Teen Tuesday: Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang

Image: DC Comics

Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang with art by Gurihiru240 p. DC, May, 2020. 9781779504210. (Review of finished purchased copy.)

Teen Tuesday features Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang with art by Gurihiru. Mr. Yang brings a radio show from the 1940s to vivid life in this graphic novel. The Lee family has moved from Chinatown to Metropolis so that Dr. Lee can start a new job with the Health Department. The Lee children, Tommy and Roberta set about trying to make new friends. Tommy is outgoing and willing to let overt and covert ethnic slurs slip. Roberta, though shy and awkward, feels the need to call out these micro-aggressions. Tommy's an ace pitcher and is asked to join the local baseball team by Jimmy Olsen, who coaches the rec center team when he's not working as a cub reporter for The Daily Planet. The team's pitcher is not at all happy about this change. He and his mother live with his uncle, who is head of the local Klan of the Fiery Kross and they are not at all happy about the Lees move to Metropolis. And then there's Superman, who is fighting crime in Metropolis but also wondering about his own identity and where he fits in. 

The art, energetic and expressive, moves the story along briskly. Eleven pages of author notes and historical photos provide historical context in the back matter. Fans of the superhero and the graphic novel format will not want to miss this!

Funny Coincidence: two graphic novels about Diana/ Wonder Woman

Image: DC Comics

Diana: Princess of the Amazons by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale. Illustrated by Victoria Yang. 160 p. DC Comics, January 7, 2020. 9781401291112. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

Image: DC Comics

Wonder Woman: Warbringer Graphic Novel by Leigh Bardugo. Illustrated by Kit Seaton. Adapted by Louise Simonson. 208 p. DC Comics, January 7, 2020. 9781401282554. (Review of arc courtesy of publisher.)

It was kind of a funny coincidence that I read these two Wonder Woman origin stories on Sunday. I was organizing the arcs I got from Midwinter. I spied the Hale GN and dove in. I am huge fan of Shannon Hale, ever since Goose Girl.

In the Hales' origin story, Diana is still a tween trying to find her place among the Amazons and feeling the loss of her mother's attention. Inspired by the story of her own birth and lonely because she is the only child on the island, she asks to keep a flawed piece of clay and molds a child she names Mona. Mona comes to life but is not quite as vibrant as Diana. The two quickly become thick as thieves. It isn't long before Mona begins influencing Diana in negative ways - encouraging her to break rules and harm people. Soon, Mona convinces Diana to travel to the island where monsters are imprisoned behind Doom's Door. 

The art is brightly colored and energetic. The panels are easy to follow. Diana is an appealing tween with relatable issues of identity. This is an all-girl adventure with zing!

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In Wonder Woman: Warbringer, Diana is a teen and also wrestling with her identity and place among the Amazons. She is determined to win a foot-race and the approval of her mother when she spies a sinking ship. She abandons the race and dives into the sea looking to rescue survivors. There is just one, a girl names Alia. She brings Alia to the island, hides her and returns to the race, which is over, and her disapproving mother. Earthquakes rattle the island and Amazons quickly fall ill. Alia is the cause. She is a Warbringer and must die. Diana decides to bring her to a spring near the burial place of Helen, the original Warbringer instead. 

The palette in this graphic novel origin story is decidedly darker and moodier. The blue and gray tones have occasional splashes of red during the action sequences. This will appeal to fans of graphic novels as well as fans of the DC Icons novels and also the many fans of Leigh Bardugo.

Both origin stories belong in any school or public library collection.