Superman Smashes the Klan

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Wilson, who appears in the first issue to welcome the Lees to the community, is conspicuously absent when Lois visits the Health Department in the following issue. Tensions against Asian-Americans are still high, particularly against the Japanese, and the Klan of the Fiery Kross is starting to revive itself. After the villain is brought to justice, Roberta is invited to continue the game by Jimmy Olsen as pitcher due to the impressive throw with a heavy lead object. Introducing the Lees to DC cannon and Superman’s main roster is the perfect way for Superman to do the same. In turn, Roberta notices this and immediately deduces him to be one of the Klan members who attacked her home.

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Matt Riggs spends the entire comic assuming his nephew Chuck is loyally following him, utterly clueless to the fact that his villainy disgusts his nephew. His new job involves experimenting on the kryptonite retrieved from the Atom Man to develop weaponry capable of harming or even killing Superman. When Superman arrives to save his friends from the Klan, the fight is predictably one sided since the villains don't have any powers.

Motive Rant: The head of the Klan gives a speech (itself an Adaptation Expansion of a similar, if shorter moment from the serial the comic is adapting) is actually a blunt but accurate summation of an often overlooked and especially insidious aspect of systemic racism. Child of Two Worlds: Clark was born on Krypton, but adopted and raised on Earth, making him culturally human despite his alien origins.

Superman Should Smash Racism - Superman Smashes the Klan Superman Should Smash Racism - Superman Smashes the Klan

Lee shows a bit of his own racism when instead of thanking a trio of black men helping him put out a fire he tells them to leave. They are the pinnacle of a group that deserves to get knocked out by Superman, with the way they’ve hanged, burned, tarred and feathered people through history. Roberta Lee grew up in Chinatown, but had to move to Metropolis when her father got a job at the Metropolis Health Department.Ascended Extra: Pretty much everyone gets a larger role here then what they had in the original "Klan of the Fiery Kross" radio episodes. Matt Riggs himself, he's still just as racist and violent, but with a much more modern take on racism. She manages to toss him a ball of lead to deflect the kryptonite beam and eventually jam the cannon to destroy it, allowing Superman to fight back. Superman Smashes the Klan is loosely based on a 16-part episode story-arc, "Clan of the Fiery Cross", from the radio serial Adventures of Superman which ran from June to July 1946. The Grand Imperial Mogul was a villain in the original radio show who admitted the Klan only existed to help him make money.