The People of the Comic Book: ‘JewCE! The Jewish Comics Experience’ Opens

The People of the Comic Book: 'JewCE! The Jewish Comics Experience' Opens

at Capital Jewish Museum

Lisa Traiger

Washington Jewish Week November 7 2024: 28-29

online at https://dmag.washingtonjewishweek.com/November-7-2024/index.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=Delivra&utm_campaign=110724?page=28#

Emily Bowen Cohen talking about her Jewish-Muskogee heritage in her graphic novel Two Tribes

She's at the Shirlington branch of Arlington public library. Books are for sale by Hooray for Books. The book is a fictional story but based on her heritage. Listen to her talk at https://archive.org/details/author-talk-emily-bowen-cohen-arlington-library

Arthur Szyk in Library of Congress

Jewish cartoonist and caricaturist is a perennial favorite in the area. The Library of Congress displaying a couple of pieces of his original art for playing cards in the "Words Like Sapphires" Hebraicia exhibit, and is selling some new products based on his work - a book "Heroes of Ancient Israel: The Playing Card Art of Arthur Szyk" and two decks of the cards, a 'Player's Deck' and a 'Collector's Deck.'  I love Szyk's work and bought one of each.

One of Szyk's prints of the Declaration of Independence is on permanent display at the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Museum, I discovered yesterday.

Exhibiting the gold in the Golden Age at the Jewish Museum of MD

This past weekend I was able to attend the members' preview for the exhibit "ZAP! POW! BAM! The Superhero: The Golden Age of Comic Books, 1938-1950." The exhibit has arrived at the Jewish Museum of Maryland in downtown Baltimore and it's well-worth visiting.Curated by the late Jerry Robinson, this exhibit was put together in 2004 by the William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum in Atlanta, which published a catalogue of the same name.

 Robinson had multiple careers in cartooning including writing a history of comics, being an editorial cartoonist, and starting a syndicate, but he began as a young man in comic books. As a seventeen-year old he began working on Batman as a letterer and inker in 1939. Eventually he became a penciller for the character, and as an employee of what became DC Comics, he met a lot of artists. And thankfully he saved examples of their work, at a time when that behavior wasn't very common.

Simon & Kirby cover to Adventure Comics #78

The exhibit is full of original golden age artwork. It contains art by Mort Meskin, Lou Fine, Robinson, Will Eisner, Marc Swayze, Simon & Kirby, Charles Biro, Fred Ray, CC Beck, Fred Ray, Will Eisner, HG Peter, Sheldon Modoff, Bob Fujitani, Lee Elias, Irwin Hasen, Arthur Peddy and Bernard Sachs, Dick Sprang and Charles Paris, Joe Kubert, Reed Crandall, Al Alvison, Carmine Infantino and Frank Frazetta. Many of these are prime pieces.

And many of the writers and artists were Jewish. As comics historian Arnold Blumberg noted in his remarks at the preview, "...it's a joy to see the exhibit come to a facility like this and to take a look at it from our unique perspective of what our culture, what our heritage, has given not just to itself, but to the world. The world owns Superman and Batman and all these characters now. Many of them may not have a clue where they came from, who were the kind of people who sat down and created them, but they are now owned by the entire world. They're heroes for everybody and they came from us."

Siegel & Shuster drawing dedicated to Robinson

The exhibit gives a basic history of comic books and characters and biographies of the creators, interspersed with now-priceless art and comic books. Particular attention is paid to World War II of course. Pages of an original Batman script by Bill Finger can be seen - Robinson's estate donated other examples of these to Columbia University this month. Historic highlights include Robinson's artwork for early Batman covers, his original Joker playing card sketch, and a Siegel & Shuster drawing of Superman dedicated to Robinson. A few cases examine the merchandising of Captain Marvel (aka Shazam) and Superman.

This version of the exhibit does have a tricky dichotomy to it. The uncolored, unfinished single pages of comic book artwork will appeal to a mature (elderly, if they bought the titles originally) viewer, while the idea of a superhero largely is aimed at male teens and younger children. This version of the exhibit caters to the very youngest viewers, with a set of tables, chairs and supplies for making cartoons, a replica of Superman's telephone booth with costumes set alongside it, a Batmobile kiddy ride, a newsstand with comics to read on it, and a piece of "Kryptonite"with a recording that warns one not to get to close.

 I was fortunate to be able to visit the exhibit with local cartoonists. Barbara Dale (of Baltimore), known for her humorous cartoons, fixated on the original Spirit page by Will Eisner and the Frank Frazetta that was next to it, and thought those two pieces made the entire exhibit worthwhile.

The Eisner Spirit page that impressed Barbara Dale...

...and the Frazetta cover that Dale also admired.

Note Wrightson's debt to Lou Fine.

Rafer Roberts (of Fredericksburg) pointed out several things to me - Moldoff's use of gouache to give white highlights on the legs of a monster on Moon Girl #4's cover for EC Comics, Bernie Wrightson's debt to Lou Fine (look at the skeletonized figure on the Hit Comics cover, and Bob Fujitane's use of the traditional iconography of Japanese monsters.

Bob Fujitane uses Japanese iconography.

I had seen a previous version of this exhibit in New York at the Jewish Museum there, but it was reworked as an addition to the massive "Masters of American Comics" show. Any fan of comic book history should take the opportunity to see this version of the show at the Jewish Museum of Maryland. The catalogue can be bought in the gift shop, along with Superman toothbrushes, Batman lunchboxes and hand-painted superhero yarmelkes. The Museum has produced two curriculum guides for schools and plans lectures throughout the exhibit which runs from January 27 - August 28, 2013, and costs $8 or less. More of my pictures can be seen here.

Mar 26: Art Spiegelman at DCJCC

TICKETS FOR ART SPIEGELMAN ON MARCH 26 ON SALE NOW!  _________________________________________ Authors Out Loud presents Art Spiegelman MetaMaus: A Look Inside a Modern Classic, Maus Monday, March 26 7:30 pm $20; Member/Student with ID/Senior $15 $50 VIP Premium Ticket  Pulitzer Prize-winner Art Spiegelman reenters Maus, the unforgettable biography of his father's life during and after the Holocaust. Spiegelman delves into the book that consumed him for 13 years to discuss his survivor parents, the oxymoron of picturing life in a death camp, racist imagery and his beloved medium of comics. MetaMaus brilliantly deconstructs one of the most important works of art and literature of the 20th century, while providing insight into Spiegelman's creative process. More Information  Purchase Tickets _________________________________________ Authors Out Loud is funded in part by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.  For more information contact Elie Lichtschein at eliel@washingtondcjcc.org or (202) 777-3250.

Feb 25: JT Waldman exhibit opens in DC

From Politics and Prose's newsletter:

Friday, February 25, 1 p.m. (Exhibit opens)

Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
600 I Street, NW
Metro: Gallery Place/Chinatown
JT WALDMAN
MEGILLAT ESTHER: The Book of Esther (Jewish Publication Society of America, $22)
JT Waldman turns The Book of Esther, with its twisting plot, into an illustrative masterpiece. The graphic novel is brought to life in an exhibit with interactive elements and an invitation for visitors to take part in the creative process. Waldman is a comic book illustrator and interaction designer. He is currently working on his next graphic novel, which he designed with the late Harvey Pekar. This exhibit will be on view from Monday through Friday, February 25 - April 29 during open tour hours from 1-2 p.m. Waldman will be speaking at 6th in the City Shabbat on March 11. Click here for information about attending this service. Click here for more information about the exhibit. Click here for a Google Preview of the book and its art.

February 25: MEGILLAT ESTHER: The Book of Esther exhibit opens

From Politics and Prose's newsletter:

Friday, February 25, 1 p.m. (Exhibit opens)

Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
600 I Street, NW
Metro: Gallery Place/Chinatown
JT WALDMAN
MEGILLAT ESTHER: The Book of Esther (Jewish Publication Society of America, $22)
JT Waldman turns The Book of Esther, with its twisting plot, into an illustrative masterpiece. The graphic novel is brought to life in an exhibit with interactive elements and an invitation for visitors to take part in the creative process. Waldman is a comic book illustrator and interaction designer. He is currently working on his next graphic novel, which he designed with the late Harvey Pekar. This exhibit will be on view from Monday through Friday, February 25 - April 29 during open tour hours from 1-2 p.m. Waldman will be speaking at 6th in the City Shabbat on March 11. Click here for information about attending this service. Click here for more information about the exhibit. Click here for a Google Preview of the book and its art.

March 5: Book of Esther comic art exhibit

Sayeth Edward Gunts in the Baltimore Sun:

5. Biblical art: From March 5 to July 26, the Jewish Museum of Maryland (jewishmuseummd.org), 15 Lloyd St.,will present Drawing on Tradition: The Book of Esther as Graphic Novel. It's a retelling of the Book of Esther in comic-strip form by artist J.T. Waldman.

Dec 2: Superhero Rabbi talk

Sara Duke noted this in some editions of the Post today:

Tuesday, December 2, 7pm, for ages 13 and older

Rabbi Simcha Weinstein will discuss his book "Up, Up and Oy Vey!" about how Jewish history, culture and values helped shape the early years of the comic book industry. Chabad of Upper Montgomery County, 11520 Darnestown Road, Gaithersburg, registration required, $20, but $15 in advance. Call 301-926-3632 or go online http://www.ourshul.org.

Adams, Kubert do comic book story on Holocaust survivor

Today's NY Times has an article about Neal Adams and Joe Kubert drawing a story to aid Dina Gottliebova Babbitt, a Holocaust survivor and animator get some original artwork returned. Stan Lee also participated. See "Comic-Book Idols Rally to Aid a Holocaust Artist," By GEORGE GENE GUSTINES, New York Times August 9, 2008. You can download the comic story as well.

Early articles on this issue, courtesy of my Comics Research Bibliography research, are

Wyman Institute. 2006.
450 Cartoonists Urge Poland to Return Auschwitz Paintings [by animator Dina Babbitt].
Kansas City infoZine (September 21):
http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/17845/

Brady, Matt. 2006.
JOE KUBERT RALLIES THE CREATIVE COMMUNTY FOR DINA BABBIT.
Newsrama (September 12): http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=83781

Baltimore sessions on Jewish comic book creators

See "Jewish authors bring novels to life: McDaniel College hosts five-part discussion series on graphic novels" By Laura McCandlish, Baltimore Sun Reporter.