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A review by matteldritch92
Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
2.0
I was pretty underwhelmed with this story considering how it's considered to be one of the very best modern Superman stories.
I think that the biggest problem in the book that it plays the villains needlessly cartoonish compared to the very real threat of White Nationalist domestic terrorism. Don't get me wrong, those types of people deserve to be treated as completely pathetic losers, but the book doesn't really portray them as people. Instead, the book portrays them as moustache-twirling villains who freely use racial epithets out in the open, even when they're not adorned in Klansmen paraphernalia. There's no deeper look into how someone could be swept up in the white nationalist movement or how persuasive the banality of evil is in everyday life, leading to the story to take a "just a few bad apples" approach to racism, which is egregious considering how the plot takes place in 1940s America (while also never mentioning Jim Crow laws or the Japanese internment camps).
It's also rather off-putting how the narrative does nothing to admonish the casual racism or crimes perpetrated by the supporting cast. One child aides the Klan in two separate acts of domestic terrorism, yet by the end of the story he's considered "reformed" and part of the social circle of Roberta and Tommy Lee. A scientist knowingly creates weapons to be used against Superman and faces no comeuppance for it. A pair of girls spend a large amount of time repeating anti-Asian stereotypes, but like that one aforementioned child, they get to be part of the Lee's social circle.
The book also has few scenes where the lead characters themselves have complicated relationships with their race. Tommy Lee utilizes Asian stereotypes to fit in better with the local Metropolis youths (much to Roberta's disgust) and there's an implication that their father has anti-Black views, but these details are never really expanded or brought to any sort of conclusion. It's a shame because having characters with these sort of flaws would've been a nice way to remind the reader how no one is uniquely immune to racism and how its something one needs to overcome in order to be a good person.
Ultimately, the book has more in common with "well-meaning but oblivious to their own flaws" works with anti-racism messages, such as the Harry Potter, X-Men, RWBY, Zootopia and the videogame Detroit: Become Human, to name just a few examples.
I think that the biggest problem in the book that it plays the villains needlessly cartoonish compared to the very real threat of White Nationalist domestic terrorism. Don't get me wrong, those types of people deserve to be treated as completely pathetic losers, but the book doesn't really portray them as people. Instead, the book portrays them as moustache-twirling villains who freely use racial epithets out in the open, even when they're not adorned in Klansmen paraphernalia. There's no deeper look into how someone could be swept up in the white nationalist movement or how persuasive the banality of evil is in everyday life, leading to the story to take a "just a few bad apples" approach to racism, which is egregious considering how the plot takes place in 1940s America (while also never mentioning Jim Crow laws or the Japanese internment camps).
It's also rather off-putting how the narrative does nothing to admonish the casual racism or crimes perpetrated by the supporting cast. One child aides the Klan in two separate acts of domestic terrorism, yet by the end of the story he's considered "reformed" and part of the social circle of Roberta and Tommy Lee. A scientist knowingly creates weapons to be used against Superman and faces no comeuppance for it. A pair of girls spend a large amount of time repeating anti-Asian stereotypes, but like that one aforementioned child, they get to be part of the Lee's social circle.
The book also has few scenes where the lead characters themselves have complicated relationships with their race. Tommy Lee utilizes Asian stereotypes to fit in better with the local Metropolis youths (much to Roberta's disgust) and there's an implication that their father has anti-Black views, but these details are never really expanded or brought to any sort of conclusion. It's a shame because having characters with these sort of flaws would've been a nice way to remind the reader how no one is uniquely immune to racism and how its something one needs to overcome in order to be a good person.
Ultimately, the book has more in common with "well-meaning but oblivious to their own flaws" works with anti-racism messages, such as the Harry Potter, X-Men, RWBY, Zootopia and the videogame Detroit: Become Human, to name just a few examples.