Superman. Batman. Captain America. The X-Men. Some of the most recognizable heroes in popular culture share an origin story many fans may not know: Jewish creators helped invent the modern superhero and transformed comic books into one of America’s most influential art forms.
Jewish Museum Milwaukee will explore that history in Chosen Heroes: The Jewish Comics Experience, on view Oct. 16, 2026 through Feb. 14, 2027. The exhibition features original artwork, rare publications, and historical artifacts, tracing more than a century of innovation in Jewish comics, from the birth of caped crusaders to today’s acclaimed graphic novels.
Creators including Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, Bob Kane, Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Will Eisner, and Art Spiegelman drew on experiences and perspectives shaped by Jewish life, immigration, and often a sense of being outsiders. Their heroes concealed secret identities, defended the vulnerable and confronted prejudice, turning stories of marginalized dreamers into universal stories of resilience and justice.
The exhibition opens with a preview event on Thursday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m., featuring a talk exploring “The Jewish Multiverse: Identity, Imagination, and American Comics” with curator and historian Dr. Miriam Eve Mora.
“Many people know these characters intimately without knowing the stories of the people who created them,” said Molly Dubin, Chief Curator at Jewish Museum Milwaukee. “Jewish artists and writers did not enter the comics industry by chance. At a time when antisemitism limited their opportunities in more established fields, comics offered an emerging space in which they could forge their own paths. The characters and narratives they created reflected their experiences with exclusion, identity, reinvention, and belonging, and this exhibit invites visitors to see familiar figures and stories in an entirely new way.”
The exhibition reaches beyond superheroes to explore the breadth of Jewish comics as an artistic and cultural form. Five micro-exhibitions illuminate the Jewish roots of the comic book industry, storytelling across Jewish languages and communities, expressions of identity and memory, responses to pivotal moments in Jewish history, and comics’ use to confront fascism. From the ancient legend of the Golem to Maus, the exhibition demonstrates how comics have served as a powerful medium for cultural expression, social commentary, and hope.
Chosen Heroes also brings the story home to Milwaukee through locally larger themes and the Jewish creators who challenged injustice through imagination
“Comics are far more than popular entertainment. They tell us about the people and times that produced them, revealing the ways Jewish history, mythology, and cultural traditions have fueled a century of bold visual storytelling,” Dubin said. “The work of these innovators went on to influence not only comics, but literature, film, television and the way generations of people imagine what it means to be a hero.”
Chosen Heroes: The Jewish Comics Experience was created by the Center for Jewish History with contributions from the American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.
Exhibition information and tickets are available at jewishmuseummilwaukee.org.
