Tag Archive: cartoons

Jewish Comics and Cartoons Part II

In continuation of this post, it has just come to my attention thanks to the Lookstein Institute’s Bookjed Email the release of From Krakow to Krypton: Jews and Comic Books, by Arie Kaplan with a Foreword by Harvey Pekar and JT Waldman.

Below is an excerpt of the description the email provided:

Since their creation in the 1930′s, comic books have become a part of our nation’s vocabulary, forever changing the way Americans think about stories, pictures, and what makes a hero. Jews have been at the
forefront of this medium from the beginning: they created the first comic book, the first graphic novel, the first comic book convention, the first comic book specialty store, and they helped create the underground comics (or “Comix”) movement of the late ’60s and early ’70s. Many of the creators of the most famous comic books, such as Superman, Spiderman, X-Men, and Batman, as well as the founders of MAD Magazine, were Jewish.

In From Krakow to Krypton industry insider Arie Kaplan uncovers the Jewish subtexts of these popular stories and showcases the unique contributions Jews have made to this American art form. From Krakow to
Krypton features original interviews with legendary figures such as Will Eisner, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Al Jaffee, Neil Gaiman, Jerry Robinson, and Art Spiegelman, giving fans an inside look at the story behind their favorite stories.

February 27, 2009 | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment 

Jewish Comics and Cartoons

Our Talmudic Sages of blessed memory relate that that when we enter the Jewish month of Adar we increase our happiness!

And so, as we have officially entered this time period, I thought what better month to explore some of the comedic sides of Judaism available online and in print that particularly celebrate the use of comics or cartoons.

The first stop on our tour would be to the website of Blitz and Kling. Created by a person whom I’m still glad to call a friend to this day, Yirme Bernstein, these comic strips were developed several years ago. While Mr. Bernstein now spends most of his time working for the one and only Walt Disney Studious…the comic strips are still very much worth a look.

Next, let’s peruse onto to the relatively new site titled: TorahVision. The Founder and Executive Director of this site is none other then Rabbi Daniel Steinberg of the Jewish Study Network in Palo Alto, CA. Prior to working in the Rabbinate, he served as an intern for Saturday Night Live and spent two years performing stand-up comedy in New York and San Francisco clubs. Today, TorahVision allows him to fuse together his two talents!

On another note, how can I not mention the latest invention of CartoonBarry….I won’t tell you what it is, but you’ve got to click on over here and check it out for your self!

Oh and before I forget, for all you comic book fans out there you’ve gotta check out the Comic Book Rabbi. In fact, he just recently released his latest book entitled, Shtick Shift: Jewish Humor in the 21st Century.

Have a Happy Adar!

February 24, 2009 | Tags: , | 1 Comment 


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