Based on a True Story

JMB: Your graphic novel Moishe features six well-known anecdotes around the famous Jewish philosopher—and a brand-new Moses Mendelssohn. What made you participate in the Jewish Museum Berlin’s (JMB’s) “call for comics”?

Typex: Well, I had already done graphic novels on the lives of Andy Warhol and Rembrandt. To be honest, I told my publisher those would be my last biographies. But I’m always a sucker for interesting stories, and I believe that when life offers you an opportunity, you should grab it with both hands! Before I knew it, I was completely engulfed in the world of Moses Mendelssohn.

Your Moses Mendelssohn—Moishe—is very lively, and readers are immediately drawn to his character. How did you get to know him, his personality?

When I approach a project like this, I read a lot about the person, and especially I look at pictures. Of course, that was easier with someone like Rembrandt, because he made so many self-portraits. You only see Mendelssohn through the eyes of his contemporaries. But still, there are some important portraits, for example the one that the exhibition uses as a sort of centerpiece. It’s a very striking portrait and you can see so much character in it! That’s unusual for the time, and I began to catch a glimpse of Moses.

Did you become friends?

Yes, it’s hard not to like him! In fact, in a way that was a problem, because I didn’t want to romanticize. It was a relief when I read that he did have a temper, because you need to have some struggle within.

Were there any surprises when you worked on Moishe?

I like to have the flexibility to add things, even when I’m already finishing a story, so I find most surprises pleasant! “What first surprised me about Moses was the contemporary feel of his ideas.” I was also amazed that even in those days, the media were already so important—although that shouldn’t be surprising, because people haven’t changed that much since then! People are nasty, and they will always find a way to spread their tales. You can see that in the story of the dispute between Mendelssohn and Lavater.

So does Brendel or Dorothea, Mendelssohn’s eldest daughter.

Yes, I began to read about her and was astonished. She was exactly what I needed! I had put a child in the first sketched version, just a child Moses had, but it didn’t really have a character. Then I realized Brendel was not just any child, but a little proto-feminist! I was so happy with that. I based that whole chapter around her—part of it, anyway.

Obviously, a museum is obliged to remain true to historical fact in its exhibitions. An artistic approach, even one based on true stories, can be much more open. How close do you stay to the historical events around Moses Mendelssohn?

I call stories based on truth “factional stories,” and I follow one principle: never let the truth get in the way of a good story! In a story there’s something you want to convey, a thought about a character, a person, or whatever. If you need to change the order of events or even change an event a bit to make it clear what you want to say, then do! Anyway, it’s an illusion to think you’re recreating truth—that’s impossible. Especially from Moishe’s era itself, all we have are accounts by people of that time, and they are so partial in every aspect. Also, you can hear a story in a million different ways. For me, there is no objective truth. A story is always more believable than the truth.

Also, comics are like a theater play: you have to emphasize looks and make things visible even to the people sitting in the last row. So my job is to make it clear that Moses’s extreme appearance is what this man has to deal with every single day. And look at the brilliant way he does it! He is funny. He’s not dragged down by his body. Take the scene where he is being treated with blatant racism by the two officers who question him when he reaches Potsdam. Those two men are really awful, but he isn’t distracted by them for a moment, he even makes fun of them. They’re infuriated, but they can’t touch him because he’s untouchable: he has already made fun of himself, and there’s nothing for them to grasp.

Which Jewish individual would you like to see next in a graphic novel?

Maybe the modern composer, John Zorn. Maybe a Jewish composers series!

You’ve done three graphic biographies: Rembrandt, Warhol, and Mendelssohn. Is there anything the three men have in common?

Well, they have me in common! Every biography is an autobiography, because the only source you really have is your own inner world, your conception of the world and how you see people. If you see these biographical graphic novels as a trilogy, then Moishe is the final part. He is the nicest; there’s never a problem in conveying his emotions, either his anger or his tenderness and love.

If you do continue with the biographies, will there be a woman?

Well, that’s a monster asking to dance! Who would you suggest? I would think first of Dolly Parton. She’s so big and grand in every aspect and so glorified at the moment, but still underrated in many different ways. That would make an interesting story. Or maybe Beyoncé?

Thank you for the interview!

The interview was conducted by Marie Naumann and Katharina Wulffius