Influences

Art Spiegelman had many influences growing up, such as Tales from the Crypt, to the Vault of Horror, but it was a comic book called impact, that had a large effect.“And in Impact, in 1954, there was an 8-page comic book story by a guy named Bernard Krigstein's called "The Master Race." And both graphically and in terms of its comic's breakdowns, and definitely in terms of its subject matter, 10 years after the events described, it was one of the only things dealing with and acknowledging the Holocaust in popular culture. And it did it at the same time that the artist was really expanding the way comics could do what they do, using kind of different visual grammar than most other comic artists were using.” [1] This was the template to Art Spiegleman's approach in writing Maus. It was not about telling a fantastic fantasy story, like most comic books, it was about pushing the boundaries of the genre. Art Spiegelman not only made comics more than just a childhood fancy, but this mindset also made Maus be one of the most recognized piece of Literature about the Holocaust.

Furthermore, besides pushing the boundaries of the genre, Art Spiegleman was influenced as well by comedic cartoons. “''when I was a kid, what excited me a lot was MAD comic books, and if I had to pick one person it would be Harvey Kurtzman. MAD was my introduction to satire, to questioning received opinion, and to avant-garde art. The Garbage Pail Kids were art spiegelman's answer to the original MAD. If the parents and school administrators hate them, well, that's the whole point, isn't it?”

[2] This inspiration reflected Art tremendously. The magazine Art and his wife, Françoise Mouly started, RAW is where Maus was first published. Throughout the book, it paces the its dark mood with lighter, bitter-sweet, comedic moments. From Vladek's fighting with Art over his coat, to his hypocritical racism towards “shvartser”s. This influences makes Maus more real, as it shows how flawed and real Vladek truly is. Had Art portrayed him more humble, or more endearing, the book would have lost a sense of honesty and truth of who these people really where.

ROMAN, RAFAEL PI. "NY Voices - Interview with Art Spiegelman." NY Voices - Interview with Art Spiegelman. 25 Nov. 2012 <http://www.thirteen.org/nyvoices/transcripts/spiegelman.html>.

Techniques

Bolhafner, J. Stephen. "Comix as Art: The Man Behind the 'Maus'" St. Louis Post-Dispatch [St. Louis] 23 June 1991: 3C.