Have you ever wondered if comic book artists and writers are hardwired differently from everyone else? Alan Moore, Robert Crumb, and Stan Lee are clearly not your typical human specimens. People immersed in making comic books, graphic novels, webcomics, and comic strips seem to live in a linguistic limbo where sign and signifier lack clearly defined boundaries. The artist-scribes who made illuminated manuscripts in medieval times (and hieroglyphics before then) pioneered the life between visual and verbal worlds. Today, comix creators easily slip into this 'show and tell mode' like giddy kindergartners. We also have a propensity to think by drawing on napkins and other impractical surfaces.

Studies now show that human cognitive development is enhanced when we learn visually as well as verbally. So does this mean that comix creators have more stimulated brains percolating with grey matter?!

The word "autopsy" literally means "to see for oneself." Generally, we associate the word with carcasses and forensics but its meaning in the abstract is solipsitically charming...and perfect for narcissistic-prone comic book artists.

Most people are familiar with the trite joke about how many different opinions two Jewish people can produce ... what happens when those members of the tribe also live, breathe and draw comix? What happens when five different Jewish comic book creators perform a public autopsy on different examples of sequential art? How will they "read" themselves into the text and art? What surprises will the audience offer?

On Thursday April 8^th, 2010 come to the Yeshiva University Museum at the Center for Jewish History in downtown NYC to witness what happens when practioners and enthusiasts dissect comix, live and in public. Opinions welcome!

Here are the specialists that will be leading us through this gross anatomy of comix:

Moderator:

Jeff Newelt: Professional publicist, tireless connector, and man about town, goes out almost every night of the week, with several parties and people on permanent mental speed dial, his brain constantly buzzing with new ideas. Described by friends as a "human MySpace" he works with Heeb, Smith, Royal Flush, and ACT-I-VATE.

Miss Lasko Gross: The author and illustrator of Fantagraphics Books: A Mess Of Everything (named one of Booklist's  top 10 graphic novels of the year) the follow up to the YALSA  nominated Escape From "Special." Currently she's working on Henni, a serialized adventure for the Comixology / House of Twelve  iphone app.

Chari Pere: A freelance cartoonist whose published works include MAD Magazine,  and The Jerusalem Post, as well as web-based work for The Orthodox Union, JGooders, and MyJewishLearning.com. Recently selected by The Jewish Week as one of their "36 Under 36" young Jewish people remaking the community, Chari is also one of the youngest members of the National Cartoonists Society.

Eli Valley: Eli Valley's art has been called "ferociously repugnant" by Commentary.  His comics have appeared in the Forward, Haaretz, Gawker and Jewcy, and new work appears monthly in the Forward.  Eli is also the author of The Great Jewish Cities of Central and Eastern Europe, and he is currently finishing his first novel.  His website is www.EVComics.com.

JT Waldman: JT is the author and illustrator of the graphic novel, Megillat Esther. He also designed a web application of biblical proportions for JPS called the Tagged Tanakh. He is the 2010 Yeshiva University Teaching Artist in Residence. JT is currently working on his next graphic novel with Harvey Pekar.

For more information go to the Event Page on Facebook

Or

Click Here