SUPERMAN SMASHES THE KLAN SC

Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru’s Superman Smashes the Klan follows Roberta and Tommy Lee as their family moves from Chinatown to the Metropolis suburbs. Their initial feelings of isolation and Roberta’s struggles to change her behaviour to fit into the almost exclusively white neighbourhood, are significantly heightened when the family become the target of the local chapter of the KKK. This is not an easy topic, but Yang and Gurihiru manage to delicately handle the balance between the weighty subject matter, and an engaging and exciting action plot. While Superman is of course key, and his own feelings of alienation are a mirror to the narrative, Superman Smashes the Klan really excels at putting a regular family at the centre of the narrative, allowing them to become the heroes. The blending of the Lee family with Superman and his supporting cast (Jimmy Olsen has a great role here) is seamless, creating a great access point to a story that explores racism thoughtfully and with depth.