World War II has been told, retold, used as a setting and used to tell real-life stories for almost a century. One of the most recent comics, “Whistleblowers: Four Who Fought to Expose the holocaust to America” by Rafael Medoff and Artist Dean Motter, tells of four people who tried to warn America and the world of what was going on in Europe.
The first comic, “The Book Hitler Didn’t Want You to Read,” has “The Phantom” creator Lee Falk recounts how future US Senator Alan Cranston created his version of “Mein Kampf” after seeing how watered down the US version of the book was and the legal backlash he faced. It’s an interesting and informative comic that many would say resonates today.
Told through a letter written by one of the passengers, Arthur Weil, “Voyage of the Doomed” tells of the passengers of the “St. Louis” sailing from Germany to Cuba. The problem is, a lot has happened between departure and arrival and the fate of the passengers is uncertain. This is one of the rare first-hand accounts of the Jews trying to escape Germany only to be told they were not wanted in that country. It’s fascinating to those who are interested in the personal messages from the Jews in WWII but not really for everyone.
“Blowing the Whistle on Genocide,” tells of Josiah E. Dubois, Jr’s efforts to save Jewish refugees and bring to light the US government saying they’re doing something to help them when in reality they are doing nothing and trying to hide it. This comic is a little boring even though what Dubois did save many lives. This is more for hardcore historians than a passing learner of WWII history.
The final comic, “Karski’s Mission to Stop the Holocaust,” is about Jan Karski, a former Polish officer turned underground member after the Nazis invaded and then a diplomat for the Polish government. His mission was to let the world know that the Nazis were sending Jews to death camps but nobody believed him. Like the previous comic, this is interesting for those who are hardcore history buffs but not a regular person.
All four comics are drawn to look like 1930s comics which fits the setting for all four comics especially the first one. While some panels don’t stand out that much, some are amazing. These panels usually depict some kind of carnage or show a cityscape like New York, Havana or Miami.
After each comic, there are photos and small biographies of the people in the comic. These give a little extra info on these people and what they did during WWII. These are great bonuses that are of great help for history buffs.
“Whistleblowers” has some great insights into relevantly unknown people who were important to WWII’s history. Some may find them boring but others will enjoy reading about them. Making the art look like 1930s comics is a bonus.
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