In this installment of our series on groundbreaking releases from 1986, we’re spotlighting Maus, Art Spiegelman’s landmark graphic novel about his father, Vladek, a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor.

Written and illustrated by Spiegelman, Maus moves between Vladek’s harrowing wartime experiences and the complicated relationship between father and son decades later. Through the now-famous device of portraying different groups as animals—Jews as mice, Germans as cats—Spiegelman creates a layered story about trauma, memory, and survival.

On this episode, we dig into Spiegelman’s background in underground comics, his exploration of survivor’s guilt woven throughout Maus, and his warts-and-all portrayal of, not only his dad, but himself in the story. 

We also discuss the critical reception that helped elevate Maus beyond the comics world. In 1992, Maus became the first graphic novel ever awarded a Pulitzer Prize. Nearly forty years later, it stands as one of the most powerful works the medium has ever produced.