A Jew in Communist Prague: Loss of Innocence

Rating:
Summary: Volume 1(of 3) ; One of the best comicbooks ever...
Review: "A JEW IN COMMUNIST PRAGUE" vol. 1-3 TPs by Vittorio Giardino. Insuperable, lofty, & a darn unfaltering imagining of a Jewish boy reckoning's, a coming-of-age signification of a comicbook..... in 1950's Communist Prague. A powerful writing, roundly flawless, a guaranteed masterpiece, plus with an eye-filling art. For pertinent browsers-- zealots or neophytes alike.

Vol. 1, the story, obliges within the nimbus of 1950 Prague, Czechoslovakia. Jonas Finkel, the protagonist & the son of a bourgeois. His father, Dr. Finkel is forthwith apprehended & vanishes for no clear cause at all. The Communism order of a government in Prague blindingly renounces all prerogatives going for the Finkels such as freezing their assets, snooping their ways, & depriving of Jonas of abiding schooling & as well his mother, of procuring estimable jobs instead of odd manual labor, due to hardship they see sans her husband.

Vol. 2 carries on, as Jonas reaches his teen years. His father was arrested for "anti-socialist activities"(counter revolutionary activities & espionage) from those bygone days of war. Void of realized education & government repression, Jonas unshakeably plods from one menial job to another until he finally found his pinings-- a nigh, lasting pursuit in a small, neighborhood bookstore. On that point, abling found his moment to express his dissidence-- in a way by joining a recalcitrant group of teens who stealthily congregate at Petrin Park to sing & recite forbidden texts. Amid the crowd is a blonde with a blue-eyed girl names Tatiana, who at first sight titillates Jonas' heart.

Vol. 3 gravely picks-up the paces & shines its beacon on the literary movement of which Jonas has gallivated to, with the government on their heels chasing the shadows to ferret them out. Meanwhile, Jonas learns his bookstore owner is deeply in mire in one himself & Jonas has to intrepidly exacts great peril to aid his wishes.

A Jew in Communist Prague--- for me, is a certified one of the bestest graphic novels mustered up & Vittorio Giardino, a snap, as one of the arch graphic novelists ever traipses, fornent 2 of my most cherished writers-- the peerless Stan Lee & the conversant J.M. DeMatteis.

It is blasphemous not to adore the artwork for its lone beauty, meticulous panels & perfect presentation. And the colors are sprawl in light, pastel combinations that rebound easy to ones eyes.

A CAVEAT EMPTOR. It contains explicit sexual contents in vol. 1 & has a mild, very short burst of sexual connotation on vol. 3. Still, an appropriate book for young adults upward.

These 3 volumes each sizes at 8.5" width X 11" lenght in format, softcover yet satiably sewn & sturdy, have 48 pages of contents for each vol. 1 & 2, while have 56 pages for vol. 3.

A quick brush to anti-semitism. To my surprise, there is no cue or whatsoever of anti-semitic. Perhaps it is in the murkiest details & in fleeting nuances, & Iam not well-versed enough to place.

This title was at first figured gleefully a quartet-to-be, but the supposed "concluding" installment misses coming out. Still, it can be considered a good enough "finished product" by the 3 volumes themselves.

These others are also the same good readings. "No Pasaran" vol. 1 & 2 TPs by Vittorio Giardino; "To the Heart of the Storm" TP by Will Eisner; "the Fixer" HC by Joe Sacco; & "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" vol. 1-4 TPs by Andy Seto.

A "Must Own" gem & a stellar place atop anyone's shelf.

HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION !!!


P.S.-- Vol. 1 subtitles "LOSS OF INNOCENCE" (for eg., "A Jew in Communist Prague: loss of Innocence" ). Vol. 2 subtitles "ADOLESCENCE", & vol. 3 is "REBELLION", just to avoid confusion.

Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Begining
Review: The first in Italian cartoonist Giardino's series about a Jewish boy growing up in Communist Prague introduces us to Jonas Finkel and his pleasant middle-class life in Prague. His professor father is arrested for allegedly being a counterrevolutionary, although the unstated truth is that he's the victim of unofficial state anti-Semitism. The book is at its best in showing Jonas and his mother gradually sliding into poverty while they try to penetrate the state beauracracy to learn of the father's whereabouts and sentence. When Jonas is not admitted to high school due to his father's alleged crimes, he enters the workforce and awkwardly encounters the stirrings of hormones. The art is done in the lovely realistic style I tend to associate with European cartoonists, with appropriately washed out coloring. It'll be great to see all the books together.

Rating:
Summary: Captivating, a must-read
Review: When you first pick this book up, do not scoff at it simply because it is full of pictures. A Jew in Communist Prague is a fine example of what a graphic novel or any book should be modelled after. The story is a truly captivating tale, providing a down-to-level, human look into the life of Jonas Finkel and the brutish treatment of his family because they are Jewish. All of this is told wonderfully, as the writer displays his brilliance for storytelling, pacing, characterization, and dialogue. And complimenting this marvelous plot are the equally fantastic illustrations, which style manages to perfectly mesh with this story of social and political issues in Communist Czechoslovakia. This is a very intelligent read and is recommended for fans of all genres.

Rating:
Summary: Captivating, a must-read
Review: When you first pick this book up, do not scoff at it simply because it is full of pictures. A Jew in Communist Prague is a fine example of what a graphic novel or any book should be modelled after. The story is a truly captivating tale, providing a down-to-level, human look into the life of Jonas Finkel and the brutish treatment of his family because they are Jewish. All of this is told wonderfully, as the writer displays his brilliance for storytelling, pacing, characterization, and dialogue. And complimenting this marvelous plot are the equally fantastic illustrations, which style manages to perfectly mesh with this story of social and political issues in Communist Czechoslovakia. This is a very intelligent read and is recommended for fans of all genres.