Presentations

After listening to today's presentations, I would say there was an overall theme of Jewish characteristics in the characters and in the worlds they live in. As people talked about Batman, Superman, X-men, and Captain America, it was appalling to me to see the traits of Judaism in what have always seemed like secular comics to me. The themes of the class did not focus intensely on comic books but more on graphic novels especially toward the end of the class, so many of the presentations were very interesting as they expanded on the "From Krakow to Krypton" book which was my favorite of the class. One of the most telling and interesting presentations was from the previous week when comparing the origins of Superman to the origins of Moses. I was amazed by the similarities and convinced of the relation. Comics and Judaism seemed to go hand in hand and the it is so interesting to me how the history of Judaism can be lived out by comic book characters that were explained in great detail in these presentations.

More Hummus Please

Since we were trying some new cuisine this week, and I feel like I need something to blog about so I found some uses for leftover hummus. The food was delicious by the way.

Hummus has a lot of value outside of just pita use. As a leftover it can be used in several ways. It can be used, which most of you probably know, as a dip for vegetables or other breads, but it also can be used as a sandwich spread. My first experience with hummus was actually used as a sandwich spread. In someones recipe I read online they used is as a binder in chicken sandwiches instead of eggs. This was interesting considering the textures are not that similar.

Regardless hummus has a lot of value and I have had kinds that I like and i really didnt like but I have never tried homemade hummus and it is something I will definitely try to make maybe over Christmas break!

Impact of Waldman's Graphic Novel

Megillat Esther in the graphic novel form is a radical idea. Considering it is taking a Bible passage and turning it to a graphic novel form and animating it is a different idea. I think it is something that can be very valuable especially on a religious holiday that is festive such as Purim.

Despite the fact that the graphic novel is clearly a mature version of the story, the book has value for a teenage audience I believe. Considering Waldman himself, often admittedly didn't pay attention during service as a child because of day dreaming about comic books, the value of his graphic novel combines the world of religion and the world of comic books easily. It is not subtle like superman or other comics. It takes a Bible passage and directly makes it into a more fun, superhero like tale.

It seems apparent to me that Waldman clearly makes this graphic novel from his own experiences on high holidays. It turns child hood infatuations with religious stories brilliantly and effectively.

JT Waldman

I decided to do a little reading and find out some background on JT Waldman and I came across and interview he did "Alef". The interview pointed out a lot of interesting things about Waldman, who I am now following on Twitter, including his past and a little of the future.

He got started in comics at a young age. He started reading them at six and a few years later he realized that he could draw these things, so he began to just copy the drawings. His imagination also would run wild as he would make up his own adventures for comic book characters saying that it was the only thing that would help get him through high holidays.

When Waldman went off to college, he wanted to learn everything about art, except comics. He felt that no one could help him with his drawing and he figured if he learned other aspects of art it could contribute to his drawing.

Waldman talks more in depth and gives more background and a look to his next graphic novel in the interview. It is an interesting read and you all should check it out if you have a chance.

Purim Traditions

I decided after class to do a little more research on the internet about Purim as it had been something I had never heard of. The celebrations of other religions that I am unfamiliar with make me wonder about what these days are like for the people that celebrate them. It seems as though there are four basic things to do on Purim that all start with M. Megilah, which we know is the book of Esther, Mishloah Maanot, which is sending food to friends and sharing food, Matanot Le'evyonim, which is giving charity to the poor, and Mishteh, which includes a great meal followed by drinking. There is also a fast that takes place the day before Purim. The concept that was new to me and that I found slightly different was the giving to the poor. It makes sense though. It is said that how are the people celebrating supposed to have a good time when they know people are suffering. The minimum is to give to 2 people in need.

Overall, Purim seems like a fun celebration and a day of celebrating one's friends and families as well as "the finer things in life."

Crumbling World

After reading a tragic tale like Maus, you wonder to yourself, how could something so terrible happen? Then, many of us take the stance that it was a tragic human error and the world has learned from that horrifying incident. When viewing Waltz with Bashir you realize that that isn't true. Though it is not a genocide like the Holocaust, the basis remains similar that a certain group of people is being slaughtered just for who they are. Women, children, and innocent men were murdered because of an assassination that they had nothing to do with. Also, hearing things about the genocide in Rwanda and other tragedies can make a person wonder what we really learn from history sometimes. Is it just the fact that there are people who are good and people who are bad, and conflicting beliefs will always result in murder? Or is it just that different parts of the world must learn from themselves? Tying Waltz with Bashir in with Maus is a bit of a stretch due to the scale of the tragedies, but the comparison poses the question of why the world seems to not learn from history.

Waltz With Bashir

I enjoyed the movie Waltz with Bashir. It was a very powerful movie that brought to life a massacre I knew nothing about and had no previous emotional attachment to. The visual animations were also brought a lot to the film. The fact that it was not real people allowed the possibilities for a lot of action scenes such as the cars being run over or many of the other scenes with the tanks possible. It also kept the audience a little bit separated from the reality and harshness of the situation. The thing that brought the most reality to the film though was the interviews. Considering the interviews were from real people that were at the massacre is what brought the characters to life so tremendously. The drawings were so life-like and the motions were so life like that it brought the true emotion of the event to life. It drew some parallels to Maus as the details of the massacre were almost matter of fact to the characters. The way tragedies are dealt with are an area of great debate and discussion and the fact remains that people deal with different situations in different circumstances and this is portrayed beautifully and tragically in Waltz with Bashir.

Jobnik Illustrations

When readin Jobnik I was looking at the illustrations and trying to find out why the illustrations looked so familiar to me. I realized finally, in class that the illustrations reminded me a lot of the illustrations and animations from the music video for "Mosh" a song by Eminem. The song is a song that fights against former president George Bush and argues against the war on terror. I wondered if they were somehow related. Thought the illustrations were clearly not done by the author of Jobnik, I think the basis and idea may have come from Jobnik.

Considering they are both military based tales may have something to do with it. The video being in a cartoon fashion and the rounded characters makes me wonder weather or not the video was a based of this graphic novel. I could not find any information on the topic, since there isn't a lot of comparison between modern music videos and graphic novels. I just thought there may be some connections being they are both military based tales.

Questioning of Faith

There are a number of graphic novels that revolve around a questioning of faith by the main character. This very humanistic and familiar feeling helps the reader relate with the character. "A Contract With God" and "The Rabbi's Cat" both displayed an intense questioning of faith, but to different degrees.

In "The Rabbi's Cat" the character definitely questions his faith, and even as the story concludes you do not know exactly where the rabbi stands on the matter of his faith. He seems to accept it as something he cannot fully understands, but he holds his faith. Opposed to "A Contract With God" in which the main character turns completely away from his faith when things do not go his way. This presents a question that has made me think and ponder for years. Do you accept your faith for what it is, even the things you can't understand, or do you look elsewhere, outside of faith for answers to the unanswerable questions of faith?

Reading graphic novels that really bring the characters to life by the drawings has caused me to look at my faith and consider things slightly differently. As this question has been in main stream media as well, namely I can think of the movie "Signs" it makes it interesting to read and ponder more on this question.

Like/Dislike The Rabbi's Cat

The Rabbi's Cat was a very interesting read to me. I very much enjoyed it, but I found it strange that so many people in the class did not. The best part of the graphic novel to me, was the ending. The openendedness left me thinking for hours and really intrigued me as to the contents of the second book.

Another thing i found quite intriguing that we did not disucss in class and I did not realize until reading some reviews online is that the cat never has a name. This may or may not have been intentional but I feel there was a reason for it. Maybe it was to keep the cat as a neutral character so he wasn't revealed as Jewish or non Jewish. It may also have been to keep the cat further from being a person. Since the cat could talk he was obviously very personified, but keeping him nameless keeps the reader calling him cat, thus the reader is reminded of the animal. Either way I think it is something to note and to think about.

The vast amount of religions also took me by surprise. The question of a man's own faith is something that most people can relate to. I think many people have had thoughts and doubts and questions about their faiths, but that is why it is called faith. People need to be able to believe in something that seems unreal. The "The Rabbi's Cat" was an excellent example of a very humanistic quality.

In the Shadow of No Towers

Art Spiegelman has solidified his name in comic book history forever with his creation of Maus, but there is much more to the author that just his masterpiece. He also wrote on one of the other most tragic events in the last century as he wrote "In the Shadow of No Towers" after the 9/11 attacks on the world trade center.

Spiegelman writes "In the Shadow of No Towers" with emotion and passion as he describes the events of that day from his perspective. The comic is written in a similar style as "'Maus" and Spiegelman even depicts his character at times as the same character used in "Maus". The emotional and powerful feelings that are evoked in "Maus" are brought out in this graphic novel. Critics accuse the author of not invoking the same depth that was in his previous masterpiece, but the events of 9/11 were one day where the Holocaust was several years.

Spiegelman has made a career out of taking traumatic events and illustrating them in a way that brings the harsh reality of these events to life. The events of 9/11 were very distant to some American's as it may not have effected people outside of New York. The author makes these events come to life through his beautiful writing and his gripping illustrations. The work and Pulitzer Prize winning writing of Art Spiegelman has taken some of the most difficult moments in human history and brought them to life for his readers through "Maus" and "In the Shadow of No Towers."

Spiegelmans Writing

Maus has been one of the best things I have ever read. Art Spiegelman's writing style has blown me away. The way the author was able to portray one of the most tragic events in the world's history while still separating the reader from the powerful events makes Maus an amazing read. The usage of animals is an interesting aspect of the novel and it contributes to the distancing of the reader from the harsh reality of the Holocaust. Spiegelman is also able to incorporate humor in the book, which seems difficult as the the topic is far from humorous. I admire the ability of Art Spiegelman and admired the difficulty of the topic of the writing. Criticism I have found on Maus refers to his use of animals as the characters. As each animal is a different race of people, critics have noted that he perpetuates racial stereotypes. I disagree with this in principle because it makes the book easy to read. It keeps things simple and it makes the visual aspect of the graphic novel very easy along with the dialog. Maus is an excellent read and I look forward to reading more of Spiegelman's works.

Spiegelman

The Thing of all Things

The Thing aka Ben Grimm has always been one of my favorite superhero characters. Though I will admit I am not as much of a comic book buff as many people in the class, I have seen most of the recent movies and really enjoyed the Fantastic Four movies. The things we learned about Ben Grimm's Jewish background was pretty cool to me. In the movies I don't realize the depth that each of these characters has. The Thing is clearly a representitive of minorities in America at that time. He has distinct, features that set him apart from the "norm".

The life history of The Thing really took me by surprise. The depth that Stan Lee created in each of these characters was astonishing to me. On this site, you can track some of the history of the Thing. I think what attracts people to the Thing are his very humanistic characteristics despite his super strength and superhuman attributes. He remains similar to all of us in that aspect. The Thing's Jewish background was very interesting, and makes me view the Fantastic Four's member in a different light.

Grimm's religious background has been outlined since the beginning of the comic books, but did not come clear until 2002 in "Remembrance of Things Past". Grimm has also died in the comic books only to be resurrected by God himself. This notes the first time in comic book history a superhero has been brought back to life by god and not a more comic book-like resurrection. The Thing also breaks many Jewish stereotypes such as passiveness, studiousness, and intelligence. Breaking these stereotypes makes a statement to society as well as to the comic book community.

Batman: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

We all know Batman as a legendary comic book character. We may all know him even better as the character played by Christian Bale in the highly successful recent movies produced by Christopher Nolan. Though we know Batman as a crime fighting, terrifying to criminals, stud, he has gone through a lot of changes through his history.

Batman made his first appearance in 1939 in a six page story called "The Case of the Chemical Syndicate". Batman was actually equipped with a gun in his beginnings as he shot a criminal in one comic, followed by DC disarming the vigilante. He would also kill criminals without hesitation, which is a significant difference from the current Batman where not killing anyone is his "one rule".

Creators Bob Kane and Bill Finger took Batman through countless changes. Changing his colors, adding things, taking things, away, to the portrayal we know now. Which brings up to the Batman of today. The Dark Knight was one of the highest grossing films of all time. With a powerhouse cast and an excellent story line taken from the graphic novels, Batman fans are asking what is in store for the next and allegedly last movie of the series. There are rumors floating all over the internet as to who the next Batman villain will be. A deep pool of DC characters and a long history of past villains are all in the equation. Do some research, who do you think will be the next Dark Knight villain?

Eisner's masterpiece

Will Eisner is an innovator and a father figure to American comic books. Though he has made many successful comic books and graphic novels, the one that he is most famous for is "The Spirit". The comic was so famous that Frank Miller, producer of "Sin City" and "300", produced a 2008 movie in a style similar.



The 2008 movie pulled in 19.8 million dollars at the box office. The movie featured big name actors such as Samuel L. Jackson, Eva Mendez, and Scarlett Johansson. The movie brought Eisner's comic to life using vivid colors and the top notch Hollywood actors. The plot of the comic is that "The spirit" is the protector of the city and "The Octopus" tries to destroy it. Humor and action combine to make the movie and comic book enjoyable.

"The Spirit" is one of Eisner's comics not related to Judaism. This time period was difficult for Eisner and other Jewish comic book writers as it was not easy to be Jewish in America. While writing "The Spirit" Eisner went off to war which delayed the finishing of the comic. When returning to the United States after the war, Eisner and his staff were able to finish "The Spirit" in 1945.

"The Spirit" has gained a lot of recognition and called attention to his other writings to people outside of the comic book community. Eisner's effect on the comic book community was tremendous and "The Spirit" will live on forever as Eisner's most famous work.

Eisner's Contract with God

"A Contract with God" is actually the first graphic novel I have ever read. I really enjoyed it along with the discussion in class today. Something i really did not pay as much attention to as I will in future graphic novels is the illustrations. There were so many things I did not catch do to my lack of attention to the drawings.

My favorite tale in the graphic novel was "A Contract With God" though parallels could be drawn within all of the stories. I was particularly interested in the ending after the epilogue. When the child, with so many parallels to Frimme Hersh, picks up the stone with the contract on it. The ending seems so open-ended and up for interpretation which we discussed in class. Did Eisner mean to claim that this boys fate was to be the same as Frimme's?

The biblical references we made with the contract in class helped me to understand the story better. Just as there were covenants in several places in Jewish history. The covenants not kept in biblical times were similar to that in "A Contract With God"

The way the tennents on Dropsie Avenue all struggled for happiness in a new country displayed the difficult life these people had. With racism being shown in several areas of the graphic novel, it made it clear that it was not easy for the Jewish immigrants. Eisner potrays a very difficult time in US history for immigrants, and he does it using his own experiences along with fiction.