42 Jewish Reasons to Attend NYCC 2009

Next weekend, the New York Comic Con will take place in Manhattan. You may go to the official website using the link in the last sentence to get all the details about guests and programming.

Below, I am highlighting “Jewish” sessions and guests who are Jewish &/or who have helped create “Jewish” comics.

(1) Sunday 12:15 PM – 1:15 PM, Rm. 1A18
Jews and Comics: A Cottage Industry
In the past few years, there have been multiple books dealing with Jews and their role in the creation of the comics industry. Could this be because, as we lose more and more of the Greatest (Comics) Generation, there is a collective need to understand the roots, ethnic and otherwise, of the medium? Authors

(2) Arie Kaplan (From Krakow to Krypton: Jews and Comics),

(3) Danny Fingeroth (Disguised as Clark Kent: Jews, Comics, and the Creation of the Superhero), and

(4) Simcha Weinstein (Up, Up, and Oy Vey!: How Jewish History, Culture, and Values Shaped The Comicbook Superhero) and comics creators

(5) Al Jaffee (Mad magazine) and

(6) Jerry Robinson (Batman) discuss the rise of interest in the Jewish side of comics. Moderated by David Hajdu (The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How it Changed America).

(7) Saturday 2:45 PM – 3:45 PM Rm. 1A23
Jerry Robinson Spotlight
Jerry Robinson created the infamous Joker and played a vital role in the development of legendary Batman characters Robin, Alfred, and Penguin. His vast body of work spans 30 years as an internationally-syndicated political cartoonist, 30 books, and numerous exhibitions (including The Superhero, now on world tour, and Human Rights for the United Nations). Robinson’s honors include the Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement and the Eisner Hall of Fame.

(8) Saturday 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM Rm. 1A14
Joe Simon Spotlight: The Secret Origins of the Comic Book World
Joe Simon worked alongside the titans — Jack Kirby, Will Eisner, C.C. Beck, Jack Schiff, and Martin Goodman to name but a few. He was Marvel’s very first editor and hired youngsters like Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. His credits include million-sellers such as Captain America, Boy Commandos, Sandman, Young Romance, Black Magic, Police Trap, Fighting American, Boy’s Ranch, and SICK! Joe produced comics for the US military, was singled out for investigation by the Kefauver Committee, and was picketed by the Nazis. Stan Lee said, “Lucky for me, when I entered comics, Joe Simon was my mentor. In script, art, and editing, he was the master.” Come learn the details of the exciting new Simon and Kirby Library, coming from Titan Books later this year, and ask Joe yourself what it was like being there at the origin of the comic book world.

(9) Saturday 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM Rm. 1A17
Twisted Toyfare Theatre: Behind the Stupidity
Join the writers of ToyFare Magazine’s satirical comic strip Twisted ToyFare Theatre for an inside look at how they get toys into all those compromising positions. Ask questions, watch TTT animations, and answer TTT trivia for a chance to win prizes! Brought to you by the editorial staff at ToyFare Magazine and Wizard Entertainment!
[Blogmaster's note : Among the TTT stories is "Seder-Masochism" showing a Passover seder attended by superheroes and other action figures.]

(10) Sunday 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Rm. 1A21
Who Owns Comics? Superman on Trial
A judge has awarded the family of Superman’s co-creator Jerry Siegel co-ownership of Action #1. This panel will examine the behind-the-scenes history of this landmark case and discuss means for the future of Superman, comics and creators’ rights and discuss its relation to other comics-related intellectual property issues, such as the creators’ rights movement, the Watchmen case and the Holocaust art of Dina Babbitt.

(11) Sunday 1:45 PM – 2:45 PM Rm. 1A17
Lilly Renee Phillips Spotlight
Lily Renee Phillips was one of the pioneer women cartoonists in the Golden Age of Comics, working primarily for Fiction House publishers. Fleeing Nazi Germany to America as a child, she went on to draw covers and such features as The Lost World, Senorita Rio, and Werewolf Hunters for Planet Comics, Rangers Comics, and Fight Comics. With her then-husband Eric Peters, she also drew covers and interior stories for a number of Abbott & Costello Comics. Phillips talks about her amazing life and career with Heidi MacDonald (The Beat).

(12) Neal Adams (illustrator of “The Ventures of Zimmerman” [parody of Bob Dylan] and “Son O’ God”, which both appeared in the pages of National Lampoon)

(13) Dick Ayers (illustrator of “Lonely Are the Brave” in Combat Kelly and the Deadly Dozen #2, in which the titular heroes liberate a concentration camp)

(14) Kyle Baker (author-illustrator of the King David graphic novel from Vertigo, as well as a funny 1-page cartoon in his Kyle Baker : Cartoonist TPB in which a Jewish Cinderella has a mishap under the chuppah)

(15) Chris Claremont (who introduced the Jewish character Kitty Pryde [aka Shadowcat]& who wrote stories which implied that Magneto was Jewish, both in the pages of The Uncanny X-Men)

(16) Peter David (who infamously used the names of seder plate items for aliens in a Star Trek novel and who wrote the stories for The Incredible Hulk #386-387 ; see
http://www.leaderslair.com/noexcuses/hulk2-386.html and http://www.leaderslair.com/noexcuses/hulk2-387.html)

(17) J.M. DeMatteis (author of The Compleat Moonshadow, the “Greenberg the Vampire” story in Bizarre Adventures #29 and the Greenberg the Vampire graphic novel, as well as a bunch of other Jewish-content stories, e.g. “Bernie America, Sentinel of Liberty”, “Death Camp”, and “Yesterday’s Shadows”)

(18) Colleen Doran (illustrator of a one-page illustration in The Death Gallery, in which Death is at a concentration camp)

(19) Keith Giffen (author of the Ragman miniseries that reintroduced the title character as a Jewish superhero and also creator of the characters Dreidel and Rabbi Zone, who both appeared in the pages of the last issue of the series The Heckler)

(20) Dan Goldman (author-illustrator of a short piece titled “Schmear”, which he describes as “Jewish porn”, since it takes place in the backroom of a Brooklyn bagel shop. The story appeared in Smut Peddler #2). In all fairness, Dan’s done other – & better-known – stories (e.g. Shooting War) but “Schmear” is the only “Jewish” work of his that I’ve seen.

(21) Peter Gross (arist for issues of the series Hellstorm: Prince of Lies which had the character Rabbi Avram Siegel)

(22) Dean Haspiel (illustrator of the Harvey Pekar graphic autobiography The Quitter, as well as several shorter Pekar stories)

(23) Phil Jimenez (illustrator of a Heroes online comic featuring an Israeli Mossad agent named Hana Gitelman)

(24) Joe Kubert (author-illustrator of the graphic novels Jew Gangster and Yossel : April 19, 1943, as well as the Sgt. Rock : The Prophecy miniseries)

(25) Peter Kuper (author-illustrator of the short biographical story “Promised Land” in Bleeding Heart #2, as well as the book-length autobiographical Stop Forgetting to Remember : The Autobiography of Walter Kurtz)

(26) Scott Kurtz (author-illustrator of PVP, the Eisner-award-winning online comic strip which in 2006 made a joke about the Superman Returns movie being “a Jewish conspiracy to convince Christians that Jesus was gay”)

(27) Ted McKeever (illustrator of the 4-issue Doom Patrol story “Imagine Ari’s Friend”, which featured the characters Reb Chaim, Joseph Della Reina and Isaac Luria)

(28) Peter Milligan (author of the Vertigo series The Minx which featured Jewish youth Anna Schwarz)

(29) Steve Murphy (author of the story “Kaddish” in Tales of the TMNT #10)

(30) Josh Neufeld (author of the graphic memoir A Few Perfect Hours, in which he compares a Balinese cremation ceremony with his [Jewish] grandmother’s funeral)

(31) Steve Niles (author of Criminal Macabre: Feat of Clay)

(32) Jerry Ordway (illustrator of an issue of Superman in which he went to the Warsaw Ghetto, as well as an All-Star Squadron story in which Steel ended up in a Nazi death camp)

(33) Greg Pak (illustrator of the X-Men : Magneto : Testament miniseries)

(34) Jimmy Palmiotti (co-creator of the short-lived golem series The Monolith from DC Comics)

(35) George Perez (illustrator of Wonder Woman #37 and #38 which had the character Rabbi Benjamin Hecht.

(36) Josef Rubinstein (an illustrator of the 2nd Mendy & the Golem series and contributor to both Journeys : The Collected Edition and Balm in Gilead)

(37) Louise Simonson (co-author of issues of a Superman storyline in which Superman went to the Warsaw Ghetto)

(38) Art Spiegelman (author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir Maus and one of the main characters in the online story “The Night I Met Art Spiegelman”)

(39) J. Michael Straczynski (author of the Amazing Spider-Man story “You Want Pants with That?” and the Rising Stars story “Selah”)

(40) Len Wein (writer of the golem story in Strange
Tales #174 – see http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/golem1.htm)

(41) G. Willow Wilson (author of the graphic novel Cairo)

(42) Marv Wolfman (author of the stories in The Tomb of Dracula #27, The New Teen Titans #24 and the graphic history Homeland : The Illustrated History of the State of Israel)

– Si te gustó el artículo, deja una marca social (usando el botón “Compártelo” aquí abajo) y compártelo con el mundo. El universo te lo agradecerá, ¡No lo dudes! –

new title which may not have anything to do with Jews or comics or Jewish comics

Long-time readers of this blog know that one of the rules of my blog is that posts must be relevant to the subject of the blog which is basically “comic books, comic strips, and graphic novels which have at least one identifiably Jewish character in them”.

It is rare that I will allow a post which is off-topic.

However, since I’m the moderator of said blog … I can actually do whatever the heck I want with it (subject to Blogger’s rules of conduct, of course).

And, hey, there’s the possibility of a free book if I do this properly & quickly. And – as my friends well know – it’s hard for me to pass up a free book. That’s partly why I joined Bookcrossing.

For the sake of this post, I will stretch the rule a bit and include posts that manage to contain both a “Jewish” term and a comic reference. I’m excluding this introductory section you’ve just read (that would be too easy, wouldn’t it?).

****

A few minutes ago, I was scanning the status area of Facebook to see what my Facebook friends are up to. Lo, and behold, I notice a cool “status” for my friend Saul Colt. For those who don’t know him, Mr. Colt is a highly-connected guy (just look at all the Facebook and LinkedIn connections the guy has (500+? I don’t think I even know 500 people!).

Long-time readers with good memories may remember that Saul is also the author & illustrator of an upcoming graphic novel simply titled Rope, which has the character Robin Goldman, described as “a young very pretty Jewish looking woman with thick curly hair and has her police badge clipped to her costume.” I’d tell you more about the character … or the plot … or the themes … or when the darned thing will be on the shelves … but I’m limited to what Saul will actually tell me. Which is … not very much, at the moment.

See? I’ve already used “Jewish” and “graphic novel” and my post isn’t even done yet. But that was too easy, I’ll throw in some more below.

So … Saul’s newest “status” reads “My friend and fashion mentor Andy Nulman is giving away 200 free copies of his new book. I read it and loved so jump in”.

I followed his hyperlink to http://powrightbetweentheeyes.typepad.com/pow_right_between_the_eye/2009/01/200-free-pow-booksan-offer-you-cant-refuse.html and, as it turns out, all one has to do is be one of the first 200 bloggers to post about the book with a hyperlink (the one I just used) and a valid mailing address.

I wonder how many other Bookcrossers will try for a copy.

So … the main title of the book is POW! Right Between the Eyes! How refreshing it is to see a book with the well-known comic book sound effect “POW!” (and it has the stylistic comic book font to go with it) even though the book itself has nothing to do with comic books. It’s a buiness book (the subtitle is Profiting from the Power of Surprise).

Hmmm … I also see that the author’s name is Andy Nulman. You know the joke about how most people whose names end with “-man” are Jewish. I don’t know if that is the case with Andy or not.

Whether or not he is a member of the tribe, I’m sure that the book is worth a look and I look forward to receiving my copy at :

UJA-Research
4600 Bathurst St., 3rd Floor
Toronto, ON
M2K 3B9

– Si te gustó el artículo, deja una marca social (usando el botón “Compártelo” aquí abajo) y compártelo con el mundo. El universo te lo agradecerá, ¡No lo dudes! –

Spiralmind series launch – Saturday, 12-4 PM

Tomorrow, Saturday Jan. 10th, from noon until 4 PM, Ben Perez and Matt Rothblatt will be at All Star Comics (4406 Dyer St., El Paso, TX) for the long-awaited official launch of their comic book series Spirlamind.

As you may recall from previous posts, one of the important characters in the series is Rabbi Rotblatt. As one can tell from the preview pages, Rabbi Rotblatt is an Orthodox rabbi, the type of Jew who tries to observe all of the Jewish commandments to the best of his ability. He’s the type of rabbi who would never think twice about violating the holy Sabbath unless doing so would help save a life. The type of rabbi who wouldn’t, e.g. drive to a comic shop on a Saturday afternoon &/or purchase comics on a Saturday afternoon. But I digress.

Last month, El Paso Magazine published an article about the creation of the comic book series and its creators. The article may also be found online at http://epmediagroup.com/culture/408-an-el-paso-hero-is-born.

Here’s an excerpt :

The idea came to me when I was at UTEP studying for my engineering degree,” says Perez. He tells of a fateful day four years ago, when he took a break during finals and went into a comic store for diversion. “I watched as a little kid asked the owner what it took to make a comic of his own and it sparked something in me that made me want to do it myself,” he recalls. Rattling off a very early version of the Spiralmind concept to Rothblatt, the partnership was sealed.

Rothblatt in turn called on Joaquin Silva, a co-worker at White Sands whom he knew had artistic experience. Turns out that experience was more valuable than was realized: Silva had formerly worked on animation for The Tick and lent that expertise to the nascent Spiralmind on everything from sequential art to character motion. The trio fleshed out every detail they could think of for their main character in great depth, covering who he was, who he was fighting, why he was fighting, what his background was, the weaponry he’d have at his disposal, and much more. Inspiration was taken from Batman, Spawn, and Daredevil combined with the styles of Frank Miller and H.P. Lovecraft to give Spiralmind a dark and mystical feel.

Both test engineers at White Sands, Perez and Rothblatt aren’t stereotypical comic book geeks. They represent the much broader audience for comics that exists and has been consistently (and successfully) tapped into via the adaptation of comic books into films. Spiralmind itself has the flare of more wide-ranging entertainment with appeal to anybody and everybody, both casual readers and big enthusiasts, with its combination of visual and verbal storytelling. As proven by Perez and Rothblatt’s gumption, the inspiration that birthed the character as well as the methods undertaken to produce a full-fledged comic are accessible to all.

The article also has 6 preview pages from the first issue as well as a color reproduction of its cover.

– Si te gustó el artículo, deja una marca social (usando el botón “Compártelo” aquí abajo) y compártelo con el mundo. El universo te lo agradecerá, ¡No lo dudes! –

Boys of Steel: The Jewish Origins of Superman – Tue., Jan. 13th @ 8:15 PM

Superman thundered into existence in 1934, the product of two Jewish teens (Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster) creating a character who was everything they were not. Marc Tyler Nobleman – author of Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman, the first-ever illustrated biography on the superhero genre and the rise of comic books – shares secrets and rare, unpublished photos about the creation of the world’s first comic book superhero.

Location: 92nd Street Y
1395 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY

Price: $27.00

There’s a Comicology.TV interview with Nobleman on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrbQ6R9yhUQ.

– Si te gustó el artículo, deja una marca social (usando el botón “Compártelo” aquí abajo) y compártelo con el mundo. El universo te lo agradecerá, ¡No lo dudes! –

Comics and the American Jewish Dream – YIVO series

The YIVO Institute presents one-on-one interviews with three comics titans, whose work has had seismic effects on the general culture.

Al JAFFEE, JULES FEIFFER, and HARVEY PEKAR will be interviewed by comics writer and critic DANNY FINGEROTH.

YIVO’s “Comics and the American Jewish Dream” series kicks off WEDS. JAN 21 at 7:00 pm with:

“The MAD, MAD, MAD (Jewish) World of AL JAFFEE”

A graduate of New York’s High School of Art and Design, JAFFEE worked as an editor, writer and artist for Stan Lee at Timely (later Marvel) Comics during the 1940s. In 1955, Jaffee joined “the Usual Gang of Idiots” at MAD Magazine, where he’s been a mainstay ever since, entertaining generations with his Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions and Mad Fold-Ins. Join us as JAFFEE provides snappy answers to provocative questions about his art and life, including his new book, Tall Tales (Abrams).

About Danny Fingeroth:
Series curator and moderator DANNY FINGEROTH, a longtime writer and editor at Marvel Comics, has spoken about comics at the Smithsonian Institution and The New School. He’s the author of Disguised as Clark Kent: Jews, Comics, and the Creation of the Superhero (Continuum) and The Rough Guide to Graphic Novels (Penguin).

Wednesday, January 21, 7:00
The YIVO Institute For Jewish Research

15 West 16th Street / New York, NY 10011

Series Continues With
JULES FEIFFER: Tuesday, February 3, 7:00 P.M.
HARVEY PEKAR: Tuesday, February 17, 7:00 P.M.

ADMISSION TO PROGRAMS: $25 / YIVO members: $18 / students: $12
FOR TICKETS: Call 212-868-4444 or visit WWW.SMARTTIX.COM
FOR MORE INFO VISIT www.yivo.org

– Si te gustó el artículo, deja una marca social (usando el botón “Compártelo” aquí abajo) y compártelo con el mundo. El universo te lo agradecerá, ¡No lo dudes! –

Stan Goldberg at MOCCA tonight – 8 PM

Archie Comics legend, Stan Goldberg, will be speaking at MoCCA, the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, tonight, January 8th!

Stan is also known as the artist of the revamped Mendy and the Golem series.

Stan will be at MoCCA starting at 8:00 PM to talk about Archie Comics. Stan will share samples of his work and speak about his 50+ years in the industry, which includes a longstanding freelance career with Archie Comics, working with Stan Lee at Marvel, and freelancing for such companies/publications as DC Comics, National Lampoon, Child, Redbook, Seventeen, Working Woman, and many others. Bring questions to ask and snacks to share for this casual evening with a wonderful cartoonist and delightful individual.

Stan’s appearance is in conjunction with the exhibit “From Richie Rich to Wendy the Witch: The Art of Harvey Comic” that began December 18, 2008 and runs through March 15, 2009. Anyone interested in attending can contact MoCCA at

MoCCA
594 Broadway, Suite 401
New York, NY 10012
Tel. 212-254-3511
Fax 212-254-3590
Email info@moccany.org

Also in attendance will be Chari Pere, best known for her calendar – A Yearly Shpritz of Jewish Bits.

The Cartoonist Roundtable meetings are held at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art. They feature guest speakers that address the crowd over snacks and drinks. The meetings are FREE for MoCCA members and a $5 donation for non-MoCCA members. All proceeds will go to the MoCCA operations and programming. To join the Cartoonist Roundtable’s bi-monthly newsletter, “THE SQUIB!”? Please send an e-mail to Margo & Chari at: CartoonistRoundtable@gmail.com.

– Si te gustó el artículo, deja una marca social (usando el botón “Compártelo” aquí abajo) y compártelo con el mundo. El universo te lo agradecerá, ¡No lo dudes! –

Spiralmind #1

Spiralmind issue #1 “Rabbi’s Lament” will be out by 10 January 2009. To
purchase a copy online, visit comixpress or ka-blam. More information when it’s available. Please stay tuned!

Published by Phi3 Comics.

– Si te gustó el artículo, deja una marca social (usando el botón “Compártelo” aquí abajo) y compártelo con el mundo. El universo te lo agradecerá, ¡No lo dudes! –

Spiralmind #1 – followup post

I was a bit hasty with my last post, in which I referred readers to Ka-Blam! While Ka-Blam! is the printer, the comics it prints are sold via IndyPlanet. The specific page for Spiralmind #1 is http://www.indyplanet.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1560&osCsid=fe6458b427de0281d8422dfbab2d7632

Below is the issue description from that page :

On the day of his Bar Mitzvah, twelve year old Ben Landry is witness to his mother’s brutal exorcism. In a bizarre and strange ritual foreign to him, young Ben watches as his only living parent struggles to survive the demons that possess her and the exorcism at the hands of Rabbi Solomon Rotblatt and Father Tom O’Brien. Ben’s future is determined in this moment of horror. His youth has disappeared, and he is left under the care of his teacher, mentor, and friend Rabbi Rotblatt to guide him toward adulthood. Grown up, Ben Landry is caught between a normal life as an electrical engineer and the protector of humanity. Behind the enlightened guise of Spiralmind, Ben is able to manipulate Phi, the Golden Ratio. While Spiralmind comprehends his true purpose and power, the Occult throughout the city of Nineveh has revealed its malevolent plan for mankind.

The page also has a 6-page preview, the first of which I’m presenting below.

– Si te gustó el artículo, deja una marca social (usando el botón “Compártelo” aquí abajo) y compártelo con el mundo. El universo te lo agradecerá, ¡No lo dudes! –

Finally! Jewish Hero Corps #2

Just in time for Chanukah:
Issue #2 of Jewish Hero Corps has finally arrived!

“The Secret of The Solar Succah” is available now at:
http://www.indyplanet.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1320&osCsid=4a6e739d7280559156ad37b0b7359fc3

A radiation-ridden asteroid heading for Earth can only be stopped by a vintage 1955 solar-powered, succah-shaped force-field, whose components were camouflaged and hidden in important Jewish historic spots across the globe decades ago.

In a race against time, The Jewish Hero Corps follows clues to track down where their predecessors hid the devices more than half a century ago.

After Chanukah, it will ALSO be available at the Jewish Hero Corps’
Web site – http://www.jewishsupers.com

The Jewish Hero Corps, the world’s only Jewish superhero team, fights
for truth and justice, and against ignorance. Charter members Magen
David, Menorah Man, Dreidel Meidel, and Minyan Man, have recruited
Shabbos Queen, Matzah Woman and Kipa Kid … and the adventures have
only begun!

– Si te gustó el artículo, deja una marca social (usando el botón “Compártelo” aquí abajo) y compártelo con el mundo. El universo te lo agradecerá, ¡No lo dudes! –

Happy Hanukkah!!! – recent (& not-so-recent) Chanukah comics

Tonight will be the 5th night of Chanukah, but today’s only the 4th day. Therefore, I’ve only let half the holiday slip by before posting my annual roundup of Hanukkah comic strips and Chanukah stories in comic books.

As my Hanukkah gift to my loyal readers, I’m using up a chunk of my image file allotment to present graphics in this post. Enjoy!

First up is Hillary Price’s Rhymes with Orange, which may by found online at http://www.rhymeswithorange.com/index.php?date=20081222

Last year, the “erev Christmas” / Xmas Eve Off the Mark comic strip by Mark Parisi presented us with Extreme Dreidel.

Although there is no new Hanukkah strip from Mark this year, he has placed all of his Chanukah comic strips at a single online location for your convenience : http://www.offthemark.com/search-results/key/hanukkah/

I only learned about the delightful comic strip The Pajama Diaries by Terri Libenson, which is about a Jewish family, earlier this year.

Last year, Hanukkkah came out earlier and Terry used that fact in her cartoon.

Another cartoon Terry did had to do with the way that Jewish kids’ lunches can seem strange to their Gentile classmates.

I love this one about explaining to Jewish children that Jews – young & old – don’t believe in Santa Claus.

As Terry wrote in her blog “I was careful to tread lightly around the existence of certain major December holiday character”.

The 2 above cartoons were from December 2006.

Last January (Jan. 5th, 2007), Level 99 by 2 guys (only known as “Race” and “Arlo”) showed us how useful a Jewish shopper can become for a desperate Saint Nick.

http://www.level99comic.com/item/292

Back in 2002, in the webcomic White Bread and Toast, White Bread complained about not getting any Hanukkah gifts.

http://www.whitebreadandtoast.com/comics/toast391.gif

For Xmas Eve 2003, Ryan Sohmer & Chad William Porter presented a holiday strip in which the main protagonist (Rayne) wishes the readers a Merry Xmas … while tied to a giant cross. That doesn’t seem to have Jewish content. However, after being told that he’s likely offended 2/3 of their readers, Rayne (an equal opportunity offender) decides to offend the other third by holding their religious symbols in his hand (including a Star of David).

http://www.leasticoulddo.com/index2.php?date=20031224

In 2005, “Enigma” shared his idea for “the first truly multi-denominational holiday symbol” in his webcomic Filthy Lies!. Alas, I haven’t found it in any holiday catalogs yet.

http://www.filthylies.net/d/20050119.html

Last December, Jewcy published a 1-page comic critical of the Maccabees and noting the reluctance of Jewish leaders to recognize the holiday. It was co-written by ever-controversial cartoonist Eli Valley & “cranky blogger” David Kelsey titled “The Festival of Lights”. The comic – and comments it generated from visitors to the site – may be found at http://www.jewcy.com/feature/2007-12-04/eli_valley_hanukkah

I’d explain the following Ramp Rats comic strip by Elene Steier entitled “A Mothra Hanukkah”, but it’s probably best to let the reader enjoy it (or not) and interpret it as they see fit (or not).
http://striporama.com/ramprats/mothra_Hanukkah_2003.jpg

Meanwhile, Patty & Terry Laban are running their annual 8-day Chanukah comic strip marathon. Unlike last year, there is no ongoing storyline and the special menorah introduced last year is nowhere to be found. This year’s theme is “You know it’s Hanukkah when …”

http://www.chron.com/apps/comics/showComick.mpl?date=20081221&name=Edge_City

http://www.chron.com/apps/comics/showComick.mpl?date=20081222&name=Edge_City

http://www.chron.com/apps/comics/showComick.mpl?date=20081223&name=Edge_City

http://www.chron.com/apps/comics/showComick.mpl?date=20081224&name=Edge_City

The remaining cartoons may be viewed – over the course of the next four days – by clicking on the following four links :

http://www.chron.com/apps/comics/showComick.mpl?date=20081225&name=Edge_City

http://www.chron.com/apps/comics/showComick.mpl?date=20081226&name=Edge_City

http://www.chron.com/apps/comics/showComick.mpl?date=20081227&name=Edge_City

http://www.chron.com/apps/comics/showComick.mpl?date=20081228&name=Edge_City

The comic book world has also been recognizing the Jewish festival of lights.

This year’s issue of The Simpsons Winter Wing Ding (issue #3, to be exact) includes a story by Arie Kaplan (erroneously credited as “Ari Kaplan”) entitled “Not a (Green, Slimy) Creature was Stirring”. In this story, Jewish show biz celebrity Krusty the Clown tries to create a Hanukkah mascot.

This isn’t the first time a Simpsons anthology has contained a Chanukah story.
In 2006, The Simpsons Winter Wing Ding #1 included the story “The Gift of the Maccabees” written by Evan Dorkin & Sarah Dyer. That story had a Krusty flashback to Las Vegas in 1963.

The Simpsons Holiday Humdinger published in 2004 included the story “Con-Nukah!”, in which Bart Simpson made the (temporary) decision to become Jewish – for the eight days of presents that he’d be entitled to during Hanukkah, of course.

The story is summarized well by Mark I. Pinsky in an online excerpt from the book The Gospel According to the Simpsons :

At Hanukkah, he [Bart] learns from a Jewish friend about the eight nights and eight gifts, and naturally Bart decides to convert, noting the additional benefit of holidays off school. Homer asks if his son is certain he wants to “abandon the faith you happened to be born into,” the reason most people worship where they do. Bart, now wearing a skullcap all the time, replies that he’d rather be on Krusty’s team than the Flanderses’. Following the sometimes traditional practice for those who want to convert to Judaism, Rabbi Krustofski turns Bart down several times — to be certain he is serious — before agreeing to take him on for classes. Bart argues that if he became Jewish, he’d be a “trash-talkin’ Spiky-haired Seinfeld with a Fox attitude.” Even so, the rabbi is unconvinced, predicting the boy would not like the religion because “so much Judaism is like opera, the Lincoln Douglas debates, and the Atkins Diet, all rolled into one.” Bart is plainly in it for the toys, which his parents supply each night of the holiday (along with gingerbread rabbis), but sister Lisa is optimistic that her brother may be undergoing a spiritual awakening. Her gift, after lighting the menorah, is a book about Jewish history, humor, and “food-oriented Yiddish phrases” that Bart uses as a TV tray, holding Dr. Brown’s Cream Soda and lowcarb hamentaschen. The boy also announces he can’t do chores around the house on Saturdays because he has become a strict Sabbath observer. As a convert to Buddhism, Lisa despairs at her brother’s antics. “I thought we finally had something in common,” she says. “That we followed our hearts because of what we believe in. But as usual, the only thing you believe in is self-gratification.” In the end, Bart spends enough time with the rabbi to make the right decision and not convert. “Love the religion,” he confesses to Lisa, “but, oy . . . I can’t handle the guilt.”

In the latest issue of Super Friends (#10), in the story “Season of Light” written by Sholly Fisch, the superheroes visit the Wayne Foundation Community Center, where the children are celebrating all of the Winter holidays together. In one panel, Batman helps Moshe to put the candles in the Hanukkah menorah.

However , Dr. Light tries to steal the celebration lights.

According to Shirala’s website, her Hanukkah CD comes with a comic.
Check it out for yourself by going to http://shirlala.com/index.php/recordings

I have 2 “leads” for comics which may exist &/or may have Hanukkah content in them.

The first comes from Mike Lynch, who wrote at http://alwiseman.com/2006/06/al-wiseman-appreciation-by-mike-lynch.html
“I learned about Jewish people via Dennis. In one Christmas Special there was a substitute milkman during the holidays and Dennis rode on the milk truck with him and his son. They explained that they were Jews and the regular milkman wanted Christmas off and they, you see, celebrated Hanukkah instead of Christmas, etc. They told Dennis about their religion. It was news to me. What can I say? We lived in a small town!”
It’s a bit unclear to me if Lynch is referring to a Dennis the Menace TV special or a comic book special. If he is referring to a comic book, I don’t know which one and would welcome input from anyone who knows about such a comic.

The latest issue of DCU Holiday Special (2008) has a story in which Dr. Light aids with the Festival of Lights. However, I’m not 100% certain the “Festival of Lights” being referred to is Hanukkah.

I’ll conclude this long Hanukkah post by referring readers to the blog post / Hanukkah sermon of Rabbi Simcha Weinstein (aka the Comic Book Rabbi). In his post Chanukah: A Time For Superheroes, the rabbi makes reference to the 1993 Marvel Comics Holiday story (by Peter David) in which Doc Samson spices up the Hanukkah story by inserting Marvel superhero and supervillain characters. Weinstein concludes that “being a teacher isn’t easy. And teachers are today’s real heroes. They remind us that the great people of our past, like the Maccabees, did remarkable things and won amazing victories while armed with little more than their faith. If they could do it, imagine what we can accomplish. Even without long green hair and red spandex tights.”

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