Award-winning comic book-style illustrator and historian Arlen Schumer explores the specific Jewish creation of the American superhero and its antecedents in older, ancient myths—from Ben Grimm to the Golem—as well as the significant contributions Jews have made to the medium of comic book art itself.  One day in 1933, newspaper publisher Max Gaines (nee Ginzburg) came up with a novel idea: he took some pages of his tabloid-sized Sunday newspaper comics, folded them over twice, and stapled them on the side—creating the comic book as we know it! That same year, two 18-year-old aspiring newspaper cartoonists from Cleveland, writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, created a character whom they hoped to sell to the very newspaper syndicates who worked with Gaines: Superman! And the rest, as they say, is history! Thus began the history of comic books and super heroes,  largely created by American Jews like Gaines, Siegel and Shuster, for their innovations sparked a 20th Century American pop culture explosion that has only gained in prominence and stature here in the 21st Century!  In essence, American Jews not only created the original superheroes—they created the American comic book itself!

Arlen’s “Jews & Comics” webinar via NY Adventure Club on Wednesday, September 16 @ 1:00pm EST; for TIX: nyadventureclub.com click here for the webinar

Arlens website click here

Arlen's guest tonight is Joel Silverstein who is a painter employing comic book imagery in his work, and a curator for the Jewish Art Salon in New York. Joels website click here