Message-ID: <395@ihuxt.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 8-Apr-84 14:49:04 EST
Article-I.D.: ihuxt.395
Posted: Sun Apr  8 14:49:04 1984
Date-Received: Mon, 9-Apr-84 05:50:03 EST
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
Lines: 123






I sometimes work for WOJAC (World Organization of Jews from Arab
Countries) in Chicago.  Several complaints about Marvel Comics came to me.
I investigated and then wrote this letter to Marvel editors, Mark
Gruenwald and Chris Claremont.  I would like opinions to be sent to me. 
The Anti-Defamation League of Bnai Brith is considering following up my
investigation.  Personally, I do not think comic books are the proper
forum for some of the issues with which Marvel Comics deals.  Some Marvel
comics have verged on propaganda for the author's pet political ideas.

*                                   January 22, 1984
*
*Letter to the Editor
*MARVEL COMICS GROUP
*387 Park Avenue South
*New York, New York 10016
*
*
*Dear Mr. Gruenwald:
*
*Marvel's treatment of Jews distresses me greatly.   Marvel  writers
*show  some  awareness  that  there  is  a Japanese culture which is
*different from American culture and which possesses its own beauty.
*Marvel  has  tried to be sympathetic to Russians.  Marvel has tried
*to project  an  awareness  of  the  losses  American  Indians  have
*suffered.
*
*Yet, Marvel has never shown an awareness that  there  is  a  Jewish
*culture   which  is  different  from  American  culture  and  which
*possesses its own beauty.  Marvel has never  portrayed  a  Jew  who
*knew the least little bit about Judaism.
*
*Marvel has been almost completely unsympathetic to  Jewish  issues.
*Next  to  the  Germans,  Hispanics,  Persians, and Greeks, Russians
*count as perhaps the worst anti-Semites and most severe persecutors
*of  the  Jews.  Yet, Kitty Pryde casually develops a crush on Pyotr
*Rasputin, and the issue of Russian anti-Semitism never  even  comes
*up.
*
*After the Holocaust, it  is  simply  disgusting  for  any  Jew  and
*particularly  an  Ashkenazi  (German or European) Jew to assimilate
*into  any  Western  culture.   Yet,   Bernie   Rosenthal   casually
*contemplates  marriage with Captain America.  Since Captain America
*lived and fought during World War II, the  Jews  in  this  magazine
*must  be  absolute  ignoramuses  not to ask him why the death camps
*were not bombed and why the Allies worked so hard to  prevent  Jews
*from fleeing Europe.
*
*Marvel shows almost no awareness of the losses Jews have  suffered.
*Before  the  Holocaust  most  Jews like American Indians lived in a
*self-contained  world  and  were  subject  to  periodic  non-Jewish
*violence. Although physically they had less than the non-Jews, they
*had more spiritually.  Then they were subjected to  an  ideological
*assault  to  make  them  doubt  their culture and finally they were
*exterminated.  Recent issues of Captain America  try  to  feel  the
*heartache of the American Indians, but the heartache of the Jews is
*missing.  Sometimes, I have the impression the writer  prefers  the
*passing  away  of the Jewish world even as he mourns the passing of
*the Indian.
*
*Marvel is probably not consciously trying to be  insensitive.   But
*Marvel  writers  are  most  likely  only  to  have contact with the
*ignorant assimilated type of Ashkenazi Jew who are the majority  in
*the  U.S.A.   However, if Marvel is going to treat Jewish subjects,
*Marvel writers must familiarize  themselves  with  a  more  genuine
*Judaism.
*
*
*                                      Sincerely yours,
*


One story line I found simply offensive:

Captain America persuaded Bernie Rosenthal's parents to sing Silent Night
with him last Christmas.  The only Jew who ever wore a head-covering in
Marvel Comics was Bernie Rosenthal's ex-husband who was involved in a
fanatic JDL-like group which was portrayed as being essentially similar to
some neo-Nazi group.  I dislike the implication that if I wear a
head-covering I am a JDL-type fanatic.  Also while the JDL is not my
favorite group, there is a major ethical distinction between the Nazis who
advocate extermination of certain groups of people and the JDL which does
not advocate such extermination.

Story lines which I find weird:

The treatment of Arab-Jewish relations which appeared in the Hulk was
totally superficial.

The teamup of Sabra (Israel's superheroine) and the Arabian knight
(Egypt's superhero) in the contest of superheroes, which resulted in the
Collector's restoral to life, was bizarre.

There was a character called the Assassin in the Defenders who tried to
murder Russian diplomats because of Russian treatment of the Jews.

Magneto (real name Magnus) who may be a Hungarian Jew developed his
bizarre political philosophy as a child in the death camps.  Magneto seems
to have made aliyah (emigrated to Israel) at some point in his life.

Professor Xavier while in Israel after WWII (of the X-Men) took advantage
of the confused mental state of a Jewish woman survivor of the death camps
and got her pregnant.


I am interested in the opinions of Marvel Comics readers on Marvel's
treatment of ethnic groups.  I hope some non-Jews will send me some
replies.  Groups which Marvel seems to have particularly targeted are
American Indians, Vietnamese, Blacks, Arabs and Japanese.

I received no reply to my letter.  But many fewer stories dealing with
Jewish issues have been appearing lately.

-- 

                    Yehoyaqim Shemtob Martillo

   (At the narrow passage, there is neither brother nor friend)

Message-ID: <1854@rlgvax.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 8-Apr-84 19:38:39 EST
Article-I.D.: rlgvax.1854
Posted: Sun Apr  8 19:38:39 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 10-Apr-84 19:08:44 EST
References: <395@ihuxt.UUCP>
Organization: CCI, Capitol Region
Lines: 25

I'm sorry.  I don't want to write this, I will regret writing this, but
I cannot be silent.  I am Jewish, I am (at times) too sensitive to peoples
reaction to Jews.  I do not deny my heritage.  I also think that comic
books, ESPECIALLY those from Marvel, are for ENTERTAINMENT purposes and
do NOT have to deal with the real world in any way, shape or form.

Anytime MARVEL has shown a different culture it has been for one reason and
one reason ONLY: To have a slightly different plot line to keep a story
interesting.  I do NOT believe that they are trying to make ANY point
what so ever.  That is why so many of us "older" readers are looking to
the alternate comics for our enjoyment.

Marvel has been better then most "main stream comics" (read: DC and Marvel)
in showing various ethnic groups.  Sgt Fury and his Howling Commandos had
just about every group that you cared to mention.  THE TOMB OF DRACULA had
an EXCELLENT Jewish subplot at one point.  The most recent Moon Knight was
very good, although somewhat inaccurate.  My point is, I don't think the
writers at Marvel try to discriminate against various enthnic groups.  They
write "entertaining" stories about people that are over 6' tall, weigh at
least 190 lbs and are either rich and super strong, or are at least super
strong.  To complain that they are insensitive to Jews is like accusing them
of being insensitive to short, fat, weak people.

				OZ
			seismo!rlgvax!oz

Message-ID: <6119@rochester.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 8-Apr-84 20:02:12 EST
Article-I.D.: rocheste.6119
Posted: Sun Apr  8 20:02:12 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 10-Apr-84 19:09:22 EST
References: <393@ihuxt.UUCP>
Organization: U. of Rochester, CS Dept.
Lines: 141

Since the author of the original article asked for responses,
here are some from someone who has read a lot of Marvel
and other comics over the years.

I have never noticed a SYSTEMATIC bad treatment of Jews in
Marvel Comics, but I would certainly admit that an author's
personal beliefs can color his writings. This can be blatant or 
subtle, and is probably unavoidable to some extent
(since, almiost by definition, someone's "world view" colors
his perceptions of the world and how he or she describes it.)

A few general points to start off;

Because of the sheer volume of mail Marvel receives, the author
will not, most likely, receive a personal reply to his letter.
In additon, by not addressing it to a particular b
magazine, it may have wound up at the bottom of the mail
pile instead of going right to the editors involved
. Marvel does have a policy that EVERYONE reads all the mail
that is addressed to him. The only exception is Editor-in-Chief
Jim Shooter, (who made the rule). His volume got to the
point where he had to hire somebody to read the mail so
he would have time to do the rest of his job. He does get 
reports on the letters, and interesting or important ones
get sent on to him.

Most Marvel characters are deliberatley non-ethnic, WASP
types, I suppose mostly so they would have broader appeal
(rather than SEMING to be targeted at a specific group).
Some people who are conspicuously Jewish have appeared.
Besides Bernie Rosenthal and Kitty Pryde, there a lot of
bit players. I specifically remember one of Nova's high school
buddies as someone who was delibieratley very Jewish
(Star of David, yarmulkah (sp?), etc.) Sorry I can't remember
his name, but the comics was cancelled 6 years ago.
Moon Knight (Mark Spector) is Jewish, and his father is
a rabbi, as revealed in the last few issues.

Many people on the Marvel staff are themselves Jewish, although
I would gues that most are "assimilated". The founders of 
modern Marvel, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and Jews, as were the
Goodman family who owned the company for many years
(before selling out to a conglomerate). Len Wein and Marv
Wolfman (both at DC now, but shapers of Marvel in the Seventies)
are Jewish. And, I seem to recall that Mark Gruenwald is, too
(oddly, the person the letter was sent to).

Some more specific stuff:

I don't think you can condemn all of Marvel based on a
few issues picked either at random or deliberatley.
The general tone of Marvel seems to be that tolerance is 
desirable, and prejudice is undesirable.
In addition, although superheroes operate to a large extent
outside the law, they have (perhaps paradoxically) 
a pretty strict code of actions. Thus, Spider-Man would not
go killing Russian diplomats for the crimes of the soviet state. 
He wouldn't even kill some supervillain who was trying to
kill him, when that would certainly be termed self-defense.
Rather, he would try to capture the villain and turn him over to
the criminal justice system. Why? As said many times by many, many
heroes, if they go around killing people they would not really be any
better than the "villains" they oppose. I don't know if I
buy this totally, but that is the stanadard marvel hero.
So, when Captain America is confronted with a neo-Nazi group
and a JDL-type (perhaps exaggerated for the story) group that
advocate violence as a general rule, he opposes the
TACTICS of both groups. He appeared, to me at least, to be
more sympathetic to the JDL-type person, at least willing
to admit that he had a grievance.

One of Steve Rogers' (Cap's secret identity) neightbors is
a Nazi concentration-camp survivor, and about 2 years
ago had a long flashback about how Cap broke into the camp
and tried to help the prisoners escape.

Why didn't Cap try to get the death camps bombed?
I don't know, but I suppose that, since they were not bombed
in real life, there was no reason why they should have
been bombed in Marvel history. It might have been better for the
characters, but what would  be the rationale with respect to 
the existence of superheroes (the primary change of history
compared to our real world).

Why did Kitty and Peter fall in love? Why did an Israeli and an
Egyptian superhero team up? Could it maybe be for the same reason 
that you seem to see an Israeli Miss Universe contestant or
Olympic athlete willing to talk with his or her Arab
counterpart? Namely, that these people recognize that people
are individuals, that they do not necessarily believe or
support what their government says or does,
(and might not have the power to change it anyway),
that they may not necessarily believe what others of
the same ethnic group beileive (or are said to believe).
There is a word for the practice of assuming that anyone
you meet of a particualr group will be like your
pre-conceived notion of that group.
It's called "prejudice."

Now for the personal stuff:

I think the author of the article to which this is a reply
reveals his own pre-conceptions, and that these particular ones
are such that almost ANY treatment of Jews in comics
would be unacceptable. He maitains catagorically that
assimilation into a non-Jewish culture is bad. He says 
people who do this a somehow "not as Jewish" because of it
(my choice of phrasing). He says that, since 1945, no Jew
should even consider marrying a Gentile, because of what happened
in Germany. And so on.

The point is, he has opinions, to which he is certainly
entitled. I happen not to share those opinions. I have a 
somewhat brighter view of the human race, one which says that
people all over are pretty much the same, with similar 
fears and goals, and not at all
easily pushed into pigeonholes because of their
racial, religous, or ethnic backgrounds.
This is based on my own experiences.

For the record, my own background is Italian Catholic,
third generation American. I have traveled in the USA
and Europe, met people from around the world while at
Cornell and the University of Rochester, and found
many of my own prejudices demolished over the years
by facts.

I hope this will stimulate discussion.
I also hope the discussion will be of the form
"I agree with so-and-so (or disagree with so-and-so)
for the following reasons.", and "I think so-and-so
misinterpreted what so-and-so saids", and "So-and-so's
arguments don't hold water, because..." and so on,
and not "He's wrong, I7m right, that's it."

Address further commnets to the net or directly
to me,
Mike Ciaraldi

via ARPA: ciaraldi@rochester
via Usenet: seismo!rochester!ciaraldi

Message-ID: <975@qubix.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 9-Apr-84 09:16:47 EST
Article-I.D.: qubix.975
Posted: Mon Apr  9 09:16:47 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 11-Apr-84 01:39:21 EST
References: <395@ihuxt.UUCP>
Organization: Qubix Graphic Systems, Saratoga, CA
Lines: 104


[color=blue]>    Dear Mr. Gruenwald:[/color]
[color=blue]>    [/color]
[color=blue]>    Marvel's treatment of Jews distresses me greatly.   Marvel  writers[/color]
[color=blue]>    show  some  awareness  that  there  is  a Japanese culture which is[/color]
[color=blue]>    different from American culture and which possesses its own beauty.[/color]


Gosh, Mr. Martillo, are you sure you read the same comic books I did?

    The last time I saw Japaneese culture, as portrayed in Marvel, it
was when Wolverine was chopping up Ninja-clones in an old "samuri-western"
type mini-series.   I highly doubt that this is the image that the
Japaneese would be most complemented by.....



[color=blue]>    Marvel  has  tried to be sympathetic to Russians.  Marvel has tried[/color]
[color=blue]>    to project  an  awareness  of  the  losses  American  Indians  have[/color]
[color=blue]>    suffered.[/color]

[color=blue]>    Yet, Marvel has never shown an awareness that  there  is  a  Jewish[/color]
[color=blue]>    culture   which  is  different  from  American  culture  and  which[/color]
[color=blue]>    possesses its own beauty.[/color]

Please tell me again where Marvel is more "sympathetic to Russians"
than it is sympathetic to jews.

I personally feel that simply because Marvel has a Russian and Indian
as Super Heros, does not mean that they are showing any "culture" in
a sympathetic (or any) light.    In fact, I don't particularly see even
WASP culture shown in much light either (you know -- Hamburgers, French
Fries, Movies, and Saturday night necking).   Most of the X-men, for
instance, seem resigned to spend their time off planet saving the earth
from alien monstrosities.....


[color=blue]>                                Marvel has never  portrayed  a  Jew  who[/color]
[color=blue]>     knew the least little bit about Judaism.[/color]

This is perhaps, because of the fact that orthodox jews are not so
common on the American scene, which is what Marvel most commonly portrays.


[color=blue]>     Marvel has been almost completely unsympathetic to  Jewish  issues.[/color]

They are not supposed to be.   They should be non-political.


[color=blue]>     Next  to  the  Germans,  Hispanics,  Persians, and Greeks, Russians[/color]
[color=blue]>     count as perhaps the worst anti-Semites and most severe persecutors[/color]
[color=blue]>     of  the  Jews.  Yet, Kitty Pryde casually develops a crush on Pyotr[/color]
[color=blue]>     Rasputin, and the issue of Russian anti-Semitism never  even  comes[/color]
[color=blue]>     up.[/color]

I am only glad that almost all jews are not as predijuced and bigoted as you
have just shown yourself to be.   How can you believe that simply because
Pytor Rasputin is a russian, he has any control of his general society??
You seem amazingly willing to condemn someone (even a comic book character)
just on the basis of national origin.   I shudder to think what you think
of people who happen to be born with Hispanic skin tone......


[color=blue]>     Marvel is probably not consciously trying to be  insensitive.   But[/color]
[color=blue]>     Marvel  writers  are  most  likely  only  to  have contact with the[/color]
[color=blue]>     ignorant assimilated type of Ashkenazi Jew who are the majority  in[/color]
[color=blue]>     the  U.S.A.   However, if Marvel is going to treat Jewish subjects,[/color]
[color=blue]>     Marvel writers must familiarize  themselves  with  a  more  genuine[/color]
[color=blue]>     Judaism.[/color]

So now you are insulting the same people you say you are trying to
protect.   I would say more, but I feel nothing I could say could
explain more fully the self-indicitiveness of that statement.



[color=blue]>                    Personally, I do not think comic books are the proper[/color]
[color=blue]>     forum for some of the issues with which Marvel Comics deals.  Some Marvel[/color]
[color=blue]>     comics have verged on propaganda for the author's pet political ideas.[/color]

	No, they appear to be unbiased.  Which is what you seem to
	be complaining about.


[color=blue]>     I received no reply to my letter.  But many fewer stories dealing with[/color]
[color=blue]>     Jewish issues have been appearing lately.[/color]

	I wonder why??

    Steven Maurer


p.s.  I did not believe up until now that there were any Jewish bogots,
    being unfortunately sheltered by meeting only the "ignorant assimilated
    type of Ashkenazi Jew who are the majority in the U.S.A.".    I believed,
    that the Arab accusations about forms of Zionism approaching racism,
    were totally unfounded and basically nothing but a propaganda ploy.
    That feeling, I now see is quite wrong.

    Now the biggest question in my mind is this:  how powerful is this
    racist faction in Israel???   Are they stronger than the KKK in the
    USA??

Message-ID: <226@vaxine.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 10-Apr-84 16:35:15 EST
Article-I.D.: vaxine.226
Posted: Tue Apr 10 16:35:15 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 11-Apr-84 01:54:19 EST
References: <395@ihuxt.UUCP> <975@qubix.UUCP>
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Lines: 19



  

		
		
		
Report message to a moderator

Message-ID: <553@pyuxn.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 10-Apr-84 14:55:38 EST
Article-I.D.: pyuxn.553
Posted: Tue Apr 10 14:55:38 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 11-Apr-84 07:06:17 EST
References: <395@ihuxt.UUCP> <975@qubix.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Communications Research, Piscataway N.J.
Lines: 21

Clearly Mr. Martillo is as judaeocentric as many of the Christian
fundamentalists (some of whom submit to net.religion) are christocentric.

No, I take it back.  He's much more so, as evidenced by his ridicule and
disdain for all those who would choose to be different from him.
Although I suspect some Christian fundamentalists to harbor similar
disdain, I have no reason to assume that because it never evinces itself
in a public forum.  Mr. Martillo is quite open about his dislike (even
hatred) for Ashkenazim (or anyone who holds a different view about what 'real'
Judaism is), non-religious Jews (or any Jewish born person who chooses to
make his/her own choices in life as opposed to *his* [Martillo's] idea of what
choices "must" be made), and just about every ethnic group in the known
world (I have yet to hear him say anything other than derisive remarks about
any group of people.

Mind you, he has said some interesting things in various newsgroups,
presenting a unique non-Western-oriented point of view, but this does
not compensate for his vitriolic spouting of venom.
-- 
Pardon me for ...  oh, never mind!!
					Rich Rosen    pyuxn!rlr

Message-ID: <852@ihuxq.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 10-Apr-84 15:46:49 EST
Article-I.D.: ihuxq.852
Posted: Tue Apr 10 15:46:49 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 11-Apr-84 07:09:31 EST
References: <395@ihuxt.UUCP>, <975@qubix.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
Lines: 28

--
[color=teal]>>  p.s.  I did not believe up until now that there were any Jewish bogots,[/color]
[color=teal]>>   being unfortunately sheltered by meeting only the "ignorant assimilated[/color]
[color=teal]>>   type of Ashkenazi Jew who are the majority in the U.S.A.".    I believed,[/color]
[color=teal]>>   that the Arab accusations about forms of Zionism approaching racism,[/color]
[color=teal]>>   were totally unfounded and basically nothing but a propaganda ploy.[/color]
[color=teal]>>   That feeling, I now see is quite wrong.[/color]

[color=teal]>>   Now the biggest question in my mind is this:  how powerful is this[/color]
[color=teal]>>   racist faction in Israel???   Are they stronger than the KKK in the[/color]
[color=teal]>>   USA??[/color]

Congratulations, Mr. Martillo.  As an assimilated, Ashkenazi Jew, I
have been offended by your contempt and self-righteousness, but
found your articles entertaining and informative.  I did not care
what you thought of me, and I still don't.  I don't think the above
snippet, in which a non-Jew questions the ethics of Israel, matters
too much either, since Israel cannot depend for her survival upon
well-intentioned non-Jews (who, at the moment, don't mind our
existence).  But damn it, I always wince when I see another Jew making
a fool of himself.  Especially in the name of Jewry.
-- 
                    *** ***
JE MAINTIENDRAI   ***** *****
                 ****** ******    10 Apr 84 [21 Germinal An CXCII]
ken perlow       *****   *****
(312)979-7261     ** ** ** **
..ihnp4!ihuxq!ken   *** ***

Message-ID: <6500@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 11-Apr-84 17:39:14 EST
Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.6500
Posted: Wed Apr 11 17:39:14 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 15-Apr-84 08:21:42 EST
References: <395@ihuxt.UUCP>, <1854@rlgvax.UUCP>
Organization: Univ. of Maryland, Computer Science Dept.
Lines: 13

I've been following this discussion with great interest.  I really 
don't have much to add except that I agree with Oz, Ciaraldi and 
Moriarity.

If no one else volunteers, I am willing to resend the
discussion to Mark Gruenwald at Marvel.  Any objections?

			b**2
			Brad Balfour

			ARPA	brad@maryland
			CSNET	brad@umcp-cs
			UUCP	{seismo,allegra}!umcp-cs!brad

Message-ID: <36600005@hp-dcde.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 16-Apr-84 19:07:00 EST
Article-I.D.: hp-dcde.36600005
Posted: Mon Apr 16 19:07:00 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 15-Apr-84 09:06:58 EST
References: <395@ihuxt.UUCP>
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Nf-ID: #R:ihuxt:-39500:hp-dcde:36600005:000:289
Nf-From: hp-dcde!jack    Apr 12 16:07:00 1984


	"Professor Xavier while in Israel after WWII (of the X-Men) took
	advantage of the confused mental state of a Jewish woman survivor
	of the death camps and got her pregnant."

When did this occur?  Who was the woman?  Who was the child?  



						-Jack Applin
						(hplabs!hp-dcd!jack)

Message-ID: <61@mako.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 11-Apr-84 13:40:09 EST
Article-I.D.: mako.61
Posted: Wed Apr 11 13:40:09 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 28-Apr-84 08:07:41 EST
References: <395@ihuxt.UUCP>
Organization: Tektronix, Wilsonville OR
Lines: 55
Xref: 103 258

Considering the fact that DC (the other major comic company) is so
much more vanilla than Marvel, I think that Marvel has a pretty good
selection of non-WASP male heros and characters.  In fact, the
latest Moon Knight story was pretty impressive, as comic book
stories go.  Someone had actually done some research, and even Marc,
hardened mercenary that he is, came out with a new repect for his
father the rabbi's way of life.  

As to Marvel treating Jews different than they treat 
Blacks, Orientals, Native Americans, Hispanics, etc, I don't believe
it.  As far as I can see, they are watering down all ethnic groups
equally.  Look at Misty Night and Danny (whatever Iron Fist's last
name is).  They never get any trouble because she's black and he's
white.  It never seems to cause internal trouble either.  While I'm
not saying that this kind of relationship can't, shouldn't, and doesn't 
happen, it's rarely as easy as the comic book would have you
imagine.

Just about all American characters are treated as part of the 
mainstream.  To treat them otherwise is to lay the company open to
charges of stereotyping.  From your letter, it seems that you want
Jews in comic books to represent the minority of Jews in America.
Personally, I'd rather Marvel stick to what they know, mainly the
people of all ethnic types who have assimilated to some degree or
another, than try to represent the extremes of behaviour within any
ethnic group.  I find the latter method of placating a certain
group very patronizing.

And the Israeli and Arab super heroes being teamed up (not by choice,
either).  It's obvious that Marvel did that to add an extra element
of conflict in the story.  If you read Secret Bores (oops, I mean
Wars), you'll see the same sort of trouble making. (Magneto stuck in
with the good guys, etc.) 

I definitely think that bringing the ADL into this thing is a stupid
waste of time.  There is enough true anti-semitism around (vandalism
of synagogues and graveyards, for starters), and the ADL's resources
would be better spent fighting this than going after a comics
company that is trying to sell comic books to everyone and still be
ethnically "fair", (read, vanilla).

BUT, on top of everything else, IT'S ONLY A COMIC BOOK!!  comic
books do NOT form the opinions of today's youth nearly as much as TV
does.  Besides, contrary to popular belief, most readers of comics
are not kids, but teenagers and adults, whose impressions of ethnic
groups as a whole and of individual members of their own and other
groups have already been formed.

I suppose I'd better give my qualifications to speak.  I am Jewish,
with a traditional background.  I am assimilated to the point that I
don't spend my time studying Talmud, and that I care what happens in
this world beyond how it affects the Jews.

Ariel Shattan
..!tektronix!orca!ariels