The third "comic book" (/graphic novel/sequential art display) which I have the pleasure of reviewing is as brilliant as the first two. Though in very different ways. The first was a textbook (which is awesome) called Understanding Comics, the next was the fictional Watchmen. Now the bibliographic Maus: A Survivors Tale. About the holocaust. Of all of them, my least favorite is the more traditional, but brilliant, fictional story Watchmen. Which says something about the powers and abilities of the graphic novel medium. It is not just a childish medium.
There is another story going on in Maus that is not talked about as often and that is the story of Art's relationship with his aging father. This story is so intimate and human as to be impossible to ignore, yet it is not discussed like the holocaust is. But it is this layer, as much as anything, that keeps me reading. Vladek is infuriating. But then, so is Art Spiegelman himself at times. Mala is enigmatic. Sometimes, it seems as though she is being an awful person, but most of the time, I believe she is being falsely accused. The author never reveals his stance on Mala and never takes a side.
Biographies and historical or nonfictional stories are interesting because characters are instantly deep and somehow it almost always comes across. And usually better than any fictional story has managed. Even the best fictions don't quite carry the weight that real people, described in a biography, have. It is true here. You will feel like you get to know Vladek and Artie and Françoise and will probably start discussing their psychology. There is no imagination in creating these characters, for they are real.
What is there to say about the holocaust aspect of this book? Maus is a very "Powerful" story because it has to be. And it is very readable because it is. I begin adopting the accents of the characters in the story as I read, which is always fun. This book could be the best one you ever read about the holocaust. On a level with Ann Frank's diary, but also definitely in a different category.
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