The complete Maus - Rated 
I bought it as present. Black and white "comic" telling the story of the jews in the Varsovia ghetto
A brilliant and original portrayal of history's darkest chapter - Rated
Maus is stunning and breathtaking as a piece of literature and as a piece of artwork. The plot details the experiences of Art Spiegelman's father, Vladek, during the holocaust. Spiegelman expertly captures the fear that the Jewish community felt leading up to the holocaust, and shocks readers with a blunt yet thouroughly moving rendition of one mans experiences within Auschwitz.
(Warning, may contain spoilers!)
The characterization in this book is also phenomenal; the cat and mouse analogy between the Nazi's and the Jews is quite obvious, but as the book progresses it becomes clear that Spiegelman uses the image of a mouse to reinforce the vulnerability of the people at the time. One of my favourite illustrations in the book is that of one of the characters who is a mouse holding a diseased and decrepid rat in his hands, with a poster of Mickey Mouse in the backround, which contrasts the various perceptions of innocence (displayed through Mickey Mouse), vulnerability (shown by the character), and the persecution with which the Nazi's asscociation of the Jews with mice/rats (shown through the sympathetic look the character gives the rat.)
The book combines linguistic and illustrative techniques perfectly. One such technique remains potent in my memory; Spiegelman ends a chapter with a humourous remark on the part of Vladek, which set me laughing, but as you turn the page you see an illustration that will shock you for being a violent, but more so for actually having happened. The contrast between the humour and violence over two pages shows you the sheer scope of this breathtaking story.
Maus is a book that will show you the true horrors of the holocaust, all the more real for having been dealt with in the form of comics, and will allow you to truly empathize with those who went through it. It is an excellent story, all the more mesmerising for being true, that will keep you captivated until the very last page. If you have not read it, I strongly reccomend that you do, for there is nothing quite like it, and probably never will be again.
Haunting - Rated
This haunting graphic novel depicts the Holocaust through the eyes of Art's father, a Polish Jew called Vladek who suffered greatly but survived the concentration camps. Starting with the meeting of his father and his mother, The Complete Maus carries their story through to the end of the horrors, juxtaposed with Art's present-day life and struggle to appease his elderly father while recording his history before it's too late. By using animals to represent groups of people (Nazis are cats, Jews are mice, French are frogs, and so on), the author strengthens his allegory and makes this book into an unforgettable and horrifying piece of art.
I hesistated for a few weeks before writing this review. Another review is surely excessive because I've seen tons out there. Still, my thoughts wanted a place, and when it comes down to it, this graphic novel hasn't left me alone yet.
Perhaps what's most striking about this particular tale is that Vladek is an ordinary old man. In some way, Holocaust survivors are expected to be supernaturally brave, intelligent, and in essence heroes. They are that, but they are also normal people thrust into the worst situation imaginable and forced to cope or die or both. Vladek has undoubtedly been shaped by his experience but not in the best ways. He hoards food, he hoards money, because his world is still uncertain and he knows what deprivation is like. This irritates everyone around him but the saddest part is that he is so normal. It brings home to us the fact that ordinary people were suffered and died for no reason. Vladek is startlingly like my grandpa and that makes the real story even more horrifying than it would have been without the frame. It reminds us how lucky we are, as does Art's constant struggle with his guilt over his role in his father's life.
As I'm sure many others have, I have heard a lot of Holocaust stories over my lifetime. I was taught about it in school, given books about it, and chose on my own to read about it on numerous occasions. That doesn't lessen the impact of this one. Since this one is set in Poland, and there is a lot of running around and hiding before Vladek and Anya are caught, I felt it was a little different than others. The fact that it's a graphic novel also made a difference. Even in cartoon form, seeing the wasted bodies of the mice is upsetting. The few real pictures added just make a huge impact, reminding us that these were real people.
Overall, this graphic novel is carefully crafted and deeply moving. I don't want to say something so horrifying is "good", because that is impossible. Rather, its power and stunning capacity to portray humanity and inhumanity through selected text and drawings makes it worth noting, remembering, and reading.
Not just a holocaust story - Rated
When I first heard of this I was extremely skeptical. The idea of symbolising people as animals felt inappropriate and hypoctritical, I was also worried incase this is just an attempt to "cash in" on the holocaust. But luckily I was proved wrong, this isn't just 'based on a true story' but is actually a memoir of the author/artist's father and also chronicals the making of the comic; showing interviews with his father, him duscussing if it's really necesary to make this and other interesting aspects you wouldn't expect to find. The detail is enough to understand the horor of the events but never feels exploitative.
That said, this isn't perfect. The black and white artwork can be straining on the eyes after a while and doesn't really make the most of the medium of hand-drawn storytelling. It is also a slighty Americanised version of the holocaust, the characters are portayed as Americans would act and the Americans are also represented as Dogs because they chase Cats(Germans) who chase mice(Jews), both a simplification of history and quite innacurate considering that America was forced into the war and did not show much concern over Nazi germany or Jewish persecution before then.
But the human stories at the centre of this are what shine through, even if you're not too keen on the idea of comic books/"graphic novels" this is still worth reading and is a milestone in it's medium.
Simply astonishing - Rated
This is just unbelievable. I don't normally read comics (I think I've read five now: Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth, Watchmen, Batman: Dark Knight Returns, this and I'm sure there was something else), but regardless of whether you do or not, I defy you not to be blown away by this.
The story takes place on two threads - Speigelman talking to his elderly father about his life and experiences during the war, and those experiences. Spigelman sr married in Poland before the war, but was caught by the Nazis and sent to Auschwitz. His story of this period is told simply, without histrionics or fireworks and it is utterly terrifying. The simple, but genuis idea of using animals to portray nationalities works like a dream (mice for Jews, pigs for Poles, cats for Germans, dogs for Americans). We share teh horror and the confusion and also focus in on Speigelman sr's struggle to survive, and to keep some kind of contact with his wife.
In the modern America, the old Speigalman sr is not idealised. He is bad tempered, infuriating, racist and unpleasant. As, to be honest is Speigalman Jr. But the whole thing feels utterly, utterly authentic; totally real.
It just wouldn't work as well as a book - it needs to be a comic book.
Read it
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