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thestylishreader 's review for:
First of all, Gene Luen Yang does a fantastic job of taking the 1940s Superman radio series as his source material and making it work for a modern audience, while retaining the story’s merit as a snapshot of what Chinese immigrants from the period experienced on a day-to-day basis. In the final pages of the book, Yang provides an essay on the historical background of both the show and the Klan history it draws from, along with his own personal experiences with growing up in the U.S. as an immigrant himself. If you do choose to read this book, I highly recommend you use those final pages as an introduction.
This is not simply a history lesson disguised as a Superman story, however. Yang manages to successfully weave two interdependent narratives together throughout the book: The Lee family, especially Roberta and Tommy, adjusting to life in Metropolis, and Superman adjusting to, well, basically not being lost in his head and embracing his “alien” traits. All the main characters feel fully fleshed out in the story as well, even the ones you just want to hate, and boy, are there some layers. You’ve got Roberta, trying to find where she fits in her new home. Inspector Henderson, facing the fight against the Klan as both a black man and a police officer. Chuck, growing up under the firm grip of his uncle, a high-profile Klan leader. And then of course, there’s Superman caught in between living a life of normalcy and using his full potential for good at the risk of losing the former.
The art is also fantastic, thanks to the creative team Gurihiru. The colors and inks are detailed throughout, really making it feel as if each character is jumping from the page. However, my favorite feature of the artwork is how Gurihiru design something that feels like a mixture of Western and Eastern comics. I see the familiarity of the popping coloring, the setting, even the text boxes. However, the two still integrate elements of their Japanese style in the character’s facial expressions and movements. Huh…that contrast is kind of like the Lee’s living in Metropolis….
Altogether, a brilliant book which I highly recommend. A Superman book for people who think they are too smart for or “don’t like” Superman ;)