Mendy and the Golem

Mendy and the Golem #1 (Jan. 2003). Cover art by Stan Goldberg & Joe Rubinstein.

Mendy and the Golem, originally written by Leibel Estrin and later by Matt Brandstein, is an American comic book series featuring Jewish characters.

The original series followed the exploits of Mendy Klein, who found a Golem in their father's synagogue. The Klein siblings and their Golem (named Sholem) get into all sorts of scrapes, and walk out of them with a moral based on Jewish texts. In the second, more modern type, the Kleins have created a modern-day Golem with the assistance of the venerable Reb Zushe, an aging Rabbinical scholar.

The original was a slapstick comedy aimed primarily at children. The second series straddles a variety of genres, including swashbuckling adventures with elements of fantasy, mystery, and science fiction, while retaining slapstick humor offset by dashes of satire and political and cultural commentary.

History

The later version of the characters originated as a series of comic strips, Mendy's Fun Page that ran weekly in Jewish newspapers in North America and Australia, beginning in 1997.

Mendy and the Golem Vol. 2, #3 (#9) (March 1983). Cover art by Dovid Sears.

1981 series

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.

2003 series

A new Mendy and the Golem series appeared in 2003, published by The Golem Factory. Under editor-in-chief Tani Pinson, it was written by Matt Brandstein and featured art by Stan Goldberg, Ernie Colón and Joe Rubinstein.

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."

References

• Mendy and the Golem official site (preserved at the Internet Archive from Oct. 25, 2005)
• "Oddball Comics" by Scott Shaw (column; June 25, 2002): Mendy And The Golem Vol. 2, #3 (March 1983)
• Independent Heroes from the U.S.A.: Mendy's Golem