SUPERMAN VOL. 1: BEFORE TRUTH Gene Luen Yang

ac a d e m i c r e a d i n g g u i d e SUPERMAN VOL. 1: BEFORE TRUTH Gene Luen Yang | John Romita Jr.

Superman’s biggest secret—his true identity—has remained safe until now. What will happen when the big secret is revealed? This new graphic novel features the DC Comics debut of critically acclaimed, National Book Award-nominated author Gene Luen Yang, with art from John Romita Jr. and Klaus Janson.

THEMES Secrecy, publicity and privacy, technology, identity, betrayal, alienation, physicality, control, agency, strength and weakness

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS • One of the core concerns in SUPERMAN VOL 1: BEFORE TRUTH is the power of information, and its potential to be used as both shield and weapon. Find examples in the text of individuals sharing or disseminating information. Does the text present all of these instances through an equally critical lens, or does it acknowledge both “good” and “evil” intentions? How do you know, and why do you think this is?

• How does the text draw distinctions between secrecy and privacy? What broader arguments does it make by differentiating the two?

• Why do you think Yang has chosen to feature the developing friendship between Jimmy and Condesa? What narrative purpose does this partnership serve, and in SUPERMAN VOL. 1: BEFORE TRUTH gene luen yang | john romita jr. what ways is it unique from others in the text? isbn: 978-1-4012-5981-5 format: HC • What are some of the story’s recurring visual motifs? How do they contribute to price: $22.99/$27.99 can building some of its broader arguments? on sale: April 12, 2016

• Analyze and interpret Hordr’s distinct speech patterns. What other unique features contribute to his characterization—and how are “villains” in general identified in this text?

• How does Lois justify her decision to reveal Clark’s secret to the world? Does the text itself condone or reject this action? How so?

• Superman’s physical powers dramatically fluctuate in this narrative. Analyze how these highs and lows are depicted by the artists. How do Superman’s moments of strength visually differ from moments of weakness, and how are both of those types of scenes altogether different from the surrounding material? Why might this be the case?

• How would you describe John Romita Jr.’s and Klaus Janson’s artistic styles in SUPERMAN VOL. 1? Find some examples of moments when the art aided your interpretation of the text and explain how it did so.

• What was your familiarity with Superman prior to reading this graphic novel? In what ways did this text support or disrupt your previous understanding of him as a character? What was most surprising about Yang’s and Romita’s depiction of him?

CONTINUED... ESSAY PROMPT Superman’s identity as both a literal and figurative “alien” and the thematic centrality of assimilation and secrecy in his narrative makes him a unique object of analysis in American cultural studies. SUPERMAN VOL. 1: BEFORE TRUTH adds an additional layer of contemporary relevance to this mythos by acknowledging the role of social technologies in Clark Kent’s “blown cover.” What do you think is this text’s primary argument about the relationship between technology and alienation? How are its depictions of technology and its ramifications similar to or different from others in Superman’s literary history? If this is your first exposure to the Man of Steel, select and read a second Superman graphic novel and write a comparative analysis of the two texts.

GUIDED CLOSE READING The page to the right depicts Clark, Lois, Condesa and Jimmy taking stock of the Hordr_Plex—that is, Hordr’s central “campus”—for the first time ever. The scene helps establish the main setting for this chapter and continues to build our impressions of Hordr as an an- tagonist. Use the following prompts to help your stu- dents give meaning to the visual information on the page:

• Start with the big picture: compare the layout of this page to those of surrounding pages. How is this page organized? Does it differ greatly from the surrounding pages? Pay attention to framing, bor- ders, and the number, size and spacing of the panels. How does this particular layout enhance and help to effectively deliver this page’s unique textual content?

• Now, study each frame individually. How does each one command visual interest? Consider the artistic style of the page. Analyze color, perspective and framing. Are there any recurring motifs? Does any one frame in particular stand out immediately, or are they all given equal weight? Why do you think this is?

• Several different styles of lettering are used to con- vey spoken dialogue and sound effects on this page. How do these various presentations impact your interpretation of the words?

• What do we learn about Hordr and the Hordr_Plex on this page, and how do we make those determina- tions? What kind of atmosphere is depicted, and how does the text work to establish it? Notice that Jimmy and Condesa have conflicting viewpoints about their surroundings. Whose first impressions do you trust and why? Try to determine which textual clues on the page contributed to your conclusion.