had to read this comic book for class.

basically the author, Art Spiegelman, chronicles his father’s experiences during holocaust via illustration; a comic-novel.  he goes back and forth between the past (his father’s experiences) and the present (his father telling him the story). both stories are equally important in understanding the devastating effects of the holocaust on this family.

the book is very moving, and the imagery had me wiping my eyes quite a few times.  here is an excerpt from the paper i had to write about it.  “McCloud” refers to Scott McCloud and his work “Understanding Comics.”

Throughout the work, Spiegelman changes the texture of the line he draws to elicit a specific “emotional or sensual response in the viewer” (McCloud 121).  In a normal present-day frame, the lines are normal, and drawn with relatively equal weight and direction. However, Spiegelman draws the Holocaust frames with more texture through varied, expressive lines and crosshatches.  In doing so, he heightens the ominous sense of panic and terror experienced by Vladek, and the reader.  This clear distinction in style can be seen in the drawing of a present-day Vladek, drawn with normal line, layered over the horrific image of Anja’s father “tearing his hair out and crying” while being captured by the Germans in classic film noir manner (115). 
Through even more expressive line use, Spiegelman heightens the drama and sorrow in a four-page insert describing the suicide of his mother and his failing mental state afterwards (101-104).  By varying his line style, Spiegelman succeeds in molding the reader’s emotions and feelings, forcing them into sympathy for his message.
Spiegelman’s most successful use of line comes at the end of the book, where the reader is left with an illustration of the gates of the Auschwitz concentration camp (157). The despair and hopelessness of the 2.5 million victims of the gas chambers runs through every expressive line, crosshatch, and shade (Rudolf 193).  One cannot help but weep when thinking about Vladek, and the tragically altered lives of all those who lived through the nightmare of Auschwitz.