and other comic book facts.
Regular readers of mine (if there are any such) know that I teach Sunday School at the Ann Arbor Jewish Cultural Society, a secular Jewish institution. Today we went on a field trip to the JCC West Bloomfield for “Zap! Pow! Bam!” an exhibit on the Jewish influence in comic books. The trip was fun and also educational. Among other things that we learned were:
Superman the character was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, two Jewish teenagers from Cleveland. Superman embodies the Jewish value of doing good for good’s sake. His “true” family name of “El” (his father was Jor-El and Superman was born Kal-El) is from the Hebrew term Elohim, meaning G-d. Superman’s own story parallels that of Moses.
Both Superman and Moses were sent away by their parents in order to save their lives, Superman going to the Kent family on Earth and Moses to the court of the Pharaoh. Moses would learn his true identity in the desert and Superman in the Fortress of Solitude. Both would have amazing powers.
Siegel first used the name in 1933 for a science fiction story titled, “The Reign of Superman,” with illustrations by Schuster. Inspired by the German philosopher Nietzsche, Siegel's first Superman was an evil mastermind with advanced mental powers. After Hitler came to power in Germany in 1933 and proceeded to distort Nietzsche's concept of Superman, Siegel and Shuster decided to rethink their own concept of Superman's character. They changed their Jewish-created Superman to a force for good. The new Superman obeys the Talmudic injunction to do good for its own sake and heal the world where he can. Siegel and Shuster had created a mythic character who reflected their own Jewish values.
There are many other Jewish contributors to modern comics. Will Eisner was a pioneer in comic books, creating the character of the Spirit and influencing many artists. He was born in Brooklyn, NY and was the son of Jewish immigrants. Eisner established a comic studio in Brooklyn that was instrumental in the future of comics. Among the many students influenced by Will Eisner no one is more prominent than Stan Lee.
Stan Lee was one of the founders of Marvel comics and was born Stanley Martin Leiber in Manhattan, NY. He created or co-created Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and Daredevil, and his success helped change Marvel Comics from a small publishing house to a large multimedia corporation.
Jack Kirby also helped create the Marvel comics empire was born Jacob Kurtzberg to Jewish Austrian parents in New York City. He grew up on Suffolk Street in New York's Lower East Side Delancey Street area, His father was a Conservative Jew and young Jacob attended Hebrew school. His rough and tumble youth on the Lower East side would inspire the character of Ben Grim, also known as the Thing, one of the members of the Fantastic four.
Even today, the Jewish influence is felt in comics through the work of such Jewish authors as Neil Gaiman, creator of the Sandman graphic novels. Neil Gaiman was born in Portchester, Hampshire in the UK. He studied both Jewish and Christian theology and these influences can be felt in his work.
For many Jewish authors, comic books were a way of sharing their values and philosophy.