Oct. 5 “Maus” by Art Spiegelman

     "Maus", I have to say brought a new perspective to my attention. This comic is so strongly simplistic in its style that it seems to appear like a children's novel but actually carries a darker meaning. The comic is a story of what once was peace leading up to sadness, loss of hope and something we should never forget that happened so long ago. It really surprised me to see that Spiegelman happened to use his own father's experience for this comic. The Mice (Jews) in the comic parallel him and his father in a way that brings some sort of invisible connection with the reader. Personally, with me, I felt a sudden connection once I realized who these characters actually were. The characters become that author and his personal life. He wants us personally to have a connection with him and what better way to create a style that catches your attention in its smooth simple strokes and pacing without even realizing this is major. "Maus" as you read along starts to become more fast-paced and etchy in its layouts as we start to get to the main focus of the comic. More black starts to cover images as the Holocaust and prison camp start to make their appearance. I started to realize this just got deeply personal. I started to feel concern, especially with learning about the Holocaust every year during high school, I felt anxious, hesitant because I knew what was coming. Intense splots of black and white suddenly became not so fun. This comic really just reminds me that this is something that should never be forgotten, yes it was dreadful, but even life's simplicities have their complexities.