Roberta and Tommy Lee are the children of the Metropolis Health Department's newest Chief Bacteriologist, and as such, find themselves moving to a completely different-some would say "nicer"-part of Metropolis. It shows that although this is a Superman story, it's not solely his. (Who doesn't want to see Supes smashing some racists?) I also love how the characters are nearly the same size. It's very title-forward, focusing instead on the text rather than the characters, but the title really does catch your attention. Much like a yellow traffic light, the mustard-yellow background of the cover of Superman Smashes the Klan tells readers to pause and pay attention. And while Tommy Lee finds his place quickly and easily, his younger sister Roberta struggles with feeling generally out of sync with the world around her. There, they come face-to-face with a seriously evil hate group and the Man of Steel himself. Set in 1946, the book centers on a Chinese-American family, the Lees, who move out of Chinatown and into a different part of Metropolis. Written by Gene Luen Yang and illustrated by artist team Gurihiru, the book is-obviously-about Superman taking down some "bigots in bedsheets" (a phrase I've pulled from the book that is absolutely *chef's kiss*), but it's also a story about being true to oneself in the face of harsh scrutiny and fear. DC’s newest YA graphic novel, Superman Smashes the Klan, is a story with layers.
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