Heeb

The Jewish role in the comic book industry needs no elaboration here. Mostly, though, it’s been an American affair, with the occasional entry from an English ‘Eeb like Neil Gaiman. Now, at last, our country cousins are getting some recognition.

Last week, Rutu Modan won the Eisner Award for Best New Graphic Novel for Exit Wounds, and while astute Heeb readers may recall that we picked her as a winner way back in 5767, even we’ll concede that this is an even bigger deal. For those not in the knows, the Eisner is named after comics legend Will Eisner (and we don’t have to tell you what he was up to at 8 days old), and is the industry’s equivalent of the Oscar, Tony, Emmy and Grammy all rolled into one—it’s like becoming Rita Moreno, all in one shot!

While on the subject, Eisner’s own character, the Spirit, will be getting the big screen treatment later this year in the doubtlessly boffo but unimaginatively titled The Spirit, which itself hosts a sublime selection of semitic stars and starlets.

So much for the commercial, now back to Rutu’s show: Big Mazel on the win, and although we haven’t read it yet (there don’t seem to be any hot cartoon chicks in spandex in it), we’ll be sure to pry a copy from the cold, drunk hands of Heeb Comics Editor Jeff Newelt.