Transitions in Maus

Art Spiegelman uses a variety of transitions in Maus. He doesn't stick to just one type of transition. In a graphic novel it is important to use a variety of transitions to add more effect in the story and to make the reader more invested in what is going on.

The first example of a transition that Spiegelman uses is on page 62 of Maus in the bottom panels. Vladek is being shot at in one panel and in the very next panel he ducks into a tent. This a good example of Action-to-action because the single subject (Vladek) is peeing in one scene and in the very next panel that subject is going into the tent (which is the second action).

The second example of a transition that Spiegelman uses is on page 55 of Maus in the four middle panels. This depicts Vladek and another individual talking while in bed. They are in the same bed for four panels but each panel they are moving different parts of their body. This is a good example of Moment-to-moment as the characters in the adjacent panels are the same subject characters for all those panels.

The third example of a transition that Spiegelman uses is on pages 46 and 47 of Maus. At the end of page 46 Vladek is getting a physical for the army and the very next page he is on the battlefield. This shows a timelapse between the two and shows the process of getting into the army and how it can feel like to end up on the front lines when at one point physicals were being conducted before. Little reasoning is required to explain the transitions between the two pages.

Art Speigelman is a brillaint author when it comes to using transitions because he does not stick to just one transition. He uses many types of transitions in his work to illustrate the extremeness of the story.