‘Mau’s by Art Spiegelman and ‘Blacksad’ by Juan Díaz Canale

The producers of comedian literature used to entertain children. However, it was gradually expanded to accommodate person fans. ‘Mau’s by Art Spiegelman and ‘Blacksad’ by Juan Díaz Canales are the current comedian books that adults can read. The authors used a variety of conventions to deliver their message to their audience together with panels, exaggerated facial expressions, thought and speech bubbles to convey their ideas. Artwork Spiegelman used those conventions in order to make his readers sense empathy toward the experiences of Jews under the Nazi before and after Second World War whilst Diaz uses it to demonstrate personalities of different humans in the society. The Holocaust ideas come up frequently in the American literature but it is hard for the audience to establish the ideal mental experiences of the Jews before and after the event. This essay demonstrates how Art Spiegelman utilizes simple stroke, animalization and breaking the texts of Maus 1 into a variety of panels and sizes to elucidate the differences between his current conflicts with his father and mirror on the Jews’ excruciating experiences before and after Holocaust.

Simple Stroke

Most comics emphasize on the conflicts between good and evil. A simple stroke is not only important in depicting the artwork but also connects the reader with the mental processes of the characters. Simple Stroke enables Maus 1 to ignite the theme of humanity through characterization and the comic elements that are unique. For example, he states that “If you lock them without governing them food for a week, then you would see what it is, friends” (Spiegelman 5). In the Survivor’s Tale, the author asserts that his father bleeds history, unclothes the morality of humans and demonstrates how humans that are oriented to benefits metamorphosed after the war. He adds that in the darkest history, the primary goal of the Jews was to survive and any other noble sentiment was a subsidiary.

Animalization

Spiegelman also utilizes the convention of animalization to reflect on the environment of the Jews under Nazi rule. The approach to animalize the characters seeks to demonstrate racial differences in Europe during Holocaust and reflect on dehumanization that took place during and after the war. For instance, he puts the Jews in the images of mice amidst Germans who take the position of cats. Pigs sire used to symbolize Poles that took sides with the Jews’ oppressor blindly. The characterization seeks to reflect on the experiences that the Jews were enforced to go through in their effort to save their lives. Similar to predators, the Germans had fangs and claws to grip and tear their prey. The attributes illuminated on their political power and influence in central Europe. Furthermore, the image of mice creates the book’s limited light spot. The background is dark and heavy but the heads of mice create light in the darkness. The image is a dramatic compression between them and the cats

Instead of coming to the Jews’ defense, he poles took the position of the Germans out of ignorance. Eventually, the Jews were forced to live in constant fear. Millions of the Jews were forced to die and become a history that would be painful to the survivors forever. The animalization is equivalent to Diaz’s Blacksad in which a private investigator, John Blacksad is presented as a creature with feline ears in mystery (Diaz 15). He digs into backstories behind murders, abduction of children and nuclear secrets. The Feline ears illuminate on the power of the investigator. Therefore, Spiegelman’s use of animalistic images creates a serious mood in the comic book.

Panels

Two different narrations emerge in the comic book Maus 1. First, he describes how people survived after the Second World War and the second one is the relationship between the child and the parents. However, he maintains a neutral and calm tone but the vicissitudes of the past can make the audience shiver. Statements have cold and harsh words. The use of the texture of darkness creates an irrespirable mood and illuminates on the pain and depression of the past. Synagogues were burnt, Jews beaten and expelled from towns without reason (p.33). A light mood is created when Vladek explains the survival of the relationship between him and Anja amidst ethnic cleansing, which indicates the unbreakable love between Jews.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Spiegelman utilizes the conventions of comic such as simple stroke, animalization and panels to demonstrate the ideal experiences of the Jews during Holocaust. Simple stroke is used to ignite the sense of humanity among the audience while panels enhance tone during narration.. For example, presents different ethnicities as different animals depending on the position they took during holocaust. The Jews are presented as mice that are predated on by Germans, who are presented as predators. The Poles, who opted to take sides with the oppressor are presented as jews because the decision was made out of ignorance.

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Works Cited

Díaz, Canales J, and Juanjo Guarnido. Blacksad: [5]. Milwaukie, OR: Dark Horse Comics, 2014. Print. Spiegelman, Art. Maus: A survivor’s tale. Vol. 1. Pantheon, 1997.