The Jewish Side of San Diego Comic Con 2017

My apologies for posting this so late.

Today is the first full day of the annual San Diego Comic Con International (aka Comicon).

As with many previous years, there will be many creators (writers, artists, editors, publishers) who will be in attendance who have created comic stories with Jewish content in attendance. There will also be a book launch and discussion for an anthology of Jewish stories titled A Minyen Yidn (A Bunch of Jews). 

Among the participants will be :

Abrams ComicArts (1216) is the publisher of the Hereville books, the English edition of Pascal Croci's Auschwitz, Yiddiskeit, and the English edition of Boxer: The True Story of Holocaust Survivor Harry Haft by Reinhard Kleist

Neal Adams  (1815) is the illustrator of the “Son O’ God” stories, which appeared in the pages of National Lampoon. You may read all of the Son O’God stories (as well as the story of how Adams was recruited to be the artist) at Dial B for Blog. Adams also illustrated the Batman story “Night of the Reaper” in which the vengeful Grim Reaper is revealed to be a Nazi-hunting Holocaust survivor. Adams penciled “The Last Outrage” (inked by Andy Kubert’s father, Joe Kubert) which appeared in both The New York Times and the final issue of the miniseries X-men : Magneto : Testament and which also appeared as a stop-motion video on YouTube.

 Antarctic Press (2307) is the publisher of Families of Altered Wars [which included the "Stars of David" storyline] and Dictators of the Twentieth Century : Hitler #1-4.

 Sergio Aragonés (I-07) is the illustrator of the "Fanny Hillman : Jewish Madam" books and he adapted the Jonah story for Testament.

Arsenic Lullaby (2200) - issue #12 contains "Pilsbury Doughboy at Auschwitz".

Bongo Comics Group (2519) is the publisher of the Simpsons franchise comics, which includes The Simpsons Winter Wing Ding #3 ("Not a (Green, Slimy) Creature was Stirring"), The Simpsons Winter Wing Ding #1 ("The Gift of the Maccabees"), The Simpsons Holiday Humdinger ("Con-Nukah!"), Simpsons #62 ("Li'l Krusty in Give a Hoot, Stay in School"), Krusty Comics  #3 ("The Rise and Fall of Krustyland, Part Three", and Simpsons Comics #62 ("Bart Simpson's Bible Stories"

Drawn  and Quarterly (1629) is the publisher of The Property, Exit Wounds, Jamalti and Other Stories, The Golem’s Mighty Swing, Jerusalem : Chronicles from the Holy City, Mary Wept Over the Feet of Jesus, and Toward a Hot Jew. D+Q also published the story "The Peasant and the Snake" in one of its anthologies, which has been reprinted in Jewish Comix Anthology.

Europe Comics (5524) is the publisher of The Jewish Brigade, The Red Poster, Mezek, and Second Generation.

Danny Fingeroth (Will Eisner : Portrait of a Sequential Artist session ; Who's the Most Neurotic Superhero session) is the author of Disguised as Clark Kent: Jews, Comics, and the Creation of the Superhero.

First Second Books (2800) is the publisher of Klezmer : Tales of the Wild East, the Rabbi's Cat books, and the Resistance series.

Mark Evanier (Jack Kirby : Friends and Family session) is the author of a Crossfire story for a Free Comic Book Day comic involving a Holocaust survivor who tries to kill a suspected Nazi war criminal.

Fantagraphics Books (1721) is the publisher of Jewish Images in the Comics, Palestine, and Barracuda in the Attic.

Sarah Glidden (Biographical and Autobiographical Comics session ; Spotlight on Sarah Glidden session) is the author-illustrator of the autobiographical How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less!, which was nominated for the 2012 Great Graphic Novels for Teens list and has illustrated a story for A Minyen Yidn.

Mike Grell (GG-16) is the author-illustrator of Green Arrow #57-58 and Jon Sable : Freelance #22-24.

Image Comics (2729)was the publisher of the series Youngblood (which included the Israeli superheroine Masada) and half of the Rex Mundi series.

Scott Koblish (II-03) is the inker of the story "Remembrance of Things Past" Fantastic Four #56.

Peter Kuper is the 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.

Last Gasp (1500) is the publisher of Funnyman: The First Jewish Superhero, from the Creators of Superman.

Stan Lee (Stan Lee and Friends: A Celebrity Tribute to the Comics Legend session) is the Jewish comics legend who co-created the Fantastic Four {which has a Jewish chartacter called The Thing} and who appeared in the story "What if the Original Marvel Bullpen was the Fantastic Four?" in What If? #11.

Paul Levitz (Paul Levitz in Conversation with Karen Berger session) is the author of "Tradition" in DC Comics' 9-11 September 11th 2001.

Miriam Libicki (M-07) is the author-illustrator of the jobnik! series (the first volume of which has been collected in trade paperback), the illustrated essays "Towards a Hot Jew: The Israeli Soldier as Fetish Object" ,"Jewish Memoir Goes Pow! Zap! Oy!", "Strange-ing the Welcomer : A Theory of Black and White and Jews All Over", and the illustrated mini-journals Ceasefire, Fierce Ease,  "Strangers : A Long Distance View of Israel" and "Turning Right on Cassady". She also contributed a story to the  Jewish Comix Anthology and A Minyen Yidn.

Joseph Michael Lisner (4900) is the illustrator of the story "Corporate Ladder" which appeared in the series Cry for Dawn).

Elliot S! Maggin (GG-12) is the author of the Passover seder-inspired short comic story "The Miracle Monday Dinner" in Superman #400.

Jim Mahfood (Image Comics : Your New Favorite Series session) is the author-illustrator of Grrl Scouts.

Hope Nicholson (Geeking Out on Secret Loves session) is the editor of the forthcoming A Minyan Yidn un Andere Zacken — A Bunch of Jews and Other Stuff. 

Jimmy Palmiotti (Crowdfunding Success Stories! session) is the co-creator of the short-lived golem series The Monolith from DC Comics. 

Trina Robbins (A Bunch of Jews (A Minyen Yiden) session ; Women Creators Breaking Stereotypes session) is the author-illustrator of the story "The Triangle Fire" which was the cover story of the 2nd issue of Lilith Magazine, the author of the graphic biography  Lily Renee, Escape Artist: From Holocaust Survivor to Comic Book Pioneer, and the co-author of an adaptation of a Jewish song which was reprinted in The Jewish Comics Anthology and author of A Minyen Yidn (A Bunch of Jews). 

Bill Sienkiewicz (1714) is the illustrator of the story "Night Screams" in X-Men#159, in which Kitty is saved from Dracula by her Star of David necklace and illustrator of the story "Into the Abyss" in New Mutants #27, which had the Israeli mutant character Legion.

Robert Sikoryak (table Q18) is a cartoonist who has adapted classic stories into comic-style retellings, including a Dagwood-style "Adam and Eve", which was reprinted in Masterpiece Comics.

Gail Simone (autographing at AA-18 ; Spotlight on Gail Simone session) wrote the story "Li'l Krusty in Give a Hoot, Stay in School" in Simpsons #62, as well as "A Contagion of Madness"in Action Comics #835.

Emily Steinberg (International Collaborative TransMedia Narrative Comics session) is the author-illustrator of the autobiographical Graphic Therapy : Notes from the Gap Years, which is being sold at Lulu.com.

J. Michael Straczynski (autographing at AA-21 ; Spotlight on J. Michael Straczynski session) is the author of the Spider-Man story "You Want Pants with That?" and the Rising Stars story "Selah".

Viz Media (2813) is the publisher of the 5-part graphic book series Adolf.

Len Wein (HH-06) is the writer of the golem story in Strange Tales #174 - see http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/golem1.htm.

Marv Wolfman (AA-05) is the author of the story "Return from the Grave!" in Tomb of Dracula #27, "Introducing the Hybrid" in The New Teen Titans #24 and Homeland : The Illustrated History of the State of Israel.

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On Sunday (11:30 AM), there will be the following panel :

A Conversation About Inclusivity and Diversity in Comics and the Comics Market


Hear a diverse mix of creators and booksellers discuss diverse characters in comics, finding and audience for them, and the impact that the push for inclusiveness has had on the comics both creatively and financially.

The Jewish Side of TCAF 2017 - this weekend

On Saturday, May 13th & Sunday May 14th,, readers, writers, artists, publishers and fans of comix will converge at the Toronto Reference Library ( and nearby venues)  to take part in the the FREE Toronto Comic Arts Festival (aka TCAF).This year marks the 14th anniversary since the first TCAF was held (at a much smaller venue) in 2003.

Among the talented people who will be at TCAF this year are a small number of comix professionals who have done comic art using Jewish characters or themes.

AH Comics Inc. (table 277) is the publisher of Jewish Comix Anthology, volume 1.

Julia Alekseyeva (table 307) is the author illustrator of the graphic memoir Soviet Daughter : A Graphic Revolution.

Hannah Blumenreich (table 278) is a freelancer who has done work for Marvel and Boom. One of her Tumblr illustrations titled "jew crew: ASSEMBLLLLEEE!!" shows a montage of 9 Jewish superheroes.

Chester Brown (signing 10-12 on Saturday)  is the author and illustrator of Mary Wept Over the Feet of Jesus : Prostitution and Religious Obedience in the Bible which includes adaptations of the stories of Cain and Abel, Job, Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Basthsheba.

Barry Deutsch (table 202) is the 2011 Sydney Taylor Award winner for Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword.

Drawn  and Quarterly (tables 145, 148-150) is the publisher of The Property, Exit Wounds, Jamalti and Other Stories, The Golem’s Mighty Swing, Jerusalem : Chronicles from the Holy City, Mary Wept Over the Feet of Jesus, and Toward a Hot Jew. D+Q also published the story "The Peasant and the Snake" in one of its anthologies, which has been reprinted in Jewish Comix Anthology.

Fantagraphics Books (tables 132-134) is the publisher of Jewish Images in the Comics, Palestine, and Barracuda in the Attic.

First Second Books (tables 204-205) is the publisher of Klezmer : Tales of the Wild East, the Rabbi's Cat books, and the Resistance series.

Guy Delisle (signing 11:30-12:30, 1:30-2:30 & 2:30-3:30 on Saturday, 12:30-1:30, 4:00-5:00 on Sunday) is a French-Canadian cartoonist, well known for his graphic travelogues, including Chronicles : A Year In Jerusalem.

Sammy Harkham (table 129) is the author-illustrator of "Lubavitch, Ukraine 1876", which appeared in Kramer's Ergot #6.

Joe Infurnari (Masonic Temple) is the cartoonist who wrote and illustrated "Workin' Girl Golem", which is reprinted in The Jewish Comix Anthology (copies for sale at table 277).

Keren Katz (table 233) is the illustrator of the story "Solomon ibn Gabirol's Golem" in The Jewish Comix Anthology (copies for sale at table 277).

 Matt Lubchansky (tables 321-323) is a Jewish cartoonist who writes and illustrates the webcomic Please Listen to Me. His 3-ingredient Passover brisket recipe comic was published online at Saveur and his response to the use of Holocaust imagery in Trump's America was included in the piece "Never Again?" (The Nib).

NBM Graphic Novels (tables 250-251) is the publisher of the Jew in Communist Prague books, Brownsville, The Big Khan, and the Isaac the Pirate books.

Hope Nicholson (table 218) is the editor of the forthcoming A Minyan Yidn un Andere Zacken — A Bunch of Jews and Other Stuff. 

Jonathan Rotsztain (table Q12) is the author-illustrator of the self-published works Self-Loving Jew and Journey into Jonathan.

Koren Shadmi (signing 1-2 and 2-3 on Saturday and 1-2 on Sunday) is the illustrator of the graphic book Mike's Place: A True Story of Love, Blues, and Terror in Tel Aviv, "Snapshots from Israel" (for the New York Times) and "Childhood Heroes" (for Tablet Magazine).

Robert Sikoryak (table Q18) is a cartoonist who has adapted classic stories into comic-style retellings, including a Dagwood-style "Adam and Eve", which was reprinted in Masterpiece Comics.


Andy Stanleigh, who illustrated the story "Pillow of Feathers", is the owner of AH Comics (which published the 1st volume of Jewish Comix Anthology). He may be found at the AH Comics Inc. table (277) during TCAF.

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TCAF panels which may be of interest to those who study Jews and Comics.

Saturday May 13

Hinton Learning Theatre, Toronto Reference Library

• 01:30 PM – NBM Publishing 40th Anniversary Celebration! – For 40 years now, NBM Publishing has been at the forefront of publishing smart and sophisticated comics from North America and Europe. Join founder Terry Nantier as he talks about the company’s legacy and impact with Rick Geary (Treasury of 20th Century Murder), Metaphrog (The Little Mermaid), and Larry Hancock & Michael Cherkas (The Silent Invasion).

Forest Hill Ballroom, Marriott Bloor-Yorkville

• 01:30 PM – Spotlight: Guy Delisle – Guy Delisle has become one of the most well-known cartoonists in the world with his bestselling travelogues about everyday life in faraway and complex countries Pyongyang, Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City, and Burma Chronicles are defining works of graphic non-fiction. Now he returns with Hostage: many years in the making, it marks a new direction for Delisle. HOSTAGE tells the true story of the kidnapping of a Doctors Without Borders employee, who was held in captivity for over 100 days before escaping. Drawn from interviews with Andre himself, it’s a powerful account of life under an imprisonment that has no foreseeable end.

The Pilot, 22 Cumberland St.

• 04:00 PM – Comics Carousel – Back for another round! R. Sikoryak’s long running comics performance/reading series, returns to TCAF with shows and readings from a slew of the top talent at the festival this year! Featuring Eleanor Davis, Glynnis Fawkes, Keren Katz, and more!

Sunday May 14

Forest Hill Ballroom, Marriott Bloor-Yorkville

• 12:00 PM – Comics As Political Resistance – Comics are amazing tools for communicating. This is never more vital than when telling your stories involves speaking out against oppressive systems or political climates. Join Nate Powell (March), Ben Passmore (Your Black Friend), Julia Alekseyeva (Soviet Daughter), Matt Lubchansky (The Nib), and Krittika Ghosh, (Senior Coordinator, Violence against Women’s Program from the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants) as they talk about how creating and sharing comics can be an act of political resistance in these troubling times.

02:45 PM – Canada 150 – Canada at Home and Abroad – As the polarizing celebrations around Canada 150 continue across the country, we sit down with four cartoonists with compelling takes on our national identity. Whether they’re exploring our rural communities (Jeff Lemire), being our eyes abroad (Guy Delisle), interpreting one of our icons (Sandrine Revel), or telling stories that could only be told here (Gengoroh Tagame), one thing that brings these artists together is Canada.

Un livre pour enfants: Mickey au Camp de Gurs as Picture Book - May 11,2017 in Toronto

Philip Smith (associate professor at College of the Bahamas) will be presenting his paper "Un livre pour enfants: Mickey au Camp de Gurs as Picture Book" during the European Comics session at the annual Canadian Society for the Study of Comics / Societe Canadienne pour l'Etude de la Bande Dessinee (CSSC / SCEFBD) conference in Toronto tomorrow afternoon.

The session will take place at the Bloor-Yorkville Marriott Hotel in the Summerhill Room from 4:45 PM - 6:00 PM.

Jewish Side of MOCCA Fest 2017 - April 1st & 2nd

This weekend, the annual MOCCA (Museum of Comic & Cartoon Art) Festival will take place at the Metropolitan West in New York City, with programming taking place at Ink48.

Among the creators & publishers of Jewish comics, Jewish graphic novels, and other Jewish graphica are :

* Abrams ComicArts is the publisher of the Hereville books, the English edition of Pascal Croci's Auschwitz, Yiddiskeit, and the English edition of Boxer: The True Story of Holocaust Survivor Harry Haft by Reinhard Kleist

* Julia Alekseyeva is the author-illustrator of the graphic novel Soviet Daughter: A Graphic Revolution.

* C Cassano is one of the artists who contributed to the Schmuck graphic biographical anthology.

*  The Center for Cartoon Studies is the publisher of Houdini : The Handcuff King. 

* Fantagraphic Books is the publisher of Jewish Images in the Comics, Palestine, and Barracuda in the Attic.

* First Second Books is the publisher of Klezmer : Tales of the Wild East, the Rabbi's Cat books, and the Resistance series.

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

* Dean Haspiel is the illustrator of the Harvey Pekar autobiography The Quitter, Ego & Hubris : The Michael Malice Story and Jonathan Ames' The Alcoholic.

* Keren Katz is an artist who adapted the story of Solomon ibn Gabirol's golem for Jewish Comix Anthology volume 1.

* Peter Kuper is the author-illustrator of the short biographical story "Promised Land"(Bleeding Heart #2), as well as the book-length autobiographical Stop Forgetting to Remember : The Autobiography of Walter Kurtz and illustrator of some stories which appeared in the anthology Yiddishkeit: Jewish Vernacular and the New Land.

* NBM Publishing is the publisher of the Jew in Communist Prague books, Brownsville, The Big Khan, and the Isaac the Pirate books.

* Josh Neufeld is the author-illustrator of A Few Perfect Hours.

* Pantheon is the publisher of Maus, Unterzakhn, and The Jew of New York.

* Hadar Reuven is a visual artist and storyteller employing a variety of mediums; collage, painting, installation, video, sound, graphic novels and artist books. 

* Ellis Rosen is the illustrator of the story "Aaron Lansky and the Recovery of Yiddish", published in Yiddishkeit, a 1 page of an adaptation of "Fire" written by Isaac Bashevis Singer, as well as the adaptation of the Moshe Yess song "My Zayde" in Jewish Comix Anthology volume 1.

Robert Sikoryak is a cartoonist who has adapted classic stories into comic-style retellings, including a Dagwood-style "Adam and Eve", which was reprinted in Masterpiece Comics.

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Programming

SATURDAY, APRIL 1 PROGRAMMING

12:30PM / Helvetica Room
Drew Friedman: Heroes of the Comics
In Heroes of the Comics and his new follow-up volume More Heroes of the Comics, illustrator and cartoonist Drew Friedman has produced a series of affectionate, beautifully rendered portraits of important figures from the history of American comic books, accompanied by short informative biographies. Friedman will discuss selected figures from his two books with Fantagraphics publisher Gary Groth, special guest Al Jaffee, who is featured in the first volume, and Karen Green, ‎Curator for Comics and Cartoons at Columbia University's Rare Book & Manuscript Library, who provides the second volume’s introduction. 

SUNDAY, APRIL 2 PROGRAMMING

2:00PM / Garamond Room
Rutu Modan and David Polonsky in Conversation
Israeli artists Rutu Modan and David Polonsky are both known for the excellence of their artwork and for their provocative approach to blending historical and current events into their imaginative works. Modan is best known in North America for her graphic novels Exit Wounds and The Property and for her short story collection Jamilti. Polonsky is best known in North America as the art director for the animated film Waltz With Bashir, directed by Ari Folman. He is also the illustrator of the graphic novel based upon the film. Modan and Polonsky will discuss their work with comics scholar and writer Tahneer Oksman (How Come Boys Get to Keep Their Noses?).  

3:30PM / Garamond Room
Anthologies as Art: Kramers Ergot and Lagon
The great anthologies of comics history — Zap, Weirdo, RAW, and others — have both made an assertion of comics’ aesthetic ambition at a certain time and place while functioning as a personal expression by each series’ editors. Sammy Harkham is the editor of Kramers Ergot, the anthology which, since 2003, has generated excitement with each volume as a strong statement about contemporary art comics in North America. Alexis Beauclair is the co-editor of Lagon, which debuted in 2014 as a risographed encapsulation of French avant-garde comics, and has metamorphosed with each volume leading to the latest, Gouffre. They will discuss their work as artists and editors with Bill Kartalopoulos.