Superman versus the Ku Klux Klan: The True Story of How the Iconic Superhero Battled the Men of Hate

Superman versus the Ku Klux Klan: The True Story of How the Iconic Superhero Battled the Men of Hate
Richard Bowers

National Kids Geographic

With profound love: Wynn, Neva, Helen and Joy.

PUBLISHED BY THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY

John M. Fahey, Jr., Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer; Tim T. Kelly, President; Declan Moore, Executive Vice President; President, Publishing; Melina Gerosa Bellows, Executive Vice President; Chief Creative Officer, Books, Kids, and Family

PREPARED BY THE BOOK DIVISION

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STAFF FOR THIS BOOK

Nancy Laties Feresten, Editor; James Hiscott, Jr., Art Director/Designer; Lori Epstein, Senior Illustrations Editor; Kate Olesin, Editorial Assistant; Kathryn Robbins, Design Production Assistant; Hillary Moloney, Illustrations Assistant; Grace Hill, Associate Managing Editor; Lewis R. Bassford, Production Manager; Susan Borke, Legal and Business Affairs

MANUFACTURING AND QUALITY MANAGEMENT

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Bowers, Rick, 1952-

Superman vs. the Ku Klux Klan : the true story of how the iconic superhero battled the men of hate / by Rick Bowers.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

eISBN: 978-1-4263-0917-5

1. Superman (Comic strip) 2. Superman (Fictitious character) 3. Ku Klux Klan (1915-) 4. Comic books, strips, etc.–Social aspects. I. Title.

PN6728.S9B69 2011

741.5′973–dc23

ILLUSTRATION CREDITS

8, Special Collections, Michael Schwartz Library at Cleveland State University; 16, Private collection; 22, American Stock/Getty Images; 30, Berenice Abbott/Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs/The New York Public Library; 36, Private collection; 46, Arthur Rothstein/FSA/State Archives of Florida/Library of Congress; 56, Library of Congress; 62, EPIC/The Kobal Collection; 68, Underwood & Underwood/Corbis; 78, Private collection; 86, Carl Iwasaki/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images; 92, Private collection; 98, Private collection; 106, Keystone Features/Getty Images; 114, The University of Maryland Broadcasting Archives; 124, Ed Clark/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images; 132, Leonard Detrick/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images; 140, Private collection; 150, Private collection.

All insert images courtesy of private collection unless otherwise noted below: insert 4, Lippert Pictures/Getty Images; insert 5, DC Comics/Warner Bros/The Kobal Collection

Text Copyright © 2012 Richard J. Bowers

Compilation copyright © 2012 National Geographic Society. All rights reserved. Reproduction without written permission from the publisher is prohibited.

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v3.1

Version: 2017-07-05

CONTENTS

Cover (#u5b96f0c0-71c4-5201-8330-f918f0cb1b05)

Title Page (#ua7d374a8-84f9-5256-bb19-2fe9e3351266)

Copyright (#u14e5dff8-e7b6-5848-9078-4ff8bbbe9943)

FROM THE AUTHOR (#uee88656d-07d4-5d68-8aaf-e430fd4c0b96)

PART ONE—THE BIRTH OF SUPERMAN

Chapter 1—Kosher Delis & Distant Galaxies (#u1eb5abe4-3a31-5316-a0df-afbcf87e49d0)

Chapter 2—Kindred Spirits & Creative Forces (#u57ef760b-70b9-5c4b-b76c-407ef9b43074)

Chapter 3—The Magic of the Mix (#uab1a127c-9e2b-5558-a860-842c6752ebd5)

Chapter 4—Bootleg Whiskey & Printer’s Ink (#u346f4d4e-ef21-5d2d-9ffc-565e3231514a)

Chapter 5—Champion of the Oppressed (#ucc6e643a-628f-56e8-a823-854d6fc5a16a)

PART TWO—EMERGING FROM THE SHADOWS

Chapter 6—Orange Groves & Hooded Horses (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 7—The Original Klan (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 8—Back From the Dead (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 9—A Bold New Message (#litres_trial_promo)

PART THREE—JUGGERNAUT

Chapter 10—The Big Blue Money Machine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 11—“Mayhem, Murder, Torture, & Abduction” (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 12—On the Air (#litres_trial_promo)