Uri Fink is the creator of Israel's first homegrown comic book superhero, Sabraman, a newsstand sellout that has made Uri a national celebrity at 15. "Sabraman," says Fink proudly, "is Israel's answer to Superman." Much like the man of steel, Sabraman leads a double life and is a sedate ex-captain in the Israeli army until danger threatens. Then he dons his Sabraman suit emblazoned with a Star of David. There are differences. Sabraman greets his allies with "shalom," has "the faith of Abraham" and derives his powers from an atomic rod in his body. But he does fly at supersonic speed to defend the globe against "bad agents." "My ideology has always been against violence," Fink says. "That's why I created a superhero to freeze violence in the world." Sabra (Hebrew for "prickly pear") is the term for a native-born Israeli, which his German emigré parents are not. But Uri grew up in a Tel Aviv suburb and boasts that he owns the largest comic book collection in Israel. He is working now on Sabrawoman and Sabraboy strips, and a line of dolls, T-shirts and posters is also on the drawing boards. But he did miss out on one opportunity. On the day Sabraman went on sale Uri could hardly wait "to show off in school," only to have the teachers go out on strike. For Fink, no classes, no thrill of victory.
Patricia Resnick, 25, is one of Hollywood's most improbable and hottest new screenwriters. Her Ladies in Waiting, a sardonic slice-of-life about waitresses, aired on the PBS Visions series last month and was based on her own experiences in Miami Beach after dropping out of college at 18. After two years Patricia outgrew her rebellion, moved West and enrolled at USC, majoring in film. Then she brashly managed to interview director Robert Altman for a term paper and so impressed him that he hired her as an assistant publicist. A chance meeting with one of his stars led to creating two sketches for Lily Tomlin's Tony-winning stage show, Appearing Nightly, and Resnick's first writing credit. Next Alt-man wanted her back to help concoct (with two other writers) his 50-character satire, A Wedding, in which Patricia also played a bit part. Meanwhile Alan (All the President's Men) Pakula tracked her down to do a script, and Jane Fonda commissioned one about secretaries, Nine to Five. Scheduled for summer production, it may possibly star Tomlin and Dolly Parton. Meanwhile Lily also wants another film. How does Resnick do it all? "Writing is only hard for the first 30 pages," she explains. "After that you know the characters. It's like dreaming. I just lie on the couch and watch and listen to them. Then I go and put it down."
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