Warning: contains discussions of antisemitism
Well-known comic artist, Joe Bennett, who has worked on Hulk comics, is once more the focus of scrutiny for antisemitism. Artwork of his, which was found on Facebook and shared around social media, is a highly political piece centering on Brazilian politicians. However, many comic fans feel the depictions are deeply insensitive.
Benedito José Nascimento, better known in the comic community as Joe Bennett, is a Brazilian comic artist who has lately been working with Marvel. He has most recently provided art on Immortal Hulk - which he faced criticism of antisemitism for earlier this year. He has worked on numerous other Marvel titles, including Iron Man (2014), Thor (2002), and Crew (2003). He has also worked with DC, Valiant, Image, and Dynamite in the past.
The new artwork in question, from 2017, features Jair Bolsonaro - president of Brazil - decapitating political opposition. His political opponents are caricatured with large noses, big teeth, and pointed ears. They have rodent-like characteristics and are being cut down, while another figure is depicted as a vampire - complete with fangs, wings, and a vintage hairstyle. Bolsonaro is depicted in golden armor, a sword raised above his head as he rides a white horse - similar to how knights have been depicted. However, this image is less than gallant. The image has now been circulating and has gotten the attention of comic creators within the community, including Immortal Hulk writer Al Ewing.
This past February, Bennett drew a in Immortal Hulk, which featured the Star of David underneath backward lettering that read "Cronemberg Jewer". Bennett responded on Facebook with an apology and an explanation regarding the incident. He claimed it was a genuine mistake during an attempt to pay homage to David Cronenberg, the famous horror film director. He misspelled both "Jewelry" and "Cronenberg" by mistake as they were written backwards and reflected. Paying homage to horror directors is something the Hulk artist has done in his work before, but the finding of this new work calls this occurrence into question again. Jewish people have long been offensively depicted in the exact same manner that Bennett's political work does. Even if the work is older and he has since learned from the events of Immortal Hulk #43 being recalled, there are major problems with the perpetuation of Jewish stereotypes.
It isn't out of the realm of possibility for artists and cartoonists to use art to comment on politics. Politically satirical cartoons have long been part of journalism and comics. However, perpetuating offensive stereotypes through caricatures is another matter entirely. This is particularly true when the stereotypes have been applied to a particular group across the world. Negative depictions of Jewish people are not limited to any single country and regardless of nationality, religious denigration of any kind is not okay. Comics have been striving towards inclusion and broadening the representation of characters within stories.
With all the progress that comics have made, using offensive caricatures should no longer be the norm, nor should it be deemed acceptable by artists within the community. Already Al Ewing, Bennett's creative partner on Immortal Hulk, has stated on Twitter that he will not be working with Bennett in the future. No response has been made thus far from Bennett regarding fans' criticism of his political art. However, the response from the comic creator community - including fellow Hulk creators - and comic fans is rather resounding.
