Superman Smashes the Klan Review

With a title like that, how can you not read it? But first, let us consider a well-known American proverb:

“Superman is boring.”

I have my own thoughts and feelings about that attitude: you know Batman is going to win every time, too, but fewer people complain that he’s boring, even if he happens to have a limitless arsenal of technology to do whatever the hell Gotham needs this week. Really, the best analog I can think of for Superman is the Doctor from Doctor Who: an immensely powerful character who, by all rights, could be seen as a god… but prefers to hang out with and act like us humans because they think we’re special and worth it. I couldn’t find that idea boring if I tried.

But the brilliance of Superman Smashes the Klan by Yang is that Superman isn’t god-like here. In fact, since it’s set in the 1940’s (predating the addition of most of Superman’s powers), Supes is basically just a fast, strong guy. No flying. No punching T-Rexes in the face. And that added vulnerability is personal, too: people don’t know this Superman is an alien. He’s terrified of people finding out and hating him for being different. It’s a story that pairs well with:

Lan-Shin (Roberta) Lee, who is a young Chinese-American girl moving to the big city of Metropolis with her family. Not only is she dealing with the stresses of moving and the run-of-the-mill prejudices of a place not used to Asians, she and her brother Tommy come across the Klan of the Fiery Kross (basically the KKK, but without paying them royalties for the name), who target her family for moving into a “white” neighborhood.

While Lan-Shin and Superman don’t seem to have much in common (Superman is beloved and seemingly invincible, Lan-Shin is a wallflower who can’t manage a car ride without vomiting), the story does a wonderful job of giving them parallel challenges: looking for clues to solve problems that can’t be punched away, protecting the people they care for most, and facing the fear of being hated for their differences. That’s a side of Superman that just isn’t explored enough: Superman as an immigrant, sent to America to live his best life. Superman comes across as American as apple pie and can certainly “pass” with the white majority of the 1940’s, but fearing someone who is “other” is a universal experience, and I hope readers take it to heart: if it can happen to Superman, it can happen to anyone.

This is not a perfect comic: trying to hit a tone (especially for the younger characters) that is both dramatic and fun is a balancing act that doesn’t always land, and the real threats to Superman arrive a little late to keep the tension as high as it hopes to be. But throw in amazing art by Gurihiru (who worked on the Avatar: Last Airbender comics), some very clever flashbacks/shout-outs, and a surprisingly nuanced take on the Klan (largely uneducated white men exploited by family they don’t want to disappoint and wealthy men profiting off their crimes), and you end up with a graphic novel that any superhero fan should read at least once.

4 out of 5 red capes. Available at fine booksellers everywhere.