Comix A Retrospective Of Comics Graphics And Scraps

Art Spiegelman has been back in the news because of schools banning his book [b:Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History|15196|Maus I A Survivor's Tale My Father Bleeds History (Maus, #1)|Art Spiegelman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1633636988l/15196.SX50.jpg|1947012]for political reasons. This book covers his work up through 2013 starting with his artistic influences, then to his early work with unerground comix in the 1960s and 1970s, his major works Maus and [b:In the Shadow of No Towers|17001|In the Shadow of No Towers|Art Spiegelman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1330101554l/17001.SX50.jpg|519486], plus his collaborations with other artists. I was moved seeing his cover for The New Yorker magazine right after 9/11 which had the World Trade Center towers in glossy black against a matte black background. There can only be a selection of some o his work but the variety and energy comes through with every new project featured. The sequences showing the early sketches through more developed drafts to the final work were the most interesting features. There are a few large gatefolds and a mini-comic bound in which enhance the reader's enjoyment. There are also reactions from critics and fellow comic artists influenced by him which help point out what were the most significant advancements he made.

I like looking at the samples of art to understand how he transformed the initial idea to work within the framework of the graphic panel. When he made an artistic choice such as using anthropomorphic animal characters in Maus the consequences were often far reaching hard to know in advance. As for the controversies, while there are sexual depictions in his art, I think it is probably much less unsettling to a young person than the depiction of historical events such as genocide, race hatred, and rapacious greed, which have an edifying influence on a child trying to form their view of the world. For the rest of us, this retrospective is something worth studying as we try to make sense of our times.