This was an excellent graphic novel based upon a little known radio play (at least to me) where Superman fights the KKK. 

Set just after WWII, Superman is fighting off the few Nazis who haven’t realized they’ve lost the war, and in doing so, comes into contact with kryptonite for the first time, making him weak and giving him unsettling visions. 

Meanwhile, the Lee family is moving out of Chinatown and into Metropolis, a change that makes MC, Roberta, nauseous even as her older brother, Tommy easily fits in. However, it seems Roberta is right to be wary as the neighborhood bully and his uncle already resents c—–s moving into good ol’ American” suburbs. 

You can already tell what the moral of the story is going to be, kind of obvious from the cover that racism is bad, but Gene Luen Yang goes about it in a very nuanced way. He illustrates how Tommy plays into some of those stereotypes, calling himself a “wonton” and quoting made up Confucianism wisdom in order to impress other kids. 

He also shows how the neighborhood bully isn’t automatically bad. Yes, he’s prejudiced but he doesn’t want to physically hurt anyone and shows his conflict as he realizes his family and their beliefs that one should be with their own kind make them bad people. 

I also enjoyed Superman’s storyline. Here, he doesn’t shoot laser rays or fly, he holds himself back by running really fast on telephone wires. This is because he doesn’t want to be seen as a demon or not normal. He is an alien immigrant trying to assimilate. Which backfires as it makes the KKK value him as an ideal American, strong, native and pure without immigrant blood. And of course, he refuses to be their posterboy. 

Yang also includes that despite the racism the Lee family faces, the father is similarly prejudiced against African-Americans. He actually tells them to go away when they offer to help smother the burning cross in their yard. He only respect them when he realizes one is a legitimate police officer. To paraphrase the man, “They don’t want to associate with us or our help. Even with a cross burning in their yard.” 

Additionally, the back offers a brief history of the KKK starting after the Civil War and their resurgences, including the lesser known atrocities of the West Coast KKK against Asians. As well as the history of Superman, and how he was created by two Jewish men to help defeat the Nazis, and later, seeing how prejudice still stands, the KKK on the radio. 

Overall, I enjoyed how Yang made it a very 1940s setting and atmosphere without anchronisms, he clearly did his research while also shining his love for the characters like young Clark Kent connecting with a storngman (which was the original inspiration for the character’s build) and crafting a compelling, unfortunately still timely message.

5 stars, a very good read.