Bawdy Barracks (Extract)

The newly published graphic novel 'jobnik!' depicts the more mundane and macho side of life in the Israeli army

By MOREY ALTMAN
16comic88 (photo credit: )
16comic88
(photo credit: )
Extract of an article from Issue 16, November 24, 2008 of The Jerusalem Report. To subscribe to The Jerusalem Report click here. You won't find caped crusaders or masked superheroes in any of these comic books. Instead, Miriam Libicki's "jobnik!" chronicles her day-to-day life in the Israeli army in frank, often blunt terms. Jobnik is Israeli slang for soldiers in non-combat roles. More of an illustrated diary than a comic, "jobnik!" takes us behind the heroic façade, to where soldiers wash dishes, file reports and fool around. "I wonder if, as the no-longer-new girl here, I should warn them about Asher," ponders Libicki's comic persona, recalling a foolish fling with a base scoundrel as she escorts new recruits to the women's barracks. "But I can't think of a way to do it that doesn't just make me look bad." Originally published as individual comics, the first six issues have recently been reworked into a single graphic novel, "jobnik! An American girl's adventures in the Israeli army," distributed by Diamond Comic Distributors, the largest distributor of comic books in North America, available at comic stores in December. Securing a distribution deal for an independently produced comic on this unlikely subject was no easy feat. "The truth is they rejected it at first," admits Libicki. "So I sent them reviews from Publisher's Weekly and, after some discussions, they finally agreed to distribute it." Libicki, 27, grew up in an observant Jewish family in Ohio, has lived in Jerusalem and Seattle and now calls Vancouver, Canada, home. In Israel, she spent two years in the Israel Defense Forces. "People always ask if it was dangerous," says Libicki, "and I say, 'No, I was a secretary,'" she told The Report at a recent book signing at Comics N Vegetables in Tel Aviv, where "jobnik!" sparked much interest among young people delighted to discover a rare comic depiction of Israeli army life. An attractive woman with long auburn hair, Libicki portrays herself as homely and slightly heavy in "jobnik." Self-image and confidence - or lack thereof - are recurring themes. Libicki moved to Israel at 17, driven, she says, by curiosity. An older sister and brother had each studied in Israel in prestigious yeshivas. Not being as talmudically inclined, she chose instead to spend a year at Mechinat Beit Yisrael, a volunteer pre-army program that teaches leadership skills to both secular and religious youth. After completing the program, she chose to stay in Israel and do army service. "All of my peers were enlisting," she says, "and I decided that I wanted to give myself to Israel, and be a real Israeli." She made aliya and served the regulation 21 months - from August 2000 to May 2002 - at an armored corps training base in the south. She left the country just two weeks after her discharge but declined to say why, "because it's a part of the jobnik story that will be written in the future." When she left the army Libicki knew she had a story to tell, one which revealed less-known aspects of the army. "It's been over a year since I've written in [my journal]. I am still Miriam Libicki. I am a citizen of the United States and Israel, and a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces... I have been psychologically diagnosed by the Israeli army and lots of other neat stuff." The idea of doing a comic book evolved during her art studies in Vancouver. "I had always read comics but didn't think I wanted to draw one. I didn't think I had the attention span to do a series," says Libicki. After an unfulfilling year of liberal arts studies in Seattle, Libicki moved to Vancouver for a summer Digital Imaging Class at the Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design. It was there that she decided to use an excerpt from her diary covering her worst week in the army to create a 5-page web comic. "It wasn't great looking," she admits, "but people were very encouraging." (As for what made it her worst week, Libicki coyly suggests reading upcoming chapters in the comic book.) Extract from Issue 16, November 24, 2008 of The Jerusalem Report. To subscribe to The Jerusalem Report click here.