What's Superman's Stance on the Death Penalty?

That's a question recently posed by a professor in Oklahoma.

From a story in the Oklahoman...

DiPaolo’s book is about how superheroes in comics and film can be a mirror to the politics of their time.

In his chapter on Superman, DiPaolo writes how the Superman radio show used leaks from a human-rights activist to inform a story about Superman battling the Ku Klux Klan.

In the 1940s radio serial, “Clan of the Fiery Cross,” the radio show revealed tactics and secrets of the Ku Klux Klan, discovered by activist Stetson Kennedy in his undercover investigation.

“While ‘The Adventures of Superman’ radio serial has significance for fans of the character for introducing both boy photographer Jimmy Olsen and the radioactive rock Kryptonite — the only thing that can harm the invincible Superman — the ‘Clan of the Fiery Cross’ is definitely that radio show’s finest hour,” DiPaolo writes in his book.

With chapters on Wonder Woman as a feminist icon, the X-Men and civil rights, and President Barack Obama as a comic book character in his own right, DiPaolo covers multiple characters and companies.

“A lot of times comics are their most dynamic when there’s a war going on or there’s a very divisive president,” DiPaolo said. “Any time there’s a big cultural fear — a big recession, a big war — comics get very interesting.