Fink

(Elders of Zion, 2002)
™ and © Elders of Zion Komiks

Uri Fink, creator of Israel’s indigenous super-hero Sabraman, has released this comic book of parody and political comment.

The breadth of Fink’s abilities are apparent, as he apes material as diverse as Maus, Archie (twice— once as Arabs and once as Israelis), The Punisher (as Rabbi Ben Death), and The Powerpuff Girls. The latter are in the form of The Fundementalists [sic] (“They’re fun! They’re mental!”), narrow-sighted members of the Jewish, Islamic, and Christian clergy.

The magnum opus is “Lonesome Dove,” a presumably autobiographical piece about the thoughts and feelings that go through an Israeli cartoonist’s mind when news of a terror attack is broadcast.

While clearly favoring the Israeli point of view, this is no propaganda piece. Fink criticizes Israel’s politicians but with nowhere near the same venom as that which he has reserved for suicide bombers. It’s the same difference in intensity one might expect from an American political cartoonist when criticizing the Taliban as opposed to criticizing Bush’s policies in dealing with terror.

Not every piece is political. The Don Simpsonesque “The System” and the Star Trek parody “The Starship Yenterprise” are not. The Fundementalists are also more a comment on religion than politics. But most of it is political. If Middle East policy is something you don’t want in a comic book, Fink! is not for you. But, if you can mix your comics and politics, Fink! looks as if it were drawn by half a dozen very different artists, each talented and clever in his own way.

— Jack Abramowitz

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#1

July, 2002
Cover Price: $5.95
2 copies available from $2.98

Uri Fink