Superman jumps like a man but only higher, and runs like a man but only faster. He never does anything humans can’t do. Tommy, in his own way of fitting in, plays up stereotypes. He calls his family wontons, right in front of his sister so he can fit in with some white kids. It’s tame, but this is a kids book.

Superman Smashes the Klan Characters - Comic Vine Superman Smashes the Klan Characters - Comic Vine

Evil Is Hammy: Matt Riggs is a leader in the local section of the Klan, and every bit the bombastic speaker you would expect from it.McMillan, Graeme (October 5, 2020). "2020 Harvey Award Winners Revealed". Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 2020-10-05. And this story has so many moments like that. It became possible because Luen Yang frames the story around different side characters. Perry White may have had the reaction, but if it weren’t for the new side characters Yang writes about, the Lees, that conversation between Perry White never would have happened. Played straight with her mom, who is far more comfortable speaking Cantonese and struggles to string together complete sentences, leaving out articles in the process. Asshole Victim: No one's going to mourn Dr. Wilson, the founder of the Klan, after Matt Riggs strangles him to death. The story consists of three parts and focuses on how Superman takes down the Klan and accepts his alien nature while protecting the Lee’s from the Klan as well. Opening Scene

SUPERMAN SMASHES THE KLAN | DC

Cecchini, Mike (2021-06-22). "Superman & Lois Easter eggs are a love letter to every era of DC history". Den of Geek. Absolutely delightful. Sweet, romantic, kind. Beautifully paced. I loved this book." -- Rainbow Rowell, author of Carry On Superman Smashes the Klan is timely in that racism never seems to go out of style. Gene Luen Yang experienced racism growing up as a Chinese American and channels his childhood through the Lee children. Tommy and Roberta just want to fit in with their white classmates. Unfortunately, there are some bad apples in the barrel, as the Lee children and their parents soon find out. Superman is just learning the ropes and isn't Showy Invincible Hero: Superman is fighting against criminals who don't have any powers. But since he's fighting against a bunch of racist scumbags, you most likely won't care that the villains don't pose a threat. The tension in the story is built from them putting the people around him (mostly the Lee family) in danger instead. The book is amazing, it’s actually broken into my top five favorite comic book stories of all time. That may sound arbitrary. I mean like stories that are self contained, like story arcs, graphic novels, events. Essentially, I’m saying I hold this book to the same high level of regard as I do stories like Infinite Crisis, House of X, and Kingdom Come.Clark’s fear of being feared and othered is not unfounded. As Roberta’s experiences have shown, the world can react poorly when they encounter something different. When, at the climax of the story, Superman reveals to a baseball field full of people that he is from another place and belongs to another species, many immediately turn against him, calling for the Klan’s Grand Scorpion to protect them from the man who has saved them so many times over. Ship Tease: Issues 2 and 3 give off the implication that Roberta and Jimmy might have developed feelings for each other. It doesn't go beyond that. A Form You Are Comfortable With: Inverted. When Clark first starts getting visions of his birth parents they have green skin, red compound eyes, pointed ears, and antennae, looking like B-Movie alien villains due to his discomfort with his Kryptonian origin. When he becomes comfortable with it, they shift to the usual DC depiction of Kryptonians as Human Aliens. Everyone Has Standards: Even the more casually racist characters are openly disgusted at just HOW violent the Klan is.