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Berlin #3
Berlin. Flirrende Stadt
Mit »Berlin« gelingt dem amerikanischen Comic-Autor Jason Lutes ein kunstvoller historischer Roman in Bildern, dessen exakt recherchierte Stadtansichten und Milieustudien ein beeindruckendes Zeitpanorama entfalten. Nun erscheint endlich der Abschlussband der Trilogie, deren Handlung im September 1928 einsetzt und im Januar 1933 endet.
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2018
6 people are currently reading
515 people want to read
About the author
Jason Lutes
52 books227 followersJason Lutes was born in New Jersey in 1967 and grew up reading American superhero and western comics until a trip to France at age nine introduced him to the world of "bandes dessinées." In the late 1970s he discovered Heavy Metal magazine and the tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, both of which proved major influences on his creative development.
Lutes graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in Illustration in 1991. While at RISD, among the many new comics he encountered were Art Spiegelman's RAW magazine and Chester Brown's Yummy Fur, which together inspired him to start publishing minicomics under the imprint "Penny Dreadful."
Upon graduation in 1991, he moved to Seattle, where he spent several years working as a dishwasher and assistant art director at Fantagraphics Books. His "big break" came in 1993, when he began drawing a weekly comics page called "Jar of Fools" for The Stranger, Seattle's alternative paper. By 1995 he had become the paper's art director, but upon collecting and self-publishing Jar of Fools in 1996, he left The Stranger and made the leap to becoming a full-time cartoonist.
In the handful of productive years following that decision, Lutes began the comic book series Berlin, set in the twilight years of the Weimar Republic.
Lutes currently lives in Vermont with his partner and two children, where he teaches comics at the Center for Cartoon Studies.
He still tries to play Dungeons & Dragons once a week with friends.
Lutes graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in Illustration in 1991. While at RISD, among the many new comics he encountered were Art Spiegelman's RAW magazine and Chester Brown's Yummy Fur, which together inspired him to start publishing minicomics under the imprint "Penny Dreadful."
Upon graduation in 1991, he moved to Seattle, where he spent several years working as a dishwasher and assistant art director at Fantagraphics Books. His "big break" came in 1993, when he began drawing a weekly comics page called "Jar of Fools" for The Stranger, Seattle's alternative paper. By 1995 he had become the paper's art director, but upon collecting and self-publishing Jar of Fools in 1996, he left The Stranger and made the leap to becoming a full-time cartoonist.
In the handful of productive years following that decision, Lutes began the comic book series Berlin, set in the twilight years of the Weimar Republic.
Lutes currently lives in Vermont with his partner and two children, where he teaches comics at the Center for Cartoon Studies.
He still tries to play Dungeons & Dragons once a week with friends.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
September 26, 2018
De vijf ⭐️ zijn voor de hele, verdomd sterke reeks. Lezen die handel.
October 7, 2018
Pues ya está. Lutes aprovecha el último tercio de la historia para medio cerrar las historias que tenía planteadas, una serie de derrotas personales que contextualizan la derrota máxima que supuso el ascenso del nazismo. Hay secuencias poderosas, como la de Kurt colándose en una mansión para contemplar desde una ventana una fiesta en honor a Hitler o esa pelea en un sótano entre jóvenes arrastrados hasta ese punto por fuerzas externas a ellos. Pero ninguna tan elocuente como las últimas viñetas en las que vemos a Kurt y a Marthe y cómo Lutes representa las disyuntivas que se presentan ante ellos.
He seguido este tebeo durante casi dos décadas. El viaje me ha merecido la pena en todo su recorrido.
He seguido este tebeo durante casi dos décadas. El viaje me ha merecido la pena en todo su recorrido.
April 17, 2020
El desenlace de la trilogía tuvo que esperar más de veinte años: ni me imagino la alegría que se llevarían todos los que la habían seguido en directo. Lo cierto es que el arranque (con las primeras viñetas del Führer en la serie y el retorno de ese Severing barbudo para quien parece que han pasado realmente esos veintidós años) y el final (no desvelo nada) no podrían ser más jodidamente épicos. Este tomo es menor en extensión que sus hermanos y me pregunto hasta qué punto el autor lo terminó como una tarea largo tiempo pospuesta, porque da la sensación de que lo mas importante es cerrar todas las tramas y hacerlo sin muchos rodeos, mientras que el peso de los acontecimientos históricos lo deja recaer en las ocasionales apariciones de Hitler. Es cierto que con mucha más fuerza estética y en un tono más centrado en la belleza (la belleza de la catástrofe) que los anteriores. Lo leí del tirón una madrugada y me quedé agotado y añorante, como al final de un viaje. A pesar de que como colofón me dejó algo insatisfecho esa falta de detalle en la conclusión de las historias de los personajes, me parece coherente que sus vidas se vean empequeñecidas ante la terrible sombra que se cierne sobre el mundo. Esta racionalización me satisface, aunque a día de hoy no sé cómo manejar el balance entre luces y sombras de este tercer tomo. Lo que sí tengo claro es que la trilogía es una obra maestra y tiene mis cinco estrellas más allá de la valoración que le haya dado a cada una de sus partes.
December 13, 2018
Última entrega de una obra monumental. 22 años ha tardado Jason Lutes en realizar los 22 capítulos en los que se divide esta maravillosa novela gráfica cuya calidad, sin embargo, solo puede ser juzgada desde la valoración unitaria.
En este tercer y último volumen todos los niveles -político, histórico, social e individual- confluyen en un desenlace inevitable y pleno de emoción. El aspecto gráfico se me antoja incluso superior al de los tomos anteriores, no sólo en lo estético, en su cada vez más definida línea clara, sino también en la propia narrativa gráfica, que crea espacios de contenidos con varias lecturas. Son muchos los aciertos, las metáforas ofrecidas en páginas que se configuran a veces como entes autónomos, pequeñas microhistorias dentro del desarrollo narrativo. El trazo limpio en los primeros planos de Hitler; el fondo en blanco inexistente, en viñetas sin texto, que resalta a los personajes en sus momentos definitorios; la barba de Kurt Severing, cada vez más poblada, más negra, que llega a parecerse a una mordaza cuando el personaje enmudece; las transiciones que trasvasan parte del contenido de la escena anterior a la siguiente, todo arroja una certeza de estudiada elaboración en cada uno de los elementos y las historias que componen esta maravillosa conclusión de la obra. Especialmente el magnífico final, que emociona al recordar de forma brutal y a doble página lo que acontecería años más tarde, la realidad que sobrevendría a la ficción.
Desde el cierre de la contracubierta, incluso antes de la obligada reflexión, entra a formar parte de mi lista de cómics favoritos.
En este tercer y último volumen todos los niveles -político, histórico, social e individual- confluyen en un desenlace inevitable y pleno de emoción. El aspecto gráfico se me antoja incluso superior al de los tomos anteriores, no sólo en lo estético, en su cada vez más definida línea clara, sino también en la propia narrativa gráfica, que crea espacios de contenidos con varias lecturas. Son muchos los aciertos, las metáforas ofrecidas en páginas que se configuran a veces como entes autónomos, pequeñas microhistorias dentro del desarrollo narrativo. El trazo limpio en los primeros planos de Hitler; el fondo en blanco inexistente, en viñetas sin texto, que resalta a los personajes en sus momentos definitorios; la barba de Kurt Severing, cada vez más poblada, más negra, que llega a parecerse a una mordaza cuando el personaje enmudece; las transiciones que trasvasan parte del contenido de la escena anterior a la siguiente, todo arroja una certeza de estudiada elaboración en cada uno de los elementos y las historias que componen esta maravillosa conclusión de la obra. Especialmente el magnífico final, que emociona al recordar de forma brutal y a doble página lo que acontecería años más tarde, la realidad que sobrevendría a la ficción.
Desde el cierre de la contracubierta, incluso antes de la obligada reflexión, entra a formar parte de mi lista de cómics favoritos.
December 25, 2018
All three books get a 4.5 star rating. I may or may not write a full review on this one. It was both satisfying in that it ties up storylines between the characters presented in the trilogy, but we as the readers know only too well that the horrors of the Holocaust are pending and things are about to go from absolutely horrible to an unthinkable nightmare. Maybe not the best book for when you’re already feeling low low low and spending the night alone when original plans were otherwise, but that’s life.
September 30, 2018
Escribo esta reseña en el último tomo de la trilogía , pero es aplicable a todos sus volúmenes.
No creo que el cómic, como vehículo de comunicación y arte, alcance cotas tan altas como con esta historia.
Su guión funciona como un mecanismo de precisión, y como las muñecas rusas, va conteniendo capas y más capas.
Las historias cruzadas de las personas anónimas del Berlín de entreguerras, con sus amores, sus problemas, su humanidad, se enmarcan en ese proceso de locura y fascinación colectiva que llevó a Alemania a convertirse en un monstruo que devoró a sus propios hijos.
Visualmente es un portento de narración y ejercicio artístico en blanco y negro. Homenaje a las xilografias de maserel, expresionismo, ecos de rouault, línea clara...maravilloso.
Para mí es una novela que está escrita no sólo con palabras.
Si el comic es arte y literatura , sin duda esta obra define al cómic.
Imprescindible.
No creo que el cómic, como vehículo de comunicación y arte, alcance cotas tan altas como con esta historia.
Su guión funciona como un mecanismo de precisión, y como las muñecas rusas, va conteniendo capas y más capas.
Las historias cruzadas de las personas anónimas del Berlín de entreguerras, con sus amores, sus problemas, su humanidad, se enmarcan en ese proceso de locura y fascinación colectiva que llevó a Alemania a convertirse en un monstruo que devoró a sus propios hijos.
Visualmente es un portento de narración y ejercicio artístico en blanco y negro. Homenaje a las xilografias de maserel, expresionismo, ecos de rouault, línea clara...maravilloso.
Para mí es una novela que está escrita no sólo con palabras.
Si el comic es arte y literatura , sin duda esta obra define al cómic.
Imprescindible.
December 18, 2018
In this volume, the desperation of the previous book has given way to despair. No longer clinging to each other, the desire to fight has given way to apathy and retreat - some with the bottle, some with a train. Nothing it seems can stop the incoming destruction, and nothing will. I find myself relieved that the Jews in the story do manage to leave, but it doesn't save the other millions who would perish.
Heartbreaking ending, especially in how hopeful it seems. Irony hits hard.
Heartbreaking ending, especially in how hopeful it seems. Irony hits hard.
April 19, 2019
The end of the Weimar Republic. We know what’s coming and the characters we’ve been following are starting to see the changes coming. A fantastic conclusion to this series.
December 29, 2024
3,5
Era păcat sa nu închei trilogia Berlin a lui Lutes. Îmi pare rău că n-am citit-o legat, dar a fost și din pricină ca n-au apărut deodată, ci decalat. Nu am devenit un fan după citire, asa cum am presupus, dar nu trec trilogia la eșecuri. Ea face ce poate cu mijloacele ei în acest interval de istorie. Ultimul volum se încheie cu ascensiunea lui Hitler. Personajul feminin urmarit în carte timp de 4 ani, părăsește Berlinul, Kurt ramane sa-si înfrunte destinul ca toți ceilalți. Foarte târziu mi-am dat seama ca personajul Kurt Severing este jurnalistul Carl von Ossietzky, un critic public la adresa nazismului. Nu apare în poveste ce avea sa urmeze în ceea ce-l privește pe el, dar e bine de știut ca a fost încarcerat în 1933 și din nou în 1935. În timpul ultimei detentii a fost desemnat câștigătorul premiului Nobel pentru Pace. În replică, Guvernul German le-a interzis cetățenilor germani sa mai accepte în viitor această distincție. Ossietzky moare un an mai târziu.
Ceea ce m-a frapat pe mine este similitudinea dintre anii 30 cu ceea ce trăim noi azi. Curente politice radicale, polarizare extrema, sărăcie acută, mase de oameni revoltate, ura îndreptată inspre orice fel de minoritate, de clasa, de rasă, de gen, societăți homofobe, antisemite, antirasiale. O lipsa de protecție a celor aflați în nevoie sau puși la zid de oricine este mai puternic. Un oraș angoasat, trist, violent, sărac, în care arta și libertatea sunt rare și aproape nefirești.
Pentru că sunt și scene erotice, n-as zice ca e potrivita copiilor, dar este o carte de citit devreme, potrivita tinerilor. Pentru că, deși nu are prea multe detalii, are puterea sa transmită atmosfera tenebroasa, nesigura, apăsătoare a acelor ani și poate stârni curiozitatea asupra acestui interval din istorie. Și chiar dacă n-ar urma alte lecturi mai edificatoare, tot s-ar intelege impasul în care Germania s-a aflat în timpul ascensiunii nazismului. Iar sa înțelegi în ce condiții își face loc în lume o asemenea vietate politica, este salutar.
" Celor buni le lipsește convingerea în timp ce ticăloșii-s plini de pasiune"
"Provocăm haos. Apoi impunem ordinea. Presa e avidă după așa ceva."
Era păcat sa nu închei trilogia Berlin a lui Lutes. Îmi pare rău că n-am citit-o legat, dar a fost și din pricină ca n-au apărut deodată, ci decalat. Nu am devenit un fan după citire, asa cum am presupus, dar nu trec trilogia la eșecuri. Ea face ce poate cu mijloacele ei în acest interval de istorie. Ultimul volum se încheie cu ascensiunea lui Hitler. Personajul feminin urmarit în carte timp de 4 ani, părăsește Berlinul, Kurt ramane sa-si înfrunte destinul ca toți ceilalți. Foarte târziu mi-am dat seama ca personajul Kurt Severing este jurnalistul Carl von Ossietzky, un critic public la adresa nazismului. Nu apare în poveste ce avea sa urmeze în ceea ce-l privește pe el, dar e bine de știut ca a fost încarcerat în 1933 și din nou în 1935. În timpul ultimei detentii a fost desemnat câștigătorul premiului Nobel pentru Pace. În replică, Guvernul German le-a interzis cetățenilor germani sa mai accepte în viitor această distincție. Ossietzky moare un an mai târziu.
Ceea ce m-a frapat pe mine este similitudinea dintre anii 30 cu ceea ce trăim noi azi. Curente politice radicale, polarizare extrema, sărăcie acută, mase de oameni revoltate, ura îndreptată inspre orice fel de minoritate, de clasa, de rasă, de gen, societăți homofobe, antisemite, antirasiale. O lipsa de protecție a celor aflați în nevoie sau puși la zid de oricine este mai puternic. Un oraș angoasat, trist, violent, sărac, în care arta și libertatea sunt rare și aproape nefirești.
Pentru că sunt și scene erotice, n-as zice ca e potrivita copiilor, dar este o carte de citit devreme, potrivita tinerilor. Pentru că, deși nu are prea multe detalii, are puterea sa transmită atmosfera tenebroasa, nesigura, apăsătoare a acelor ani și poate stârni curiozitatea asupra acestui interval din istorie. Și chiar dacă n-ar urma alte lecturi mai edificatoare, tot s-ar intelege impasul în care Germania s-a aflat în timpul ascensiunii nazismului. Iar sa înțelegi în ce condiții își face loc în lume o asemenea vietate politica, este salutar.
" Celor buni le lipsește convingerea în timp ce ticăloșii-s plini de pasiune"
"Provocăm haos. Apoi impunem ordinea. Presa e avidă după așa ceva."
August 21, 2021
Krótszy i trochę bardziej pobieżny tom trylogii Jasona Lutesa. Chociaż nadal są w nim elementy, które zachwycały w dwóch poprzednich, jego głównym celem wyraźnie było pozamykanie wszystkich wątków. Smutny, tym bardziej, że wiadomo jak to się potoczyło dalej. Podobało mi się rozwiązanie miłosnego trójkąta. Naprawdę polubiłam niektórych bohaterów. Chciałabym wiedzieć, którzy z nich przeżyli wojnę i czy jeszcze kiedyś się spotkali. Będę myśleć, że tak.
October 8, 2022
The trilogy is definitely worth a read, exploring a diverse cast of citizens perspectives in pre-WWII Germany. Jason Lutes characters are relatably human and flawed—many just trying to survive another day. The artwork is amazing and paints a vision of Berlin that feels like an actual glimpse into the past.
July 1, 2023
I am really happy with how this series turned out. Berlin vol 3 provides us with different endings to the characters we have followed so far. Each ending is subtly placed with political backdrop and changes in Berlin that is dramatically going alter their lives to come. But you know what stays, the city its history and its people.
These three books are in a definitive pile to “reread with more context”.
4.5/5
These three books are in a definitive pile to “reread with more context”.
4.5/5
June 3, 2019
This is the third book, but the entire 3-volume work has been reprinted in one oversize volume. Though I had previously read the first two books, I reread them all in this volume and was glad I did. The lapse between publication was a few years, so a lot was lost in the character development when putting years between reading the works. The third book, "City of Light", brought all the stories to fruition. Reading about the events that marked the rise to power of Hitler and the Nazi regime as seen through the eyes of citizens living the life of the city is so very relevant today, given the rise of swastickas in demonstrations with the support of the American president. Describing the sweep through several years of that rise to power starting in the Weimar republic, all told through a number of smaller personal stories, Jason Lutes offers an insightful reading of history, both political and social. This also marks an landmark step in the development of the graphic novel.
January 7, 2022
Definitely my least favorite of the trilogy, especially when the main character just like faces the audience and says "I'm like a child, I do'nt know what to believe or what to think" and it's like yes you're the audience cipher, we get it.
Also breaks one of teh golden rules of Nazi storytelling: don't feature Hitler unless there's a good reason to feature Hitler.
So, that said, it's a beautiful book. If anything it kinda goes light on the characters and therefore the audience in a way that feels kind of undeserved after the death and destruction in volumes 1 and 2. I enjoyed reading it and saing goodbye to everyone. Just doesn't really hit the highs of the first two.
Also breaks one of teh golden rules of Nazi storytelling: don't feature Hitler unless there's a good reason to feature Hitler.
So, that said, it's a beautiful book. If anything it kinda goes light on the characters and therefore the audience in a way that feels kind of undeserved after the death and destruction in volumes 1 and 2. I enjoyed reading it and saing goodbye to everyone. Just doesn't really hit the highs of the first two.
November 10, 2019
Lutes spina wątki i zostawia nas samych tuż przed wybuchem. To wielka historia ukazana z perspektywy zwykłych ludzi. Zadziwia rozpiętośc przedsięwzięcia, chęć ukazania różnych perspektyw i złożoności postaw. No i warsztat autora - uświadomiłem sobie jakim trzeba być mistrzem, by taki temat tak kapitalnie rozrysować, nie przesadzadzić z nadmiarem tekstu (co z pewnością kusiło), grać niedopowiedzaniami czy niemymi kadrami. Ta oszczędnośc formy z jednoczesnym wrażeniem kompletności to coś, za co należą się najwyższe słowa uznania. Przeczytajcie koniecznie.
April 10, 2021
2.5 stars rounded up. I had high hopes for this as they first two books had set an intriguing stage, but sadly this didn't deliver. It feels there wasn't much in the plot, which, given it's leading us to the rise of fascism, is the biggest disappointment. The story feels rushed and focuses more on the characters than the surrounding society. So much potential but didn't live up to it. As a whole this is a good trilogy and probably works best when you read all three books right after one another.
February 1, 2019
Not as in-depth as the first two novels of the trilogy and it felt a bit rushed, which is unfortunate for a conclusion. In addition, the drawings felt sloppy and unfinished at times.
November 18, 2022
This is the third volume of Jason Lutes' impressive Berlin trilogy, and like the previous two volumes, it does not disappoint. I wish though I had read it earlier - so that I could more easily connect it to volumes 1 and 2, which I read some years ago. I partially reconstructed (?resurrected in my mind's eye - memory) the earlier volumes by reading my reviews, and thus was able to at least put the present volume into some sort of context. The central story line of the art student and the writer - is more or less resolved, although it and a couple of other story lines could be continued in further or spin off volumes.
The Berlin of the present volume is just on the verge of the Nazi rise to power, and the city is shown as seething, with factions at each others' throats, in a setting of poverty. The infinitely sad thing is that each side - left, right, communist, fascist - selected scapegoats (the bourgeois class for the left, the Jewish community for the right) to explain the economic crisis, and were willing to resort to mass crime to consolidate their political power; hence the victimization/looting/murder of Jews, while the communist revolutionists envisaged doing much the same thing to the rich bourgeoisie (of any ethnic/religious background) had they risen to power. The masses could not resist demagogues who offered simplistic explanations to the economic problems that beset post WWI Germany - high unemployment, soaring inflation, and hunger twisted their minds so that they were willing to consider turning criminal on a mass basis (which is what Nazism was - a mass criminal movement). The Wiemar government could not right the economy and so the German democracy of approximately 20 years crashed in flames. The frightening thing to consider is that Germany was prior to the criminal cataclysm, religious, educated, and supposedly "normal." How could economic pressure, essentially, hunger, drive an entire nation over the brink into criminality? I don't doubt the mass hysteria and hate deliberately whipped up by Nazi propaganda and Hitler's speeches was the final misstep into the abyss - yet the whirlwind was building even before Hitler and the Nazis had become influential, winning seats in the Reichstag. How could Germany have switched from a religious, law-abiding country to one where all sorts of crimes were accepted, perhaps even applauded, by the majority? Is it possible that hunger itself is a poison that no amount of religion, education, can withstand? If so, what does that say about mankind - that given conditions of poverty, unemployment, inflation, hunger, deprivation, a "criminal switch" can be flipped in any country? And that "ganging up" on vulnerable minorities or a group that is seen to still have money such as the rich/bourgeoisie, is the final impetus into the unleashing of mass criminality? Because of the possibility, in the most basic terms, of stealing bread from others and not being caught or punished for it? That extremist politics would make crime "permissible?" And extremism of either the left or right dangling ill-gotten bread before the eyes of the hungry, that's what what drove Germany over the edge?
No doubt these questions have been pondered and discussed and will be pondered and discussed probably forever - the underlying issue may be physical debilitation, deprivation, hunger more or less setting the stage for social disintegration that can, if the gasoline of extremism is poured into the smoldering embers, lead to mass crime, characterized/condoned by demagogues as revolutionary action.
This graphic novel, like the previous two, is very well-drawn, and weaves together several story-lines that illustrate the gathering storm-clouds - street violence, the destruction and looting of Kristalnacht, the steps that led to Hitler's rise to power. I do think that the way some story-lines are left opens the door to a possible volume 4 or possibly spin-offs following the individual fates of the writer, the art student, even the youngsters of the street gangs. I wonder if Lutes will continue with his thought-provoking graphic novels set in the nightmare era of Germany.
The Berlin of the present volume is just on the verge of the Nazi rise to power, and the city is shown as seething, with factions at each others' throats, in a setting of poverty. The infinitely sad thing is that each side - left, right, communist, fascist - selected scapegoats (the bourgeois class for the left, the Jewish community for the right) to explain the economic crisis, and were willing to resort to mass crime to consolidate their political power; hence the victimization/looting/murder of Jews, while the communist revolutionists envisaged doing much the same thing to the rich bourgeoisie (of any ethnic/religious background) had they risen to power. The masses could not resist demagogues who offered simplistic explanations to the economic problems that beset post WWI Germany - high unemployment, soaring inflation, and hunger twisted their minds so that they were willing to consider turning criminal on a mass basis (which is what Nazism was - a mass criminal movement). The Wiemar government could not right the economy and so the German democracy of approximately 20 years crashed in flames. The frightening thing to consider is that Germany was prior to the criminal cataclysm, religious, educated, and supposedly "normal." How could economic pressure, essentially, hunger, drive an entire nation over the brink into criminality? I don't doubt the mass hysteria and hate deliberately whipped up by Nazi propaganda and Hitler's speeches was the final misstep into the abyss - yet the whirlwind was building even before Hitler and the Nazis had become influential, winning seats in the Reichstag. How could Germany have switched from a religious, law-abiding country to one where all sorts of crimes were accepted, perhaps even applauded, by the majority? Is it possible that hunger itself is a poison that no amount of religion, education, can withstand? If so, what does that say about mankind - that given conditions of poverty, unemployment, inflation, hunger, deprivation, a "criminal switch" can be flipped in any country? And that "ganging up" on vulnerable minorities or a group that is seen to still have money such as the rich/bourgeoisie, is the final impetus into the unleashing of mass criminality? Because of the possibility, in the most basic terms, of stealing bread from others and not being caught or punished for it? That extremist politics would make crime "permissible?" And extremism of either the left or right dangling ill-gotten bread before the eyes of the hungry, that's what what drove Germany over the edge?
No doubt these questions have been pondered and discussed and will be pondered and discussed probably forever - the underlying issue may be physical debilitation, deprivation, hunger more or less setting the stage for social disintegration that can, if the gasoline of extremism is poured into the smoldering embers, lead to mass crime, characterized/condoned by demagogues as revolutionary action.
This graphic novel, like the previous two, is very well-drawn, and weaves together several story-lines that illustrate the gathering storm-clouds - street violence, the destruction and looting of Kristalnacht, the steps that led to Hitler's rise to power. I do think that the way some story-lines are left opens the door to a possible volume 4 or possibly spin-offs following the individual fates of the writer, the art student, even the youngsters of the street gangs. I wonder if Lutes will continue with his thought-provoking graphic novels set in the nightmare era of Germany.
September 14, 2019
https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3253952.html
Well, we had to wait more than ten years, and the third volume is shorter than the other two (149 pages compared to 207 and 210), but it was well worth it. Despite the shorter length, it covers a longer time period, from late 1930 up to Hitler's appointment as Chancellor in January 1933; but the main story isn't the high politics of parliamentary manœuvre, it's the ongoing story of the little people, Marthe and Kurt, the non-fictional journalist Carl von Ossietzky, the children of Gudrun who was killed by state violence at the end of the first volume, the Jews seeking to get out before it is too late, Marthe's trans lover, random insights into the thoughts of passers-by. It's a reflection of how ordinary people get caught up in extraordinary events, and in these times of Trump and Brexit it feels an awful lot more relevant than it did ten years ago. The ending of the story is, inevitably, sad but satisfying.
I should say something about Lutes' style, explicitly inspired by Hergé's ligne claire. In the first volume I sometimes found it difficult to differentiate between characters (some of the adult women in particular were a bit too similar in appearance) but I did not find this a problem later on. In fact, I felt that the immediacy of the style made it easier to relate to the characters as real people in a real city, rather than incidental players in a grand historical tragedy. It's a great example of what the graphic medium can be - as I said previously, in the Eisner style, but reflecting also on Hergé and the Drawn and Quarterly tradition.
Well, we had to wait more than ten years, and the third volume is shorter than the other two (149 pages compared to 207 and 210), but it was well worth it. Despite the shorter length, it covers a longer time period, from late 1930 up to Hitler's appointment as Chancellor in January 1933; but the main story isn't the high politics of parliamentary manœuvre, it's the ongoing story of the little people, Marthe and Kurt, the non-fictional journalist Carl von Ossietzky, the children of Gudrun who was killed by state violence at the end of the first volume, the Jews seeking to get out before it is too late, Marthe's trans lover, random insights into the thoughts of passers-by. It's a reflection of how ordinary people get caught up in extraordinary events, and in these times of Trump and Brexit it feels an awful lot more relevant than it did ten years ago. The ending of the story is, inevitably, sad but satisfying.
I should say something about Lutes' style, explicitly inspired by Hergé's ligne claire. In the first volume I sometimes found it difficult to differentiate between characters (some of the adult women in particular were a bit too similar in appearance) but I did not find this a problem later on. In fact, I felt that the immediacy of the style made it easier to relate to the characters as real people in a real city, rather than incidental players in a grand historical tragedy. It's a great example of what the graphic medium can be - as I said previously, in the Eisner style, but reflecting also on Hergé and the Drawn and Quarterly tradition.
January 23, 2019
J'ai commencé la lecture ce troisième et dernier tome, ayant lu le précédent, à sa sortie, il y a 10 ans. Le premier a débuté il y a plus de 20 ans. Je me suis demandé si ce serait difficile sans avoir les deux premiers tomes de cette trilogie. Il en a été tout autrement.
L'histoire se reprend facilement grâce à une histoire simple, tout en ayant des connaissances de la Grande Histoire. Le scénario se bâtit en connaissance de nombreux autres récits connus, et moins connus, sur le même lieu, à la même époque et se lit de manière limpide, avec une dramaturgie sobre, sans concessions, en prévision des événements à venir. Le dessin est à l'image de l'histoire, sobre, avec un magnifique mise en scène, utilisant le matériau de la BD à son plein potentiel.
Je relirai avec empressement les deux premiers.
Magistral
L'histoire se reprend facilement grâce à une histoire simple, tout en ayant des connaissances de la Grande Histoire. Le scénario se bâtit en connaissance de nombreux autres récits connus, et moins connus, sur le même lieu, à la même époque et se lit de manière limpide, avec une dramaturgie sobre, sans concessions, en prévision des événements à venir. Le dessin est à l'image de l'histoire, sobre, avec un magnifique mise en scène, utilisant le matériau de la BD à son plein potentiel.
Je relirai avec empressement les deux premiers.
Magistral
November 30, 2018
Das lange Warten auf den abschließenden Band der Berlin-Trilogie von Jason Lutes hat sich mehr als gelohnt. Mit „Berlin. Flirrende Stadt“ legt Lutes den krönenden Abschluss vor.
Lutes bringt die Geschichte von Kurt Severing und Marthe Müller sowie weiteren Einzelfiguren zu ihrem verdienten Ende. Anhand der Geschichten der verschiedenen Personen breitet ein Panorama der späten Weimarer Republik und zeigt unprätentiös den Absturz in den Nationalsozialismus.
Lutes gelingt es mit der Berlin-Reihe einen umfassenden Einblick in das Berlin der frühen dreißiger Jahre. Die Tiefe und Genauigkeit der Darstellung dieses Berlins in einem Comic lässt einen Staunen. Dagegen wirkt „Babylon Berlin“ nur künstlich und aufgesetzt.
Und in wirkliches Staunen versetzen einen die letzten vier Doppelseiten des Comics, die den Bogen noch einmal weit über das kleine Zeitfenster des Comics hinaus spannen.
Lutes hat 23 Jahre an diesem Comic gearbeitet und damit ein Kunstwerk geschaffen.
Lutes bringt die Geschichte von Kurt Severing und Marthe Müller sowie weiteren Einzelfiguren zu ihrem verdienten Ende. Anhand der Geschichten der verschiedenen Personen breitet ein Panorama der späten Weimarer Republik und zeigt unprätentiös den Absturz in den Nationalsozialismus.
Lutes gelingt es mit der Berlin-Reihe einen umfassenden Einblick in das Berlin der frühen dreißiger Jahre. Die Tiefe und Genauigkeit der Darstellung dieses Berlins in einem Comic lässt einen Staunen. Dagegen wirkt „Babylon Berlin“ nur künstlich und aufgesetzt.
Und in wirkliches Staunen versetzen einen die letzten vier Doppelseiten des Comics, die den Bogen noch einmal weit über das kleine Zeitfenster des Comics hinaus spannen.
Lutes hat 23 Jahre an diesem Comic gearbeitet und damit ein Kunstwerk geschaffen.
December 27, 2019
I took Berlin, Vol. 1 out of my library just for curiosity. I was immediately blown away by the density of the stories told and how easy I was taken to that bohemian, dirty, wonderful, tense Berlin. I started to match each page with google searches to understand more about the Deutsches Reich's Weimar Republic and how the unclear end of WWI was just one of the many causes that brought this period to an end.
Jason Lutes brings soul to all characters in the story, which come from all possible places: bourgeoisie, fascists, communists, jews, ... and also some less clear characters that evolve over time.
All in all, one of the best graphic novels... or, better said, one of the best stories I've ever read.
Jason Lutes brings soul to all characters in the story, which come from all possible places: bourgeoisie, fascists, communists, jews, ... and also some less clear characters that evolve over time.
All in all, one of the best graphic novels... or, better said, one of the best stories I've ever read.
October 16, 2018
Magnífica obra, por fin completada 23 años después de su inicio. Ambicioso relato de la caída de la República Weimar a partir de la clásica estructura de vidas cruzadas. Su gran mérito es la delicadeza y la pausa con que retrata unos personajes perfilados con una pericia que los hace muy humanos, cuando hubiera sido fácil caer en estereotipos. La muy europea línea clara del dibujo transmite la historia con sencillez y eficacia, pero también con sutil belleza y emoción.
March 16, 2019
Beautiful ending, showing how personal stories are and are not tied to the great events of the day. Not convinced by some of the plot points, but the love of the city and a city’s freedoms shines through.
May 3, 2020
Kauan odotetussa Berliinin 3. ja viimeisessä osassa Hitlerkin näyttäytyy. Stennesin kapina on kukistettavana. Viimeisen osan päähenkilöksi, ohi Marthen, jonka saapumisesta Berliiniin kaikki alkoi, nousee nuori kommunisti Silvia. Kun natsit jyräävät kadulla ja kohta valtiopäivilläkin, on tolkun ihmisten päätettävä taistellako, paetako vai sopeuduttavako. Tyylikäs, mutta aika tiivis, lopetus hienolle sarjalle.
September 6, 2024
Kuohuva kaupunki päättää upean Berliini trilogian. Teos ei yllä intensiivisyydessään kahden ensimmäisen osan tasolle, mutta päättää hahmojen tarinat tyydyttävästi. Piirrosjälki, varsinkin rakennusten kuvaus on tässäkin osasassa upeaa.
October 29, 2018
I read this the day I got it. I was so excited to read this final volume and it really delivered. What a beautiful series.
January 10, 2024
soooo beautiful
July 22, 2024
an astonishing portrait of nazis germany
Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews