Golem

Write the text of your arIn the Marvel Universe, there have been a number of fictional characters known as Golem. < Return to Religious Affiliation of Comics Book Characters Ghost #2, volume 2 (1995 series), published by Dark Horse, featured a Golem as an antagonist. From: "Jewish Comics Exhibit Notes" webpage, last updated 5 December 2004 (http://www.geocities.com/hadassahfink/comicexhnotes.htm; viewed 4 July 2007): Ghost #22 To help in trying to learn the secret behind her death, Ghost discovers a map that will tell her more about the city called Arcadia. However, the map is located in a tomb and is guarded by a Golem. She and her friends, Tiger and Focus, are almost defeated by the Golem. However, Focus manages to shoot the mystical token out of its body, returning it to its inanimate form.

From: "Jewish Comics Exhibit Notes" webpage, last updated 5 December 2004 (http://www.geocities.com/hadassahfink/comicexhnotes.htm; viewed 4 July 2007): Invaders #13 The captured Invaders super-team is saved by the Golem, who is actually Jacob Goldstein - the resident of the Warsaw Ghetto they had gone there to smuggle out. In the end, he decides to stay in the Ghetto with his people, hoping to help them out as much as he can. From: Mikel Midnight, "The Jewish Supers List" (http://blaklion.best.vwh.net/jew.html; viewed 4 July 2007): Marvel... Golem [Jacob Goldstein, cf. Invaders #12]

From: "Jewish Comics Exhibit Notes" webpage, last updated 5 December 2004 (http://www.geocities.com/hadassahfink/comicexhnotes.htm; viewed 4 July 2007): Saga of the Swamp Thing #11 Swamp Thing decides to help Harry Kay and his team to kill Karen Clancy, a paranormal who is trying to release "the Beast" and enable it to rule the mortal plane. Kay builds a golem to help them, but the golem ends up instinctively trying to kill Swamp Thing, attracted to him by Clancy's locket, which it was honing in on.

From: "Jewish Comics Exhibit Notes" webpage, last updated 5 December 2004 Scorpion #3 Rabbi Akiba is forced by a Nazi, known as the Golden Fuhrer, to bring his golem back to life. However, the golem tries to find the Golden Fuhrer to kill him, not to help him. En route to the hideout of the Golden Fuhrer, the Scorpion encounters the golem and mistakes him for a super-villain.

From: "Jewish Comics Exhibit Notes" webpage, last updated 5 December 2004 (http://www.geocities.com/hadassahfink/comicexhnotes.htm; viewed 4 July 2007): Xombi #2 A pair of homunculi attempt to kill David Kim, but he is saved by Rabbi Sinnowitz and his two golems, Boaz and Joachim. Both of the golems have a similar look to the one in the German film Der Golem. From: "Xombi" page on Wikipedia.org website Xombi is a Milestone Comics superhero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Xombi #0, (January 1994), and was created by John Rozum and Denys Cowan. Supporting characters - Becan - appeared in issue 17, an oracle who David Kim/Xombi and Rabbi Sinnowitz meet in a strange and disgusting bar... - Dumaka - another Xombi introduced to David Kim/Xombi and Rabbi Sinnowitz in issue 17, by the oracle Becan; Dumaka became a Xombi by African folk magic, he continued to live by means of a regenerating tail. He and David talked of living forever (being immortal) and the truly bad things that come with it; after the talk and David Kim/Xombi and Rabbi Sinnowitz leave, Dumaka gives up the will to live and he dies in issue 18... - Julian Parker - an ally of David Kim/Xombi and Rabbi Sinnowitz; Julian Parker is the son of some demons... - Kameko - appears in issue 17, she had dreams about David Kim/Xombi, she lives in the huge palace with various people; when Kameko and David meet in issue 19, when Rabbi Sinnowitz takes David to meet her, she reveals that she was expecting him because she loves him dearly, they have a long talk concerning the future as Kameko has seen it; the story Kameko tells is one were David destroys the world with his technology. She tells him of the time when they will meet in 80 years. David refuses to accept the future that Kameko describes and leaves maybe to never see her again... - Rabbi Sinnowitz - an ally of David Kim/Xombi. He is an occult practitioner with penchant for Golum manufacture and control. Rabbi Sinnowitz became involved in the shadow worlds when he and his young wife battled with the Kinderessen, child eaters. The unborn child of Rabbi Sinnowitz and his wife was killed and Rabbi Sinnowitz took up an interest in the occult.

Stange Tales #177 The evil mystic Kaballa attempts to capture the Golem to use in his plans for world domination. The story begins with the retelling of a 16th century Yiddish legend about another golem.

From: message posted 14 July 2004 on "The Bleat" blog website (http://www.lileks.com/bleats/archive/04/0704/071404.html; viewed 2 August 2007): Finally, I give you a comic that didn't last very long: [Scanned cover of Strange Tales #174, featuring the first appearance of "The Golem," the new cover-featured star of this comic book series.] A "Note from the Bullpen" said this was the first Jewish superhero in comics, but now we know that's not true. Ben Grimm (the Thing) is Jewish [link to: http://www.forward.com/issues/2002/02.07.26/fast1.html/]. Reed Richards? Episcopalian, I'd bet. Silver Surfer? Unitarian.

Detective Comics #632 Batman must stop a neo-Nazi gang, as well as the Golem that has been created to kill them. The Golem is inhabited by the spirit of a man who died during the Holocaust and who sees Nazis everywhere.

Publication history
The Golem first appeared in Strange Tales vol. 1 #174 (June 1974), and was created by Len Wein and John Buscema. The character subsequently appears in Strange Tales #176-177 (October, December 1974), Marvel Two-in-One #11 (September 1975), The Hood #3 (September 2002), #5-6 (November–December 2002), and Nick Fury's Howling Commandos #2 (February 2006).

Fictional character biography
Golem is a humanoid creature that was made in the sixteenth century by Judah Loew Ben Bezalel. It was made from purple stone or clay and protected the Jewish people from persecutors in Prague. In recent years it was reanimated by Professor Abraham Adamson’s life force as Abrahams died. Golem is currently a member of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Howling Commandos Monster Force.

Powers and abilities
Golem is 8' tall and has superhuman strength which it drew from the land as long as it is in contact with the Earth.

Publication history
This character first appeared in Invaders vol. 1 #12 (January 1977) as Goldstein, and was created by Roy Thomas, Frank Robbins and Frank Springer; he appeared in Invaders #13 (February 1977) as Golem. The character subsequently appears in The Invaders #2-4 (June–August 1993).

Fictional character biography
Jacob Goldstein, the brother of the Blue Bullet, was a resident of the Jewish ghetto of Warsaw, Poland, during World War II. He mystically transformed himself into a Golem in order to fight the Nazis. He assisted the Invaders when his brother was kidnapped by Doctor Death.

Powers and abilities
In Golem form, Jacob was hulky humanoid of 3 meters height. His skin was hard as stone, giving him a good degree of invulnerability. His strength was greater than Captain America's but less than Namor's.

Hood foe
Dennis Golembuski was the grandson of a Polish freedom fighter who immigrated to America. Dennis may or may not have killed a man at the age of eight. He spent some time working as an underboss for Kingpin, but quit. He began to work for a mysterious new master. Later he had Mosh brought to him for robbing a liquor store under his "protection". Mosh refused to hand over a percentage of his take from the robbery. So Golem and his assistant Madame Rapier kill Mosh. He recrutied the Constrictor, Shocker and Jack O'Lantern to help protect a batch of "bloodstones". After the Hood arrived and stole half the diamonds, he gave Madam Rapier a list of pawn shops for them to scout, in case Hood tried to sell them. Hood arrived at the Golem's office and asking for a cut of the diamonds if he returned the rest undamaged. Golem agreed but after the Hood left, told Rapier to kill the thief at their rendezvous. After the Hood double-crossed Rapier, knowing she planned to double-cross him, she was killed in a hail of police gunfire. The Hood confronted Jack O'Lantern and the other super villains, he handed the diamonds over to them, telling them to tell Golem to just leave him alone. After they reported back to him, he promised that nothing was ended between him and the Hood.

Powers and abilities
Dennis apparently possesses no powers beyond those of a normal man his age.

Other Golems

 * Joseph, a resident of Yancy Street, was known as Golem. Joseph was brought over to the United States from the old country by Loew, the creator of the original Golem.  Joseph was buried under a building as persecutors dropped away and unearthed decades later with the building's destruction.  He began mimicking the protective/defensive actions of the Yancy Street Gang against outsiders but was confronted by the Thing.  He was then sent to sleep in the East River by Grimm. Golem first appeared in Marvel Knights 4 #22.
 * In Warheads #2, a being known as Golem briefly possessed Leona MacBride and then Mr. Grant.
 * A member of the Vampire Hunters is Inspector Judiah Golem. He first appeared in Tomb of Dracula vol. 3 #4
 * Agents of Cagliostro were known as the Golems. They first appeared in Dr. Strange Annual #2