Famed Cartoonist Cites Comics’ Importance

More than 200 people filled the Carpenter Center lecture hall last night to listen to Pulitzer Prize-winning author and cartoonist Art Spiegelman talk about the importance of comics as more than just children’s entertainment.

The lecture, titled “Comix 101: Some Notes on the History and Evolution of Comic Art,” covered the history of comics from early comic strip artists like Rodolphe Töpffer through Charles Schultz and finally to modern artists such as Chris Ware and Spiegelman himself.

Comics, Spiegelman explained to audience members, are an effective way to convey ideas because people “think in small units, and comics come in language-like units.”

He also showed the slides depicting scenes from his book Maus, which won a 1992 Pultizer Prize.

Maus uses cartoons to tell the story of his father’s experiences as a German Jew during the Holocaust, including his survival at Auschwitz.

Spiegelman said yesterday’s lecture had been “evolving over the last five years,” as he tried “to reposition [comics] in the firmament of art.”

Comparative Literature Professor Susan R. Suleiman, who teaches about Spiegelman’s work in Comparative Literature 165, “The Holocaust and Problems of Representation,” introduced the cartoonist to the audience.

She described Maus as a an “extraordinarily post-modernist work” and said that Spiegelman has a rare ability to understand society’s problems.

Spiegelman is “particularly atuned to the troubles he and others have seen,” Suleiman said.

The talk quickly turned to the tragedy of Sept. 11, as Spiegelman discussed how the terrorist attcks have affected his life and work.

“It really made you rethink everything,” Spiegelman said. “Why on earth should I be bothering with comics?”

After this year’s attacks, Spiegelman designed a cover for the New Yorker which showed two black towers on a dark background.

Spiegelman’s work has dealt with the theme of terrorism before. After the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center, he designed comics portraying the fear of young children as a result of violence.

Proceeding to a more general discussion, Spiegelman also talked about the typification and characterization involved in cartooning and the importance of comics for children.

“Comics for kids have virtually disappeared,” he said, but they have an “important role in creating thinking, literature creatures.”

“It’s how I learned to read, it’s how my wife Françoise Mouly learned to read,” Spiegelman said, adding that comics should be re-emphasized as an educational tool “now that everyone’s looking down the tube.”

Spiegelman and Mouly co-wrote a book, titled “Strange Stories for Strange Kids,” aimed at providing educational comics for children.

Students said were they surprised to see that comics could be so expressive.

“I didn’t think there was any substance to comic strips,” said Adebola S. Owolewa ’05, but now she said she has “gained a lot more respect for comic strips.”

Sarah K. Burke ’05 said she became convinced of the artistic importance of cartoons.

“It’s terrific that someone who has such interesting things to say can be recognized at Harvard even though he’s just a comic strip writer,” Burke said. “Harvard should bring in more cartoonists because it is a legitimate form of art.”