Description
Book Synopsis 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 Je
Trade Review
Roy Schwartz has done a deep dive into the history, mythology and cultural folklore of America’s super-heroes and his conclusions are indisputable. The contemporary concept of the super-hero, as old as the story of Moses, was birthed by Jewish immigrants and first generation Jewish kids from the tales, morals and ethics of their Jewish ethnical roots. The majority of the creators from 1938’s Golden Age of Comics through the 1960’s Marvel Age of Comics were Jewish. Whether it was Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster turning Moses into Superman or Stan Lee and Jack Kirby transforming The Golem into The Hulk, their heroes embodied their Jewish experience. Roy Schwartz analysis is scholarly yet broadly entertaining. He answers many questions and leaves the readers with but one: “If there were no Jews on Krypton where Superman was born, and if he was therefore circumcized on earth, did the moyal have to use a Kryptonite scalpel?" —Michael Uslan, Comic Book Historian and Originator and Executive Producer of the Batman movie
"A deep-dive into arguably the world’s most famous and iconic fictional character and his Jewish influences...This book is a must-have for any fan of superheroes, comic books and Jewish history and literature." —Jerusalem Post, 19th May 2021
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction
Methodology
Part I. Scriptural Superheroes: The Ancient Roots of the Man of Tomorrow
Samson, Solomon and Other Supermen
Paradigmatic Parallels: Superman as Moses
Sent by His Father: Superman as Jesus
World's Finest: Settling the Denominational Debate
Part II. Shticks from the Shtetl: How Jews Created Comics and Caped Crusaders
Hitler, Hollywood and Houdini
Famous Funnies and Other Firsts: The Birth of Comic Books
The Big Bang
Part III. Mensch of Steel: Fulfilling Jewish Fantasy and Faith
The Jewish Experience: Context Is Content
Birthright
The Secret Identities of Heroes and Hebrews
The Galactic Golem
The Brave and the Bold: Superman vs. Übermensch
Phone Booth, Voting Booth, Confession Booth: Superman's Religion and Politics
Part IV. Postwar to Postmodern: Redefining Superman, Comics and Judaism
Superman vs. the Mad Scientist: The Postwar Era
If I Were a Superman: The Silver Age
Nazis in Space and Superman on Screen: The Bronze Age
Second Coming: The Dark Age
Superman Supernal: The Modern Age
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
