Art Spiegelman is one of the most influential comic creators of the 20th century. A new documentary, “Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse,” explores his life and work. The film serves as a reminder that the themes in Spiegelman’s work, such as fascism and extremism, are still present threats to democracies worldwide.
The documentary covers five key periods of Spiegelman’s life. It looks at his upbringing and relationship with his parents, his early success with Wacky Packages, his efforts to understand the Holocaust through his father’s eyes in “Maus,” his experience in New York after 9/11, and his reaction to the recent rise of illiberalism. The film features interviews with prominent cartoonists who worked with Spiegelman or followed him into graphic novels.
Spiegelman’s own readings and drawings help provide context for his artistic eras and contributions. The phrase “disaster is my muse” reflects a recurring theme in Spiegelman’s work. His mother’s suicide led to the comic “Prisoner on the Hell Planet,” which introduced themes he would explore further in “Maus.” His relationship with his father shaped “Maus.” The attention from its success initially made him want to fade into the background, but later gave him the chance to create New Yorker covers, some of which became controversial.
Cartoonists will appreciate the film as a testament to the power of the medium.
Speigelman’s enduring themes in comics
Scenes set in cartoonists’ studios add an intriguing layer.
Spiegelman works in what appears to be a well-lit, one-room studio with bookshelves lining the walls. The documentary will have additional theatrical screenings nationwide and will be part of PBS’s “American Masters” series. It offers an overview of Spiegelman’s life, times, and inspirations, charting how he created “Maus,” his graphic novel about the Holocaust.
“Maus” is a powerful cultural touchstone that has been awarded the Pulitzer Prize, but also banned in some American school districts. Spiegelman suggested those schools wanted “a kinder, gentler, fuzzier Holocaust” to teach children. “Maus” traces alternating storylines, one involving Spiegelman’s life and the other tracking his family’s experiences before, during, and after World War II.
The documentary covers some of the same material, giving a sense of both the man and the artist. Spiegelman’s story seems to have truly started when he was a boy in New York and saw a copy of “Inside Mad,” a collection that featured a grotesque cover. It was, Spiegelman says, “the cover that launched a thousand misbegotten thoughts and brains,” his included.