From Krakow to Krypton
Jews and Comic Books
By Full color throughout
From Krakow to Krypton named by the American Library Association as a 2009 Sophie Brody Honor Book
From Krakow to Krypton named a 2008 National Jewish Book Award Finalist
From Krakow to Krypton has been selected by USA Books as a Finalist in the Popular Culture category of its National "Best Books 2009" Awards!
Ilovelibraries.org, a website of the American Library Association, named From Krakow to Krypton a Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth Winner for 2009.
Access video interviews with Arie Kaplan from the 2010 New York Comic Con via SUVUDU and Panels on Pages.com
Read a recent article/interview with Arie Kaplan in Forces of Geek.
Listen to a podcast of Arie Kaplan on the Joey Reynolds radio show from WOR Radio, New York
Krakow to Krypton makes a great gift -- read why, from The Jewish Star
Read a recent article about Arie Kaplan from the Baltimore Jewish Times
Read an interview with Arie Kaplan in the New Jersey Jewish Standard
Read a review of From Krakow to Krypton from JBooks.com
Read the article about From Krakow to Krypton on MyJewishLearning.com
Access a Comic Related blog post which mentions Arie Kaplan and From Krakow to Krypton.
"In From Krakow to Krypton, Arie Kaplan threads together the disparate elements of comicdom--Jewish culture, geek culture, fandom, sci-fi, adolescent power fantasies, outsider art, and the New York City of reality and myth--and ties them all together .... A smart, fun book."
- Danny Fingeroth, author of Disguised as Clark Kent: Jews, Comics, and the Creation of the Superhero
"A new and fascinating look at the history of comic books ... You really don't have to be Jewish to thoroughly enjoy this trip down comic book memory lane."
- Al Jaffee, long-time MAD Magazine contributor and author of the forthcoming Talltales
"Arie Kaplan has written a miracle of a book, as comprehensive as it is entertaining; a virtual Jew's Who of the comic book universe."
- Larry Gelbart, legendary TV writer/screenwriter (M*A*S*H, Tootsie)
Jews created the first comic book, the first graphic novel, the first comic book convention, the first comic book specialty store, and they helped create the underground comics (or "Comix") movement of the late '60s and early '70s. Many of the creators of the most famous comic books, such as Superman, Spiderman, X-Men, and Batman, as well as the founders of MAD Magazine, were Jewish. From Krakow to Krypton: Jews and Comic Books tells their stories and demonstrates how they brought a uniquely Jewish perspective to their work and to the comics industry as a whole.
Over-sized and in full color, From Krakow to Krypton is filled with sidebars, cartoon bubbles, comic book graphics, original design sketches, and photographs. It is a visually stunning and exhilarating history.
About Arie Kaplan
Arie Kaplan is the author of From Krakow to Krypton: Jews and Comic Books, a 2008 National Jewish Book Award Finalist and 2009 Sophie Brody Honor Book (awarded by the American Library Association). Kaplan is a comedian, MAD Magazine writer, and author of the comic book miniseries Speed Racer: Chronicles of the Racer for IDW Publishing. His other comic book credits include the DC title Cartoon Network Action Pack and the Papercutz series Tales From the Crypt. Arie lectures all over the country about comic books, comedians, and popular culture. He is the author of Masters of the Comic Book Universe Revealed! (Chicago Review Press) and he's also written for MTV, Cartoon Network, and PBS Kids. Please check out his website.
His speech topics include "History of the Jews in the Comic Book Industry," "History of Jews in Comedy," "History of Jews in Film," and "History of Jews in Television."
Willing to travel; Honorarium Negotiable
About JT Waldman
JT Waldman is a comic book illustrator and interaction designer. His first graphic novel, Megillat Esther, drew from archeological, rabbinic and pop cultural sources to create a bold retelling of the biblical story of Esther. He later went on to design a web application for JPS called the Tagged Tanakh; a site that enables people to tag and contribute remarks to any word or verse in the Bible. JT is currently working on his next graphic novel with Harvey Pekar.
A graduate of the University of Michigan with a B.A. in Arts and Ideas in the Humanities, Waldman also holds a technical degree in digital design from the Vancouver Film School. He also studied at the Facultad de Bellas Artes de Sevilla in Seville, Spain, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the Liberal Yeshiva in Jerusalem, Israel. JT lectures and offers workshops on Jewish art, comix and midrash. He also contributed to two books, From Krakow to Krypton and The Jewish Graphic Novel, that both detail the intersection of comic books and Judaism. To learn more about JT and his work go to www.JTWaldman.com.
His speech topics include “Comics as Midrash,” “Create Your Own Midrash,” and “Jews in the Comics.” His talks can be geared to young adults and adults.Willing to Travel, Honorarium Negotiable
