gurihiru) Kawano

Based on an actual Superman radioplay that really did have Superman smashing a (fictionalized) Klan to dampen recruiting efforts for yet another revival, Superman Smashes the Klan is both fun and informative and while set in the late 1940s post-WWII, it still rings timeless to today, with the palpable feeling of being perceived as a Perpetual Foreigner when moving into or occupying spaces that don't typically have people like yourself. The Klan in Metropolis plot weaves beautifully with a younger Superman trying to determine his origins and how trying to fit in (aka assimilate) really limits your whole self and abilities. I don't really read DC, so I'm less familiar with the early versions who couldn't fly or how he figured out his abilities, but they're explored well here.

This version gives a name and a story to Tommy Lee's sister Lee-shin (who goes by Roberta) Lee. She isn't as comfortable he is moving out of Chinatown, but makes fast friends with across-the-street neighbor Jimmy and bravely confronts the adult bullies trying to intimidate her family.

There's a kid who struggles with recognizing that his family members have evil beliefs and wonders if they're still good people, if they've been nice to him which is complex relationship that many youth (and especially adults) STILL avoid confronting and considering today. While he doesn't explicitly speak on it further, he sides with our protagonists in the next attack, showing actions speak louder than lip service.

Great combination of super hero graphic novel and historical fiction!… (más)

Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru’s Superman Smashes the Klan adapts the 1946 episode “The Clan of the Fiery Cross” from The Adventures of Superman radio show, focusing on the Lee family moving to Metropolis and facing racist attacks from a group of bigots in bedsheets. Yang sets the story in 1946 with the Golden Age Superman, incorporating elements of the character’s changes during the radio show. For instance, this graphic novel introduces Kryptonite as well as showing Superman learn to use more of his alien powers rather than seem like an extension of the circus strongman. Yang uses these changes in Superman’s powers to parallel the Man of Tomorrow’s narrative with the immigrant experience in America. Just as he expands the story of the Lee family from the radio drama, Yang brings in other elements from the immediate postwar Superman comics. The result is a great Superman story that gets to the heart of the character’s message while showing the lasting importance of the 1946 radio show nearly 80 years later.… (más)