Review: Trina Gets Last Shot at Nazis in "Partisans"
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Partisans: A Graphic History of Anti-Fascist Resistance, edited by Raymond Tyler and Paul Buhle. Between the Lines Nonfiction, $34.95 paperback, 6” x 9” 148pp, ISBN: 9781771136525.. Partisans Press Release PDF
It’s a sign of our times that multiple new publications have been appearing reminding us of the history of successful resistance to fascism. Among recent popular titles like the Rachel Maddow projects Ultra and Prequel, On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder (illustrated by Nora Krug), and The Antifa Comic Book: 100 Years of Fascism and Antifa Movements by Gord Hill, we now have Partisans: A Graphic History of Anti-Fascist Resistance edited by Raymond Tyler and Paul Buhle (Between the Lines Books).
Partisans examines the history of activists trained during the Spanish Civil War who continued to fight fascism and recruit others in occupied Europe during WW2. The book collects eleven stories written and drawn by comics creators both well-known and new, including the last story written by the late Trina Robbins.
The book includes a helpful timeline of WW2 in Europe and an introduction detailing the persistence of the anti-fascist movement from the response to Mussolini in the 20s through the Spanish Civil War to wide-spread resistance throughout Europe during WW2. The afterword contains a discussion of the evolution of war comics and their importance, including the comics journalism of Joe Sacco, Art Spiegelman’s Maus, Kirby and Simon’s Boy Commandoes, Harvey Kurtzman’s Two Fisted Tales, the Barefoot Gen manga began by Keiji Kakazawa, and underground comix by Spain Rodriquez and Jack Jackson.
Following in the footsteps of these creators, Partisans includes stories about activists fighting back against the Nazis in Hungry, France, Yugoslavia & Croatia, Italy, Russia, and the Netherlands in a wide range of graphic styles. Trina’s story, “Three Dutch Girls,” drawn by Anne Timmons, her collaborator on the Go! Girl series and the award-winning graphic novel Lily Renee: Escape Artist, tells the tale of Hannie Schaft and the sisters Truus and Freddie Oversteegen, three young women recruited into the resistance who would lure Nazis with an offer of sex and then kill them.
The story details how the girls were recruited and tested (would they go through with killing a man?), their first kill, their evolution within the resistance, and the capture and murder of Hannie by the Nazis. Trina, who was an ardent feminist and activist for LGBTQIA+ rights throughout her life, felt strongly about Trump’s abuse of power and would have been proud that the story of these strong women would be her last word.
On the whole, I learned a lot from this book both about violent resistance during the occupation and about how WW2 reshaped Europe. Highly recommend!
Partisans: A Graphic History of Anti-Fascist Resistance, edited by Raymond Tyler and Paul Buhle. Between the Lines Nonfiction, $34.95 paperback, 6” x 9” 148pp, ISBN: 9781771136525. Text, story, and art by Raymond Tyler & Paul Buhle, Sharon Rudahl, Sander Feinberg & Summer McClinton, Daniel Selig, Seth Tobocman, Franca Bannerman, Luisa Cetti, and Isabella Bannerman, David Lester, Trina Robbins & Anne Timmons, David Lasky, Kevin Pyle, and Gary & Laura Dumm.
