20 | NOVEMBER 28 • 2024 

T

he Eastern Michigan 
University Center for Jewish 
Studies is bringing veteran 
Batman editor, Jordan B. Gorfinkel 
— known as Gorf — to campus for 
a pre-Chanukah event. 
 Not only have Gorf’s creations 
(Batman: No Man’s Land; Birds 
Of Prey) served as the inspiration 
for television, movies and games, 
but his studio Avalanche Comics 
Entertainment also produces enter-
tainment and branding content for 

corporations and multimedia. In 
addition to all of this, Gorf also 
works actively on Jewish themes 
and material.
As a cartoonist, Gorf produces 
the weekly comic strip @
JewishCartoon (Instagram, 
Facebook). He is the creator/
producer of the No. 1 bestselling 
Passover Haggadah Graphic Novel 
and Esther Graphic Novel (Koren 
Pub., Jerusalem), and is at the 
forefront of the Jewish Graphic 

Novel Initiative. Gorf is also a 
musician, pioneering professional 
Jewish a cappella. He participates 
in vocal groups Kol Zimra and the 
Y-Studs, which regularly perform. 
At EMU, Gorf will present the 
Third Annual Martin B. Shichtman 

Lecture, “The Four Children: The 
Superhero, The Supervillian, the 
Mentor and the Sidekick.” 
In this multimedia presentation, 
using movie clips, popular culture 
icons and the Passover Haggadah 
Graphic Novel, Gorf illuminates 
how graphic novel-style storytell-
ing makes classic texts relevant 
and new. 
This event will take place at 7 
p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 4, in 
room 330 of the Eastern Michigan 
University Student Center (900 
Oakwood St., Ypsilanti). 
 It is free and open to the public. 
For information, contact 
jewish.studies@emich.edu. 

Robert Erlewine is the director of the 
Center for Jewish Studies at Eastern 
Michigan University. 

Batman Editor 
Coming to EMU

ROBERT ERLEWINE SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

Gorf coming to campus Dec. 4 to talk 
about graphic novel-style storytelling.

Gorf brings a discussion of 
graphic novels to Eastern 
Michigan University.

LISA KLINK

OUR COMMUNITY

Motor City Match awarded me 
$20,000 to start my business.

All because I live in Detroit!

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