Just to start off and disarm those who complain that modern writers are ruining Superman — they are, but because they make him overpowered, dark, cruel and inhuman not because of the “SJW agenda” — the main plot of the series isn’t a creation of a modern writer but a really faithful adaptation of a Superman radio serial from the late 1940s called The Clan of the Fiery Cross (give it a listen, you might expect those old radio serials to be really corny but it’s genuinely suspenseful and well written) where Superman fights the KKK, which was actually impactful in diminishing their revival and hurting their recruitment among young people during their post war revival.

Nonetheless it’s a really beautifully written story that takes a lot of cues from Golden Age Superman comics, the radio serials and the Fleischer cartoons in that Superman is not as over powered and he’s an earnest and kind guy that loves humanity and desperately wants to be a part of it and is insecure about being an alien, rather than modern takes which have him as a disconnected and cold figure. The story takes place in the late 40s when Clark Kent has only recently moved to Metropolis and started working at the Daily Planet and aside from him it follows a brother and sister who have recently moved from Chinatown to the suburbs of Metropolis (across the street from Jimmy Olsen) and are having problems with people who don’t want them there. It’s written with kids in mind so it’s not super violent or dark and it’s always hopeful, which I appreciate since it seems like mainstream comic titles are no longer written with kids of teenagers in mind but with grown men as the primary readership, but it does deal with serious topics in a good way and has commentary and subtext about how bigotry serves the rich and powerful which does not seem overbearing or like a lecture. I gave it and Superman For All Seasons to my nephew for his 11th birthday last month after he really enjoyed watching the Superman cartoons from the 40s and the 90s and a collection of Golden Age Action Comics stories and he loved it. I highly recommend. On top of that it has beautiful art that is somewhere between classic cartoons and Japanese anime.