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Long before the crypto-Jew, Superman, was Abie Kabibble, who appeared in Abie the Agent, the first syndicated Jewish comic strip in America, and one of the longest running ethnic comics. Published in newspapers throughout the US from 1914-1940, Abie presented a very different image of the Jew than had previously appeared on the vaudeville stage, in novels, and on phonograph records. Marx’s slide presentation and talk focuses on anti-immigration sentiments by American nativists in the early 1900s and shares the challenges faced by Jewish graphic artists of that time who sought to present Jewish caricature in more positive ways. In doing so, they influenced how Jews were subsequently presented in comics, on the radio, and on television. This live Zoom presentation, followed by an open discussion, is based on Marx’s latest book, Smoothing the Jew: Abie the Agent and Ethnic Caricature in the Progressive Era (Rutgers University Press, 2024) and is presented as part of the national Will Eisner Week celebration. Co-presented by the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum and the Melton Center for Jewish Studies