16 | OCTOBER 28 • 2021 

continued from page 14

OUR COMMUNITY

torically Jewish neighborhood 
that retains a strong sense 
of its Jewish heritage today. 
Lockhart spent a lot of time 
there growing up.
“I felt this connection 
partly because I had studied 
and read about the history of 
the LES for another project 
and because I grew up going 
there,
” Lockhart said. “I felt 
this connection of my own 
family to the city, and our her-
itage was entwined with that.
”
Lockhart then created the 
neighborhood in Gotham City 
that’s based off of the LES, 
called Down River.
Whistle (aka Willow 
Zimmerman) exists in that 
neighborhood and develops 
superpowers after getting 
sucked into the criminal 
underworld of Gotham City 
in order to make money for 
her family. 
“Her mom is single and 
a professor of Jewish histo-
ry who had to quit her job 
because she’s really sick and 
they have no health insur-
ance,
” Lockhart explains. 
“
After she gets superpowers, 
she decides to fight for good 
rather than evil and protects 
the neighborhood.
”
Whistle’s sidekick dog, 
Lebowitz, is named after author 
and social commentator Fran 
Lebowitz, who is also Jewish.
“Whistle’s powers and 
identity are not centered on 
religious beliefs nor on the 
trauma of the Holocaust, but 
she’s culturally Jewish, a per-
son who’s deeply connected 
to a historically Jewish neigh-
borhood that she protects,
” 
Lockhart explains. 

EMPOWERING READERS
Lockhart knows how import-
ant representation is in media, 

and hopes young adult audi-
ences, Jewish or not, connect 
with it.
“It’s very valuable for young 
people to see themselves on 
the page in empowered situ-
ations, but I also really tried 
to write something that was 
morally complicated about 
being a superhero,” Lockhart 
says. “I hope the book will 
make people think about 
what it means to be a good 
person and how challenging 
it can be to find a path for-
ward.”
While Lockhart’s book 
is mostly targeted at young 
adults, Schwartz wrote his 
book with two audiences in 
mind.
“For comic book and pop 
culture fans, I hope it’s a fun, 
interesting journey through 
comic book lore and history,
” 
he said. “For Jewish readers, 
I hope it brings them an 
appreciation for our cultural 
contribution. We know about 
Hollywood, Broadway and 
standup comedy, but now 
they’ll be able to fully appre-
ciate our very significant 
contribution to such a pop-
ular and ubiquitous piece of 
Americana.
”
As far as the future of Jews 
in the comic book world, 
Lockhart believes it’s a bright 
one. 
“I think the comic book 
world is opening up and it’s 
going to continue to open up 
more,
” Lockhart said. “I’ve 
seen tons of representation in 
really wonderful and creative 
ways. 
“We’re at the start of a 
very exciting time when 
we’re going to see more and 
more heroes reinvented and 
invented by a wider range of 
creators.
” 

DANIEL SHERBERT, M.D. F.A.C.S.
Certifi
 ed by The American Board of Surgery, 
The American Board of Plastic Surgery & Fellowship 
Trained in Aesthetic & Reconstructive Breast Surgery

Specializing in Cosmetic Surgery &

Aesthetic & Reconstructive Breast Surgery

W est Maple
Plastic Surgery

(248) 865-6400

5807 W. Maple • Suite 177 • West Bloomfi
 eld

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