A Little Bit of Coverage…Foreskin Man and his comic book arch enemy Dr Mutilator wind up the pro-circumcision camp

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Foreskin Man is not a typical comic-book superhero, and neither is his choice of adversaries – doctors who practice circumcision and Orthodox Jews who support the religious ritual. The comic books are produced to support activist Matthew Hess, of San Diego, who has managed to put a measure on San Francisco’s ballot in November that would make it illegal to perform a circumcision on a boy under 18 without medical need. Hess is the founder of MGMbill, a national organisation pushing to outlaw circumcision on boys under the age of 18. MGM stands for Male Genital Mutilation. Hess said he launched his campaign in 2003 but had been getting a lot of glazed eyes until he created Foreskin Man. The first issue, in which Foreskin Man confronts Dr. Mutilator, was viewed as kind of weird, he said, but the second issue has sent Internet traffic soaring. This is generating a lot of attention that is pushing people to look into this a little bit more, Hess told The Associated Press: The more you look into it, the worse it gets. It is a serious human rights violation. Now a lot of people are going to learn about circumcision and be thinking about it before the November ballot. In the comic’s second issue, the mohel (a specialist in Jewish ritual circumcision) barges into a San Diego home, snatches a baby boy from his mother, and proceeds to circumcise the infant on a pool table before being stopped by Foreskin Man. Now Hess is being accused of anti-semitism over his use of imagery. The (Monster) mohel has a dark complexion, hook nose and is practically drooling at the thought of apparently doing harm to a child, said Nancy Appel, associate director of the Anti-Defamation League: He even has claws on his fingertips. He is blood thirsty just like the grotesque Jewish stereotypes that appeared in Nazi propaganda. It’s absolutely a direct parallel.

Not So Comical…Comic book artists voice justifiable concerns over the dangerous cartoons bill

Based on article from inthenews.co.uk See also www.comicalliance.org.uk

Comic book artists are to fight a law which bans depictions of children in sexual situations, saying it could criminalise legitimate artists and fans. The law was buried deep in the coroners and justice bill, which passed through the Commons earlier this week, and is now on its way to the Lords. The law was originally laid out following consultation with children’s groups and the entertainment industry, although, as GM Jordan points out in a comment piece for politics.co.uk today, comic professionals were not invited to contribute to the process. The government also had an eye on the increasingly extreme animated pornography – called Hentai – originating in Japan. This sometimes includes scenes of child abuse, but would have not been illegal under previous laws. But a growing coalition of artists are increasingly concerned about the effect the law will have on artistic expression. Critics have pointed to the comic The Lost Girls, written by infamous comic creator Alan Moore – the mind behind current blockbuster movie Watchmen. The comic, a piece of erotic fiction envisaging the sexual awakening of three famous fairy tale characters – Alice from Alice in Wonderland, Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz and Wendy from Peter Pan. The women meet in their 30s but certain pages deal with their experiences in their late teens. Despite the girls in the book being above the age of consent, the law defines child as anyone under 18. Opponents of the bill argue that if it is followed through, those who had bought the comic would be automatically criminalised by having it in their possession. A group called the Comic Book Alliance has formed to challenge the law. Its founding members include Moore’s daughter, Leah. Several high-profile comic creators have joined the campaign, including Bryan Talbot and Neil Gaiman, writer of Stardust, which was recently turned into a Hollywood film starring Robert De Niro, and The Sandman series. But the activists are concerned not enough fellow professionals will join the campaign for fear of appearing sympathetic to paedophile animation.