This is possibly the first American graphic novel. You can argue that comic strips like Little Nemo created more graphically and textually ambitious stories earlier, but as far as I know in my limited knowledge this is the first 'comic' intended to be read as a single volume in standalone format. Or six of them.
There are six woodcut illustrated stories, completely devoid of words. If you're familiar with KMFDM covers you know how powerful this can be. First, realize that the negative space is just as important as the positive space. Only the right pages of the book are used, and often only 1/3 of the right page depending on the aspect ratio of the print. But this the right choice - forcing your eyes to scan would be counterproductive. These are powerful, completely wordless fables which rely on the power of stark monochrome. Which means...
You need to read this twice. The first time skip the introductions and the artist's comments on his works at the end of the book. Spiegelman is a smart man, but he reads things into the narrative that do not entirely match my interpretation, and I think my opinions are just as justified as his on re-reading. That's part of the raw power of such a stark wordless medium. For now just look at each page long enough to comprehend what is going on, then turn the page. Dive in. Do not dissect the art or think too hard about anything right now. You can absorb the atmosphere, such as when the sun is dark and when it's light, or when the prints are red and black, but don't think too long. At this point you will realize that using only the right pages was the correct presentation - this demands a flow of consciousness and scanning would disrupt that.
You should find this easy on the first story, 'God's Man', which is almost too facile but works well as a warmup. Do not blame yourself if you have trouble with the second story, 'Madman's Drum'. Frankly, Ward got a bit overambitious here, and the story exceeded his grasp. Stark, wordless illustrations are powerful, but necessarily limit your precision, and he failed to grasp that at this point in his career - A classic sophomore slump. So just enjoy the art, and if you are willing to spend some time later you can make sense of what's going on. But with the third story ('Wild Pilgrimage') he has learned from his mistakes and is increasingly confident. It's a pleasure to read again.
Once you've read all six, then go back and read the introduction by Spiegelman (the same in both books) and Ward's comments on the stories at the end, and see how they compare to your interpretations. Now re-read the stories carefully. Take as much time as you need. I'm not a fan of deconstruction, but I do feel your understanding of the story is equally valid - Spiegelman is an (admittedly very well educated) fan just like you, and the artist's own comments are as interesting for what he tried to convey and failed to as anything else. He's not a completely reliable narrator either since the narrative can reveal things he doesn't even consciously understand. But you will have some context for the religious overtones.
Really, the only complaint I have with this is that I would much rather have an 8x11 inch version with softcover than this smaller version with hardcover and case. But I'm not going to knock off a star for it - this is definitely a great work of love by everyone involved and I'm glad I bought it.
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Peter Kettle
Graphic Novels before they were called that!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 4, 2010