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Schwartz, Roy. Is Superman Circumcised? The Complete Jewish History of the World’s Greatest Hero. Jefferson: McFarland, 2021. Added by: joachim (12/2/21, 2:05 AM) Last edited by: joachim (6/27/23, 5:33 PM) |
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| Resource type: Book Language: en: English ID no. (ISBN etc.): 978-1-4766-6290-9 BibTeX citation key: Schwartz2021 Email resource to friend View all bibliographic details  |
Categories: General Keywords: "Superman", Historical account, Judaism, Superhero, USA Creators: Schwartz Publisher: McFarland (Jefferson) |
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Superman is the original superhero, an American icon, and arguably the most famous character in the world—and he’s Jewish! Introduced in June 1938, the Man of Steel was created by two Jewish teens, Jerry Siegel, the son of immigrants from Eastern Europe, and Joe Shuster, an immigrant. They based their hero’s origin story on Moses, his strength on Samson, his mission on the golem, and his nebbish secret identity on themselves. They made him a refugee fleeing catastrophe on the eve of World War II and sent him to tear Nazi tanks apart nearly two years before the US joined the war. In the following decades, Superman’s mostly Jewish writers, artists, and editors continued to borrow Jewish motifs for their stories, basing Krypton’s past on Genesis and Exodus, its society on Jewish culture, the trial of Lex Luthor on Adolf Eichmann’s, and a future holiday celebrating Superman on Passover. A fascinating journey through comic book lore, American history, and Jewish tradition, this book examines the entirety of Superman’s career from 1938 to date, and is sure to give readers a newfound appreciation for the Mensch of Steel!
Table of Contents Acknowledgments (ix) Introduction (3) Part I. Scriptural Superheroes: The Ancient Roots of the Man of Tomorrow Part II. Shticks from the Shtetl: How Jews Created Comics and Caped Crusaders Part III. Mensch of Steel: Fulfilling Jewish Fantasy and Faith Part IV. Postwar to Postmodern: Redefining Superman, Comics and Judaism Chapter Notes (319) |