Magneto as an Allegory for Golem
Session Title
Design and Fine Arts
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Design
Faculty Mentor
Jason Tselentis, M.F.A.
Abstract
X-Men are well known for their entertainment value as comic books and movies; however, they can also offer commentary on different societal issues and give insight on a time period’s values. Originally, X-Men was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and in the early comic book issues, the storylines and characterizations were very straightforward and one-dimensional. Later, Chris Claremont became the writer for the series and gave the characters and plot more complexity. One such change was to the X-Men’s archenemy, Magneto, whose characterization shares various elements with Golems from Jewish folklore – monsters that are created from malleable material in order to protect their communities. This research investigates the ways Magneto and the Golem have contextual and visual similarities across X-Men movies and comic books.
Start Date
24-4-2020 12:00 AM
Magneto as an Allegory for Golem
X-Men are well known for their entertainment value as comic books and movies; however, they can also offer commentary on different societal issues and give insight on a time period’s values. Originally, X-Men was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and in the early comic book issues, the storylines and characterizations were very straightforward and one-dimensional. Later, Chris Claremont became the writer for the series and gave the characters and plot more complexity. One such change was to the X-Men’s archenemy, Magneto, whose characterization shares various elements with Golems from Jewish folklore – monsters that are created from malleable material in order to protect their communities. This research investigates the ways Magneto and the Golem have contextual and visual similarities across X-Men movies and comic books.
