Jewish Connections to Golden Age Superheroes

[Hepcat]

What? So why did you fellows take all this trouble to convince me then?

 

 

I guess I should be more wary about accepting what I read on this board as fact.

 

 

Or maybe you should stop posting such invocations.

 

Hmmmmm. So I'd be leaving the posting of the invocations to you other fellows? I better continue then.

 

[FOdom12]

The magazine had several issues dedicated to this issue.#116-2004; How Jews Transformed the Comic Industry; # 117 Comics Fighting Hatred and 118 Jewish Creators of the Silver Age -56-78

[FOdom12]

LOST MY THOUGHT-COMIC MARKET PLACE WAS THE MAGAZINE'S NAME

[The-Collector]

Seems lots of the articles focus on HOW Jewish people influenced the industry but are there many on WHY there is such a nexus of creative/entrapunerial talent from the Jewsih community heading to the comic industry?

 

I would love to know the social, political and economic factors that led to that.

[esquirecomics]

Seems lots of the articles focus on HOW Jewish people influenced the industry but are there many on WHY there is such a nexus of creative/entrapunerial talent from the Jewsih community heading to the comic industry?

 

I would love to know the social, political and economic factors that led to that.

 

As was briefly mentioned by someone else above, one of the reasons was that many other career paths at the time were unavailable for Jews. Once some Jews got into the field they allowed, and likely encouraged, their friends to join as well. Keep in mind, of course, that writing/drawing comic books in the 1930s - 1950s was not a desirable, or even respected, endeavor. People downplayed or hid their involvement. It was for many a hopeful opportunity to transition to other art forms such as advertising.

[The-Collector]

Seems lots of the articles focus on HOW Jewish people influenced the industry but are there many on WHY there is such a nexus of creative/entrapunerial talent from the Jewsih community heading to the comic industry?

 

I would love to know the social, political and economic factors that led to that.

 

As was briefly mentioned by someone else above, one of the reasons was that many other career paths at the time were unavailable for Jews. Once some Jews got into the field they allowed, and likely encouraged, their friends to join as well. Keep in mind, of course, that writing/drawing comic books in the 1930s - 1950s was not a desirable, or even respected, endeavor. People downplayed or hid their involvement. It was for many a hopeful opportunity to transition to other art forms such as advertising.

 

Interesting. Similar to why the Irish have had a disporportiante influence over some industries here in Australia.

[Point Five]

Seems lots of the articles focus on HOW Jewish people influenced the industry but are there many on WHY there is such a nexus of creative/entrapunerial talent from the Jewsih community heading to the comic industry?

 

I would love to know the social, political and economic factors that led to that.

 

As was briefly mentioned by someone else above, one of the reasons was that many other career paths at the time were unavailable for Jews. Once some Jews got into the field they allowed, and likely encouraged, their friends to join as well. Keep in mind, of course, that writing/drawing comic books in the 1930s - 1950s was not a desirable, or even respected, endeavor. People downplayed or hid their involvement. It was for many a hopeful opportunity to transition to other art forms such as advertising.

The book Men of Tomorrow by Gerard Jones (one of my favorite comic history books) discusses how most of the New York publishing industry in the late 19th/early 20th century had specifically Jewish roots & ownership. He says that it evolved out of the market for printing Yiddish newspapers and shop pamphlets for US Jewish communities, and that younger generations of Jewish men came up through and continued their family publishing & printing businesses. Like the garment industry here, publishing was a massive growth industry in NYC, and as Mark suggests, a low-profile industry whose doors were not closed to Jewish owners and workers as others might be.

 

In the 1920s and 30s, there's also an explosion in consumption of cheap newsstand periodicals in the USA (think of those great black-and-white photos of the amazing newsstand offerings from those times). Magazines and pulps are being published and printed by businesses with Jewish ownership, and these businesses give birth to comic books as we know them in the mid-1930s.

 

 

[TheSurgeon]

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon explores the cultural bridge of Judaism and comics (and also magic, with Houdini, Dai Vernon, David Roth, and many others of Jewish heritage who are leading magicians.) The modern era of comics started in the lower east side of NYC with many Jewish kids among the ranks. Very interesting story.

 

The book by Chabon got me interested in comics again after a 20 year hiatus. Great and fun book.

 

Can anyone translate what is written on his chest? Is it Happy Chanukah?

[vaillant]

 

I absolutely love this. IIRC this is a card Jack Kirby designed for a fan (which I think was an acquaintance or a relative) in occasion of the Passover festivity.

I saw it in Jack’s house (in 1991) and I think it was still unpublished (I photographed it), then I saw it printed in recent years. Do you know where it‘s been published?

 

And as far as the matter of this thread goes, I can tell you Jack did not believe there was any specific connection between the "hebrew soul" and the birth of the comic book. It was one of the questions I asked him in my interview, and he stressed more the european legacy which most authors had in common than the specific jewish heritage.

 

BTW, love to know Wayne-Tec and Mark are jewish.

[circumstances]

*raises hand* me too!

[skypinkblu]

Passover would make sense, that does not look like a menorah, but the book could be a Haggadah, the traditional book that is read during Passover.

 

 

 

[Wayne-Tec]

BTW, love to know Wayne-Tec and Mark are jewish.

 

*raises hand* me too!

 

[esquirecomics]

 

And as far as the matter of this thread goes, I can tell you Jack did not believe there was any specific connection between the "hebrew soul" and the birth of the comic book. It was one of the questions I asked him in my interview, and he stressed more the european legacy which most authors had in common than the specific jewish heritage.

 

From what I have gathered from speaking to some of the old-timers, who are pretty much gone now, the significance of all our Tribal members in the industry is more obvious and potentially relevant now than it was at the time. Back then it was just the guys hanging out, and even between some of them there were vast differences. I have never gotten the sense that Liebowitz/Donenfeld ever viewed Siegel/Shuster as equals because they were all Jews.

 

I remember asking Joe Simon some similar questions about three years ago. In particular, I was curious as to whether being Jewish impacted how some of the WWII stories were written/drawn when involving battles against Nazis.

 

Was Captain America striking Hitler on Cap #1 striking a blow for Jews worldwide???

 

He said it just sold comics.

 

BTW, love to know Wayne-Tec and Mark are jewish.

 

I even have famous Jewish blood in me! My maternal grandfather liberated Dachau. I co-edited a book about him in 2004.

 

The GI's Rabbi, ed. by Mark S. Zaid

 

 

[jmg3637]

 

My Hebrew reading skills, which were never great to begin with, have certainly diminsihed in the 40+ years since my Bar Mitzvah. I had to ask my Russian born Israeli raised American employee to try and read this. He came up with "echolim LeHanukkah" which translates as "Greetings for Hanukkah"

 

This is a little odd as Hanukkah is not a religious holiday. It is not a day when we would wear our Yarmulke ( Kippah) or Tallit, Nor is it a day when we would have a service from a prayer book. Guess Jack took litterary liscense in creating this image.

 

Anyway It is nice to see Benjamin Grimm as a modern day GOLEM

[Mxwll Smrt]

 

I even have famous Jewish blood in me! My maternal grandfather liberated Dachau. I co-edited a book about him in 2004.

 

The GI's Rabbi, ed. by Mark S. Zaid

 

 

Interesting - I just bought the book on Amazon.

[Wayne-Tec]

Mark may be able to answer this...

 

When Jerry Siegel created The Spectre, "The Presence" (Hashem essentially) was an important part of the origin story. Was there any connection to Judaism there?

[vaillant]

I even have famous Jewish blood in me! My maternal grandfather liberated Dachau. I co-edited a book about him in 2004.

 

The GI's Rabbi, ed. by Mark S. Zaid

 

Wow, this is very awesome, Mark. I’m very affectioned to Angelo Roncalli (Pope John XXIII) which served as a chaplain in WWI, and I’m usually very uplifted by such writing.

 

As far as Jack goes, I think his reply was a lot more interesting than Simon‘s (of course I made him the same question about Captain America! ) and for Jack Captain America symbolized not only american ideals, but a higher universal ideal of liberty and justice. I should edit my interview and make some audio snippets available, even before considering a new transcription and a possible reprint.

 

As for Jack, I seemed to recall he mentioned the "Hebrew Easter", Passover, the Pesach, although my english was what it was back then so I may be wrong?

We should ask to Neal, or one of Jack’s grandsons.

[vaillant]

Anyway It is nice to see Benjamin Grimm as a modern day GOLEM

 

On this, I highly recommend everyone to track down a copy and read Fantastic Four v3 #56 (#485). It contains a story written by Karl Kesel and drawn by Stuart Immonen which fictionally officializes the jewish heritage of the Thing (a possibility Jack took into account, when I asked him, although he surely did not think it deliberately in the first place), and which I consider the most gracious homage to Jack, ever.

 

I don’t like the cover, but I assure you the story is worthy.

 

[vaillant]

Mark may be able to answer this...

 

When Jerry Siegel created The Spectre, "The Presence" (Hashem essentially) was an important part of the origin story. Was there any connection to Judaism there?

 

Well, I don’t know the Spectre, but there is surely a connection, in terms of heritage. Even if you don’t intend to put elements, it is unavoidable that your cultural background (and more) ends up in your work, especially if it is a truly inspired and artistic work.

 

There is a lot of shintoist "animism", for example, in Hideaki Anno’s "Evangelion", as much as the typical "sincretism" of japanese (and other eastern) culture.

[jmg3637]

I got the piece and framed it A week or two ago. it looks great. Finally had the chance to get a jpg and go thropugh the ordeal of Photobucket

 

 

Last weekend I went to an exhibit of a Jewish artist who cuts up his old comics and makes Jewish themed art work from the pieces. This exhibit appened to be at his neighborhood comicbook store, and he also happened to be there on Sunday when my wife and I went to look the the pieces. It turns out he is married to one of the Rabbi's from my Temple

 

We got a presonalized tour with him explaining the inspiration for each piece. I already knew most of what he was explaining. It was very fun trading Jewish and comicbook history with him.

 

Most of the pieces sold at the first day of the exhibit, but I did manage to get one of the last prints of the "Live Long and Prosper" print

 

 

http://www.nicejewishartist.com/Links/IsaacB2_BNW-catalog-2013_web.pdf

 

In the Golem piece he used IronMan as his comic inspiration. I could recognize an early Mile High centerfold ad. I think those were from the Mile High II find, and contained the prices for the Ironman books