Read Yourself Raw

by Art Spiegelman

Comic strips offer a surreal look at city life, death, television, alienation, art, tragedy, and love

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Art, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Anthologies, Comix

Hardcover

First published September 12, 1987

About the author

Art Spiegelman is an American cartoonist, editor, and cultural innovator whose work has profoundly influenced the perception of comics as a legitimate art form, blending literary sophistication with experimental visual storytelling. Emerging from the underground comix movement of the 1960s and 1970s, Spiegelman quickly distinguished himself with a distinctive approach that combined meticulous craftsmanship, psychological insight, and narrative complexity, challenging conventions of sequential art and the boundaries between personal memoir and historical record. He co-founded the landmark anthology Raw with his wife, Françoise Mouly, which became a platform for cutting-edge, avant-garde cartoonists from around the world, blending surrealist imagery, literary experimentation, and bold visual ideas that redefined the possibilities of the medium. Spiegelman is best known for his groundbreaking graphic novel Maus, a haunting, deeply personal depiction of his father’s experiences as a Holocaust survivor, which used anthropomorphic characters to explore trauma, memory, and identity with unprecedented depth; the work earned a Special Pulitzer Prize and established Spiegelman as a central figure in both literary and visual culture. Beyond Maus, he has contributed influential cartoons and covers to The New Yorker, including the iconic 9/11 cover, demonstrating his ability to communicate complex emotional and cultural truths with economy and symbolic resonance. His artistic sensibility reflects influences from early twentieth-century cartoonists, modernist design, typography, and the visual language of newspapers and advertising, while also incorporating pop culture, surrealism, and abstraction. Spiegelman has consistently experimented with the interplay of image and text, treating comics as a medium that mirrors cognitive processes of memory, perception, and emotional experience. In addition to his creative output, he has curated exhibitions, edited anthologies, and published critical essays on comics history and theory, advocating for the recognition of the medium as serious art and mentoring generations of cartoonists. He has also worked in graphic design, creating posters, album covers, and commemorative stamps, and his visual interventions often reflect his interest in narrative structure, cultural commentary, and the power of imagery to shape public understanding. Throughout his career, Spiegelman has been a vocal advocate for freedom of expression and a critic of censorship, engaging in public discourse on political and social issues, and demonstrating how comics can address profound ethical and historical questions. His pioneering work, editorial vision, and relentless innovation have transformed both the aesthetics and the intellectual reception of comics, proving that the medium can handle grief, history, and identity with sophistication, subtlety, and emotional resonance. Spiegelman’s legacy is evident in the work of contemporary graphic novelists and in the broader cultural recognition of comics as an art form capable of exploring human experience, social commentary, and the complexities of memory and trauma, making him one of the most influential figures in modern visual storytelling.

Reviews

[Drew Canole · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good collection of Raw comics. I still need to get copies of the full series. Overall it seems like most of it is hit or miss. I understand the legacy of Raw, and in some ways I think its deserved (especially as the place the first published Maus). It shines a light on numerous great creators, but often its not their best material.

[Hamish · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's no description here, so just to briefly explain: This book contains excerpts from the first three issues of Art Spiegelman's RAW magazine, which was sort of an early-80s successor to the underground comix anthologies of the 70s (ie Arcade), but a bit more arty/avante-garde-ish.

RAW (based in Soho) employed a similar aesthetic to the downtown Manhattan music and film scenes of the late 70s/early 80s, and as a big fan of that era this was a very exciting discovery for me. It's difficult to put my finger on what exactly it is, but even across a wide number of creators there's a certain conceptual similarity that I really liked. Kind of helped bring the whole era to life for me.

As with any anthology, Read yourself RAW is kind of a mixed bag. There were a few pieces that I outright disliked, a couple that seemed more interesting conceptually than enjoyable to read, but there were several that I loved. Jacque's Tardi's "Manhattan" was by far my favorite...just an incredible piece. Also loved Munoz's short story and Spiegelman's "Two-Fisted Painters". Most pieces are short, which in some cases does the creators a disservice. For example, you'd be hard pressed to realize Charles Burns's (unquestionable) genius from his two one-page stories. There's also a prevailing tone of artistic detachment and irony throughout the book (not necessarily a criticism), which makes it funny to think that something as serious and human as Spiegelman's Maus came out of RAW.

Due to wide variations in quality I feel like I can't give this more than three stars, but I don't want to give the impression that this isn't worth tracking down. I found a used copy for $25 (which I considered reasonable), and it was easily worth it just as a window to a fascinating time for underground culture and for introducing me to several outstanding creators (especially Jacques Tardi).

[R.J. Huneke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly inspiring!

[BLASUEM · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's okey if I read this raw?

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reproduction compilation of bits from the first three issues of Speigleman's RAW - worth having in the collection for the history of it, and worth reading for the fun old comics included. Found my copy in a thrift store and it was exciting to discover it still included the mini comic and comics trading cards. A fun romp!

[D.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd like to say that this oversized reproduction of Art Spiegelman & Francoise Mouly's 1980s independent 'graphix' magazine is a constantly surprising and utterly remarkable collection of early independent comics. But it's not. It's not far off the mark, and really is a fun bunch of varied styles and genres within the medium at a time when 'independent comics' wasn't even really a phrase yet. This book collects selected bits from the original first three issues of RAW magazine, but we're not really told what has been left out (or why). It is inspirational in making me wonder what the rest of the series was like, but not enough to make me track them down.
We get to see work from eventual indie stalwarts like Bill Griffiths, Drew & Josh Alan Friedman, Mark Beyer, Joost Swarte, Charles Burns and of course Spiegelman & Mouly themselves. For the most part, these fall in the left-of-center suburban flipside kind of story and do a fine job at what they do. None of them, however, is really remarkable and there are even a couple that are just downright incomprehensible.
I'm glad I have this book, as it marks an important point of transition between the 'hippy' comics of the 1970s and the indie boom of the late-80s/early-90s. It's an entertaining bunch of stuff, but not what I'd call 'essential.'
This edition includes a colour insert 'Two-Fisted Painters' mini-comic, all eight of full-colour cardstock Mark Beyer 'City of Terror' trading cards, an informative and interesting intro from Spiegelman & Mouly, and short bios/bibliographies of all the contributors.

[Shoshanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The introduction to this book gives a good history and pre-history to RAW, like what was going on in the comics world to bring us there. I think what I find so incredible about this is the very overt influence of Francoise Mouly. There are more European artists (I really like Joost Swarte) and just other aspects of design that feel more "eighties" for a lack of a better term. I also really liked Mark Beyer's work, which has this new style. Spiegelman's Arcade really was a continuation of the Underground style and even Wierdo, which R. Crumb led during the eighties, the same time as RAW, was also a continuation. RAW is a break in style and vibe, and I really appreciate that. A lot of what I think of as "eighties" style, I now think of as the influence of Francoise Mouly. :) Mouly even writes an article about how processed American food is and there are a lot of art type pieces in here that I barely understand. :p Also makes me think of "I Can't Wait" by Nu Shooz. :p

[Rory Tregaskis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some weird shit in this comic.