Well, three weeks plus after saying that 'Superman Smashes the Klan will be my next read', here I am.
As I've mentioned previously though, this was not due to the series' quality or my unwillingness to re-read it. It was simply a case that these were the cards I was dealt.
Fortunately, I've managed to make the time and, Great Caesar's Ghost, was it a great use of it (again)!
Superman Smashes the Klan re-formats and re-purposes the Superman radio serial episode, Knights of the Fiery Kross into a three issue series as Gene Leun Yang and Gurihiru tell the story of the Lee family, a Chinese immigrant family who move to Metropolis when the father accepts a position with the Metropolis Health Administration. However, while the move is a new and exciting start for (most of) the family, others are not so enamoured with the new citizens of Metropolis as the Lees become targets of the Knights of the Fiery Kross, who believe that the Lee family are a blight that must be removed. Fortunately, the Lees are aided in this battle by the fearless reporters of the Daily Planet as well as the protector of Metropolis himself; Superman!
Now, I'm not sure what more I can say about this series as a whole when compared to what I originally said about issues two and three back when they first came out. However, I think it is fair to say that I absolutely love this series. Gene Leun Yang has written a truly phenomenal story, one that feels so authentic (which makes sense given the notes in the back of each issue regarding his own life and the serial's impact on him) and sincere in both it's portrayal of the various lead characters as well as the events which fill the story from beginning to end. I thought Yang created a terrific script here, one which progressed with terrific fluidity (apart from issue 1 which felt a bit clunky on this read through, although I'm unsure if that was simply down to my struggle to make substantial time to read it). What I loved about Superman Smashes the Klan was how it felt like a true Superman story in every way.
Of course, I didn't think that it was a Superman story really. I mean, sure, he was in it but the Man of Tomorrow felt like nothing more than a master of Ceremony or (at best) a supporting character. No, while Superman was involved in the story and even had his own sub-arc that focused on him, the lead character was Roberta Lee. I really thought that Yang used the Character of Roberta as an entry point for readers not just to pick up the story but also to understand the complexities and trials that many POC cultures faced (and still face). I absolutely adored the character of Roberta who, while often struggling with the issues that many children (and even some adults) face when their entire life is upended, was an incredibly courageous and uncompromising young lady, refusing to give an inch of her own moral fibre while still attempting to find acceptance from her new social circle.
This, I feel, is the major theme of the series. Acceptance. I thought that there were multiple characters who attempt to garner acceptance for themselves, but often appear to compromise themselves in some way. Whether it's Superman setting himself limits on what he can do in order to appear more human or Dr Lee emulating white culture in a view that it is more 'successful', many of the characters appear to never offer a 'true' accounting of themselves in fear of rejection.
That said, while a large portion of the cast experience this arc, the member of the Klan of the Fiery Kross are not amongst them. In fact, I didn't think Yang gave these characters any particularly extensive depth, portraying them more as pantomime villains twirling their moustaches. Of course, I don't class this as a slight in any way as, given their allegiances and values, maybe they weren't deserving of such depth. However, what I liked about this story was how the idea of the Klan turns out to essentially be a money making grift, a way to extort people through their hate (being British, this sounds eerily familiar), most likely manufactured thanks to the Klan's 'propaganda'. Thankfully, I love how Yang seems to portray them as less of a threat as the story progresses as more and more characters see through their shrouds.
By now, I've waffled on quite a bit about the story and what I've thought of it but I would be doing Superman Smashes the Klan a serious disservice if I did talk about Gurihiru's artistic contribution, no matter how inelegantly. I say 'inelegantly' because the art in this series is so beautiful, so 'elegant' that I'm not sure that whatever I could possibly say would come anywhere near the class which Gurihiru's style deserves. However, i honestly feel that the art throughout this series is truly breathtaking. Everything about it just seems to encapsulate what a Superman story looks like perfectly. It looks and feels both grounded and fantastical all at the same time while picking up the feeling and aesthetic of the 1940's perfectly. It is just truly a sight to behold from beginning to end and is yet another in an already long list of reasons why three issues was not enough.
At this point it is probably fairly obvious how I would sum up this series, but I'm going to say it anyway; Superman Smashes the Klan is a truly phenomenal comic series. It is such a beautiful, engrossing, enjoyable and, most importantly, inspiring tale about the fight against evil and hatred that I don't think I could stop gushing about it to anyone even of I tried.
I'm glad that I both re-read this series and talked about it because it has made me realise that A. I need to check out the original serial (if I can find it), similar to what I did for Star Trek, and B. I need to share its greatness with as many people as I can.
I might start with the 5 year old I live with who recently told me he wanted to look ag more comics!!
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