Maus

After picking this up at a Borders a few years ago, I've always meant to read the series in full, and finally had to. I found it hard to put down, just as everyone said I would.

I think what I enjoyed the most was the artist's decision to portray his relationship with his father as well as his father's story. Like Spiegelman mentioned, it grounded the story. Such insight into the artist's struggle with portraying it, and just dealing with his father on a day to day basis gave me a connection to the characters. It wasn't just a story, because by representing himself, it removed the distance that narratives sometimes have. It's hard to describe, but I think that it is what ultimately gives the piece its power.

I also enjoyed the active commentary on making the book. Talking about the difficulty of portraying the holocaust, or especially that he was concerned his father would come across as a stereotype. Best of all was his father's discovery of an older work, and that that work was sampled in Maus, to bring the reader further into the situation. Much like Blankets, the

Though certain parts of the humans being mice was awkward (Such as the human body with whitey tighties and a mouse head), I thought it was effective. It lent the narrative greater power..The simplicity of the designs meant that it was less about showing what had happened, and more about the experience. Kept it black and white (no pun intended) and gave the reader a better read. Sometimes comics are too concerned with the perfect drawing, with trying to portray exactly what's going on with the drawings alone. Maus is not and allows Vladek's story to rule, unchallenged by the art style.