DC Comics brings out first Jewish character in 40 years
Whistle: A New Gotham City Hero, which is released in September, features teenage social activist Willow Zimmerman and her telepathic dog Leibowitz
DC Comics is bringing out the first Jewish superhero in more than 40 years – and she’s a teenage social activist with a dog named Leibowitz!
Whistle: A New Gotham City Hero by acclaimed young adult novelist E. Lockhart and illustrator Manuel Preitano is released in the autumn and centres on 16-year-old Willow Zimmerman as she struggles to make ends meet during her mother’s cancer treatments.
A series of odd jobs leads to a life-altering accident that leaves Willow and Leibowitz with a ‘sixth sense’ that is as much a blessing as a curse.
Fans of the comic series will also enjoy Willow’s encounters with Gotham City’s familiar antiheroes Killer Croc, the Riddler and Poison Ivy.
“Whistle is a hero like me. Like you, maybe. She’s an ordinary person who sees what’s wrong in her city and feels powerless to right it — until she isn’t,” said Lockhart.
“The story explores the dark, ethically compromised side of a superhero’s life as well as the empowerment. There’s the thrill of corruption and the lure of riches on the one hand, versus an activist’s belief in the rights of her community members on the other.”
Whistle: A New Gotham City Hero by E. Lockhart and Manuel Preitano is released on 7 September, priced £12.99.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
