followup to Edge City's current Hanukkah storyline

A big "thank you" goes to "dddegg", who pointed out to me that the Houston Chronicle keeps a 30-day current archive of the "Edge City" comic strip on their website.

I took a look and it seems that the current storyline about the menorah of Abby's great grandfather started on Monday, Nov. 26th, not yesterday as I had originally thought.

So, the links to this weeks' story is as follows :

http://www.chron.com/apps/comics/showComick.mpl?date=20071126&name=Edge_City

http://www.chron.com/apps/comics/showComick.mpl?date=20071127&name=Edge_City

http://www.chron.com/apps/comics/showComick.mpl?date=20071128&name=Edge_City

http://www.chron.com/apps/comics/showComick.mpl?date=20071129&name=Edge_City

http://www.chron.com/apps/comics/showComick.mpl?date=20071130&name=Edge_City

Peter Sanderson looks at Disguised as Clark Kent

Comic Book critic and historian Peter Sanderson shares his thoughts on the Danny Fingeroth book Disguised as Clark Kent : Jews, Comics, and the Creation of the Superhero at his Comics in Context website.

Here's an excerpt :

Later in the book, Fingeroth discusses a Silver Age contribution to the Superman mythos: the Bottle City of Kandor, a Kryptonian city that had been reduced in size and stolen by the evil Brainiac, and thus survived the destruction of the planet. Superman recovered the miniaturized city and placed it in his Fortress of Solitude (whose name arguably alludes to Superman’s status as an alien on Earth), which Fingeroth correctly describes as “the survivor’s living museum to the memory of Krypton. He was now no longer fully alone and could revisit a piece of the culture and society from which he had been simultaneously saved and exiled” (Fingeroth p. 83).

Two years ago when I was listening to a BBC radio program “Is Superman Jewish?” (see “Comics in Context” #75: “The Rubber Band Theory of Cartoon Art”). I was startled when it made the argument that Kandor represented the nation of Israel: a community of Jews, small compared to the millions who once lived in Europe, that survived after the Holocaust.

Earlier, Sanderson interviewed Danny and the interview may be found at http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6493288.html?nid=2789.

"Jewish Mothers and Their Sons..." by Benita Epstein

I found the following one-panel cartoon earlier today :

"Jewish Mothers and Their Sons, The Doctors Annual Picnic"

Illustrated by Benita Epstein

To view, go to http://www.aish.com/jewlarious/comix/images/picnic%20comic.jpg

Palestine : The Special edition (Joe Sacco)

In celebration of the publication of Palestine : The Special Edition (written and illustrated by Joe Sacco), Fantagraphics hosted an exhibit of original artwork from the Palestine comic series which the special edition collects in one volume. The exhibit was held at the Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery in late October.

Photos, video and audio from the evening may be accessed at the Fantagraphics blog :

Go to http://www.fantagraphics.com/blog/2007_10_21_fantagraphics_archive.html
#3111752547376532584 and http://www.fantagraphics.com/blog/2007_10_28_fantagraphics_archive.html (scroll down to "Sacco talk audio").

A new book of Joe's - Footnotes in Gaza is expected to be on shelves by the end of 2008.

Chanukah / Hanukkah Comix

I realize it may seem like I'm jumping the gun a bit, wishing all my readers an early "Happy Hanukkah", when the holiday doesn't start this year for another 5 days (well --- evenings, since all of the Jewish holidays start at sundown).

However, I'm not the only one getting psyched for the Festival of Lights.

Tery Laban, Jewish cartoonist of "Edge City" (co-written by his wife Patty) has already started a multi-part storyline in his syndicated comic strip. Since SFgate doesn't archive the strip and since the King Features page that does archive the strip only retains one week's worth of strips (and is over a month behind), you need to click on the following link to read what looks like part 1 of the current Hanukkah storyline: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/comics/Edge_City.dtl.

It is too early to read Hillary Price's Chanukah-themed cartoons in her syndicated comic strip "Rhymes with Orange" (assuming she does one this year), but it's never too early or too late to click on the following links and enjoy the ghosts of Hanukkah cartoons past :

http://www.rhymeswithorange.com/home.php?date=19991219

http://www.rhymeswithorange.com/home.php?date=20001220

http://www.rhymeswithorange.com/home.php?date=20001222

http://www.rhymeswithorange.com/home.php?date=20041210

http://www.rhymeswithorange.com/home.php?date=20060102

http://www.rhymeswithorange.com/home.php?date=20061215

I also found the link to the Off the Mark Chanukah cartoons of Mark Parisi : http://www.offthemark.com/search-results/key/chanukah/, which I may not have posted about before.

In 2003, Elena Steier did a "Ramprats" Hanuukah cartoon which featured Mothra (don't ask why ; just click on the link) : http://www.striporama.com/ramprats/mothra_Hanukkah_2003.jpg

Walter Hudsick over at the Recreation Annex blog discussed the backup story in Justice League of America (original series) #188 - "Miracle at 22,300 Miles" in December 2005, but I only just ran across it.

If anyone comes across any additional Chanukah comic strips, comic book stories or graphic novels that haven't been listed or mentioned in my online bibliography, Yahoo discussion forum or this blog, please send me an e-mail (safran-can@yahoo.com).

Happy Holidays, everyone - whatever & however you celebrate!