On November 12, 2018, we lost Stan Lee. I think it was one of those things many (such as myself) did not think would happen for a long time, even though the man was 95 years old and had lived a full, successful life. It was a friend of mine (shout out to K. Hogan) who mentioned Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, and how it followed events in the lives of many of the great comic book creators, Stan Lee being one of them. And although I had never ventured out into a Chabon book before, after hearing the description, I figured now was as good a time as any.The Situation: Josef "Joe" Kavalier is a magician, and a master escape artist. At only 19 years-old, he has pulled off the impossible and managed to escape his Nazi-occupied home of Prague, Czechoslovakia. Once he reaches his final destination of New York City, if he makes it, the plan is to then arrange for the his father, mother, and little brother Thomas to join him. His cousin, 17 year-old Sammy Klayman, has different goals. And after meeting his cousin for the first time when he finally arrives at his home in Brooklyn, and after seeing that Joe has some real talent when it comes to drawing, he understands how he is going to make a life, as well as a name for himself. With the creation of a caped superhero called Superman taking the country by storm, Sammy is ready to get in on not quite the ground floor, but it is still pretty close. Joe may not be entirely convinced - he cannot even speak English all that well yet - but he goes along anyway. And neither of them has any idea how their creations will shape their future.
The Problem: Joe and Sammy are talented, there is no doubt about that. And they have plenty of ideas, and some of them are even good. But of course, if they want to get their work and their names out there, they have to play the publishing game, which means they cannot be their own editors (something that Sammy feels is a slap in his face), and they may have to tone down the one theme Joe wants to hold onto, and that is the theme of fighting Nazis. Negotiations are made, and The Escapist is born, as are a few other characters created by Kavalier & Clay. But the boys' success in comic books is only part of their story. What will follow is actual conflict with real Nazis, both in the country and out, as Joe eventually enlists in the military, only to be stationed in Antarctica. And having his family perform the same escape act out of Europe that he did proves more difficult than he thought. There is even a love story, for both men, though Sammy's will be complicated, more because of the conflict he is having within himself. It seems that while the boys put heroes and adventures on paper, there is plenty that is also happening around them, and they must decide what kind of heroes they would like to be.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a historical fiction book set during and after World War II. Superman has just been created, and now everyone wants their own piece of the comic book pie and is scrambling to create their own superhero. Most people see comic books as frivolous, not worth the time, and the scourge of the literary scene, but that does not stop their popularity, and their creators and publishers manage to make plenty of money off of them. The first superhero created by Kavalier & Clay is the Escapist, a man who can work his way out of any situation, particularly one that involves locks and chains, any situation where he would be tied or bound up. This is of course a reference to Joe's background in escapology, but it will also serve as a later reference to Sammy as he struggles to come to terms with his sexuality. Throughout the book, the boys will continue to attempt, often successfully, to escape one situation or another, even though it would have sometimes proved better to simply face what they were dealing with. But there was a war going on, in more ways then one, and each of them find themselves fighting their own private battles. As I mentioned before, Chabon based the events in the book on real ones that happened to actual comic book creators. The book is even dedicated to the late Jack Kirby, creator of one of my favorites, Captain America. It is a thorough exploration of a time when one man attempted to take over the world, and men (as well as some women) in capes and tights became the heroes we were looking for.
My Verdict: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay may be a long one, but not like War and Peace long. At 600+ pages, I would say it is about as long as it needs to be. In fact, it probably could have gone on for another 50 pages or so, if only to provide closure on a few things, or follow-up on some of the more minor characters the reader had come to love. The book starts out as somewhat silly, even given the background of Nazi-occupied Prague and Joe's incredible escape from his home country. It is the banter between the cousins, and then the dialogue between Sammy and the publishers (since Joe does not speak much in the beginning) that gives the book an overall feel of a long comic book, but without the pictures and over the top action scenes. The title is incredibly apt, as the reader does follow Joe and Sammy on their adventures, many of them worthy of being drawn and colored in. And like many comic books, the book goes to some dark and serious places, because fighting crime and playing the vigilante is often a dark and serious thing. If Chabon's goal was to honor the greats, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby among them, then I believe he did a great job.
Favorite Moment: When Joe is able to successfully take down a Nazi sympathizer, while also foiling his plot to potentially harm a large crowd at a Bar Mitzvah.
Favorite Character: George Deasey is Chief Editor at Empire Comics, and also a ridiculous human being. He may be antagonistic, especially towards Sammy, but he ends up helping the boys out of more than one tough situation.
Recommended Reading: While a very different book, Catch-22 by Joseph Heller also tows the line between silly and extremely dark when dealing with WWII.
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