I Helped Publish “Maus.” Never Once Have I Regretted It. I Helped Publish “Maus.” Never Once Have I Regretted It.
If you truly want a teenager to read any book with gusto, the first thing you need to do is, of course, ban it.
Feb 21, 2022 / Tom Engelhardt
What Art Spiegelman’s “Maus” Means to the Children of Survivors What Art Spiegelman’s “Maus” Means to the Children of Survivors
On banning the book that changed what we talk about when we talk about the Holocaust.
Feb 4, 2022 / Linda Mannheim
The Surprising History of the Comic Book The Surprising History of the Comic Book
Since their initial popularity during World War II, comic books have always been a medium for American counterculture and for nativism and empire.
Jan 25, 2022 / Books & the Arts / J. Hoberman
The Radical World of Chicago’s Black Comic Artists The Radical World of Chicago’s Black Comic Artists
An anthology of Black comic book makers from the the postwar era offers a glimpse into a genre of art that skewered the bigotry of white liberalism.
Nov 23, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Zito Madu
The Night the Nazis Came to Murder My Grandfather The Night the Nazis Came to Murder My Grandfather
John Heartfield was a lifelong foe of fascism who used his art as a weapon—and whose devastating portrayals of Hitler, Goering, and Mussolini nearly cost him his life.
Mar 26, 2021 / Feature / John J Heartfield and Lance Hansen
Don’t Stop Thinking About (Tom) Tomorrow Don’t Stop Thinking About (Tom) Tomorrow
Cartoonist Dan Perkins increasingly turns to the iconography of science fiction to keep pace with the absurdity of the moment.
Mar 5, 2021 / Jeet Heer
The Groundbreaking Honesty of Joe Sacco’s Comics Journalism The Groundbreaking Honesty of Joe Sacco’s Comics Journalism
His decades-long project of reportage in graphic form works like oral history—bearing witness to the historical traumas of his subjects.
Dec 28, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Jillian Steinhauer
Could Wonder Woman Save Us From Covid-19? Could Wonder Woman Save Us From Covid-19?
Our leaders are as bad as any comic book villain. But even they might be no match for Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth—or Spider-man’s web shooters or Shuri’s brain.
Aug 10, 2020 / no-paywall / Elie Mystal
Lynda Barry’s Infectious Genius Lynda Barry’s Infectious Genius
The award-winning cartoonist is not only a great artist but a wellspring of inspiration for others.
Sep 30, 2019 / Jeet Heer
One of America’s First Graphic Novels Was by a Blacklisted Socialist One of America’s First Graphic Novels Was by a Blacklisted Socialist
William Gropper’s recently republished 1930 work Alay-Oop is an exciting addition to the comics canon.
Sep 12, 2019 / Jillian Steinhauer