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.