Jews and the Comics

Presented by

Arlene B. Holtz, Ph.D.

For Temple Sholom Broomall

August 31, 2011

Follow-­‐up  Ac+vity    

•  Create  a  presenta*on  that  in  some  way  responds  to  the  essen*al  ques*ons:  

•  How  did  the  people  of  the  book  become  the  people  of  the  comic  book?  

•  How  did  Jewish  iden*ty,  sense  of  jus*ce,  and  American  culture  influence  the  work  of  Jewish  comic  writers  and  illustrators?  

•  What  do  these  characters  say  to  us  today?  

Jews  were  Pioneers  of  Comics  

•  Superman  

•  Batman  •  Captain  America  •  Spiderman  

•  Flash    •  Green  Lantern  •  X  -­‐Men  

•  Sgt.  Rock  •  Green  Lantern  •  The  Spirit  •  Alfred  E.  Neuman  (MAD)  

•  Tales  from  the  Crypt  •  Dr.  Doom  

•  KiTy  Pryde  

What’s  Jewish    about  Superman?  

•   Sent  away  –  like  Moses  •   Original  home  destroyed  •   Older  genera*on  sacrificed  •   Kal-­‐El  •   Dual  iden*ty  •   Tzaddik  –  selfless,  righteous  

Innate  quali*es  of  goodness  

Purity  of  purpose  

Selfless  

Superior  &  common  

Batman  

“figh*ng  for  righteousness  and  apprehending  the  wrong  doer”  

Captain  America  

The  Thing  

Ben  Grimm  –  persecuted  for  his  looks  

In  back  story  readers  learn  of  his  Jewish  iden*ty  

The  Thing  

Returns  Jewish  Star  

Beats  up  Powderkeg  who  asks,  “Are  you  really  Jewish?  You  don’t  look  Jewish.  

Hate  

EC  Comics,  1950s  

Addressed  controversial  topics  including  an*-­‐Semi*sm  

Hate  

WriTen  by  Al  Feldstein,  illustrated  by  Wally  Wood  

Hate  

Judgment  Day  

Socially  conscious  

An*  discrimina*on  

Art  Spiegelman  

Maus  

Pulitzer  Prize  

Jews  as  mice  Germans  as  cats  

Maus  

Maus