Foreskin Man (art by Gledson Barreto): Suddenly Batman's flying rodent motif seems perfectly healthy
In case it isn’t obvious, I love comics. There is truly an endless supply of amazing stories and art. On the other hand, there’s also an endless supply of weird stuff of dubious quality and/or purpose.
Meet Foreskin Man!
If only I were kidding. Look closely to the picture on the right. His chest symbol is actually the silhouette of the tip of a penis. Sadly, it’s not a comic about a guy that was bitten by a radioactive penis. It’s not even a porn comic, which would at least make it good for a few laughs.
The first issue of this comic came out last year, but it’s getting a whole new round of coverage with the recent release of issue #2. The San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times and LAist covered it last week within the context of efforts in San Francisco to pass a bill that would ban circumcision for children under 18 years old. Apparently 7,743 people in San Francisco think this is a real issue that needs to be addressed, so the bill will actually be on the city’s November ballot. If passed it would result in $1,000 fines and jail time up to a year for those that have children circumcised, even for religious reasons. Purely a coincidence, but Foreskin Man was created and written by Matthew Hess, the president of MGMBill.org, an activist group seeking to get this exact kind of legislation passed on the basis of human rights.
Yes, that’s right. Foreskin Man is a propaganda comic against circumcision. And as bonus points, it’s racist! The second issue depicts the Aryan looking Foreskin Man stopping ridiculously sinister Orthodox Jews from circumcising an infant. The Anti-Defamation League released a statement on Friday decrying the online comic for its “grotesque anti-Semitic imagery and themes”.
You can read the comics at ForeskinMan.com [link corrected] and decide for yourself. Personally, I’ve learned that if you want to stop someone from having their child circumcised, it is perfectly fine to abduct said child and hand them over to some shifty biker gang. This is much less traumatic and emotionally damaging than a surgical procedure the baby won’t even remember. But read it for yourself and decide whether the comic is simply using exaggerated character types typical for the superhero genre to illustrate their… point, or whether they’ve gone too far and should just… cut it out. Or off, as the case may be.
Full disclosure: I’m circumcised (and feel fine, thank you).
Corey Blake 
You totally missed the real issue here… it’s not racist, it’s truthful and says that infant circumcision is wrong and OF COURSE, is perfectly fine to kidnap the child from getting part of his genitals cut off – IN A COMIC BOOK. Don’t be so dense, real people don’t fly either. So because of the first issue (if you actually read the first issue), is it anti-doctor then?
ps. of course you are “fine” with your circumcision, how would you know? you never had a foreskin. so be lucky to NOT know what it is like having one.
I personally am very grateful that I was never circumcised, I think it is a much nicer feeling, especially for masturbation! I pity my circumcised brothers!
If a male had to make a conscious choice to be circumcised as an adult, I am sure only very
few would choose it. No European man ever does. Like female circumcision, it diminishes
sexual pleasure.
Health is not an argument, as any European doctor can assure you. On the contrary, nature
has given the foreskin the task of protecting the very sensitive glans of the penis.
Come on my American brothers, don’t let them take the pleasure away from you! Keep your
organs intact and proud! Ban circumcision of little boys!
And Jews or Muslims can show how much they value their faith by making a conscious decision to sacrifice sexual pleasure for their faith when they are adults.
A good (though very explicit) website to get informed about the functions and sexual
pleasure of the foreskin:
http://www.noharmm.org/anatomy.htm
The comic parody, Smegna Man Gets Circumcised, (published at Smegmaman.com) is a lot funnier; has a great plot; and passes along sound information about the medical and cosmetic benefits of the procedure– and, in the end, the villains meet a very appropriate end.
Ed Margolis
Wow! “A procedure that the baby won’t even remember”? Regardless of whether the baby remembers the actual incident, they still feel pain! Some even go into shock and DIE from this Unescecary and inhuman “surgical procedure”. Not to mention for the rest of their life their sexual lives are marred from loss of sensitivity! Erectile disfunction and premature ejaculation have even been linked to circumcision! We live in 2012 and we are still mutilating our young for no reason? I’m ashamed to even have to discuss such an issue let alone be a victim of it ):
I AM UPSET!
*about what?*
IT DOESN’T MATTER! THE INTERNET MUST KNOW!