Comic Book Review: Superman Smashes the Klan 1 written by Gene Luen Yang, art by Gurihiru
It’s 1946 in the city of Metropolis, and times are changing fast in this post-War world. The Lee family is moving from the isolated neighborhood of Chinatown to the heart of the city, the first Chinese family to live in their new middle-class neighborhood. Dr. Lee is excited about his new job with the Metropolis Health Department, and his son Tommy is looking forward to showing off his baseball skills. Roberta, nee Lan-Shin, is excited too, but her motion sickness is making the car trip an ordeal for her.
But not everyone is pleased with the direction the world is going. Die-hard Nazi Atom Man threatens to destroy the city in revenge for his cause’s defeat, and he’s got a nasty surprise in store for Superman. On a more personal level, the Klan of the Fiery Cross fears their white Western European Christian country is under attack by people who are not like the true Americans, who seek to infiltrate society and replace real Americans. Already displeased by black men in the police department, and Dr. Lee’s appointment to a government job, the leader of the Klan becomes infuriated when Tommy takes his nephew’s place on the local baseball team.
Can Superman save the Lees from these violent bigots when he’s suddenly not sure who he himself is anymore?
This miniseries is based loosely on a classic storyline from The Adventures of Superman radio show where Superman battled a thinly veiled version of the Ku Klux Klan. As such, it uses a version of Superman that’s closer to how he was at the beginning of that series, only able to leap tall buildings rather than fly, and not using heat vision. Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen are closer to their radio versions as well.
But the story also includes elements from the 1948 comic book story where Superman first encounters Kryptonite (introduced in the radio show some time earlier) and learns the full truth of his origins. This is used to point up that Superman himself is an immigrant, fully assimilated as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter, though he might be. There’s also some bits from the Silver Age and Post-Crisis continuities as well.
In a text feature, author Gene Luen Yang weaves together a history of the KKK with his own experiences of racism.
And racism is a major theme of the story, whether overt in the cross burning of the Fiery Cross, or in passing, like the tasteless joke one of Dr. Lee’s colleagues makes while trying to be friendly to Mrs. Lee. (She’s an immigrant and her English is still shaky.) And the adult Lees are not immune, reacting with panic when Inspector Henderson and his friends (who happen to be black) show up to try to help.
Tommy’s baseball skills and outgoing manner allow him to be accepted by the majority of people in his new neighborhood and fit in well, but Roberta is shy and a bit sickly–even when she makes an effort to be friendly, the kids are more interested in meeting her brother. She is, though, a bit more observant than he is, which means that she can figure out who one of the Klan is.
The Grand Scorpion’s nephew Chuck Riggs is a bit of a sorehead and casually prejudiced, but soon realizes that his uncle’s secret society is way over the line. Once you’re in a hate group though, it’s dangerous to back out. It’s possible that Chuck’s fandom for Superman may pull him back from the brink.
And we know that somehow that Kryptonite’s coming back into the plotline.
The art is nice, and I want to point up the use of color on the cover to visually connect Roberta and Superman.
There’s not a lot of subtlety here, but that’s a-okay as this is a children’s series (ages eight on up, some younger readers may need guidance from grownups dealing with the themes.)
Recommended for Superman fans of all ages.
