Yossel April 19, 1943 [Hardcover]

Joe Kubert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 21, 2003

Reproduced from Kubet's raw pencil work, this is a tale of inspiring triumph -- of how people deprived of everything rise above the horror and degradation that is their existence and , in a final acto fo defiance and humanity, turn on their oppressors and launch the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Kubert explores what might have been in this gripping account of WWII's Warsaw ghetto uprising. In the text introduction, Kubert recalls how his Polish family attempted to emigrate to the U.S. in 1926, but they were denied because his mother was pregnant with him. Luckily, they succeeded a few months later, and Kubert went on to become one of the most honored artists in comics history. But what if his family hadn't gotten away? In an immediate, sketchy pencil style, Kubert imagines an alternate version of his family history. Yossel is a teenaged boy with a gift for art. Uprooted and stripped of their possessions, the family is sent to the Warsaw ghetto with other Jews and undesirables, where conditions deteriorate as the Final Solution is put into action. Yossel's gift for artwork amuses the German guards and they give him special favors. Thus, when his family is sent off to a concentration camp, he is spared. He joins other young men in the underground resistance, however, including Mordechai, based on real-life ringleader Mordechai Anielewicz. An escapee from one of the camps makes his way to the ghetto and tells of the unimaginable horrors taking place, leading the resistance to stand up against the Nazis in an ultimately futile but memorable uprising. Kubert's loose pencil art excels at catching character and setting in a few lines, although the layouts are sometimes plain. A straightforward take on the events of the Holocaust, Yossel tells its tragic story with both emotion and dignity.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–Kubert combined war and comics to great effect in the "Sgt. Rock" series (DC Comics); in this work, the combination is taken in a very different direction. The author/illustrator's family immigrated to the U.S. from Poland before the Nazi invasion, but he has always been troubled by questions of "what if?" His answer is this book, a speculation on what might have happened had he found himself trapped as a teenager in the Warsaw ghetto. Kubert's alter ego is Yossel, a boy torn from his family but sustained by a compulsion to draw. The comic-book heroes of his sketches appeal to the Nazis, and the soldiers keep him on as a kind of pet. This position is of exceptional use in gathering and passing on information to the Resistance movement to which he belongs. As the uprising escalates, his art continues to provide him solace, even until his final tragic moments. Created to appear as illustrations from Yossel's sketchbook, the pages feature rough yet evocative pencil sketches rendered in Kubert's trademark dramatic style. The black-on-gray drawings make the plight of the people and the devastated, decaying hell of Warsaw in 1943 profoundly tangible. While the straightforward prose does not always have the same impact as the images, the work as a whole is a fascinating and provocative reminder of the lingering psychological effects of war.–Douglas P. Davey, Halton Hills Public Libraries, Ontario, Canada
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: IBooks (October 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 074347516X
• ISBN-13: 978-0743475167
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 6.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,232,628 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kubert''s Ghetto, July 7, 2007

By 

Bennet Pomerantz "Bennet Pomerantz, AUDIOWORLD" (College Park, Maryland) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Yossel (Paperback)

Joe Kubert has created war stories for DC comics. His stories echo the echo of the human spirit. In Yossel, his storytelling is an a high arc

This case study of the effects of war is done in pencils. It is war storytelling with a heart.


It would seem this graphic novel was Kubert's sketches and rough drafts. However, as he explains "This book is pencil rendering, rather than inked drawings". This is Kurbert, the artist and storyteller at work..This is his Maus (see the review).., It has power from his pencil drawing. I would stack this against any other war graphic novel from the Nam, Kubert's Sgt, Rock: Between A Rock and a Hard Place (see the review) to Maus as this is one of the best War fiction books

With such power, you would be foolish not to read this and see for yourself

Bennet Pomerantz AUDIOWORLD

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an amazing tale of heroism and sadness in the Warsaw Ghetto, December 11, 2003

By 

Adam P Boots (Valley Village, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Yossel April 19, 1943 (Hardcover)

Basically, Joe Kubert, the author and artist of this graphic, is doing a "what-if" story based on if his family did not make it to America when they originally left Poland. It works well as a historical peice because all of the things that happen in the story are based on interpretations of what COULD have happened to a young man in the Warsaw Ghetto. Additionally, the author makes the story very believable because Kubert looks at it from a VERY personal perspective in that it's a first person narrative. The graphics in this book are absolutely beautiful in their rough form. The pictures are reproduced to appear as pencil drawings, and the unfinished look and rough style of 50+ year comic veteran, Kubert, do nothing but enhance this already impressive story. His sketches are amazing. They're rough, but very detailed. They have such a human characteristic in their rendering, in that they're very detailed but also very 'flawed.' It makes them perfect for the story. They reflect the narrator's emotions and feelings throughout the story and also manage to change as the story goes on, as the narrator's views and beliefs change throughout the story.

This is basically what a graphic novel is SUPPOSED to be. A great story told through both pictures and words. It's also a heart-wrenching view into a very sad time and place in our history. Normally, I'd say that being a comic book fan would create a bias towards a graphic novel. This is not your average comic book/graphic novel. This is an amazing tale of heroism and sadness told through words and images. If you care at all about good, heartfelt storytelling, then you should purchase this Graphic Novel. It will not disappoint...

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kubert's "Yossel" Is A Moving Work Of Art, November 21, 2003

By 

B. Bukowski (Montana USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Yossel April 19, 1943 (Hardcover)

Yossel is a young Jewish artist living a decent life in Poland with his family, until a horrendous event will forever change his life. This incredible book follows the story of an innocent Jews trying to survive the horrors of the Holocaust; from the terrible conditions of the Warsaw Ghetto to the inhumane and atrocious environment of the work camps.

The story is narrated by Yossel, and the captions are very moving; but the phenomenal illustrations is where the story really shines. Kubert opted to use only pencils to tell this story and the result is magnificent. The rough sketches help to establish a dour, dark tone and really add to the level of realism.

"Yossel" is highly recomended for people with an interest in WWII or the Holocaust, fans of movies such as "The Pianist", or anyone looking for a powerful, moving work of art.