Comic books are a great way to spend time, but much like most pieces of media consumed, can be used to present a larger and more important truth. Both Superman Smashes the Klan (SSTK) by Gene Yang and Ms. Marvel No Normal by G. Willow Wilson address the theme of racism through their comic books. SSTK portrays the story of a Chinese family moving into Metropolis, with the KKK trying and failing to eliminate them, thanks to Superman. On the other hand, Ms. Marvel narrates the story of a Muslim girl who becomes a superhero and faces struggles with her sense of belonging. Both SSTK and Ms. Marvel share the theme that one should embrace what makes them different. However, SSTK portrays this theme better through its characters, whereas Ms. Marvel does it better through its structural choices. …show more content…
Marvel, the character of Kamala Khan demonstrates the theme of embracing what makes you different. Initially, Kamala is affected by hateful comments about her Muslim identity, but towards the end, she learns to not let those comments affect her. This shows that one should embrace their differences and not let others' hateful comments bring them down. However, this theme could have been presented more clearly, as the contrast between the two separate forms of hate speech might not be immediately apparent to certain readers.
In contrast, SSTK demonstrates the theme more clearly through the character of Superman. Superman wants to hide his alien identity and ignore some of his powers due to being called a demon when he was younger. However, in the climax, Superman embraces his powers and saves the day, showing that embracing what makes you different can be a powerful tool. This is made more clear because the climax is the part of the story that would have the reader's attention. In contrast, Ms. Marvel shows the theme through the reactions of two different identities of Kamala, which might not be as noticeable to