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Cool characters entice kids: Jewish superheroes work wonders in American comics

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Message: If you are having trouble reading this email, you may view this article online at: http://www.jweekly.com/4816/full/4816/cool-characters-entice-kids-jewish-superheroes-work-wonders-in-american-com/ Cool characters entice kids: Jewish superheroes work wonders in American comics Tuesday, January 7, 1997 | by MICHAEL GELBWASSER The Jewish community often complains that it's losing young people's attention. Have Jewish leaders checked the comic shops recently? They might meet Ramban, the Israeli magician. Ramban serves two masters. One is the vengeful essence of a murdered cop. The second is his own heritage, which he satisfies by studying the Kabbalah. Ramban is a supporting character in DC Comics' series The Spectre. Along with his other attributes, the magician represents society's increasing tolerance of Jewishness. Modern comic books—lively keystones of American popular culture—aren't afraid to feature numerous new heroes, such as Ramban, who have clearly Jewish backgrounds. Nor do comic books shy away from topics of particular Jewish interest, such as interdating. The Spectre's title character is the spirit of Jim Corrigan, a policeman murdered by a crime boss. John Ostrander, the series' co-writer, says Corrigan's spirit is linked to an "entity" that "seems to be an aspect of the wrath of God." This entity, he explains, was the angel of death who "killed the firstborn of the king of Egypt" and "destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. "I felt that if you're going into the Spectre, per se," says Ostrander, who collaborates with his wife, Kim Yale, "you have to go into the essentials of…Judeo-Christian culture." Ostrander and Yale created Ramban five years ago for DC's Suicide Squad series. Ramban, along with a warrior named Judith, an artificial intelligence named Dybbuk and a hero named the Golem formed the Hayoth, an Israeli superteam the squad battled in Israel. Ostrander said Yale asked people about the Kaballah, which is part of Ramban's Conservative Jewish background. The writers "pieced together types of [magic] spells" based on that research. Neither Ostrander nor Yale is Jewish. But Ostrander grew up in Chicago's East Rogers Park section, which has a large Jewish population. So, he said, he "always had" an appreciation for Judaism. Ostrander said Ramban is a "nice counterpart" to Father Craemer, another character in the series. He said the two men are "in many ways very much alike. They're strong representatives of their faith. "He's one of the more pleasant characters," Ostrander said of Ramban. "He's got a great deal of honesty." Ramban, Judith, Dybbuk and the Golem aren't the only Jews in comics published by DC, whose office is heavily populated by Jewish executives. In fact, there used to be one more—Nuklon, a 7-foot-1 ponytailed power house who was a member of the Justice League America, DC's premier superhero team. In one issue released last year, Nuklon had dinner with fellow Justice Leaguer Fire, who expressed a romantic interest in him. Nuklon told Fire he was "flattered" by her interest. But he said they couldn't get serious because "I'm going to marry a Jewish girl. "You see, it isn't just my happiness that matters. I owe something to my family…to my heritage," Nuklon said. "I'm like a link in a chain. I can't be the one to break that chain." Alas, the character's comic book didn't sell well so DC iced him from its list this summer. Where did the idea of Jewish superheroes originate? A number of years ago Paul Levitz, DC's executive vice president and publisher, was writing DC's Legion of Super-Heroes series. Levitz, who is Jewish, says he was reviewing notes on the heroes when he noticed that Gim Allon was the real name of the Legionnaire nicknamed Colossal Boy. Gim Allon reminded Levitz of Yigal Allon (aka Paicovitch), a member of the inner Cabinet that mapped out the Six Day War strategy. So Levitz began developing the character's Jewish identity. In 1983, Colossal Boy married Yera, an alien shape-shifter. The hero introduced his new bride to his parents a few issues later. After that meeting, the bride asked her husband, "I wonder if I can find a way to convince them to bring their kids up Jewish?" "It was a sincere attempt to touch on the issue of tolerance," Levitz said recently. "There are obviously very strong issues in our faith and in our cultural background." One of these issues, he noted, is whether intermarriage will eradicate Jewish culture entirely. Ragman is another DC character, a junk dealer who gains superpowers when he dons a special suit of rags. Each rag is the living soul of someone evil. According to the story, a Council of Rabbis created the suit years ago, hoping its wearer would protect society. Although Ragman debuted in the 1970s, his Jewish background was never explored until DC published a 1992 miniseries. The late development is somewhat surprising, Levitz said, because Ragman's creators, Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert, were Jewish. Levitz said many early comics creators were Jews, but that they "operated under pseudonyms." In a letter published in one issue of the miniseries, Los Angeles-based Ragman fan Mark Lucas advocated further explorations of the superhero's Jewishness. "By placing this character so heavily in Jewish history," Lucas wrote, "it might be prudent to follow up and illustrate this culture right here and now. With anti-Semitism on the rise, even an entertainment package like Ragman can be an educational tool." Marvel Comics, publishers of the Spider-Man and X-Men series, has at least one Jewish character. Sabra, Ruth Bat-Seraph of Israel, has superhuman strength, speed, reflexes, endurance and recuperative powers. Needless to say she is also less vulnerable than most humans. Are more Jewish heroes likely? No one is sure. But both Ostrander and Spectre editor Dan Raspler said comics fans have welcomed Ramban to their world. "They like him," said Raspler, who is Jewish. "He's an interesting character. There's definitely an appreciation for him." Several other DC and Marvel Comics superheroes have been portrayed as Jewish or as having Jewish origins: In the Seraph series, teacher Chaim Lavon of Israel possesses the staff of Moses, the mantle of Elijah, the magic ring of Solomon and the strength of Samson (in his hair). The Seraph is a member of the New Global Guardians, a team of international heroes. On covers from the old Super Friends comic book, the Seraph is called "the Man Who Works Miracles." In Dust Devil, Israeli youngster Moshe Levy can become a human whirlwind. He gained that power after being kidnapped by aliens known as the Dominators. The Dominators sent Levy and 49 other people into a minefield. The aliens had hypothesized that certain people had a gene that triggered their superpowers. Levy and five others survived the mines, gaining new abilities in the process. Levy and the survivors formed the Blasters, a superhero team. The Blasters haven't appeared often. Because Levy is so young, his mother travels with and cooks for the team, making the Blasters, in the words of one comic book, "the first kosher superhero team." In the Colossal Boy series, Gim Allon was sand-skiing on Mars in the 30th century when he was accidentally bathed in a meteor's radiation. The radiation gave Allon the power to grow, at will, to a height of some 25 feet. When Allon grows, his mass and strength increase proportionately. Allon later joined the Legion of Super-Heroes as Colossal Boy. DC recently revamped many of its characters, including Colossal Boy, who is now known as Leviathan. DC has not revealed Leviathan's religious affiliation. In Ragman, title character Rory Regan wears a living costume made of rags. The costume gives its wearer superstrength, agility, speed and the power to float on air currents. Regan's father, Gerry, was the Ragman during World War II. In times of dire need, young Billy Batson shouts the word "SHAZAM!" This turns him into Captain Marvel, who has the powers of six historical figures or mythical gods. Solomon, a Jewish king, provides the captain's wisdom. That makes Marvel one-sixth Jewish, even though comic books have never explored this.

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