Superman Smashes the Klan is easily my favourite graphic novel of the year. On every level—character, theme, art—this story is perfectly rendered. Gene Luen Yang's interpretation of Superman is one of my favourites and the story he chose to tell using him was moving.

Superman Smashes the Klan is a historical story set in 1946 inspired by the classic Adventures of Superman radio show. The book's primary protagonist is Roberta Lee a Chinese-American kid struggling with her family's move from Chinatown to Metropolis. The Lee family's move isn't as smooth as they would have hoped as they face racist intimidation by Metropolis' local Klan chapter. Roberta with the help of Superman and her friends finds a way to be courageous in the face of bigotry and inspires the city to stand against hateful ideology.

I've read a lot of DC YA graphic novels and these stories often have social justice messages woven into them. While I appreciate their sentiment their execution is often didactic or simplistic in a way that feels like their talking down to their audience. Yang in contrast crafts a thoughtful story that addresses white supremacy head-on in a way that's powerful while being appropriate for younger readers. Rather than awkwardly inserting activist characters spouting lingo into the narrative anti-racism is woven into every aspect of the story meaningfully.

In Superman Smashes the Klan, Yang gets to the heart of hate movements and how they spread by addressing the big and small ways racism manifests in communities. Yes, Yang depicts cross-burnings and slurs, but he also unpacks the pressures to assimilate immigrants face when they move into predominantly white spaces. The book also takes the time to touch on racism within different racialized groups like anti-blackness held by some Asian people.

Roberta was a fantastic protagonist. We see her grow from a shy girl unsure of her place in a new city to a headstrong passionate lady ready to face off and step up in the face of injustice. Roberta begins this story feeling out f place in both Chinatown and Metropolis and the detail of feeling like an outsider in communities that are ostensible "yours" was especially relatable to me personally. Her struggles with making friends especially in contrast to her sociable older brother Tommy felt like a reflection of my own experiences. This made seeing her find a place in her community all the more heartwarming.

Yang connects the theme of fighting bigotry to the Superman mythos perfectly. The allegory of Superman as an alien is literalized as Clark unpacks the ways he's attempted to assimilate into human society and repress his Kryptonian heritage. Roberta's journey of finding a place in Metropolis as a Chinese-American inspires him to embrace aspects of his Kryptonian heritage that humans may find offputting. And it was beautiful to see.

Finally, I have to praise the art of Superman Smashes the Klan done by the Japanese duo Gurihiru. It's clean and simple in a way perfect for a story targeted at a middle-grade audience. I absolutely adored the classic Superman iconography of this series. We see him running on telephone wires like he did in the series and that classic costume was perfect in the story. Gurihiru's art captured exactly why Superman is a symbol of hope for everyone and every panel was wonderful to take in.

Superman Smashes the Klan is a textbook-perfect comic in my eyes. It's an excellent Superman story with themes that resonate. I definitely need to read more of Gene Luen Yang's comics because his work here was masterful.