I read this novel when it first came out in 1979, and I've never quite gotten over it.

I grew up going to Catholic school in the 50s and 60s, when nuns were allowed do anything they wanted to a child, because if they beat you, "you must've deserved it." Things were horrific at home too, though the abuse there was mostly verbal (but cruel and relentless enough to do a ton of damage).

These things have nothing to do with Superman, but they have everything to do with why this novel by Joseph Torchia affected me so deeply. The book consists of a parochial schoolboy's letters to Superman. That's it; very simple -- just letters, collected chronologically over a period of time -- from this poor kid whose daily life is hell, told in n his own uncannily authentic voice. Telling a story entirely through letters, journal entries, and so on can be a very effective way of luring you deep inside a character's head (if you don't believe me, go back and page through Bram Stoker's "Dracula"sometime). Our boy Jerry's head is a godawful place to be trapped, but luckily he innocently says a lot of hilarious things on his journey. The story is often darkly funny until one of the letters is found and read by a nun, and the good sisters begin to persecute Jerry to try to "break him" of this "nasty habit." (Nasty habit indeed. Ever have a nun in full regalia brush too close by you on a hot day? It isn't pretty!)

Anyway, I can tell you from painful experience that when nuns say they want to "break" a child of something, hellish times are coming. Or at least that was certainly the case back then.

So “The Kryptonite Kid” is a pretty heartbreaking look into an isolated kid's mind, and it vividly illustrates how a beloved comic character can be, quite literally, a lifeline.

I recommend this book very highly, but be warned -- it's not exactly light reading, though it does have more than its share of laughs. You can still get it used at Amazon (they have a copy there right now that's only a dime -- the price of a comic book in an era some of us remember well).

I wrote this review for the “Superman Fans” group here at Eons, managed by our good friend Rodger Duke. If you haven’t visited that group yet, you should check it out. It’s a lot of fun. It has photos of the Man Of Steel chatting with Mr. Ed, and even talking Mrs. Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball) down from a skyscraper ledge.

view link

***

Ponytail manages the Eons groups Midnight Movies and Buddhist Boomers.
Blog (c) 2009 by Jack Veasey.