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Antifa: 100 años de fascismo y movimientos antifascistas
Las impactantes imágenes de neonazis marchando por Charlottesville (Virginia) durante el verano de 2017 perduran, pero también las de los manifestantes antifascistas que arriesgaron sus vidas para contramanifestarse. Con una mirada perspicaz y una gran determinación, el autor norteamericano Gord Hill analiza la historia del fascismo durante los últimos 100 años y los simultáneos movimientos antifa que han trabajado para derrocarlos. El fascismo es una ideología política relativamente nueva. Sin embargo, en su corta historia se han perpetrado en su nombre algunas de las mayores atrocidades contra la humanidad. Sus raíces se afianzaron en la Italia posterior a la Primera Guerra Mundial y se extendieron a través de la Alemania nazi, la España de Franco y el Ku Klux Klan en los Estados Unidos. Ahora, envalentonado desde que Donald Trump accedió a la presidencia estadounidense, el fascismo de nuevo está vivo y coleando. Al mismo tiempo, los activistas antifa han demostrado, a lo largo de la historia y hasta nuestros días, que el espíritu de resistencia también sigue vivo. En este libro encontrará la historia de ambos movimientos en viñetas.
128 pages, Paperback
First published October 30, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
March 1, 2019
Excellent. A summary not only of the rise and fall of fascist movements, but the resistance that has followed fascism wherever it has risen (and ultimately fallen when it predictably attacks the wrong people who fight back.) It follows not only the original fascist movements of right-wing totalitarian and authoritarian fascist governments in Italy and Germany, but also fascist groups that rose in the years afterwards. It is divided into sections by countries, showing that while fascists have usually tried to rule by bullying those it thinks it can destroy, always anti-fascists have fought back, oftentimes driven by the radical left.
Great art, encyclopedic in its descriptions of both fascists and anti-fascists, and generally sticks to specifically fascist groups rather than labeling everyone fascists. A little repetitive in the street battles story, but I suppose its a long and repetitive story in how fascists think they can gain control and how people choose to use their own methods of violence against them, which usually works in breaking their self-sense of superiority over those they consider weak.
Great art, encyclopedic in its descriptions of both fascists and anti-fascists, and generally sticks to specifically fascist groups rather than labeling everyone fascists. A little repetitive in the street battles story, but I suppose its a long and repetitive story in how fascists think they can gain control and how people choose to use their own methods of violence against them, which usually works in breaking their self-sense of superiority over those they consider weak.
October 29, 2018
Received via Edelweiss in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
I wanted to start this review by saying it was a bad time to be reading this graphic novel. But honestly, at this point, it's a bad decade to be reading about the history of fascism.
I'll give credit, this is an important topic, told in an unconventional medium. It's a way to draw attention to a real problem, both historically and currently. But the book just didn't do it for me.
This is essentially an outline of events dating back far too long. Accompanied by illustrations of horrible people from all parts of the world, Germany to America to Switzerland and even Canada. I don't know how comprehensive it is, I'm not an expert in the many forms throughout history, but it is fascinating to see what's happened in parts of the world that I didn't know were experiencing these problems.
The issue is that this really is an outline. The author wrote a simple timeline structure of the events, illustrated them, and put them together in book form. Informative, but very bare bones.
Maybe I couldn't handle more than bare bones, though, come to think of it.
I wanted to start this review by saying it was a bad time to be reading this graphic novel. But honestly, at this point, it's a bad decade to be reading about the history of fascism.
I'll give credit, this is an important topic, told in an unconventional medium. It's a way to draw attention to a real problem, both historically and currently. But the book just didn't do it for me.
This is essentially an outline of events dating back far too long. Accompanied by illustrations of horrible people from all parts of the world, Germany to America to Switzerland and even Canada. I don't know how comprehensive it is, I'm not an expert in the many forms throughout history, but it is fascinating to see what's happened in parts of the world that I didn't know were experiencing these problems.
The issue is that this really is an outline. The author wrote a simple timeline structure of the events, illustrated them, and put them together in book form. Informative, but very bare bones.
Maybe I couldn't handle more than bare bones, though, come to think of it.
February 19, 2019
I didn't think it was possible to make punching Nazis anything other than fun, but this very boring, text-heavy listing of every fascist and anti-fascist movement of the last hundred years ground me down. Page after page is aswirl in initialisms and countries and dates and names as we jump around endlessly to document every fascist who ever got punched or stabbed or shot or killed by a militant anti-fascist. So much minutia, so little vision of how to draw this into a bigger picture. Everything just blurs into a never-ending, globe-spanning gang war.
Sure, Nazis evil. But without always justifying the need for violence - especially when they escalate from punching to murder - and highlighting their internecine battles, the militant anti-fascists don't come off that great either. Being the enemy of my enemy doesn't necessarily make you my friend.
The introduction did a much better job of laying things out with a hell of a lot fewer words.
Sure, Nazis evil. But without always justifying the need for violence - especially when they escalate from punching to murder - and highlighting their internecine battles, the militant anti-fascists don't come off that great either. Being the enemy of my enemy doesn't necessarily make you my friend.
The introduction did a much better job of laying things out with a hell of a lot fewer words.
August 23, 2020
The Antifa Comic Book: 100 Years of Fascism and Antifa Movements, by Gord Hill, is a very interesting graphic novel chronicling Antifa, the anti-fascist struggle group. This group has a global presence, and violently and non-violently targets fascists, nationalists, and the elite using various tactics. From counter-protesting white supremacist rallies, to attacking individual skineheads, to concerts, newspapers and the like, this group is active in the struggle against global and local fascism. Recently designated a terrorist group in the United States, this group has been in the news frequently of late, but as the history in this graphic novel shows, this will not stop the movement - a name change may take place. This group has always been underground, and never sought much in the way of political power. Instead, they do as the author says - they punch Nazi's.
In the vein of Superman - who in issue # 1 is socking Hitler in the face, this book has the style and feel of an old school American comic. The content is pure history. The authors outline what Fascism is, and its history in numerous countries: Italy, Germany, Spain, France, UK, Greece and so on have long histories with fascism. More modern nationalist and fascist movements in Russia, Germany, Ukraine, the US and Canada are also chronicled. In each section is the anti-fascist response to these movements, from the street battles in WWII era Italy and Germany, to the Civil Ware in Spain. The action against Greece's golden dawn, the anti-fascist rallies in the US, and so on. All things told, a very informative and interesting approach to a small history of the Antifa movement. Absolutely worth a read for those interested in the subject.
In the vein of Superman - who in issue # 1 is socking Hitler in the face, this book has the style and feel of an old school American comic. The content is pure history. The authors outline what Fascism is, and its history in numerous countries: Italy, Germany, Spain, France, UK, Greece and so on have long histories with fascism. More modern nationalist and fascist movements in Russia, Germany, Ukraine, the US and Canada are also chronicled. In each section is the anti-fascist response to these movements, from the street battles in WWII era Italy and Germany, to the Civil Ware in Spain. The action against Greece's golden dawn, the anti-fascist rallies in the US, and so on. All things told, a very informative and interesting approach to a small history of the Antifa movement. Absolutely worth a read for those interested in the subject.
February 24, 2019
Loved this book! A great use of graphics to give a very detailed account of Fascist and Anti-Fascist movements around the world. It was super informative and I learned a lot!
July 18, 2021
This is a deceptively profound piece of graphic non-fiction. Considering it’s only 127 pages long it sure packs and lot of history, politics and detail in, giving us a pretty fascinating history of fascism and the various movements against it throughout the western world in the Northern Hemisphere, from less assuming places like Greece, Ukraine and Sweden to the more obvious places like Nazi Germany, Mussolini’s Italy and contemporary USA.
The drawing is not great, but there is some really effective use of colouring and the points get made well enough. It is a shame as this is let down by some dubious spelling in one page a certain word is spelled wrong but then spelled correctly in the same panel?...Not a good look at all. But make no mistake about it, this is really well-researched effort and provides a really good primer for the subject it covers.
November 7, 2018
A pretty concise history of anti-fascism as well as of fascism, nazism, white supremacist movements, and the like. It's more like the fascism and anti-fascism comic, but an engaging and good read none the less. A pretty good introduction in my opinion, but also it wasn't a boring read having a good grasp of a lot of the content. It hit everything on my check list aside from a detailed analysis of the militia movements, though Gord Hill said that that might be coming in a future edition so there you go.
February 24, 2019
Did not finish. Text is entirely composed of dry, sweeping statements that may as well have been pulled from Wikipedia. Art is... well, I'm not an expert in art, but everyone looks *off*. Like the only two emotions the penciller could muster up were "I know this class doesn't have assigned seats but you sat in the chair I usually sit in" and "uck I got ketchup on my face I'm going to lie down now".
July 12, 2019
A highly recommended read for someone who wants to learn about the history of anti-fascism, which didn't start in around 2016 in America, and isn't a terrorist group. This is good for someone with my current attention span, and it's very informative.
January 26, 2020
This is an outstanding and accessible history of anti fascist organizing. I think it’s an excellent piece of work and a great tool for educating folx.
September 4, 2020
While I still don't necessarily critique the 500 years of resistance for not highlighting gender more, I did really appreciate the ways that the gender binary was at least more equally represented in anti fascist work. Especially after my initial thoughts video on Y: The Last Man, I needed to have more representation of people who ID as women as warriors.
Much like the women who participated in the anti fascist movement, it would have been very nice to have queer contributions obviously labeled. That said, we are not being completely ignored and Hill does present all the different groups that were persecuted by fascists, particularly in Germany, so we are not completely erased.
Race is obviously still pretty central to this book as it is a point that has been used in a lot of fascist oppression. Anti fascist resistance is a team sport that brings all races of people together across our socially constructed differences
Closely related in many fascist minds, but different, one of the most interesting intersections highlighted by Hill in this book was the temporary alliance between fascist Germans and fascist Muslims. A very select group. Hill does contrast this with how much fascism is anti-muslim now, which I think is very important to note even if some people were otherwise brought together by their antisemitism.
And while class, especially as far as any given individual is concerned, is not a focus of this book class does come up in general in relation to who was generally participating in each fascist, anti fascist and hopelessly useless party in play during each time period covered.
Disability vs ability was not highlighted in this book, which is a real oversight. Unless I'm very much mistaken Hill didn't even highlight the way disabled people would have been targeted in fascist Germany. It would also have been good to highlight more accessible ways in which people resist fascism, and/or visually represent obviously disabled people in any of the crowds, especially in the end when we are in the present day.
I wish this book already had more graphic novels that related to it as while; I think it's successful at telling the overall history of anti fascist resistance, but there's a lot of room yet to tell these stories in different ways.
Much like the women who participated in the anti fascist movement, it would have been very nice to have queer contributions obviously labeled. That said, we are not being completely ignored and Hill does present all the different groups that were persecuted by fascists, particularly in Germany, so we are not completely erased.
Race is obviously still pretty central to this book as it is a point that has been used in a lot of fascist oppression. Anti fascist resistance is a team sport that brings all races of people together across our socially constructed differences
Closely related in many fascist minds, but different, one of the most interesting intersections highlighted by Hill in this book was the temporary alliance between fascist Germans and fascist Muslims. A very select group. Hill does contrast this with how much fascism is anti-muslim now, which I think is very important to note even if some people were otherwise brought together by their antisemitism.
And while class, especially as far as any given individual is concerned, is not a focus of this book class does come up in general in relation to who was generally participating in each fascist, anti fascist and hopelessly useless party in play during each time period covered.
Disability vs ability was not highlighted in this book, which is a real oversight. Unless I'm very much mistaken Hill didn't even highlight the way disabled people would have been targeted in fascist Germany. It would also have been good to highlight more accessible ways in which people resist fascism, and/or visually represent obviously disabled people in any of the crowds, especially in the end when we are in the present day.
I wish this book already had more graphic novels that related to it as while; I think it's successful at telling the overall history of anti fascist resistance, but there's a lot of room yet to tell these stories in different ways.
September 11, 2024
El libro recoge los principales movimientos fascistas y antifascistas de diferentes países a lo largo de los años. Aporta información muy interesante y, para mí, totalmente desconocida.
Sin embargo, en ocasiones resulta repetitivo ya que se limita a enumerar movimientos indicando el año y el lugar sin aportar más contexto histórico o sociocultural para poder tener una foto completa de la situación.
Los dibujos dejan bastante que desear, además no aportan información extra. Aún así, lo recomiendo
Sin embargo, en ocasiones resulta repetitivo ya que se limita a enumerar movimientos indicando el año y el lugar sin aportar más contexto histórico o sociocultural para poder tener una foto completa de la situación.
Los dibujos dejan bastante que desear, además no aportan información extra. Aún así, lo recomiendo
May 14, 2024
Lots and lots of facts and even more figures other than a story or narrative. The timeline also jumps around a bit. Mostly a recitation of the many, many anti-fascist resistance groups which formed in Europe in the last century. It also covered groups in the US, Canada, and Russia.
I found it tough to follow after a while, and by tough, I mean tedious. So many figures. But it may be of value to someone researching the topic, as it provides an intensely detailed overview.
I found it tough to follow after a while, and by tough, I mean tedious. So many figures. But it may be of value to someone researching the topic, as it provides an intensely detailed overview.
August 9, 2019
Primer of worldwide fascist & anti-fascist movements of the past 100 years. I would like to read a comprehensive history of this topic, but this book is a good starting point that raises questions that point the way to further research (such as the hows and whys of the rises and falls of the various movements). I feel the stylized anti-fascist art is very fitting for this moment in history.
July 10, 2023
Super info dump date heavy so it was slow going to read, but another great go-to resource for a lot of information about movement organizing and resistance from Gord Hill. I wish it was written more in active voice though. Made it hard to track all the groups and who was responsible for which attacks.
June 1, 2020
Litt for mykje ein illustrert Wikipedia-artikkel. Eg lærte noko nytt, men jamnt over dekker boka alt for mykje på for lite plass, og teikningane vert veldig repetitive. Hadde nok tent på å konsentrera seg om berre Italia og Tyskland, til dømes, som er dei beste delane.
April 15, 2019
Really, the only negative is that I don't think the subject matter fits very well with the format. This really should have been a 'normal' book, as the panels were pretty much exclusively drawings of people or events with text over it (as opposed to, for example, people talking to each other, which I think a graphic novel is better suited for).
June 23, 2025
Está difícil de leer y el arte no me encanta, pero está muy bien como compilación de datos históricos de un tema tan...no complicado pero sí revuelto diría yo, por ser algo tan global. Muchas cosas no las sabía, sí lo recomiendo para estar informado.
May 20, 2025
If interested in an succint yet text heavy introduction to what Antifa stands for today in comic form - this is the book for you. My question is if this one can squeeze as much of the socialist/anarchist continuum in one single volume and if one can only come to grips with 100 years, without the longer working class & labour movement & internatiobalist anti capitalist history before that or preparative struggles before that. Second question is if a mainly North American perspective (US & Canadian principally) can offer a wide enough, not only intersectional, but properly global and anti colonial united front.
The short answer is belated yes, but within the limiting scope of this volume. One gets a lot of detail about the ARA anti fascist coalitions & white power music scene (a subcultural slant - important bc a lot of facistoid thinking and ground level organization festers in and around subcultural milieus online or offline), but very little or next to none about anti-globalization or alter globalization struggle moments such as Seattle WTO 1999 protests or how the right wing - and especially neo mercantilist & ethno nationalist economics mirrored the rhetoric and anti capitalist slogans. Still it is fundamental to link various factors that led to the rise of fascism in Europe and the entire world (even if the Japanese fascism and anti fascist or anarchist Japanese struggle is missing). How the proto fascist Freikorps rose out of the veteran WWI and Burschenschaften orgs - or how the SPD turned against the left radical wing and sided with the industrialists & right wing this thus preparing the catastrophe of German nazi rule. How the colonial clothing - serves as cheap uniforms for the right wing. It's also invigorating to read a very low down history of the right wing - as hudlums and petty crime (for example the Order 1980s surge of white suprematist groups). Or how many the sinister Proganda Due in Italy organized and blamed all these attacks on thr left.
The comic is important is showing how the reactionary pushback has been always there and has always incorporated 'socialist' talking points or Marxist criticism twisting it into racist/anti-Semitic conspiracies, as well as being a pliant tool for anti unionist, pro oligarchy and union busting activity.
Like with a lot of anarchist pro libertarian histories - accepting that antifa has mobilized and infused the left with a new energy that is otherwise lacking - risks getting bogged down in local heroics and squirmishes (very specific names & dates) while lacking a frame of inter imperial geopolitical/geostrategic (daee I say Leninist?) analysis of monopoly capitalism.
For example - the Spanish anti colonial fight in Cuba and Philippines is compounded in the US by the case of Spanish-American War, the birth of US imperialism out of the cinders of 'decadent' oldskool imperialisms. Rooted in its North American history - Antifa seems oddly disconnected from the wider - autonomist (say Latinx and/or Zapatista or South American struggles against militaristic jutad or corporate US interests). From the perspective of a broad front - in the face of so much reactionary upsurge around the world it needs more chapters to be truly consistent. Again, I appreciateed the WWII partisan chaptersn(especially on Greece and ex Yugoslavia). One needs a red trail trough his history and one that is transhistorical.
I got The Antifa Comic Book by Gord Hill at the local library in Berlin, which is a well stoked, with lots of anti racist, anti fascist, anti xenophobic titles. I appreciated very much the book in correct its treatment of ths Russia and Ukraine neo fascism altough there's much to be said still about nationalistic, racist and anti Semitic history in that part of the world. How this conflict became a clash of nationalisms and how paramilitary activity was condoned & supported by both sides. On general EU/US has turned a blind eye against fascist groups considering the Russian fascists a bigger threat. But there's no bigger threat when governments at home seem to cozy up to the worst of xenophobic sentiment and stoke up nationalism and imperial jingoism - while pretending to represent human rights & liberal democracy abroad.
The adoption and usefulness of right wing propaganda - everywhere - and how it plays into the hands yof secret services, police & repressive organs of the state is not a surprise, and explains a great deal of why left wing terrorism is always criminalized while right wing terrorism mostly gets a pass or does not even get a mention (till it's too late) from the media/governmental bodies in our capitalist world.
One also gets the sensation that the last chapter - first Trump presidency and the waning of the Alt Right is premature - or wishful thinking. The liberal mindset (of course I would not accuse the authors, who are well versed in anti capitalist and indigenous struggles of being 'shitlibs'!) is a halo- a sort of complacent illusion that Trump 1.0 would not repeat itself and been carried along into the US election disaster of today. There's nothing about the material forces that shaped today's right wing working swing & vote. Also there's very few inkling of the anti DEI crusade and it's start during that period. Things that were sprouting or being outed back then, all the rollback of progressive politics, the green agenda, did not subside, they produced the techno fascist US of today. Anti immigration has been almost universally adolted by right wing extremists on both sides of the Atlantic and it's alliance with populist rhetoric seems sealed. ICE and the anti emigrant has continued under the liberal governments and now has evolved into the mass deportation anf incarceration - this is another very ardent and missing (to my mind) contemporary moment.
The short answer is belated yes, but within the limiting scope of this volume. One gets a lot of detail about the ARA anti fascist coalitions & white power music scene (a subcultural slant - important bc a lot of facistoid thinking and ground level organization festers in and around subcultural milieus online or offline), but very little or next to none about anti-globalization or alter globalization struggle moments such as Seattle WTO 1999 protests or how the right wing - and especially neo mercantilist & ethno nationalist economics mirrored the rhetoric and anti capitalist slogans. Still it is fundamental to link various factors that led to the rise of fascism in Europe and the entire world (even if the Japanese fascism and anti fascist or anarchist Japanese struggle is missing). How the proto fascist Freikorps rose out of the veteran WWI and Burschenschaften orgs - or how the SPD turned against the left radical wing and sided with the industrialists & right wing this thus preparing the catastrophe of German nazi rule. How the colonial clothing - serves as cheap uniforms for the right wing. It's also invigorating to read a very low down history of the right wing - as hudlums and petty crime (for example the Order 1980s surge of white suprematist groups). Or how many the sinister Proganda Due in Italy organized and blamed all these attacks on thr left.
The comic is important is showing how the reactionary pushback has been always there and has always incorporated 'socialist' talking points or Marxist criticism twisting it into racist/anti-Semitic conspiracies, as well as being a pliant tool for anti unionist, pro oligarchy and union busting activity.
Like with a lot of anarchist pro libertarian histories - accepting that antifa has mobilized and infused the left with a new energy that is otherwise lacking - risks getting bogged down in local heroics and squirmishes (very specific names & dates) while lacking a frame of inter imperial geopolitical/geostrategic (daee I say Leninist?) analysis of monopoly capitalism.
For example - the Spanish anti colonial fight in Cuba and Philippines is compounded in the US by the case of Spanish-American War, the birth of US imperialism out of the cinders of 'decadent' oldskool imperialisms. Rooted in its North American history - Antifa seems oddly disconnected from the wider - autonomist (say Latinx and/or Zapatista or South American struggles against militaristic jutad or corporate US interests). From the perspective of a broad front - in the face of so much reactionary upsurge around the world it needs more chapters to be truly consistent. Again, I appreciateed the WWII partisan chaptersn(especially on Greece and ex Yugoslavia). One needs a red trail trough his history and one that is transhistorical.
I got The Antifa Comic Book by Gord Hill at the local library in Berlin, which is a well stoked, with lots of anti racist, anti fascist, anti xenophobic titles. I appreciated very much the book in correct its treatment of ths Russia and Ukraine neo fascism altough there's much to be said still about nationalistic, racist and anti Semitic history in that part of the world. How this conflict became a clash of nationalisms and how paramilitary activity was condoned & supported by both sides. On general EU/US has turned a blind eye against fascist groups considering the Russian fascists a bigger threat. But there's no bigger threat when governments at home seem to cozy up to the worst of xenophobic sentiment and stoke up nationalism and imperial jingoism - while pretending to represent human rights & liberal democracy abroad.
The adoption and usefulness of right wing propaganda - everywhere - and how it plays into the hands yof secret services, police & repressive organs of the state is not a surprise, and explains a great deal of why left wing terrorism is always criminalized while right wing terrorism mostly gets a pass or does not even get a mention (till it's too late) from the media/governmental bodies in our capitalist world.
One also gets the sensation that the last chapter - first Trump presidency and the waning of the Alt Right is premature - or wishful thinking. The liberal mindset (of course I would not accuse the authors, who are well versed in anti capitalist and indigenous struggles of being 'shitlibs'!) is a halo- a sort of complacent illusion that Trump 1.0 would not repeat itself and been carried along into the US election disaster of today. There's nothing about the material forces that shaped today's right wing working swing & vote. Also there's very few inkling of the anti DEI crusade and it's start during that period. Things that were sprouting or being outed back then, all the rollback of progressive politics, the green agenda, did not subside, they produced the techno fascist US of today. Anti immigration has been almost universally adolted by right wing extremists on both sides of the Atlantic and it's alliance with populist rhetoric seems sealed. ICE and the anti emigrant has continued under the liberal governments and now has evolved into the mass deportation anf incarceration - this is another very ardent and missing (to my mind) contemporary moment.
January 24, 2019
I wish more authors of historical pieces would own their stance on political matters and human rights the way Gord Hill does. This is a well thought out, super accessible history of how ANTIFA movements have risen up to combat fascist organizations. Even if your your historical knowledge of WWII and beyond is dicey at best, Hill will guide you through without making you feel like your hand is being held.
January 5, 2019
One of the best histories of anti-fascist resistance out there. Gord Hill proves the less known corners of fascism, including the rise of the ideology in Italy which was literally its birth place.
He also makes sure to give a broad of post WWII and modern anti-fascism, from Greece to Canada, to the Alt-Right of Trump’s America.
He also makes sure to give a broad of post WWII and modern anti-fascism, from Greece to Canada, to the Alt-Right of Trump’s America.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 30, 2018
Good historical account of different antifascist formations around the world. In full-colour. Good for those who are wondering what is the alt-right and what is fascism but want something engaging to read.
December 11, 2018
Meh. An interesting look at the history of the anti-fascist movement is overshadowed by the lack of references and or notes/footnotes. Readers are forced to just trust the information being presented is historically accurate, which is not a good recipe these days, unfortunately.
November 29, 2018
Just like Mark Bray's book Antifa, this is a necessary corrective for everyone who (like me) was taught that Nazism sprung fully formed and everyone in Germany lost their collective minds.
December 15, 2018
Great art, great introduction to the history of fascist and antifascist history - know your enemy!
October 23, 2021
Fascist violence is not a series of disconnected, lone-wolf attackers suddenly deciding to commit acts of violence. This is as true of the rise of the Nazis as it is of the 2017 Unite the Right rally that led to the death of Heather Heyer. This book does an excellent job of drawing direct lines from Mussolini to Hitler to smaller street gangs across Europe and the U.S. No one should be shocked when, like we've seen in numerous cities in just the last few years, street gangs like the Proud Boys descend on a city, wound or kill someone, and then get chased out by anti-fascist protesters. None of this stuff happens in a vacuum, and Gord Hill masterfully illustrates this.
Plus, hey, it's got great art.
Aauthor Mark Bray justifies this book's message-by-way-of-medium best in the book's foreword.
"Comic books were made for Nazi punching. The industry that Superman built in the 1930s became intimately interwoven into American war propaganda during World War II. As Wonder Woman and Batman supported the war effort, they were joined by the wildly popular Captain America, who punched Hitler amid a hail of bullets on his first cover. Beyond this history, however, comics feel like they were made for Nazi punching, as their pages pulse with larger-than-life heroes combating the dastardliest of villains."
Plus, hey, it's got great art.
Aauthor Mark Bray justifies this book's message-by-way-of-medium best in the book's foreword.
"Comic books were made for Nazi punching. The industry that Superman built in the 1930s became intimately interwoven into American war propaganda during World War II. As Wonder Woman and Batman supported the war effort, they were joined by the wildly popular Captain America, who punched Hitler amid a hail of bullets on his first cover. Beyond this history, however, comics feel like they were made for Nazi punching, as their pages pulse with larger-than-life heroes combating the dastardliest of villains."
June 10, 2024
When I was growing up, comic books meant either superheroes or humor, Spider-Man or Tintin basically. It wasn’t until about a decade ago that I discovered nonfiction comic books. It is an interesting art form. Some of them are truly great.
This one is interesting. I don’t know the history of the fight between fascists, and anti fascists well enough to say for sure if this is accurate or not. It seems to be well researched. Still, I can’t really put it among the best of the genre.
For one thing it is a bit dry, and despite (or maybe because) of the huge character gallery, one doesn’t get close to anyone. Another thing is that it covers 100 years, and takes place in several countries, all in the span of just over hundred pages. It’s too short. The story is just simplified too much. It’s done to the point where one starts to feel there is something missing. I get that it is supposed to be a overview of this history, but still, this is too much simplification.
The drawing style is interesting, and not bad as such, but not good either for a nonfiction book because there are historical figures in it that I know, but had to rely on the text to figure out who’s who. That’s not good. All in all, somewhat interesting, but not entertaining, and needed more flesh to the bones.
This one is interesting. I don’t know the history of the fight between fascists, and anti fascists well enough to say for sure if this is accurate or not. It seems to be well researched. Still, I can’t really put it among the best of the genre.
For one thing it is a bit dry, and despite (or maybe because) of the huge character gallery, one doesn’t get close to anyone. Another thing is that it covers 100 years, and takes place in several countries, all in the span of just over hundred pages. It’s too short. The story is just simplified too much. It’s done to the point where one starts to feel there is something missing. I get that it is supposed to be a overview of this history, but still, this is too much simplification.
The drawing style is interesting, and not bad as such, but not good either for a nonfiction book because there are historical figures in it that I know, but had to rely on the text to figure out who’s who. That’s not good. All in all, somewhat interesting, but not entertaining, and needed more flesh to the bones.
August 4, 2020
In reality more like 3.5 rather than 4, but I feel I should round it up because making non-fiction more accessible (by including less text/more pictures) is an important step to getting it read it my opinion.
There has been a lot of talk of Antifa recently, and so when I was looking for a couple of non-fiction adult graphic novels to try/read this is one I picked.
Personally I was not such a huge fan of the illustrations, specifically the way people were drawn, but that may be personal taste. Because of this I did focus mainly on the text.
I like that the book as a whole was broken down into many sections, though it is broken down geographically more than chronologically. The focus on geographic can make it a little confusing at times as things are referenced in one part and then referenced again later.
Despite being a comic there were still quite a lot of words in here, but it was definitely more manageable than a traditional non-fiction book as it is broken up by pictures.
It was interesting information and I feel like I have learned a lot through it.
Despite it being a lot I think in the right circumstances I would recommend this book to others.
There has been a lot of talk of Antifa recently, and so when I was looking for a couple of non-fiction adult graphic novels to try/read this is one I picked.
Personally I was not such a huge fan of the illustrations, specifically the way people were drawn, but that may be personal taste. Because of this I did focus mainly on the text.
I like that the book as a whole was broken down into many sections, though it is broken down geographically more than chronologically. The focus on geographic can make it a little confusing at times as things are referenced in one part and then referenced again later.
Despite being a comic there were still quite a lot of words in here, but it was definitely more manageable than a traditional non-fiction book as it is broken up by pictures.
It was interesting information and I feel like I have learned a lot through it.
Despite it being a lot I think in the right circumstances I would recommend this book to others.
August 25, 2023
Given the title, I suspect that this will probably not be on the shelves of libraries within American Conservative strongholds and/or those under the siege of the Mommy Nazi groups, er, the Moms for Liberty. Anyway, getting past the political implications of the title, there is some good history within the work, looking at the history of resistance to various fascist movements across the world since the start of the 20th century. Resistance to figures such as Franco, Mussolini and Hitler dominate the narrative, but so to do the movements in Western countries in the post-WWII world.
Perhaps this is way too sympathetic to the various Communist movements that looked to thwart various fascist movements. Not that all of these movements are filled with saints and kittens. However, not a lot of good comes from fascist regimes, and given that too many on the American Right are so quick to embrace their methods and ideology, I can see the appeal of this work. However, a LOT of pre-instruction/context is needed before letting anyone under 18 read this work.
Perhaps this is way too sympathetic to the various Communist movements that looked to thwart various fascist movements. Not that all of these movements are filled with saints and kittens. However, not a lot of good comes from fascist regimes, and given that too many on the American Right are so quick to embrace their methods and ideology, I can see the appeal of this work. However, a LOT of pre-instruction/context is needed before letting anyone under 18 read this work.
January 14, 2019
Really, this is 3.5 stars: 4 stars for content, 3 stars for presentation. I was really excited to see this book come through the library where I work, and eager to familiarize myself with the history of the antifa movement in this way. This book certainly gave me the information I was looking for, and I learned much from it. However, I was not a huge fan of the style of art used here, and I sometimes found the presentation of information to be fairly dry, especially considering this is a comic book. Many sections simply rattled off lists of fascist and antifa groups in a given country, crowded with dates and numbers of members and acronyms that made it hard to follow. That being said, this was definitely a worthwhile read for anyone who is interested in the history of fascism and antifascist movements.
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