ISBN:
9780817318215
Language:
English
Pages:
xi, 258 S.
,
Ill.
,
24 cm
Year of publication:
2014
Series Statement:
Jews and Judaism: history and culture
Parallel Title:
Erscheint auch als The Quest for Jewish belief and identity in the graphic novel
DDC:
741.5/3529924
Keywords:
Comic books, strips, etc Religious aspects
;
Judaism and literature
;
Graphic novels
;
Jews in literature
;
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945), in literature
;
Jewish literature History and criticism
;
Jews Identity
;
Graphic Novel
;
Judentum
Abstract:
"Many Jewish artists and writers contributed to the creation of popular comics and graphic novels, and in The Quest for Jewish Belief and Identity in the Graphic Novel, Stephen E. Tabachnick takes readers on an engaging tour of graphic novels that explore themes of Jewish identity and belief. The creators of Superman (Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster), Batman (Bob Kane and Bill Finger), and the Marvel superheroes (Stan Lee and Jack Kirby), were Jewish, as was the founding editor of Mad magazine (Harvey Kurtzman). They often adapted Jewish folktales (like the Golem) or religious stories (such as the origin of Moses) for their comics, depicting characters wrestling with supernatural people and events. Likewise, some of the most significant graphic novels by Jews or about Jewish subject matter deal with questions of religious belief and Jewish identity. Their characters wrestle with belief--or nonbelief--in God, as well as with their own relationship to the Jews, the historical role of the Jewish people, the politics of Israel, and other issues related to Jewish identity. In The Quest for Jewish Belief and Identity in the Graphic Novel, Stephen E. Tabachnick delves into the vivid kaleidoscope of Jewish beliefs and identities, ranging from Orthodox belief to complete atheism, and a spectrum of feelings about identification with other Jews. He explores graphic novels at the highest echelon of the genre by more than thirty artists and writers, among them Harvey Pekar (American Splendor), Will Eisner (A Contract with God), Joann Sfar (The Rabbi's Cat), Miriam Katin (We Are On Our Own), Art Spiegelman (Maus), J.T. Waldman (Megillat Esther), Aline Kominsky Crumb (Need More Love), James Sturm (The Golem's Mighty Swing), Leela Corman (Unterzakhn), Ari Folman and David Polonsky (Waltz with Bashir), David Mairowitz and Robert Crumb's biography of Kafka, and many more. He also examines the work of a select few non-Jewish artists, such as Robert Crumb and Basil Wolverton, both of whom have created graphic adaptations of parts of the Hebrew Bible. Among the topics he discusses are graphic novel adaptations of the Bible; the Holocaust graphic novel; graphic novels about the Jews in Eastern and Western Europe and Africa, and the American Jewish immigrant experience; graphic novels about the lives of Jewish women; the Israel-centered graphic novel; and the Orthodox graphic novel. The book concludes with an extensive bibliography"--Provided by publisher
Description / Table of Contents:
Adaptations of the BibleReligion and identity in Art Spiegelman's Maus -- The holocaust graphic novel -- The Jewish experience in Europe and beyond -- The American immigrant experience -- Some female American Jewish creators -- Identity and belief in the Israel-centered graphic novel -- The orthodox graphic novel.
Note:
Includes bibliographical references (pages 237-245) and index
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