Disguised as Clark Kent: Jews, Comics, and the Creation of the Superhero

"Not only do comic book superheroes Batman and Superman disguise themselves to save the world, but, according to former Marvel group editor Fingeroth, they also disguise their Jewish heritage and values. In Fingeroth's debut, he uncovers Jewish themes in comics history, starting with the introduction of Superman in 1938 and ending with a look at what the current crop of Jewish mainstream comics creators are doing with the freedom to explore overtly their religion. Chronicling the creation of each new 'Jewish' superhero, Fingeroth notes the concurrent changes in the comic industry, including the audience shift from children to adults and the effect of comic critic Fredric Wertham. Looking back at the gold and silver eras of comics, he uses close reading and artist testimony (Stan Lee, Joe Simon and Will Eisner among them) to explore parallels between Superman and Moses, Spider-Man's morality tales and the Torah, Fantastic Four arch-nemesis Hate Monger and Hitler, and others. Fingeroth's theories can seem far fetched-Bruce Wayne must be Jewish, Fingeroth claims, because Jewish creator Bob Kane does everything he can not to mention it-there's nothing here that wouldn't be at home (or much appreciated) in a spirited debate among hard core fans." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Extending the theme of his Superman on the Couch: What Superheroes Really Tell Us about Ourselves and Our Society, Fingeroth (comics, The New School, New York, & former editor, Marvel's Spider-Man comics) examines why many of the biggest names in early comics were American Jews from Eastern European backgrounds. For example, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, creators of Superman/Clark Kent, countered stereotypes and created a hero who fought against Nazi-like enemies. The illustrated book draws on interviews with such legendary comic artists and writers. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

A large number of the creators of the famous superheroes were of Jewish background, secular, religious, or both. This book explores how the Jewish consciousness of these individuals impacted the content of the comics and contributed to making characters such as Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and Wonder Woman into the popular-culture icons.