Ratings17
Average rating4.2
The year is 1946, and the Lee family has moved from Chinatown to Downtown Metropolis. While Dr. Lee is eager to begin his new position at the Metropolis Health Department, his two kids, Roberta and Tommy, are more excited about being closer to the famous superhero Superman! Tommy adjusts quickly to the fast pace of their new neighborhood, befriending Jimmy Olsen and joining the club baseball team, while his younger sister Roberta feels out of place when she fails to fit in with the neighborhood kids. She's awkward, quiet, and self-conscious of how she looks different from the kids around her, so she sticks to watching people instead of talking to them. While the Lees try to adjust to their new lives, an evil is stirring in Metropolis: the Ku Klux Klan. The Klan targets the Lee family, beginning a string of terrorist attacks. They kidnap Tommy, attack the Daily Planet, and even threaten the local YMCA. But with the help of Roberta's keen skills of observation, Superman is able to fight the Klan's terror, while exposing those in power who support them--and Roberta and Superman learn to embrace their own unique features that set them apart. From multi-award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Gene Luen Yang comes an exciting middle grade tale featuring Superman in a beautiful hardcover format.
Reviews with the most likes.
Pretty nuanced for a comic book that by structural nature has to be formulaic. Really appreciated the addendum explaining the creation of Superman and the original Superman vs KKK story, as always intermingled with Yang's own story. Would be a great starter for discussions with 5th grade and up.
Conceptually I liked this and appreciated the historical notes at the end but the plot felt a bit laboured to me.
This was an extremely well done story from beginning to end. The story of being an “alien” in two ways was incredible. I think Yang's bluntness with some of the subject matter was absolutely necessary even for an all ages book. Reading this as an adult, I feel like a lot of the implications felt heavy handed but I think that's totally necessary for younger readers and it gets the point across starkly. Great pick for IRCB's March Book of the Month!
Series
1 released bookDC Graphic Novels for Young Adults (formerly DC Ink) is a 18-book series first released in 2018 with contributions by Marie Lu, Sarah J. Maas, and 14 others.
Series
2 primary booksSuperman Smashes the Klan is a 1-book series first released in 2020 with contributions by Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru.