Writer/Artist: Reinhard Kleist
$22.95, SelfMadeHero, 200 pgs.
ISBN 978-1906838775
Among fans of world comics, Germany is kind of a non-entity. Apart from the inoffensive, kid-friendly Fix und Foxi, comics have just never been as popular in Germany as they are in places like France, Belgium, and Japan, where they're positively revered, or even the U.S., where comics drive massive merchandising and media empires. In recent years, though, a few German graphic novelists have started to put Germany on the comics map, producing work that is both technically impressive and less reliant on genre tropes than much of the work produced in countries with rich comics traditions. Reinhard Kleist is one of Germany's brightest comics talents, and his latest book, THE BOXER, is absolutely riveting.
THE BOXER is the true story of Hertzko (later "Harry") Haft, a Polish Jew who runs a smuggling ring in Nazi-occupied Bełchatów, Poland, only to end up in Auschwitz. He's not in Auschwitz for long, though: his physicality and viciousness get him sent to the labor camp near Jaworzno, where he is forced to compete in bare-knuckle boxing matches—to the death—for the amusement of his Nazi keepers. Hertzko makes his way to the United States after the war's end, where he pursues a career doing the only thing he knows: fighting.
Drawn in stark black and white, THE BOXER is a very different kind of Holocaust narrative. Haft is not a sympathetic character; he's a born survivor with a remarkable capacity for violence and self-interest. This what makes his story interesting, though: burdened by horrific memories and the dream of a woman left behind long, long ago, even the brutish Hertzko is revealed to be painfully human. Kleist shows us Haft's sense of loss, his rage, unfiltered and without commentary. The reading experience is revelatory. THE BOXER will break your heart, but you won't be able to put it down.
TIPS FOR LIBRARIANS: A substantial read that will appeal to your regular graphic novel readers and to those who'd normally never read a graphic novel. This book is a bargain.
READERS' ADVISORY NOTES: Hertzo "Harry" Haft's pro boxing career was brief (1948-49), but this book may have some appeal for fight fans, especially in light of Haft's claims regarding his 1949 bout with Rocky Marciano. This book is also one of those great "introductions to the medium of comics" I'm always going on about: just about any history buff will appreciate its unflinching portrayal of a complex man making his way through turbulent times. Don't worry that the book was originally published in German; the translation is excellent.
CONTENT ADVISORY: Some nudity/sexual content, graphic violence/brutality
Review © 2014, C. Michael Hall.
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