Graphic History: The Golem's Mighty Swing

• The Stars of David are a barnstorming Jewish baseball team in the 1920s, who need something new to draw in attendance. Victor Paige, of the Big Inning Promotional Agency has an idea: he'll get them a golem for a ringer ... Overall, this is a great example of just how to do historical fiction right. Let the history inform the fiction, instead of dictate it.
• The story works for me, I think in part because if it didn't happen, it should have. There were barnstorming Jewish teams, like the House of David, and they did use ringers (like Babe Ruth in a very unconvincing beard). And Negro Leagues players often barnstormed for extra money. Combining the two just feels right, which can be an important quality for historical fiction.
• And, with the exception of the art, Sturm doesn't lean too hard on the history. I'm not downplaying the research. The reference work that must have gone into those drawings had to be grueling. But Sturm is confident enough to let it create atmosphere, instead of dwelling on his research. Instead, he gets ahead with the story.
• Sturm's choice of voice is effective - simple, underplayed. It allows the story to come through, and the characters, without losing anything to visual or verbal pyrotechnics.
  
• One of the most important things (sadly, not part of the image here) is that Sturm doesn't forget that one of the most important things in a baseball story is drawing the baseball well.