Raw Volume 2 Number 2: Required Reading for the Post-Literate

by Art Spiegelman

This graphic fantasy novel is the second of its kind, following on from "Raw" volume 1.

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

190 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

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

[David A Townsend · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cartoons great, Slaughter house reporting decades out of date. Wish they had used the word abattoir.

[Robert Hudder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much to say. A blast from the past to see some writers and artists from a few years back. Maus was in here as well. So, you can see who made it from that scene and who didn't. It is more apparent who sticks out when you are looking back.Chris Ware, for example, looks a lot more fresh in this context. And found someone that I would like to follow up on. Yoshiharu Tsuge.

And I wonder at how come it still takes such a long time for certain ideas to take hold. Same old stories about factory farming. This has been an ongoing discussion since ... well definitely before 1990.

Anyway. Fun read. Required reading for the Post-Literate. Seems funny when you consider how Maus was taken after it was published.

[Lucas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, though not revolutionarily so. Lineup most notably includes Charles Burns pre-Black Holes, Chris Ware pre-Jimmy Corrigan and Richard McGuire pre-Here (but also technically post-Here, make that make sense), as well as Jacques Tardi, Windsor McCay and Jooste Swarte reprints. And of course Art Spiegelman mid-Maus ! I think my favorite part might have been the excerpts of Henry Darger's autobiography. Sounds like a tortured soul but his "Story of the Vivian Girl, in What is Known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glandeco-Angelinian War Storm, Caused by the Child Slave Rebellion", looks absolutely bonkers.

[Scott Eggerding · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems silly to talk about the golden age of Comix, but Raw never disappoints. Chris Ware. Lynda Barry. Art Spiegelman. Richard McGuire. Thought provoking. Irreverent. And some nonfiction as well. Makes we want to keep buying the other editions I didn’t get in the 90’s

[Rob]

RISD Library treat

[Tristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jam-packed with excellence.

[Kristianne]

Another great, weird pick from David Bowie's list of 100 favorite books that we're working through on the Bowie Book Club. Episode up now! http://www.bowiebookclub.com/episodes...