X-Men: Magneto Testament

Yesterday I picked up two new comic books from my local library that I had booked a few months ago. I had a good evening curled up in bed reading them.

One of them was X-Men: Magneto Testament. All five volumes of the mini series in one glossy graphic novel.

It is an "origins story" that seeks to piece together and harmonize (as there are discrepancies) the various snippets of Magneto's origin from years of comic book story telling by many different writers.

WARNING: SOME SPOILERS AHEAD! But I have tried to be as general as possible and it is based on history so .... :-)

It has no typical comic superhero story-lines - no Magneto using his mutant powers etc ... well just once but he doesn't know he has this power ... But it's a great read as it strives to be as historically accurate as possible so it is a good historical graphic novel (unlike Dan Brown's DaVinci code!). It's a story of how Magneto (Max Eisenhardt) as a young boy learns to survive and fight to protect his family and the girl he fell in love with from his time as school boy and then in war torn Poland, and finally in Auschwitz-Birkenau. It does help make the Magneto character all the more human and conflicted and adds more depth into why he thinks the way he does.

Lots of great moments in the book.

Magneto does try his best to not retaliate despite all the injustice (following the advice of his teacher and friend who tells him "The Japanese say that the nail that sticks up gets hammered down."). But it is hard and when he snaps and retaliates, he indeed gets "hammered down".

How he loses hope and decides to die till he sees ....

And I like this conversation (Magneto's in red) with his fellow inmates (not that I agree with his reasoning but I can certainly understand and sympathize):

October 5, 1944:

The resistance sent a note ...

No. No more delays.

Kapo please ... they're BEGGING you not to fight.

The Germans already took the names of three hundred Sonderkommnado in Creamatoria IV and V ....

They'll kill THEM next week and the REST of us within the month.

You don't know that.

Don't lie to yourself. This is the END.

The resistance says if we revolt, the whole CAMP will suffer.

PFT.

On Kristallnacht, my father wanted to fight, but then the Nazis might have killed the whole family.

In the ghetto, I could have gutted a Nazi murderer. But then they would have killed a hundred Jews in retaliation.

Two months ago, I could have pushed the Haupschafuhrer into the fire pit. But then they would have killed the rest of my work crew.

So to save everyone, I did nothing. And guess what? They killed them all anyway.

Okay enough spoilers except to say that there is a bonus true story with reproductions of actual artwork (portraits) by an artist who was forced by the Nazis to paint them in Auschitz. The artist is still alive today.

I wonder if Marvel will have the guts to make this it a movie like they did to tell Wolverine's origins. But then I doubt it ... stories about the Holocaust is not PC today and such a movie probably won't make much money ... :-(

I found this graphic novel it compelling and I intend to hold on to it a little longer before returning to re-read the in depth end notes and extras (many are not in comic book form but little essays).