Graphic Novel Review: The Journey of Marcel Grob

I never had much interest in war narratives until I came across Tanya the Evil. It’s a completely fictional isekai, but its war nerd creator did such a wonderful job dramatizing the varied aspects of military conflict that it completely hooked me. Since then, I’ve checked off titles such as Tom Hanks’ Greyhound and the Ken Burns documentary The War from my viewing list. On the graphic novel front, I recently reviewed The Journey of Marcel Grob. Read on for the review!

Back Cover Blurb

In the dead of night, eighty-three-year-old Marcel Grob is sequestered by an investigating judge who questions him about his past. Particularly beginning on June 28, 1944, the day when “Marzell,” like ten thousand of his German-speaking peers from the French borderland province of Alsace, became a member of the Nazis’ infamous Waffen SS. But did the teenager volunteer, or was he conscripted by the Nazis? Was he a “Malgré-nous,” one of those forced to comply, or was he a war criminal? To establish the truth of his troubled past, Marcel Grob will have to revisit painful memories as an adolescent forced to fight in Italy with the sinister Reichsführer division. Determined to prove his innocence, Marcel begins the story of a long journey into night.

The Review

In the dead of night, 83-year-old Marcel Grob is taken from his wife and home and brought before a mysterious war crimes tribunal. At first, he vehemently denies the allegations, contending he never took part in the war. However, when the judge presents irrefutable proof that Marcel was a member of the Nazis’ Waffen SS, the old Frenchman must delve into his painful past as a forced conscript in order to prove his innocence.

This graphic novel is written from the perspective of an old man recollecting his experiences as a teenager on the battlefield. As such, the scope is limited to the places and events he lived through during his nine months as a conscript before the war ended. Moreover, the authors are French and presumably crafted the story for a French audience. So rather than a sweeping narrative of the world at war, the creators present an ordeal unique to a very specific group of people, namely the German-speaking inhabitants of the French borderland province of Alsace.

So if you are an American and not well-versed in World War II, this is not a good title to start with. In addition to assuming readers are acquainted with the situation in Europe in 1944-1945, the graphic novel presumes an awareness of the distinction between the Waffen SS and the Wehrmacht. (I was unfamiliar with both terms prior to reading this book). English translations are not provided for German military ranks and terms. While a historical account of the Malgre-Nous is provided at the end of the book, the expert who wrote it goes much deeper into the weeds than the casual reader can follow. In other words, it is not an easy read. The account feels more like an academic paper rather than a text for laypeople.

However, if you are a World War II nerd and particularly interested in Nazism or the French occupation, there’s a lot to sink your teeth into. Through the experience of Marcel and his compatriots, we learn the various motives that brought the youth of Alsace to join the ranks of the Waffen SS and the consequences of avoiding conscription, deserting, and faking following orders. The narrative particularly emphasizes the tenuous situation Marcel and his peers are forced into. On one hand, they are despised because they take on the SS’s brutal reputation. On the other hand, they are despised and never fully trusted by the German SS members, most of whom, unlike the Alsatians, volunteered for the organization.

This is a war narrative, and it evolves Nazis. It goes without saying that the account includes battlefield violence and atrocities against civilians. It also depicts the inglorious parts of warfare–starvation, exposure, injury–as well as fleeting lighthearted moments, such as a soccer match. Illustrations can be disturbing, so be warned.

The scenes depicting Marcel’s past are rendered in black-and-white with monochrome shading. The tint of the shading changes with each scene change. Goethals’ artwork effectively conveys the chaos and brutality of the battlefield, but the expressions of the cast are invariably stiff and their facial features indistinguishable. Especially when the characters are in identical uniforms, it’s impossible to tell Marcel and his compatriots Muller and Antoine apart.

In Summary

The Journey of Marcel Grob explores a lesser-known contingent of the Nazi war machine: the German-speaking conscripts of the French borderlands. Framed as a tribunal against an Alsatian conscript decades after the war’s end, this graphic novel offers a sympathetic look at the circumstances that brought these men into the Waffen SS and their experiences within their ranks. However, the book presumes readers have familiarity with German terminology and an overall grasp of the War in Europe. Moreover, the historical account provided at the graphic novel’s conclusion feels like it was written more for an academic audience than a casual reader.

First published in The Fandom Post.