Disguised as Clark Kent: Jews, Comics, and the Creation of the Superhero - Softcover

Fingeroth, Danny

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0826417671 ISBN 13: 9780826417671

Verlag: Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd., 2007

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"Like a Yiddish theater play on the old Jewish Second Avenue, or like a really good comic book, Danny will make you laugh, cry and, best of all, he'll make you think."" - "From the foreword by STAN LEE Mention in Today's Books/ BookweekThe A-List "The analogy between superheroes and Jewishness is odd, considering they were created as potent symbols of America. But it comes as less of a surprise when we learn that most of the writers and publishers in the comics industry from the 1930s onwards were Jewish. Indeed, the creators of the most famous superhero of them all, The Man of Steel (aka Superman), were DC Comics' Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, both born in 1914 to Jewish immigrants... I found a resonance there for me and something other people would be curious about." The Jewish Chronicle, February 28, 2008 "Not only do comic book superheroes Batman and Superman disguise themselves to save the world, but, according to former Marvel group editor Fingeroth, they also disguise their Jewish heritage and values. In Fingeroth's debut, he uncovers Jewish themes in comics history, starting with the introduction of Superman in 1938 and ending with a look at what the current crop of Jewish mainstream comics creators are doing with the freedom to explore overtly their religion. Chronicling the creation of each new "Jewish" superhero, Fingeroth notes the concurrent changes in the comic industry, including the audience shift from children to adults and the effect of comic critic Fredric Wertham. Looking back at the gold and silver era of comics, he uses close reading and artist testimony (Stan Lee, Joe Simon, and Will Eisner among them) to explore parallels between Superman and Moses, Spider-Man's morality tales and the Torah, Fantastic Four arch-nemesis Hate Monger and Hitler, and others. Fingeroth's theories can seem far-fetched- Bruce Wayne must be Jewish, Fingeroth claims, because Jewish creator Bob Kane does everything he can not to mention it- there's nothing here that wouldn't be at home (or much appreciated) in a spirited debate among hand core fans." -Publishers Weekly Annex "Danny Fingeroth's" Disguised as Clark Kent"...should be a key book for students of the superhero genre." Peter Sanderson, Comics in Context #201.--Sanford Lakoff "Disguised as Clark Kent: Jews, Comics, and the Creation of the Superhero comes from a comics industry veteran who explores the backgrounds of famous superheroes and their creators - who, as it turns out, were largely young American Jewish men from Eastern European backgrounds. The focus on the hero icon in history, Jewish history and culture, and the comics industry as a whole thus makes for a strong recommendation not just for Judaic studies collections, but for any collection strong in either comics or cultural icons and analysis." -Diane C. Donovan, Midwest Book Review, January 2008 --Sanford Lakoff " Fingeroth's book is an easy, intriguing read, exploring the histories of superheroes and their creators. This is clearly a topic in which Fingeroth is eminently well-versed." NBA, Jewish Book World, Spring 2008--Sanford Lakoff "A very thoughtful, very smart, very readable exploration of its subject.It is an essential book for any serious student of comics history and a darn swell read to boot."-Tony Isabella, Comics Buyer's Guide--Sanford Lakoff

Reseña del editor:

A large number of the creators of the most famous superheroes were of Jewish background, secular, religious, or both. In "Disguised as Clark Kent", Danny Fingeroth explores how the Jewish consciousness of these individuals impacted the content of the comics and contributed to making characters such as Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and Wonder Woman into the most familiar popular-culture icons of all time - on television and in movies, as well as in the four-colour pages in which they originated. The book is well researched, including personal interviews as well as historical data. It centers on questions of Jewish identity, which is historically about the push and pull toward and away from that very identity. One sees this immediately and most famously in "Superman" by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the superhero "disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper." It is also a large part of Bill Finger and Bob Kane's "Batman", Will Eisner's "Spirit", Joe Simon and Jack Kirby's "Captain America". As emigrants with a history of persecution, Jews came to America with their heads down but their eyes open. Finding in America a civilization freer of officially sanctioned anti-Semitism and replete with a philosophy that allowed the individual to succeed to the extent of his or her abilities, Jews were faced with unprecedented freedom and opportunity. Yet there were limits, spoken and unspoken, that they dared not push. Many were relegated to trades and fields with a taint of shabbiness to them. The garment business was one. Another was entertainment, of which the outer edges of the formerly old-line publishing industry was another: the pulps and the comics. It was here the above-named made their mark, later to be re-imagined by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and others from the 1960s down to our own time. "Disguised as Clark Kent" brings valuable insight into the fantasies that fuel our imaginations and entertainment industry, as well as many significant and often hidden aspects of our society.

Über diese Auflage

• Verlag: Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd.
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0826417671
• ISBN 13: 9780826417671
• Einband: Tapa blanda
• Anzahl der Seiten: 192