Superman Smashes the Klan

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Any size contribution will help keep CBH alive and full of new comics guides and content. Support CBH on Patreon for exclusive rewards, or Donate here! Thank you for reading! The Lees are this Chinese family who just moved into Metropolis. If the Lees, particularly Roberta and Tommy Lee weren’t side characters in Superman’s story, so many lessons and moments would have gone untold. This book properly challenges Superman to explore why it took so long for him to learn how to fly and use the rest of his powers, other than, ‘ Huh, I didn’t know I could do that, I’m so afraid I could hurt someone.’ So originally I was gonna write a review about “Superman Smashes the Klan,” by Gene Luen Yang, with art from Guruhiru, and that book alone. But I’m not. I did make a video version of this piece though.

Book Breakdown - Superman Smashes the Klan Brings a Dark Past

The book is based on a specific run of the 1940s Superman radio serial, a story called 'The Clan of the Fiery Cross', that was specifically created to battle the KKK's increasing influence (at which it greatly succeeded). I can't say I always read authors' epilogues, but you don't want to skip it this time, it's very informative and even moving. It makes the book even more personal. Superman Smashes the Klan is loosely based on a 16-part episode story-arc, "Clan of the Fiery Cross", from the radio serial Adventures of Superman which ran from June to July 1946. [3] [6] [8] In the radio serial, "Superman exposed Ku Klux Klan codewords, rituals, and its bigotry—all based on intel collected by activist Stetson Kennedy—before a national audience. The show damaged the group's reputation and led to a steep decline in membership from which the KKK never recovered". [6] When you think of the best Superman stories, his conflicts aren’t purely physical. You think of All-Star Superman, when he’s coming to terms with how he can help as many people as possible before he dies. In “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way?” his fight was proving that pure violence and getting down to the same level as the criminals doesn’t help anyone. They all mean more than Superman punching Brainiac in the face. Those stories are fun, when that’s not all that’s happening. Sometimes Superman needs to get real. Introducing some more, different characters who would bring out different villains and conflicts will help with that. Don't Call Me "Sir": As usual, everyone calls Perry White "Chief" despite his constant complaining about it. a b "Children's Book Review: Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang, illus. by Gurihiru". Publishers Weekly. May 2020 . Retrieved 2020-08-10.Juxtaposed against this, we see a very young Superman, who is still tortured by his own childhood of being a literal alien and not fitting in. He hasn't come into all of his powers yet, and he struggles with the desire to use his abilities to do good and being branded as some kind of freak by the people whose acceptance he craves. It's very touching and sweet, and I think relatable to anyone who has ever felt like an outcast. It also shows why the idea of discrimination seems to affect him so strongly, so personally; he knows firsthand what it's like to feel like you're different and alone. Yellow Peril: A movie in the theatre called "Captain Desmo Vs Ghengis Ahkim The Intergalactic Conqueror" uses this trope with its villain, who is a Ming the Merciless Expy with the facial hair of the archetype and yellow skin. Tommy and Roberta then find themselves increasingly threatened while new friends such as Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane and Inspector Henderson try to help them and are then similarly targeted. Meanwhile, Superman's own efforts to assist the children are complicated by disturbing visions that prove to be linked to his own self-doubt and his confusion about his own self-identity. [2] [6] [7] Development [ edit ] Translation Convention: Whenever the characters are speaking a language other than English, the font is tinted to match. Chinese is written in red, while Kryptonian is written in a garish and scrabbled green to emphasize how alien it is. So this story is set in 1946 and is essentially exactly as the radio serial was. A fictional version of the Ku Klux Klan called The Klan of the Fiery Kross harass the Lee family who have just moved from Chinatown to Metropolis (“Chinatown” normally describes a district in a larger city but here it seems to literally be its own place, which seems weirdly racist in itself - that there would exist a town actually called Chinatown in the DCU!).

Superman Smashes The Klan: history through a superhero lens

It's the Klan of the Fiery Kross, obvious stand-ins for the KKK, and soon two intrepid reporters from the Daily Planet show up - Lois Lane and Clark Kent. Caitlin Rosberg: Superman Smashes The Klan is a perfect storm of a book, bringing together a format, a creative team, a main character, historical information, and current events into a remarkable and much-needed story. Based on a 1946 The Adventures Of Superman radio drama, “Clan Of The Fiery Cross,” Superman Smashes The Klan expands and adapts the narrative for modern audiences while maintaining the heart of the original message. Suddenly, I feel like there’s room for hope. I’ve found the ability to truly give Superman an honest shot again.

Fire and Brimstone Hell: Referenced when a young Clark is accused of being demon-possessed after he floats into the air and shoots "the fires of hell" from his eyes. The local sheriff takes a whiff of Clark and notes that the boy doesn't smell like fire and brimstone, concluding that if he truly is possessed by a demon, then it's the lousiest demon in all of creation.

Superman Smashes the Klan - Wikipedia

The Lees all have Anglicized names to fit in with American culture. Roberta's Chinese name is Lan-Shin. Both Tommy and Roberta seem to prefer their English names, but their mother still tends to refer to Roberta by her Chinese name. However, Tommy's and Mr. and Mrs. Lee's names are never revealed. Interracial Adoption Struggles: Set in 1946, this version of Superman initially denies his alien heritage due to a childhood accident, often imagining his birth parents as green-skinned stereotypical aliens. As such, he lets the public believe he is simply an extraordinary human because he limits his powers to that of super strength, speed, jumps, and hearing. The Kents accept him for who he is, as Martha is the one who insists he wear the El family crest on his uniform, but their fears of him getting persecuted led them to suppress his alien identity rather than embrace it, preventing him from reaching his full potential. Roberta Lee (herself struggling with being a Chinese-American immigrant in a white neighborhood) after realizing his jumps are more like floating, points out that limiting his powers to seem "normal" could lead to others getting hurt, which is exactly what happens when he doesn't use his x-ray vision to spot a bomb. Eventually, he publicly comes out with his alien heritage as Superman, but not before having a heart-to-heart with the Kents. Starfish Language: The Kryptonian soundbox that the Kents found with Clark seems to speak garbled gibberish that doesn't remotely resemble any kind of language on Earth. After Clark visits what would eventually become the Fortress of Solitude to confront his heritage, the projections of his parents explain that it was a blessing that prayed for him to find truth, hope, and love in his new home and that he live to see a tomorrow intertwined with the people of Earth, which gives him the drive to reveal his true nature to the people of Metropolis. Best Shots Review: Superman Smashes The Klan #1 'Gets to the Heart of Who Superman Is' ". Newsarama . Retrieved 2020-05-16. Characters threaten children and spew vitriol with a passion. It's not easy to read at times, but I appreciate being made uncomfortable while doing so. The topics in this book aren't comfortable ones, but a frank discussion of them shouldn't be shied away from.

The year is 1946, and the Lee family has moved from Metropolis’ Chinatown to the center of the bustling city. While Dr. Lee is greeted warmly in his new position at the Metropolis Health Department, his two kids, Roberta and Tommy, are more excited about being closer to their famous hero, Superman! Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Clark is treated like this at the Daily Planet. On one hand, he's an excellent writer who always finds the scoop. On the other, he has a habit of vanishing at convenient times and does odd things like sniff himself for the smell of alien crystal. The '40s: The story is set in 1946, not long after World War II. Tensions against Asian-Americans are still high, particularly against the Japanese, and the Klan of the Fiery Kross is starting to revive itself. Grand Scorpion: Before we get started though, I want you to know that we don't hate your kind. Don't you believe the papers. There's not an ounce of hate in our hearts.

Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang, Gurihiru Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang, Gurihiru

Superman Smashes the Klan was the 2020 Harvey Awards winner for Best Children or Young Adult Book, [9] was the awarded the Mike Wieringo Spirit Award at the 2020 Ringo Awards [10] and won both Best Publication for Kids and Best Adaptation from Another Medium at the 2021 Eisner Awards. [11] The year is 1946, and the Lee family has moved from Chinatown to Downtown Metropolis. While Dr. Lee is eager to begin his new position at the Metropolis Health Department, his two kids, Roberta and Tommy, are more excited about being closer to the famous superhero Superman! When Superman arrives to save his friends from the Klan, the fight is predictably one sided since the villains don't have any powers. The only weapon the Klan has on hand is a sword, which breaks when Matt hits Superman with it.I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher (DC Comics) in exchange for an honest review. When Superman reveals his Kryptonian heritage at the baseball game, the adults in the crowd react with horror and disgust, even begging Matt Riggs to save them from the "alien". The kids call them out for this, citing the many times Superman has saved Metropolis. You had a whole arc in Justice League of China about Chin Lun, a very stereotypical Fu Manchu-style villain who was on the cover of the very first issue of Detective Comics . You seem to often process American comics’ long relationship with orientalism through your work.