I just finished 2 graphic novels yesterday, been on a big kick lately.
HITLER
Written & illustrated by Shigeru Mizuki. Published by Drawn & Quarterly, 2015.
A very brilliant piece of work that caught my eye at the Drawn & Quarterly bookstore here in Montreal. It follows Hitler from the time he was a young boy, right up until his death. The most interesting aspect of this novel is that it is from the perspective of a Japanese citizen who actually saw combat in WWII, and not some 40 year old dude from the western world who wasn't even born when the war took place. I read in what I believe was the preface, that a lot of people's perspective on the war (and other important historical events) differ greatly from region to region. It seems so obvious, and in hindsight it is, but being a kid who was born in the 90s in the Americas, its easy for me to forget that sometimes. Anyways, what sets this adise from most other things I have read about Hitler is that Mizuki absolutely does not shy away from showing how human Hitler was. It seems like all I hear and read is how evil and non-human and other worldly he was, and I think that is an issue which almost reads like an alleviation of accountability; even an excuse: " ~this man was pure evil, he wasn't even human, he was a monster ~" And to me that is just not what I am interested in reading. Mizuki shows time and time again Hitler's emotions. His fucking whiny moods, his infantile ways, his most personal feelings and not only through the writing, but in the art as well.
Speaking of which, the art is very fascinating. Black and white -thank god- and follows a very specific style: insane amounts of detail in the background, the buildings, the nazi flags and the towns, the statues, the cars, the large groups of people, etc, while COMPLETELY contrasting it with the most childish looking people and characters that take up the foreground. Very well done. Mizuki was brilliant. Excited to start his massive 5 volume magnum opus- A history of Japan spanning from the early 1900's right up until just before the turn of the century.
GREEN RIVER KILLER: A TRUE DETECTIVE STORY
Written by Jeff Jensen, illustrated by Jonathan Case. Published by Dark Horse, 2011.
Let me start with a confession. I tried to read this thing while listening to a very particular album, and I think we all know which one I am talking about. Needless to say, it wasn't working out. I don't think I even made it to The First Whore before I turned that shit off. It was way too fucking cheesy of a moment and I couldn't follow through. I felt a slight wave of embarrassment sitting in the bookstore as I took my headphones out and stuffed them back in my pocket for even thinking that it would be an option. So I sat there and read the book in one sitting. Jeff Jensen is the author, but he also happens to be the son of the lead investigator who was directly responsible for putting Ridgeway away for life. This was written with inside knowledge that the lead investigator only shared with his son for the sake of this novel, and so in turn, it's more of a testament to the investigation, Jensen's father, and not really an insight into Gary himself. Sure, we see aspects of the mass murderer's character bleed into the story, like when interviews are being conducted; but that is kind of inevitable. This reads similarly to how it feels to watch a solid biopic on law enforcement catching a killer... Not that surprising I know, but it is a pretty good read. I was a fan of how it jumped back and forth from 2 story lines; one taking place in the 80's and the other taking place in the early 00's when they had him trotting around town trying to find the bodies he claimed they never found.
The art, all handled by Jonathan Case is great. Also black and white, and thankfully no shading here. Nothing against shading at all, but just not for this. I like this style. All outline with pitch black fill in. No bullshit. One of the first scenes is Gary standing over the very first child he ever tried to kill, after leading him into the woods. The look on the poor kids face is seared in my brain already. The drool, the blood and spit, the confusion and freckles and the look of absolute confusion and betrayal on the kids stupid fucking mug; I won't forget it. Very well drawn. This could have been a very corny book, and at times it does seem like that is the case, but overall I fuck with it.
Both recommended!
