Tag Archives: Jack Kirby

New Philadelphia Museum of Jewish Art Exhibition on Comics

“House of El” by Joel Silverstein

Beginning Tuesday, October 15th, the Philadelphia Museum of Jewish Art (along with the Jewish Art Salon) will be featuring a new exhibit: JOMIX – Jewish Comics: Art & Derivation. The show promises a showcase “of cutting-edge creators, reinvestigating traditional genres like superhero, political satire, romance, horror, science fiction and confessionals through a Jewish lens.”

Guest speakers are scheduled to include Joel Silverstein, Richard McBee, and Aimee Rubensteen, Exhibit Curators from the Jewish Art Salon. Introductions will be provided by Yona Verwer, President of the Jewish Art Salon, and Participating Artists include

Shay Charka, Howard Chaykin, Leela Corman, Jessica Deutsch, Aliza Donath, Dorit Jordan Dotan, Josh Edelglass, Zev Engelmayer, Liana Finck, Stuart Immonen, Miriam Katin, Scott Koblish, Michael Korosty, Yonah Lavery, Miriam Libicki, Sarah Lightman, Rutu Modan, Archie Rand, Ariel Schrag, Liat Shalom, Dov Smiley, Joshua Stulman, Arthur Szyk, Deborah Ugoretz, Eli Valley, Julian Voloj, JT Waldman, David Wander, Al Wiesner, Jack Kirby, Joel Silverstein, and Ephraim Wuensch.

A catalogue for the exhibit will be available in September.

Indian Comics

Does the imminent cancellation of Outsourced leave Aziz Ansari from Parks and Recreation, tweets from Deepak Chopra, and CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta as your only connection to Indian culture and Hinduism? Let’s correct that:

Liquid Comics. Good comics companies don’t die — they rebrand. When Virgin Comics, launched in 2006, moved from New York to Los Angeles in 2008, it became Liquid Comics, and it remains home to some sensational titles like India Authentic, Devi, and The Sadhu. One could do worse than sampling Hindu lore from Liquid Comics, either in print or digitally.

Chitrakatha: Indian Comics Beyond Balloons and Panels. This upcoming documentary from filmmaker Alok Sharma examines the native roots of comic book and comic strip making in India, spanning over three generations of artists. His film promises to show how alive the art truly is and the complex traditions from which it sprung.

Vimanarama. This stand-alone Vertigo graphic novel allows award-winning writer Grant Morrison to immerse his Western readers in a mix of Hindu lore and his own boggling storytelling. Perfect for the comic book reader steeped in British or American fare but uncertain as to how to tread into foreign territory. Post-orientalist, Vimanarama is a love letter to Bollywood, superheroes, and Jack Kirby as a vendatic guru!

India’s Immortal Comic Books: Gods, Kings, and Other Heroes. For the brainy and the brave, there is Karlin McLain’s book on the decades-old publication of Amar Chitra Katha which takes the interwoven lore of the Hindu gods and delivers it in accessible comic book form. Perfect for English-speaking scholars, India’s Immortal Comic Books looks at what make ACK “special to comic book lovers everywhere,” says Pradeep Sebastian of Businessworld.