Jewish creators are a fundamental part of comic book history, from Superman to Maus – expert explains
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Wednesday, August 30, 2023
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Jewish writers and artists have been a fundamental part of comic book creation since the early days of the industry.
Key Points:
- Jewish writers and artists have been a fundamental part of comic book creation since the early days of the industry.
- Their Famous Funnies comic book sold 90% of the 200,000 printed copies.
- This led to numerous imitators, including New Fun Comics from National Allied Publications (later renamed DC Comics), which published its first issue in 1935.
- In the 1930s, comic books reprinted comic strips that had previously appeared in newspaper humour sections.
- Writer Roy Schwartz also sees elements of Jewish mythology in the character, as noted in his 2021 book Is Superman Circumcised?.
Other genres
- Together, they brought romance to the medium in 1947 and made memorable monster comics in the 1960s.
- Another popular genre was mystery comics.
- In the 1970s, a number of notable female Jewish creators first had their work published in Underground Comix, including Trina Robbins, Diane Noomin and Aline Kominsky-Crumb.
Modern Jewish comics
- Comics editor Corinne Pearlman drew a popular strip Playing the Jewish Card in the 1990s and now edits graphic novels.
- She and other creators were featured in the 2011 exhibition and book Graphic Details: Confessional Comics by Jewish Women, curated by graphic novelist Sarah Lightman.
- Lightman is one of the editors of a new follow-up anthology, Jewish Women in Comics: Borders and Bodies.