thepolkapunk (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} thepolkapunk) wrote,@ 2005-02-18 20:48:00 |
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Comic Book Review: Maus: A Survivor's Tale
I’ve wasted thousands of dollars in my lifetime on things that failed to live up to their hypes. I'd like to save people time and money by offering my opinion on anything and everything I use in my life. I’ve created “I wish to make a complaint” with the intent of letting people know about the real quality of goods in America from a consumer perspective, instead of an industry expert. See something important I didn’t mention? Disagree with what I’ve said? Feel free to comment on it; I welcome all criticism!
Written and Drawn by Art Spiegelman
First released in 1973, Maus is a controversial, yet highly acclaimed comic book series about dealing with the Holocaust. Although it is simple in both narrative and art, it has many levels of complexity that can be carefully picked apart and analyzed to provide an even deeper meaning than face value.
Though Maus does have much about the Holocaust, it does not so much focus on the tragedy as it is does on the way life has been affected by it. The comic alternates between New York during the 70’s and Poland during the 30’s and 40’s. It chronicles the survival of Vladek Spiegelman during the Holocaust and his relationship to his son as he recants the horrors during that time. The author depicts all characters as anthropomorphized mice, cats and pigs, which is a bit odd at first, but an oddity the reader will soon adjust to. Despite the seemingly children oriented visuals, this is not meant for youngsters. Maus has frequent graphic depictions of death and violence.
Maus is not like other stories about the Holocaust. Although primarily relating Vladek’s life during the Nazi occupation of Poland, I found that the plot frequently focused on the interactions between the different generations. The comic starts off a bit slow and I even found myself a little bored with some of the events in the first chapter. All this changed, however, in chapter two, at which point I was unable to put this book down. The characters become so interesting, and the events depicted so horrific, one cannot help but continue on reading. Despite the fact that the reader already knows the outcome of the events in Poland, the tale is so masterfully written and the characters are so expertly developed that one cannot help but keep on reading.
The interactions between Arty and Vladek are astonishingly well developed. There were many times in the comic where I could have substituted my father and myself in place of Vladek and Arty. It is obvious that the author put much effort and care into developing the realism of his characters. Maus also does a very good, if somewhat controversial job of confronting stereotypes both in its use of animals to represent ethnicities and his of realistic characters.
The artwork usually takes a very simplistic and minimalist approach. Though it is very interesting and stylistic, I did have problems distinguishing characters from one other due to the simplicity of their animal features. Thankfully, the dialog was often clear enough to avoid any real confusion about who everyone was.
Though primarily aimed at adults, it is conceivable that young teenagers could get much from the comic book. It is advisable, however, that parents review it first before allowing their children to read it. Aside from the obvious happenings of the holocaust, there are many mature themes and events depicted that should be carefully explained to youngsters.
I am giving Maus a Buy or Read rating. The storyline and characters are top notch and will tightly draw you into the story. Although not as revolutionary or controversial as it was when first released, Maus still covers ground that many do not tread in the world of comics. It deals with complex themes and stories in an extremely mature and dignified way that can be appreciated by people who would never have even considered comics as a legitimate form of art. Although the majority of the characters are Jewish, Art Spiegelman does a great job of gearing the writing so that everything can be understood even if the reader has no knowledge of Jewish customs and lifestyles. This is a true work of art that can be enjoyed by all.
I’ve wasted thousands of dollars in my lifetime on things that failed to live up to their hypes. I'd like to save people time and money by offering my opinion on anything and everything I use in my life. I’ve created “I wish to make a complaint” with the intent of letting people know about the real quality of goods in America from a consumer perspective, instead of an industry expert. See something important I didn’t mention? Disagree with what I’ve said? Feel free to comment on it; I welcome all criticism!
Maus: A Survivor’s Tale
Written and Drawn by Art Spiegelman
First released in 1973, Maus is a controversial, yet highly acclaimed comic book series about dealing with the Holocaust. Although it is simple in both narrative and art, it has many levels of complexity that can be carefully picked apart and analyzed to provide an even deeper meaning than face value.
Though Maus does have much about the Holocaust, it does not so much focus on the tragedy as it is does on the way life has been affected by it. The comic alternates between New York during the 70’s and Poland during the 30’s and 40’s. It chronicles the survival of Vladek Spiegelman during the Holocaust and his relationship to his son as he recants the horrors during that time. The author depicts all characters as anthropomorphized mice, cats and pigs, which is a bit odd at first, but an oddity the reader will soon adjust to. Despite the seemingly children oriented visuals, this is not meant for youngsters. Maus has frequent graphic depictions of death and violence.
Maus is not like other stories about the Holocaust. Although primarily relating Vladek’s life during the Nazi occupation of Poland, I found that the plot frequently focused on the interactions between the different generations. The comic starts off a bit slow and I even found myself a little bored with some of the events in the first chapter. All this changed, however, in chapter two, at which point I was unable to put this book down. The characters become so interesting, and the events depicted so horrific, one cannot help but continue on reading. Despite the fact that the reader already knows the outcome of the events in Poland, the tale is so masterfully written and the characters are so expertly developed that one cannot help but keep on reading.
The interactions between Arty and Vladek are astonishingly well developed. There were many times in the comic where I could have substituted my father and myself in place of Vladek and Arty. It is obvious that the author put much effort and care into developing the realism of his characters. Maus also does a very good, if somewhat controversial job of confronting stereotypes both in its use of animals to represent ethnicities and his of realistic characters.
The artwork usually takes a very simplistic and minimalist approach. Though it is very interesting and stylistic, I did have problems distinguishing characters from one other due to the simplicity of their animal features. Thankfully, the dialog was often clear enough to avoid any real confusion about who everyone was.
Though primarily aimed at adults, it is conceivable that young teenagers could get much from the comic book. It is advisable, however, that parents review it first before allowing their children to read it. Aside from the obvious happenings of the holocaust, there are many mature themes and events depicted that should be carefully explained to youngsters.
I am giving Maus a Buy or Read rating. The storyline and characters are top notch and will tightly draw you into the story. Although not as revolutionary or controversial as it was when first released, Maus still covers ground that many do not tread in the world of comics. It deals with complex themes and stories in an extremely mature and dignified way that can be appreciated by people who would never have even considered comics as a legitimate form of art. Although the majority of the characters are Jewish, Art Spiegelman does a great job of gearing the writing so that everything can be understood even if the reader has no knowledge of Jewish customs and lifestyles. This is a true work of art that can be enjoyed by all.
