Published on: May 1, 2025
May is Jewish American Heritage Month! At GOCC, we want to celebrate Jewish Heritage as a culture and the roles Jewish creators have played in creating comic books and some of our favorite characters that we know and love. In 1939 we see the creation of Superman co-created by Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel, and Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. In the 1940’s we see Stan Lee and Jack Kirby birth Captain America, Spider-Man, Iron Man, and many of our other favorite Marvel superheroes. Other legendary Jewish artists and creators who have contributed to the comic book world include Will Eisner (The Spirit, A Contract With God), Al Jaffee (Mad), Allan Heinberg (co-creator of Young Avengers, co-wrote JLA: Crisis of Conscience) and many others. Read for more information or click on the links to jump to a section.
| Title | Author/Illustrator | Genre |
| Make Me A Woman | Vanessa Davis | Autobiography |
| Anne Frank’s Diary | Ari Folman (adapter), David Polonsky (Illustrator), Anne Frank (Original Text) | Biography |
| Hedy Lamarr: An Incredible Life | William Roy | Biography |
| Survivor: Aron’s Story | Alex Teplish | Biography |
| Classified: Jaeger | Ibahim Moustafa | Fiction |
| Fagin the Jew | Will Eisner | Fiction |
| The Big Kahn | Neil Kleid (Author), Nicolas Cinquegrani (Illustrator) | Fiction |
| Yossel: April 29, 1943 | Joe Kubert | Fiction |
| Meschugge: The Madman’s Maze | Benni Bodker (Author), Christian Højgaard (Illustrator) | Fiction, Scandanavian Noir |
| Maus: A Survivor’s Tale | Art Spiegelman | Historical |
| White Bird | R.J. Palacio | Historical fiction |
| To the Heart of the Storm | Will Eisner | Historical, autobiography |
| Palestine | Joe Sacco | Historical, nonfiction |
| Hereville | Barry Deutsch | Kids/YA, fiction |
| Hidden: A Child’s Story of the Holocaust | Loïc Dauvillier, Marc Lizano (Illustrations), Greg Salsedo (Ink), Alexis Siegel (Translator) | Kids/YA, historical |
| Two Tribes | Emily Bowen Cohen | Kids/YA, loosely based on a true story |
| Love That Bunch | Aline Kominsky-Crumb | Loosely autobiographical |
| Irmina | Barbara Yelin | Loosely based on a true story |
| Dancing at the Pity Party | Tyler Feder | Nonfiction |
| Flying Couch: A Memoir | Amy Kurzweil | Nonfiction |
| Holocaust Graphic Narratives: Generation, Trauma, and Memory | Victoria Aarons | Nonfiction |
| Houdini: The Handcuff King | Jason Lutes and Nick Bertozzi | Nonfiction |
| Run and Hide | Don Brown | Nonfiction |
| We Survived the Holocaust: The Bluma and Felix Goldberg Story | Frank W. Baker (Author), Tim Ogline, John Shableski (Editor) | Nonfiction |
| Adam Kubert | Action Comics, Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine, The Incredible Hulk, Ultimate Fantastic Four, Ultimate X-Men, and Wolverine |
| Al Capp | Shmoo, Lil’ Abner |
| Al Jaffee | Mad |
| Aline Kominsky-Crumb | Goldie: A Neurotic Woman, Love That Bunch, Need More Love: A Graphic Memoir |
| Allan Heinberg | co-creator Young Avengers, Avengers: The Children’s Crusade, co-wrote JLA: Crisis of Conscience |
| Anya Ulinich | Lena Finkle’s Magic Barrel |
| Art Spiegelman | Maus, Arcade, Raw, Garbage Pail Kids |
| Bill Finger | co-creator of Batman, Green Lantern |
| Bob Kane | co-creator of Batman |
| Brian Michael Bendis | Ultimate Spider-Man, New Avengers, Secret Wars, House of M, Secret Invasion, Age of Ultron, co-created RiRi Williams, Miles Morales, and Jessica Jones |
| Carla Jablonski | Resistance (Resistance, #1) |
| Daniel Clowes | Ghost World, Eightball |
| Dara Horn | One Little Goat: A Passover Catastrophe |
| Diane Noomin | The Agony and the Ecstasy of a Shayna Madel, Drawing Power: Women’s Stories of Sexual Violence, Harrassment, and Survival |
| Ellen Forney | Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me |
| Gene Colan | Daredevil, Tomb of Dracula, Howard the Duck, Detective Comics, Doctor Strange, Batman |
| Gil Kane | co-created Iron Fist and Adam Warlock, His Name Is…, Blackmark |
| Hillary L. Chute | Disaster Drawn |
| Hillray L Chute | Graphic Women |
| Jack Kirby | co-created Captain America, Ant-Man, Avengers, Black Panther, Fantastic Four, Hulk, Iron Man, Silver Surfer, Thor, and X-Men |
| Jerry Siegel | co-creator of Superman, Doctor Occult, Legion of Super Heroes |
| Joe Kubert | Sgt. Rock, Hawkman, Tor, Son of Sinbad, Viking Prince, Tales of the Green Beret |
| Joe Shuster | co-creator of Superman |
| Leela Corman | Unterzakhn, Victory Parade |
| Max Gaines | Funnies on Parade, co-publisher of All-American Publications (now EC Comics) |
| Michael Netzer | Kobra, Challengers of the Unknown, Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Batman, Black Lightning, Spider-Man |
| Miriam Katin | We Are On Our Own, Letting It Go |
| Peter David | The Incredible Hulk, Aquaman, Young Justice, SpyBoy, Supergirl, Fallen Angel, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099, Captain Marvel, X Factor |
| Samantha Baskind | The Jewish Graphic Novel: Critical Approaches |
| Sharon Rudhal | A Dangerous Woman: The Graphic Biography of Emma Goldman |
| Stan Lee | co-created Spider-Man, X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Ant-Man, Wasp, Fantastic Four, Black Panther, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch |
| Trina Robbins | Wimmen’s Comix, From Girls to Grrrlz, The Great Women Cartoonists, Lily Renee: Escape Artist |
| Victoria Aarons | Memory Spaces |
| Will Eisner | The Spirit, A Contract With God, Fagin the Jew |
Jewish Women’s Comics and Graphic Narratives
Click here for a list of popular Jewish comic book characters
Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword by Barry Deutsch
“Spunky, strong-willed eleven-year-old Mirka Herschberg isn’t interested in knitting lessons from her stepmother, or how-to-find-a-husband advice from her sister, or you-better-not warnings from her brother. There’s only one thing she does want: to fight dragons!
Granted, no dragons have been breathing fire around Hereville, the Orthodox Jewish community where Mirka lives, but that doesn’t stop the plucky girl from honing her skills. She fearlessly stands up to local bullies. She battles a very large, very menacing pig. And she boldly accepts a challenge from a mysterious witch, a challenge that could bring Mirka her heart’s desire: a dragon-slaying sword! All she has to do is find—and outwit—the giant troll who’s got it!
A delightful mix of fantasy, adventure, cultural traditions, and preteen commotion, Hereville will captivate middle-school readers with its exciting visuals and entertaining new heroine.”
Hereville is a sweet young adult graphic novel about a young girl coming into her independence as an adolescent and sense of self in her traditional Jewish community. Set in an ambiguous past, Mirka deals with problems like grief, strict school authorities and family members, learning Yiddish, and various witches and monsters around her town. – Athena M.
MESCHUGGE: The Madman’s Maze by Benni Bodker and Christian Højgaard
“Copenhagen, Denmark, 1905. The small Jewish ghetto is living in fear as a series of murders is shaking the population to their core. A young Jewish secretary is recruited by the Police to help them with their investigation from inside what they perceive as a very closed world. She quickly discovers that the murderer is using old superstitions as his template, leaving Kabbalistic symbols on his victims. Can she take down the monster? Will she become the next victim? The realistic art created by Christian Højgaard, gives a stunning look at Copenhaghen with its steep streets and a population living in poverty. The artist does not spare on depicting bloodshed: autopsied corpses, mutilated bodies, scenes in a butcher shop… Social violence meets physical violence. By focusing on the Jewish community, the plot draws a parallel between the violence suffered by the Jewish community then and the rise of anti-Semitism, with its terrible consequences in the 20th and 21st century. Meshugge (“crazy” in Yiddish) lifts the curtain on Scandinavian Jewish Horror like never before! It draws inspiration from both Jack the Ripper and rituals associated with Jewish culture, which are cruelly twisted by the murderer. Following the tradition of “Scandinavian noir,” Meschugge offers a deep dive into horror, making it an appealing read for fans of the genre.”
Noir and horror themes aren’t generally my go-to or frequented genre of choice when it comes to literature and media. But I found “Meschugge” to be one of the most engaging and compelling reads I’ve had in awhile. The art style is simplistic, but yet portrays the feeling of suspense that allows the material to be properly executed. The continuity and dialogue allow for build up, tension, and seeing the world from a working woman’s eyes in the early 20th century. It’s not often we are given a female-led noir story that is driven by identity, intelligence, and strength. For the fans of the genre – this book is a definite “must read”. – Luna Z.
Two Tribes by Emily Bowen Cohen
“In her poignant debut graphic novel inspired by her own life, Emily Bowen Cohen embraces the complexity, meaning, and deep love that comes from being part of two vibrant tribes. Mia is still getting used to living with her mom and stepfather, and to the new role their Jewish identity plays in their home. Feeling out of place at home and at her Jewish day school, Mia finds herself thinking more and more about her Muscogee father, who lives with his new family in Oklahoma. Her mother doesn’t want to talk about him, but Mia can’t help but feel like she’s missing a part of herself without him in her life. Soon, Mia makes a plan to use the gifts from her bat mitzvah to take a bus to Oklahoma–without telling her mom-to visit her dad and find the connection to her Muscogee side she knows is just as important as her Jewish side.”
I believe this book is an important read for anyone who never just falls under one category. When it comes to the discussion of identity, I believe it’s necessary to add intersectionality to the conversation. I myself am bi-racial, and I see a lot of the same identity struggles that Mia has when I was her age: dealing with racism, never really feeling like you fit in, and the desire to learn more about yourself and the cultures you belong to. This YA graphic novel not only for those who may feel some of those same feelings, but for those who wish to understand. – Luna Z.
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