Princesses, Mothers, Heroes, and Superheroes: Images of Jewish Women in Comic Books and Graphic Novels

This study examines the representations of Jewish women in comic books and graphic novels, starting with a discussion of common stereotypes about Jewish women in American popular culture. The primary sources under investigation include Gilbert Hernandez's Love and Rockets X, Aline Kominsky-Crumb's autobiographical works, the X-Men comic books, Art Spiegelman's Maus and Portrait of the Artist as a Young %@&*!, Joann Sfar's The Rabbi's Cat, and J.T. Waldman's Megillat Esther. The representations of Jewish women in comic books and graphic novels vary widely. And although certain stereotypes about Jewish women - especially the Jewish Mother and the Jewish American Princess - pervade American popular culture, most of the comics featuring Jewish characters do not seem to have been greatly influenced by these images