Maus

Reading this comic was an experience, and not one I’m sure I would like to revisit in the future. I am aware of the different stories that come from survivors about their experiences as well as media portrayal of what happened. Having read Night by Elie Wiesel twice in my school and seen the movie “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” 5 different times I can understand the feeling of horror when it comes to the holocaust. This story was more horrifying than either of them. It and barefoot gen both threw me to a new level of horror. Part of it was the content of the story, which would horrify any decent human being, but the majority of it was the style it was portrayed in. The fact that everyone is different types of animals adds an extra element to the story when you study the interactions between animals and why each one is assigned to each group, but a secondary result of this is that each is much simpler to draw and portray expressions. The simple style is more soft than what you would expect from a story about the holocaust. And it’s a very important part of the portrayal, as the story done in a style similar to, say, the DC or Mc comic style the entire tone would be shifted. Sure it would still be horrifying but in a far more graphic way, as they would likely show all or most of the gritty details of what happened. That style was meant to shock, while this one was meant to draw you in. Because of the simplicity of this style more of the horror is implied rather than shown, which is a very useful story tactic that probably aided the mass popularity and awareness it received. Because of the use of implication most people who read it, regardless of knowledge about the horrors of what happened, are able to grasp everything in it even if the exact details aren’t known. This way the story can be spread to everyone without people protesting about corruption of the innocent or it being too graphic for anyone.

Dopin' Dan

From the first moment you see the cover for the Dopin’ Dan you can immediately tell that its going to be a unglamorous showcase of the subject matter. Which really isn’t a surprise when you consider all the circumstances that were around when it came out. But the art itself also lends to that appearance, as most comics about military life today show the uniforms prim and proper even if they are simplified. Beetle Bailey, as one of the most common comic strips about the military today, is a great example of this. Each uniform looks different but its based off the character that is wearing it as it’s an extension of that character. But the common theme of them is they are properly fit, with most implied bumps of the cloth being around the elbow and knee joints and where the shirt is tucked in. With Dopin’ Dan the uniforms are not prim at all. It’s a very specific style choice based off this persons view of the military, but the extra bumps and ridges that add character to the comic are also a jab at the subject matter. Again, not surprising given the circumstances in which it came out. But as far as uncomfortable material in underground comics go, I feel like this specific one was a little tame, as they’re was not very much drug use or anything even remotely sexual, which is surprising given the other ones I have read. So as far as comics go ignoring the jabs at the military its pretty chill.

A Contract with God

The comic “Contract with God” is an interesting read all of its own, and makes for a good character study piece. And the art style of it also helps convey the deep and personal story in it, as well as telling the environment and flow of the story. In the first few pages the scenery is these large apartment buildings that are categorized by their downwards shading, the pen-strokes guiding the eye down which is best seen in PDF format, allowing a certain flow to aid the reading. The method of the pen work also aids to setting the mood, their just barely offset lines putting just enough hint of unease in the person which is only echoed by what is quickly reveled. The pen work only gets more and more dynamic as the story goes on, the quick strokes help echo the rage and anger felt by Frimme Hersh, but soon settle into thicker lines and blocks in the middle with the quicker strokes liking the boarders of the scenes, but filling the space at the same time. this helps with showing the characterization of the man, who is rich beyond belief now, but still angry at his core, feeling as though his god had broken a contract and betrayed him. this only becomes more clear as towards the end the angry lines start to take up the majority of the pages, his rage spilling over with glee, thinking he finally has gotten what he wanted. The only time these lines disappear is at the end when Shloime Khreks finds the contract and agrees to it with no hate or malice in his heart.