1. How do Spiegelman’s comics relate to the comic strips and comic books you’ve seen before? In what ways are they similar, and how are they different?

2. Some of Spiegelman’s strips tell stories, while others experiment with the form of comics. Which do you prefer? Why?

3. Can Spiegelman’s comics be considered “art”?

4. Does Spiegelman have a unique style? If so, how could you characterize it?

5. Would you read Maus differently after reading Breakdowns?

6. In Portraits, Spiegelman quotes Victor Shlovsky, an important Russian literary theorist, who wrote, “The technique of art is to make objects ‘unfamiliar,’ to make forms difficult…” Do you agree with this vision of art and how it works?

7. Breakdowns has the words “Adults Only!” on its cover; Maus does not. How do you feel about this distinction, and why do you think the publishers made it?