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Friday, April 27, 2012

The Jewish Side of MOCCA Fest 2012

This weekend (April 28th and 29th), the 10th annual Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art Festival will be held at the Lexington Avenue Armory (Lexinton and 25th) in Manhattan (New York), between the hours of 11 AM and 6 PM. Among the creators of Jewish comic stories / art who will be in attendance are :

* Abrams (publisher of Auschwitz and Yiddishkeit: Jewish Vernacular and the New Land)


* Orli Auslander (author-illustrator of "Matchmaker" and "Mazeltov")

* Jonathan Baylis (author of So ... Buttons mini-comic)

* Center for Cartoon Studies (publisher of Houdini : The Handcuff King)

* Leela Corman (author-illustrator of Unterzakhn and illustrator of the Dave Danger comics in Reform Judaism magazine

* Drawn and Quarterly (publisher of the berlin comic book series, as well as the graphic travelogue Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City)

* Fantagraphics (publisher of the forthcoming Jewish Images in the Comics)

* Danny Fingeroth (author of Disguised as Clark Kent: Jews, Comics, and the Creation of the Superhero)

* First Second Books (publisher of Klezmer, as well as the 3 books in the Resistance series)

* Drew Friedman (cartoonist who illustrated ""What If Chris Rock Performed At A Bar Mitzvah?" [MAD Magazine #419] and "Marnin Rosenbrg in 'Bad Luck with Women'" [National Lampoon - June 1987])

* Dean Haspiel (illustrator of Harvey Pekar's autobiography The Quitter, as well as other works by Pekar)

* Last Gasp (publisher of Funnyman: The First Jewish Superhero, from the Creators of Superman)

* Peter Kuper (author-illustrator of the short biographical story "Promised Land" in Bleeding Heart #2, as well as the book-length autobiographical Stop Forgetting to Remember : The Autobiography of Walter Kurtz)

* Josh Neufeld (author-illustrator of A Few Perfect Hours)

* NBM Publishing (publisher of the A Jew in Communist Prague series, The Big Khan, and Brownsville)

* Pantheon (publisher of Unterzakhn)

* Marsha Pugachevsky (author-illustrator of "My Worst Job Interview Ever")

* Ellis Rosen (illustrator of the story "Aaron Lansky and the Recovery of Yiddish", published in Yiddishkeit and 1 page of an adaptation of "Fire" written by Isaac Bashevis Singer)

* Maggie Siegel-Berele (author-illustrator of "My Unborn Children")

* Leslie Stein (author-illustrator of "Someone is Yelling at Me Over the Phone" [Comics Festival, 2005] and Eye of the Majestic Creature)

* Fredrik Strömberg (author of the forthcoming Jewish Images in the Comics)

* Paul Swartz (author-illustrator of "The Magnificent Mockingbird Presents: A Vanishing Act")

* JT Waldman (author-illustrator of Megillat Esther and illustrator of the forthcoming Not the Israel My Parents Promised Me)

* Lauren Weinstein (author-illustrator of the anthology Girl Stories, which includes the story "Chanukah Blues" and writer-illustrator of the story "Horse Camp" which appeared in the anthology Stuck in the Middle)

* Li-or Zaltzman (cartoonist currently working on a 100+ page coming of age story that takes place in Tel Aviv)









Sunday, April 01, 2012

The book launch tour of Leela Corman's new graphic novel Unterzakhn (Yiddish for "underthings") continues in New York this week. According to a private chat with Leela, the graphic novel will depict Jewish life in the Lower East Side, life in a European shtetl, prostitution, women's health, abortion, and really bad dancing.

On April 3rd, Leela will be appearing at WORD bookstore at 126 Franklin St. at 7:00 PM. The event is free, but advance RSVP is requested by calling 718-383-0096.

On April 5th, Leela will be at the Tenement Museum at 103 Orchard St. at 6:30 PM. Free, but advance RSVP is requested by calling 212-982-8420.

On April 28th and 29th, Leella will be a guest at MOCCA Fest at the 69th Regiment Armory at 68 Lexington Ave. Times and fees to be announced.

Leela was recently interviewed by This Wekk in New York and the interview may be read online at http://twi-ny.com/blog/2012/03/31/twi-ny-talk-leela-corman/.

Halachos of Superheroes

by R. Yossi Sirote, dated Purim 5772 (March 2012)

Table of Contents


Shiur 1: Origins.....................................................................................................................................................3
Introduction..............................................................................................................................................3
May one become a Superhero knowing that it may endanger one’s life? ...............................................3
What are the Hashkafic implications of Superhero-“gods” like Thor? .....................................................6
Are Superheroes liable for the collateral damage that they cause?...........................................................6
Are magic talismans Avoda Zara? ......................................................................................................7
Does multiplying count as a minyan?....................................................................................................7
Is one allowed to read others’ minds?.........................................................................8
If you had 8 arms how do you put on teffilin? ................................................................................9
Shiur 2: Shabbos .........................................................................................................................................10
May a Superhero violate Shabbos?....................................................................................10
Can Wolverine eject his claws on Shabbos?.......................................................................10
Is there a problem with super-speed (exercise)?..................................................................11
In life threatening situations, must a Superhero minimize violation of the Shabbos? ...................12
May one move a muktze object by telekinesis on Shabbos?......................................................................13
Can a time traveler travel in and out of Shabbos? Can he skip a shabbos?..........................................13
Shiur 3: Eruvin......................................................................................................................................16
May Clark Kent wear his glasses in a place with no Eruv on Shabbos?....................................................16
May one wear his Superhero costume under his secret identity clothing without an Eruv?..........18
May one fly in a Reshus Harabim? ..........................................................................................18
May one carry in a Reshus Harabim while flying? ....................................................................19
May one fly out of techum shabbos?........................................................................................22

Edge City comic strip - Passover and Holocaust storylines

Today (April 2nd) marks the start of what's become an annual tradition - the Edge City Passover storyline, which this year will run for only 1 week (i.e. until March 8th).

You may view the comic strips using the following URLs (as soon as they are available) :

http://www.chron.com/entertainment/comics-games/comic/Edge-City/20498/2012-04-01.php
http://www.chron.com/entertainment/comics-games/comic/Edge-City/20498/2012-04-02.php
http://www.chron.com/entertainment/comics-games/comic/Edge-City/20498/2012-04-03.php
http://www.chron.com/entertainment/comics-games/comic/Edge-City/20498/2012-04-04.php
http://www.chron.com/entertainment/comics-games/comic/Edge-City/20498/2012-04-05.php
http://www.chron.com/entertainment/comics-games/comic/Edge-City/20498/2012-04-06.php
http://www.chron.com/entertainment/comics-games/comic/Edge-City/20498/2012-04-07.php
http://www.chron.com/entertainment/comics-games/comic/Edge-City/20498/2012-04-08.php

Following that, Terry LaBan and his wife Terry will start a 3-week Holocaust storyline. Although, the subject of the Holocaust is nothing new to the comic strip page, this may be the first time that the Shoah has been the focus over so many consecutive days. The story will draw from Patty's experience working with survivors in the Philadelphia area as part of her job at a local assisted living center.




The closest I think anyone has come thus far is Jordan Gorfinkel, who was commissioned by the Munich Jewish Museum to produce a set of 10 comic strips featuring his Everything's Relative comic strip characters.

You may view the Holocaust-themed Edge City comic strips using the following URLs (as soon as they are available) :

http://www.chron.com/entertainment/comics-games/comic/Edge-City/20498/2012-04-09.php
http://www.chron.com/entertainment/comics-games/comic/Edge-City/20498/2012-04-10.php
http://www.chron.com/entertainment/comics-games/comic/Edge-City/20498/2012-04-11.php
http://www.chron.com/entertainment/comics-games/comic/Edge-City/20498/2012-04-12.php
http://www.chron.com/entertainment/comics-games/comic/Edge-City/20498/2012-04-13.php
http://www.chron.com/entertainment/comics-games/comic/Edge-City/20498/2012-04-14.php
http://www.chron.com/entertainment/comics-games/comic/Edge-City/20498/2012-04-15.php
http://www.chron.com/entertainment/comics-games/comic/Edge-City/20498/2012-04-16.php
http://www.chron.com/entertainment/comics-games/comic/Edge-City/20498/2012-04-17.php
http://www.chron.com/entertainment/comics-games/comic/Edge-City/20498/2012-04-18.php
http://www.chron.com/entertainment/comics-games/comic/Edge-City/20498/2012-04-19.php
http://www.chron.com/entertainment/comics-games/comic/Edge-City/20498/2012-04-20.php
http://www.chron.com/entertainment/comics-games/comic/Edge-City/20498/2012-04-21.php
http://www.chron.com/entertainment/comics-games/comic/Edge-City/20498/2012-04-22.php
http://www.chron.com/entertainment/comics-games/comic/Edge-City/20498/2012-04-23.php
http://www.chron.com/entertainment/comics-games/comic/Edge-City/20498/2012-04-24.php
http://www.chron.com/entertainment/comics-games/comic/Edge-City/20498/2012-04-25.php
http://www.chron.com/entertainment/comics-games/comic/Edge-City/20498/2012-04-26.php
http://www.chron.com/entertainment/comics-games/comic/Edge-City/20498/2012-04-27.php
http://www.chron.com/entertainment/comics-games/comic/Edge-City/20498/2012-04-28.php
http://www.chron.com/entertainment/comics-games/comic/Edge-City/20498/2012-04-29.php
http://www.chron.com/entertainment/comics-games/comic/Edge-City/20498/2012-04-30.php
http://www.chron.com/entertainment/comics-games/comic/Edge-City/20498/2012-05-01.php
http://www.chron.com/entertainment/comics-games/comic/Edge-City/20498/2012-05-02.php