I’ve been a comic book fan for over forty years. My brother and I started collecting comic books as a result of collecting G. I. Joe Toys. Once I started, I wouldn’t stop for the rest of my life. When I was a younger man, a friend of mine turned me on to MAUS by Art Spiegelman. This showed me that comic books can be something more than what they used to be at that time. Now, they are called graphic novels, but they originate from comic books and comic strips. That didn’t change the fact that this two book story by Speigelman changed my life. It was one of the most incredible stories I have ever read and I recommend it to teachers and anyone who wants to learn about WWII, the genocide by the Nazi’s toward the Jews and the concentration camps.  Art Spiegelman; Disaster Is My Muse is a documentary depicting how all this came about.

Art Spiegelman is a cartoonist of Jewish descent. He lives in upstate New York with his wife Franciose, and they raised two children, Dash and Nadja. His whole life, he has been an advocate against censorship in all its forms. He also goes around the country to comic book conventions, speaking engagements, and so forth, talking about his past growing up with an overbearing father figure. Even though he depicted the story of his father and himself in MAUS, he also had to come to terms with how the world as a whole didn’t always agree with him on the WWII aftermath. Jewish Americans and those who live in other countries are still under scrutiny. This is a fact of life for many Jewish men and women and their families. The film goes into all these details.

Along with talking about his own life, this documentary shows a lot of talking heads who are inspired by the man himself, Art Spiegelman. The talking heads are vast in this film. They range from Molly Crabapple artist/cartoonist, author, Joe Sacco cartoonist/author, Marjane Satrapi Cartoonist/Filmmaker of Persepolis, Emil Ferris Cartoonist,  Charles Burns cartoonist, Valerie Chute author/scholar of comics, Arts wife Franciose Mouly, Gary Panter Cartoonist, Dash Spiegelman, son, Nadja Spiegelman, daughter, Peter Kiper cartoonist/publisher. These men and women all give great perspective to this man and the industry he helped create. They are all wax poetic about him and his legacy. It was genuinely great to see because I am such a fan of this man.

With all documentaries, you have to expect specific things that set them apart from one another or use similar things many documentaries have used in the past. This one does a little bit of both.Many of the books and magazines Spiegelman and others have worked on are depicted on screen. The film also uses archival footage and photos to help get this man’s story across to those who watch this documentary. I learned so much about him and his career I didn;t know and I was glad I watched this film to learn all of this stuff about this man I admire so much.  The art was endless and very graphic as it was. Most of this stuff was for adults because that’s the audience he wrote and drew for. He didn’t deserve to be censored, though. I can tell you that for sure.

A few years ago, news came out that a Tennessee school district had banned MAUS from its school libraries and curriculum. That became a thing gave Spiegelman the driving force to go around talking about why censorship is a bad thing and how it’s tied to fascism.  Many other authors jumped on board with him in this quest. The ABCs of Book Banning was an Oscar nominated short last year. It dealt with this topic, but there is a larger issue here, which this film dictates very well.

A good documentary does two things that make it entertaining and enjoyable.  It engages the audience in its topic, theme, or subject, and it teaches the viewers about the same thing. That’s what Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse does. As someone who knew about Spiegelman and his work, it enforced my belief in him and his mantras, but for those who aren’t familiar with him, it’ll open new doors they never knew existed. He is an activist and groundbreaking author/cartoonist, but he’s an important man who believes in America and its freedoms. I still want a movie of MAUS by Steven Spielberg and Laika,  but that’s a discussion for another time. In the meantime, everyone should see this incredible film about this important man, his life, and career.

4 ½ stars

Dan Skip Allen