Written by Gene Luen Yang
Art by Gurihiru
Published by DC Comics
This book is based on and inspired by a 1940s Radio Serial called The Adventures of Superman. Gene Luen Yang has adapted this to the comic book form. It is pretty dang good, too. It’s not terribly complicated and I liked that about it.
The book starts off in the year 1946. We see Superman at the Metropolis Dam. He is fighting a Nazi type villain.
Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane watch the fight happen. Superman beats the villain of course.
But there is something that makes Superman weak on the chest of the villain. But they remove it and it goes away.
That is when the story switches it’s focus.
It switches focus onto the Lee family who have just moved from Chinatown in Metropolis to the center of the city. It gets a little jokey here with a kid throwing up in a car and with some of the dialogue. But I also realize that Yang is trying to go for a broader audience.
The focus also switches to Tommy and Roberta, the Lee children. Tommy adjusts easily. Roberta is having a bit of a harder time. She feels out of place in this new part of the city for her. Then, the Ku Klux Klan show up to make them feel as unwelcome as possible.
One night, the Klan wakes them up with a cross burning on their lawn. They think that it may be time to leave town. But the Daily Planet swoops in and offers a reward for any information about the Klan. It causes many problems.
Tommy is kidnapped by the Klan! Superman is still new to his powers. He needs help from Roberta to help find Tommy. But that is when things get really crazy.
The story is breezy and cute. The art is okay, nothing spectacular. It does the trick. This is a fun read for young adults. It is a long first issue but never drags. It is a fun enough debut issue with some interesting potential for sure.
RATING: B
