Superman Versus the Ku Klux Klan: The True Story of How the Iconic Superhero Battled the Men of Hate (review)

Bowers handily follows four different threads to their convergence in the showdown promised in his title. Before reaching The Adventures of Superman's 1946 "Clan of the Fiery Cross" radio episodes, which arrive as the book's climax, readers explore how the Superman character reflected the lust for action of its time, the experiences of its Jewish creators during a period of overt anti-semitism, and the ever-changing cast of villains inspired by current events. Of equal importance is the persistence of the Ku Klux Klan, particularly its 1920 resurgence, orchestrated by a PR team, and its revival following World War II (when it was infiltrated by Klanbuster Stetson Kennedy). Under pressure to produce more child-appropriate content, the Adventures of Superman producers planned a media assault on the Klan itself, in the form of a sixteen-episode series that would pit Superman against his even more elaborately caped—and hooded—nemeses. In collaboration with Kennedy, who fed secret Klan information through the Anti-Defamation League, the writers limned a villainous organization named Clan of the Fiery Cross, a thinly disguised feint that purposely fooled no one, and won critical and popular approbation for the series. Bowers' text frequently takes a breathless, Movietone newsreel tone that is, save for a few overplayed moments, pitch perfect. An afterword looks at the post-event careers of the main players, and a bibliography, source notes, and index are also appended.