I, Rene Tardi, Prisoner of War in Stalag IIB

French cartoonist Tardi (Goddamn This War!), adapts his father Rene’s memories of World War II into a harrowing and bitterly humorous dialogue between father and son. Tardi cleverly portrays himself as a child following his dad around as he narrates the alternately tedious and horrifying events he witnessed as a tank commander and prisoner of war. He saw the Luftwaffe strafing civilians and experienced torture at the hands of his captors. While life in a POW camp was dehumanizing and filled with hardships and constant hunger, the prisoners keep their spirits up by interfering with their German captors’ obsession with order. Rene’s witty asides to his son create a surprisingly funny tone, from scatological anecdotes to stories of an impromptu can-can. Tardi employs his typical mixture of dense, dreary gray-scaled naturalism and lumpy, cartoonish character design. It always seems to be raining in Tardi’s world, which is rather fitting for the ramshackle camp scenes. This intensely personal work is one of Tardi’s best and most accessible—uncompromising in its portrayal of war yet relatable as a story of a son trying to understand his father. [em](July) [/em]