Tag Archives: judaism

controversy

More Foreskin Man

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Following Rao’s previous posting on the topic, the comic book Foreskin Man has been declared anti-semitic by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), reports Comic Book Resources’ Robot 6 news blog:

This is an advocacy campaign taken to a new low. This is a sensitive, serious issue where good people can disagree and which the Jewish community feels is an assault on its values and traditions going back thousands of years and centered in the Hebrew Bible. It is one thing to debate it, is another thing to degrade it. “Foreskin Man,” with its grotesque anti-Semitic imagery and themes, reaches a new low and is disrespectful and deeply offensive.

The ADL’s complete statement on Foreskin Man can be found here.

controversy

Foreskin Man

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Foreskin Man #1 by Matt Hess, Gledson Barreto, and Ian Sokoliwiski

In January of 2011, the MGM Bill was presented to the United States Congress as well as 14 state legislators including  in Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, and Washington. Known in full as the Bill to End Male Genital Mutilation, MGM is an attempt by those known as Intactivists to put an end to baby circumcision in the United States.

And they have a comic book, Foreskin Man.

Both issues #1 and #2 of Foreskin Man are available for free online and tell the story of Miles Hastwick’s superhuman crusade to stop dastardly circumcision at the hands of those like Dr. Mutilator or Monster Mohel. And, before one leaps to claims of antisemitism, it may be worth noting that mgmbill.org is endorsed by groups including Jews Against Circumcision and the Israeli Association against Genital Mutilation who are against performing a bris, for what it’s worth.

Rao wonders, who would win in a fight — Foreskin Man or Shaloman? And with whom would the Jewish Hero Corps stand?

cultural

Female Orthodox Jewish Monster-Slayer

Barry Deutsch, the Portland political cartoonist known as Ampersand, published a distinctly different work in November of 2010 entitled Hereville — “yet another comic book about an 11-year-old troll-fighting Orthodox Jewish girl.”

The Huffington Post praised the book, noting that it “won the prestigious Sydney Taylor Award for older readers from the Association of Jewish Libraries” and has garnered wide critical praise. A 15-page preview of the book, originally a webcomic launched at www.girlamatic.com, can be read here.

controversy

Are Jewish Comics AntiSemitic?

Do Jewish comics discriminate…against Jews?

Well, over at Comics Comics, Jeet Heer posed some compelling critique inspired by his attendance of the Toronto Jewish Film Festival last year and its special program on Jews in Comics. He writes,

Here is a new angle on the subject: I think writers have been too quick to assume that the Jewish immigrant community, which was very divided on ethnic and class lines, was monolithic.

[…] Throughout the late 19th and early 20th century, German Jews came into cultural conflict with their East European brethren, who were seen as embarrassingly uncouth and rowdy.

[…] Is it too much to see the tension between German Jews such as Rabbi Wise and Russian Jews at the beginning of the 20th century as a precursor to Wertham’s battles against the unseemly and vulgar comic book industry in the 1940s and 1950s?

How far back do the roots of high-/low-culture go when it comes to Judaism and comics? And was there a divide that laid the foundation for the cry against comics in the 1950s?

Some commenters to Heer suggested that this is gazing too deeply into Judaism and its contribution to comics: “I’m a little sick of the sort of ethno-narcissism of Jews writing about Jews and comics lately.” Still others said the topic is very much alive, especially in light of Bill Willingham’s Fables as a metaphor for Zionism.

academic

Jewish-American Literature: The Graphic Novel offered at University of Texas El Paso

James Bucky Carter, founder of the SANE Journal (i.e. Sequential Art in Narrative Education), recently announced that the University of Texas – El Paso (UTEP) would be offering his special section of ENGL3327: Jewish American Literature in the Fall 2011. Specifically, Carter’s course will focus on the graphic novel:

I’m not Jewish, but there is a rich backlog of texts and articles dealing with comics-and-judaica connections. What an exciting challenge to put together a course list and to have to choose from all the great comics and graphic novels out there!

Expect to see — for sure! — a lot of Eisner and Sturm, some Spiegelman, Crumb’s Genesis, some Superman comics, some Stan Lee, probably some Kominsky-Crumb.

On Facebook, Carter also noted that the course may include The Golem’s Mighty Swing and the possibility of The Rabbi’s Cat and MAUS.