Shigeru Mizuki’s Hitler

A fresh take on one of the most notorious villains in history is no easy task, but with this terrifying book, esteemed manga artist Mizuki (GeGeGe No Kitaro; Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths)—who lost an arm as a soldier during WW II—gives readers a tight narrative that shows how a man of humble beginnings can rise to power, wage war and genocide, and come within a hair’s breadth of conquering the world. From Hitler’s failure to pass exams for art school, to his beer-hall radicalizing, the book carefully sets the backdrop for his inevitable rise. Mizuki’s canvas is a provocative one, juxtaposing medium-panel shots of Hitler’s day-to-day interactions with his inner circle and large establishing shots that oscillate between depictions of Hitler’s glory and Germany’s bombardment and ruin. He deftly balances dialogue and narration, never using a heavy hand or complicating the reader’s movement through the text. Impossible to put down, this is a candidate for the year’s best graphic novel. (Dec.)