The Saturday Comics: Mendy and the Golem

10 Mar

March 10, 2012

Last week I featured Christian comics so in the interest of fairness I present Mendy and the Golem.

Billed as “The World’s Only Kosher Comic Book”, Mendy Enterprises’ Mendy and the Golem first appeared in 1981. Written by Leibel Estrin and drawn by Dovid Sears, the comic book featured the offbeat misadventures of Mendy, an Orthodox Jewish boy, and his pet Golem. Other characters include Mendy’s parents, Rabbi Yaakov and Sara Klein; Mendy’s sister, Rivky; and a host of colorful supporting characters such as Moshe the Mayven; the Lone Stranger and his faithful friend Toronto; Captain Video; Dr. Hardheart and his evil robot Oy Vayder; and Professor Nemo.

The comic’s humor has been likened to that of “Rocky and Bullwinkle”, taking shots not only at pop culture, but even at the comic book and its creators. Nineteen issues were produced, and a 20th written and illustrated but never published.

Around 1983, the American musician Bob Dylan (né Robert Zimmerman) was studying Jewish scripture at the main Lubavitcher synagogue at 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, New York. At that time, a letter from “R.Z., Hibbing, Minn.,” appeared in an issue of “Mendy and the Golem.”

I actually own an issue, number 12, which you will see in the gallery below. I distinctly remember buying it in the candy store down the block from my house. They had an old spinner rack full of comics (Try finding one of those nowadays. Thanks, direct market.) and one week, among all the superheroes I saw Mendy and the Golem. It was very out of place and I never before or after saw another issue. I bought it and it is a good thing I did. While almost every other issue sells today for four of five dollars, this one sells for fifteen. Why? Beats me.

You can find the official Mendy and the Golem comic site by clicking this link.

 

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Imponderable #39: Germany

9 Mar

March 9, 2012

I am well aware that when I write about art I often come off as a cranky old man. I am not old but yes, I fully admit to the cranky part. However, before you prepare to dismiss this Imponderable as the ravings of someone who does not appreciate art, read this story and ask yourself if this man deserves the equivalent of over  $2,600.

While I grudgingly admit that yes, a couple of gold French fries is art, I call shenanigans (a more polite term than bullshit) on the description of it as “the metamorphosis of a profane, everyday object into a sacred artwork.” I’m sorry, it is a couple of French fries.

The disgusting part is not that the original fries that “inspired” the work was lost by the gallery, but that a court ruled that they were worth over $2,600 Euros, plus interest. These are two year-old potatoes. Were they encased in plastic? Preserved in amber? Pumped full of preservatives? I mean pumped full of more preservatives than French fries already are. And what was so special about those particular fries anyway? Most fries look alike. Some are crinkle cut, some are shoestring, some have skin left on, but get a large fries with your Happy Meal and they all look pretty much the same.

As I said, the golden fries are art. Unless the original spuds were part of some display and connected to the golden fries in some sort of artistic piece, and even if they were they can be easily replaced, they are not art.

Are a couple of fries that you can buy at McDonald’s for about a buck really worth $2,600?

The question is Imponderable.

And this is yet more proof that when you mix Germany and France bad things happen.

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