Comic trip
A humorous look at the life of a contemporary, suburban — and Jewish — family
Sidebar: People of the 'comics' book
Even within the innovative world of contemporary comic strips, Patty and Terry LaBan's "Edge City" carves out new territory. Set in suburbia, the strip is about the fictional Ardins — Abby, a therapist; Len, a one-time punk rocker; and their two children — all of whom struggle with the challenges of modern family life.
So far, so what. Other comics have been there, done that. The Ardins, however, are Jewish, so along with dual-career parenting, carpools, and homework, they also worry about religious-school attendance and Hanukka gift lists — and they do it graphically in full color.
Which is not to say this is a comic strip about Judaism; it is about a family of Jews — pleased, proud, and practicing — much like the LaBans themselves, who live in a small town outside Philadelphia and mine their own lives for material. Graphic artist Terry — an "aging hipster" like his alter ego Len Ardin — does all the production work, the couple collaborate on storylines, and Patty — a social worker and therapist like Abby Ardin — contributes experiences from her personal and professional life.
In a telephone interview with NJ Jewish News, the LaBans talked about the evolution of their comic strip — now syndicated by King Features in 50 national newspapers — and the way in which autobiographical details figure in their work.
NJJN: Has your childhood and religious education influenced the strip?
Patty: We grew up in different parts of the country but we had similar experiences. I came of age at Temple Sholom [of West Essex in Cedar Grove], went to the University of Michigan, and stayed in the West for 20 years. I met Terry in Ann Arbor. We both grew up in Reform synagogues.
Terry: I went to Temple Beth El — one of the largest Reform congregations in suburban Detroit.
P: I don't think I would characterize [the strip's subject matter] as Reform or Conservative issues. We belong to a Conservative synagogue now and we have the same issues. We both had a strong Jewish identity when we were growing up. The level of observance was different but we both independently latched onto Judaism in a way that was meaningful.
T: [Referring to a strip that focused on a family argument about synagogue attendance]: For the record, let me say I really liked going to temple and being part of the Jewish community.
P: He always liked Jewish girls.
T: What's not to like?
NJJN: How did "Edge City" become a Jewish comic strip?
P: When it was first syndicated, it was a satire of modern family life — a generic family. When the first holiday season rolled around, there was the question about how we were going to deal with Christmas. We didn't know what to do. It was hard to ignore so we put presents in the background, but people in our synagogue kept coming up and asking if our family in the strip was Jewish, and we thought, ‘Nobody has a Jewish family in comic strips — no one does that. We were taking a big chance.'
T: Passover was our next opportunity to try it. Our family became the first Jewish family to celebrate Passover in the newspapers. [When we brought it up], our editor was lukewarm but we went ahead.
NJJN: Why did you call it "Edge City"?
P: We called it this before it became a Jewish family. We wanted to connote a high-stress suburban family…
T: …reflecting a modern lifestyle and a state of mind — living in the exurbs.
P: It's about a hip Jewish-American family juggling careers and family, trying to actualize themselves while they're still lining up for carpool at public school.
NJJN: What kind of feedback do you get from readers?
P: Very positive. We get a lot of comments from people we see and we get e-mail about the Jewish stuff from Jewish and non-Jewish people. Jewish educators use it in classes.
T: Rabbis build sermons around it.
P: There are strips that tell jokes — a single Jewish joke — but not a whole story extending over several days or weeks.
T: There are certainly odd Jewish characters in various strips, but we're the only strip around portraying a family being Jewish and dealing with religion in their lives. We don't deal with religion directly — with how people believe — but how religion operates in their life.
P: It's interesting and something different. It gives warmth and individual flavor to our strip. We're very active Jewishly, and it's nice to put out a positive image rather than one showing Jews who are ambivalent about their Jewishness.
NJJN: And your children's reaction? Your parents'?
P: Our children grew up with this. Our daughter — Dahlia, who's eight — always reads it. She's a great fan of our book. Our son, Eli, 12, is a preteen. He's a little embarrassed. People assume everything is autobiographical. People want to assume everything in it is true.
Our parents took about three years to realize it was not autobiographical. They thought they could look at the strip every day and assume they knew what was going on in our house.
NJJN: What's it like working together?
T: Doing a daily strip is a tremendous amount of work and pressure. It's a great help to have someone…working with you. I haven't really left my house for three years. Patty really brings the world to me.
P: I've enjoyed it. In my professional life as a psychotherapist I have to be quiet a lot. It's fun to work in an area where I don't have to be quiet about family life.
T: This is really a comic strip about a marriage — and how to portray it realistically. Our dynamic creates their dynamic — not like it but reflects it.
NJJN: What are your goals for the strip?
P: I'd like to be a presence in Jewish culture — to add to the culture — a fun look at Jewish culture.
T: I would like the Jewish community to know about this strip. I think we're an important voice in Jewish culture.
P: There has been growing ethnic diversity [in comics] since we started this, but not religious diversity. We're not trying to convince anyone of something.
T: Just tell our story.
NJJN: Have there been any tie-ins — "Edge City" soap dishes, T-shirts?
T: No, but we'll talk to anyone who wants to talk to us about it.
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