Alef: The NEXT Conversation

17: People of the (comic)Book

Harvey Pekar, one of the giants of American comics and storytelling, died on Monday, July 12th, at the age of 70. Perhaps most famously known for his groundbreaking work with sometimes-collaborator R. Crumb, Harvey’s life and comics were the subject of books, articles, and the feature film “American Splendor.” Acerbic, grouchy, uncomfortably personal, and unapologetically Jewish, Pekar saw comics as a medium equally as expressive as film. His work brought readers into his life as the son of Polish-Jewish immigrants in Cleveland, and gave him a platform to comment on anything and everything that happened across his radar. In the coming days and weeks, Harvey will be written about as a luminary in the comics industry, a singular figure who was loved by some, hated by a few, and recognized as brilliant by all. However, lost in the postmortem analysis will likely be recognition of Harvey as a uniquely Jewish voice in a medium celebrated as having been created by Jews.

To say that comics, cartoons, and graphic novels are a Jewish art form is nothing new. Ostensibly created from scratch by the children of Jewish and Italian immigrants in New York City at the turn of the 20th Century, the modern comics industry has long been a place where the exploration of identity and belonging are encouraged. Books, such as Danny Fingeroth‘s “Disguised as Clark Kent,” exploring the Talmudic righteousness of Batman’s sense of justice, or the Hebrew implications of Superman’s Kryptonian name “Kal-El,” are easy examples of the interest in, and Judaicism of, comics.  And, the Jewish influence on comics isn’t limited to spandex-clad superhero metaphores.   R. Crumb’s illustrated book of Genesis does what many felt was impossible  - to say nothing of those who thought it was heretical –  by creating a visual representation of the Torah.  Art Spiegelma’s seminal work Maus, uses cats and mice to illustrate his father’s experiences during the Holocaust in ways simple narrative would be unable to replicate.   Over the last 100 years, comics have been used as a forum for examining Jewish theology, philosophy, politics, and even humor.

So, what is it about comics and comic books that make them “Jewish”? Is it the subject matter? The storytelling style? The mere fact that comics come primarily out of the Jewish immigrant experience? For Harvey Pekar, it might have been all of the above. Or none of the above. Or maybe both at the same time. That’s what makes the medium special – for all the effort put into the individual panels, there’s still the space between each frame where everything is open to interpretation. For our 17th issue, we’ll be exploring that space, by looking at comics, cartoons, and graphic novels with some of the most creative voices in the comic industry. From those who use comics to satirize the Jewish community, to those who use comics to shed new light on some of Judaism’s most ancient stories, Alef will be talking to authors, illustrators, and editors to determine just what makes us people of the (comic) book.

-Alef

Photos by leafar, Mikefats, and L_K_M, licensed under Creative Commons.

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People of the (comic)Book Posts:

Harvey Pekar’s “Upmanship and Downmanship”
Alef Interviews: Eli Valley
Cartoons for Shabbat
On Being Magneto
Alef Interviews: JT Waldman

Tags: Comic books, Comics

Posted by Rafi, Monday, June 14th, 2010, 11:08 am, People of the (comic)Book.