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A review by jasonfurman
Fagin the Jew by Will Eisner
3.0
A graphic novel that re-tells the pre-story and story of Oliver Twist from Fagin's perspective. The first half tells the story of Moses Fagin, an Ashkenazi Jewish boy born in London in tough circumstances who gets a number of opportunities to be honest and succeed but each time gets unfairly fired or framed/convicted/transported and the like, moving further down the rungs of society and further into crime. In many cases he is victimized because he is Jewish. This story is in many ways like Oliver Twist's story, except with more setbacks, a broader social critique, and--of course--without the happy ending. I found this half interesting, especially the depiction of Jewish life in London and the distinction between Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews (Will Eisner surmises that Fagan was the former but that Cruikshank drew him as the later, the difference was the former at the time were more recent arrivals in England and lower class and less assimilated).
The second half becomes a retelling of Oliver Twist that is pretty much completely consistent with Dickens but presents a somewhat more complex and tortured psychology for Fagin who is depicted as more trapped by his lot and genuinely protective of his boys than Dickens presents him to be. It does not contradict Dickens but expands on it, slightly.
The artwork in both halves was generally excellent, especially Fagin as he ages and the emotion shown in his face. All nicely Victorian period and expressive. Except Nancy who looks very odd.
The book has a preface and afterward about stereotypes in cartoons where Eisner confesses his guilt at creating the stereotyped black figure of Ebony in The Spirit, talks about why cartoonists do stereotypes, but also the harm they cause in reinforcing these stereotypes. He concludes that Dickens did not mean harm but that he did substantial harm by labelling Fagin "the Jew" in a way he did not, for example, label Sikes "The Christian."
Very worth reading but a little didactic in the point it is focused on making.
The second half becomes a retelling of Oliver Twist that is pretty much completely consistent with Dickens but presents a somewhat more complex and tortured psychology for Fagin who is depicted as more trapped by his lot and genuinely protective of his boys than Dickens presents him to be. It does not contradict Dickens but expands on it, slightly.
The artwork in both halves was generally excellent, especially Fagin as he ages and the emotion shown in his face. All nicely Victorian period and expressive. Except Nancy who looks very odd.
The book has a preface and afterward about stereotypes in cartoons where Eisner confesses his guilt at creating the stereotyped black figure of Ebony in The Spirit, talks about why cartoonists do stereotypes, but also the harm they cause in reinforcing these stereotypes. He concludes that Dickens did not mean harm but that he did substantial harm by labelling Fagin "the Jew" in a way he did not, for example, label Sikes "The Christian."
Very worth reading but a little didactic in the point it is focused on making.