Jordan B. Gorfinkel, also known as Gorf (born July 7, 1967), is an American comic book creator, newspaper cartoonist, and an animation and multi-media entertainment producer. He is also an
a cappella singer, most notably with the groups Beat'achon and Kol Zimra, and produces music, videos, and live events.
Gorfinkel was an editor at
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
for nearly a decade where he managed the
Batman franchise. His most notable additions to the Batman universe include ''
Birds of Prey
Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predat ...
'' which was adapted into a 2002 network television series
of the same name, and a
2020 film, and ''
Batman: No Man's Land'', which served as inspiration for ''
The Dark Knight Rises
''The Dark Knight Rises'' is a 2012 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan Nolan, and the story with David S. Goyer. The film is based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is th ...
'', and Season 5 of the TV series ''
Gotham''.
Comics
Gorfinkel is the creator/writer/artist of ''Everything's Relative'', a newspaper comic-strip published weekly since 1996 in many major markets including New York, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Detroit and Baltimore. For most of the 1990s Gorfinkel guided the Batman comics franchise at DC Comics, coordinating publications, licensing and film and TV productions with the 60-year history of the DC Universe. In 1999 Gorfinkel conceived and directed the critically and commercially acclaimed series ''
No Man's Land'', serialized in several weekly chapters across most of the Batman line for the entire calendar year. "''No Man's Land'' was the core inspiration for the highest regarded Batman media outside of the comic books... ''Batman Arkham City'', ''Gotham'', ''The New 52'', and ''The Dark Knight Rises'' all borrow several plot elements and character setups from the introduction and rising action volumes of the comic series." He also conceived ''
Birds of Prey
Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predat ...
'', the most successful comic book series starring women since ''Wonder Woman''.
In 2015, Gorfinkel released an original graphic novel published by
Penguin Random House
Penguin Random House LLC is an Anglo-American multinational conglomerate publishing company formed on July 1, 2013, from the merger of Penguin Group and Random House.
On April 2, 2020, Bertelsmann announced the completion of its purchase ...
titled ''Michael Midas Champion''. In January 2019, Gorfinkel released the ''Passover Haggadah Graphic Novel'' with Israeli illustrator
Erez Zadok, published by
Koren Publishers Jerusalem
Koren Publishers Jerusalem is an Israeli publisher of Jewish religious texts. It was established in 1961 by Eliyahu Koren, with the aim of publishing the first Hebrew Bible designed, edited, printed, and bound by Jews in nearly 500 years. It produ ...
.
Avalanche Comics Entertainment
In 2007, Gorfinkel founded Avalanche Comics Entertainment LLC (ACE), which uses illustrated storytelling to develop entertainment content and corporate branding. The company has been praised for its work in developing comics for
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washin ...
's "Heroes Happen Here". ACE clients also include Alibaba ("SuperAli" animation shorts series), Clorox ("SuperMoms"), Hasbro (''Transformers'' franchise bible and film-adjacent comic book materials) and Toms shoes.
Music
Gorfinkel has been a member of two Jewish musical groups, ''Beat'achon'' and ''Kol Zimra''. He also organized the collection of American and Israeli musical talent featured in the '
Voices for Israel' project in 2004.
In June, 2011, Gorf released the song "MOT: Members of The Tribe" with
Sean Altman
Sean Altman (born May 9, 1961) is an American musician and songwriter. He is a founder and former lead singer ( tenor) of the a capella musical group Rockapella and a pioneer of the modern a cappella movement. He was a member of Rockapella from ...
as part of their "Simcha & Gorfinkel" music-comedy act. The song highlights the contrasts in different observance levels within Judaism. It promotes
tolerance and
respect.
Munich Jewish Museum
The Munich Jewish Museum commissioned Gorfinkel to create a series of his ''Everything's Relative'' four-panel comic strip for its permanent exhibition. Museum director Bernard Purin wanted "visitors to learn about local Jewish life, history and religion. He thought comic art would be a good form to deal with contemporary issues and approached Gorfinkel in 2005." The ten cartoon storyline, displayed in German and English, "explores the idea of a Jew returning to Germany through the character Zayde, who visits Munich for the first time since his liberation from a concentration camp."
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gorfinkel, Jordan B.
American comics writers
Living people
1967 births
DC Comics people
Jewish American musicians
Jewish American comics creators
A cappella musicians
American cartoonists