MetaMaus

Art Spiegelman's graphic novel Maus, released in 1986, is considered one of the seminal works of the medium. Conceived at a time when comics were dismissed by the mainstream as low art, Maus, which told of Spiegelman's parents' experiences during the Holocaust, was an unexpected critical success. In MetaMaus, which grew out of lengthy interviews with Hillary Chute (a University of Chicago assistant professor who has written insightful articles on Spiegelman's work), the author revisits both the original graphic novel and its 1991 companion volume, Maus II, shedding light on the creative process behind them. Spiegelman's answers to such questions as why he chose to use mice and cats as stand-ins for Jews and Nazis are often complex and thoughtful. Equally helpful to understanding Spiegelman's choices are the vast number of his sketches and drafts scattered throughout the book and collected on an accompanying DVD. MetaMaus also includes a great deal of the research material Spiegelman utilized: photographs, transcripts of interviews with his late father, Vladek (who supplied the recorded conversations that served as Maus' wellspring), even footage from Auschwitz, which Spiegelman and his wife Françoise Mouly visited in order to capture the exact details of the death camp. A fascinating look at the lengths Spiegelman went to in order to portray his parents' ordeal, MetaMaus is a satisfying coda to an unlikely masterpiece.