In the Shadow of No Towers Respone

• What is the dominant impression you get from the comic? What do you make of the title of Spiegelman’s series of comics? What is going on in the frames and in the gutters?
• Discuss the images in the comic. What do you make of the various ways in which Spiegelman draws his character (human, cartoon human, mouse, etc.)? Why is he doing this? What effect does it have on his narrative?
• Examine the narrative through the text. What does the text do in this piece? What function does it serve?

It is hard to pinpoint the dominant impression I got from this comic.  It seemed almost cynical, and very dark.  Any humor in this piece was very dark as well.  I felt not exactly happy when reading this comic, instead I felt disturbed but fascinated.  I wanted to keep on reading because it was so incredibly fascinating, the art and the writing that is.  The title is descriptive of and relevant to what is going on in the comic, but not completely straight forward. 

There is a lot going on the frames.  There are many people panicking and racing about.  The style of art changes quite a bit as well.  Sometimes it looks very cartoony and, one could say, old school.  The mouse appears, to me, more human than even the human characters.  A personified mouse is of course the most unrealistic thing in this comic but he is still the most like a human being to me.  The actual human beings in this comic are drawn too cartoony to seem perfectly human.

The different styles of drawings in this comic create a certain effect.  They make the piece seem more hectic and out of control, and this is exactly how the people in the comic are feeling.  It is a reflection of what the characters and the environment of the comic are feeling and experiencing. 

The text in this comic is important, as it gives more insight into the feelings and the panic of the characters.  It also gives insight into the drama and the darkness of the event.  The mouse, for example, is comparing 9/11 to Auschwitz.  This is a powerful comparison, even coming from a mouse.  This comparing of 9/11 to Auschwitz gives a better idea of the tragedy that was 9/11 and the fear that came with it.