Techniques - Visuals

To tell Vladek and Anja Spiegelman's story of World War 2 and escaping Auschwitz, Art Spiegelman used his background in comics books and magazines to create a Graphic Memoir called Maus. Portraying the story in this form was an opportunity to give it more complexity and depth, as well as the non linear style in which is was told. Maus is drawn with Anamorphic characters

“The most obvious tool of characterization in Maus is the use of animals to designate types of beings. The Jews are mice, the Germans are cats, the Americans are dogs, and so forth. We might be tempted to transpose the characteristics of these animals onto the people themselves... The novel, however, plays with our expectations, giving us some nice cats and evil mice, mice that wear pig masks and human beings wearing animal masks.” [1]

This is a very interesting approach, for it plays with the ideas of stereotyping and racism. Reading these characters, grouped into different species, could easily be used as a way to limit character's range and how we expect everyone to act. While in the beginning of Vladek's story, this could be true, as difference races seldom interacted with each other, and each had different profiles. But as the War progressed, we saw Mice, pigs, cats, and even frogs trade heroic and villainous roles. Art himself even addresses how lax he is with the assertion of an animal specials when it comes to his wife, Françoise , as she converted to Judaism, so he draws her as a mouse. (Maus: Volume 2, pg.12) This forces to reader to address their own preconceptions, from what they learned from Tom and Jerry, to how they view people of different skin colour and ethnic background. His style of drawing is also a huge impact on how is book is received. “Especially in the case of his graphic novel Maus I and its sequel Maus II, Spiegelman's style is exemplified through his use of color and abstract illustrations. Both stylistic decisions enhance the somber quality of the memoir and aid in the reader's understanding of the gravity of the subject manner while making it tolerable.”[2] The black and white technique adds to the gravity of the subject matter, as well as preventing misinterpretation that colour might introduce being read by the various different cultures. While Anamorphic, the proportions of the characters are very human, and not stylized like Bugs Bunny, or Tom and Jerry. This allows for the symbolism of the animals to be there, without making the message appear childish. Layout and visual direction is always very stable, and not overly dramatic, giving it a more grounded feeling. These artistic techniques were fitting and a perfect visualization to tell the story of Maus. If any of them where changed, it could have been completely differently.

Shmoop Editorial Team. "Character Clues in Maus: A Survivor's Tale" Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. [1]

"Art Spiegelman's Graphic Style: Color and Abstraction in Maus I and II." - Graphic Novels. 25 Nov. 2012 <http://www.personal.psu.edu/kjo5071/blogs/graphic_novels/2010/11/art-spiegelmans-graphic-style-color-and-abstraction-in-maus-i-and-ii.html>. [2]