Like pancakes and maple syrup, the two subjects of Paul Buhle’s JEWS AND AMERICAN COMICS: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF AN AMERICAN ART FORM are inexorably linked. Without one, we might not have the other. It’s something I never noticed before, but it’s true, and through words and pictures, Buhle traces their entire history together.
Arranged in four chronological parts, the book begins at the medium’s dawn at the start of the 20th century, where Jewish artists plied their trade in the “yellow” dailies of the era, primarily via pencil-sharp points in editorial cartoons, often in Yiddish. Other than seeing a cartoon with strange-looking symbols in place of English letters, the other revelation is that early Jewish examples of the art form didn’t use dialogue balloons.
The shining stars of this initial chapter are Rube Goldberg, known for his fabulous strips of outlandish inventions; Milton Canniff, with Terry and the Pirates; Li’l Abner’s Al Capp; and Jules Feiffer, whose kiddie Clifford feature is much more preferable to the lazy-looking sketches for which he’s most known.
The second chapter presents the entire comics industry at its peak, with the introduction of comic books and all their costumed heroes. This, of course, is a time where names like Joe Shuster, Jerry Siegel, Jack Kirby Sheldon Mayer, Harvey Kurtzman and Will Eisner revolutionized a new form of entertainment — one in which their enormous influence is still felt today.
In the underground era, people like Art Spiegelman, Robert Crumb, Kim Dietch, Trina Robbins and Harvey Pekar pushed boundaries, forcing comics out of the superhero stereotype and into real life, helping make way for the eventual graphic novel and mainstream respect (however still miniscule).
The final chapter brings us to the here and now, showcasing pieces from Larry Gornick, Peter Kuper, Bob Fingerman, Ben Katchor and Spain Rodriguez. Many of these, the reader will note, are overtly political, thus bringing the entire movement full circle, back to 100 years ago to their Yiddish forefathers.
Throughout it all, Buhle’s commentary is thorough and informative, without preaching or pushing an agenda. He selects a fine mix of examples to illustrate his points and highlight some important artists, but one wishes some of them weren’t mere excerpts that often leave you hanging. Then again, that may part of his point: to get you to pay attention to a particular storyteller, and the stories they have to share. Shalom! —Rod Lott
