Hansi, the Girl Who Loved The Swastika
February 1994 - Spire Christian Comics
Story and art: Al Hartley
Lettering: Bill Yoshida
The trick about talking about Religiously-themed comics is doing so without inserting personal feelings about said religion into the commentary. Hansi was published in 1976 by Spire Christian Comics, who produced a series of Christian-themed comics featuring Archie. It is the biographical story of Maria Anne Hirschmann. Hansi is an anagram for her ministry, meaning Helping America to a New Spirit and Insight. So yes, this comic is primarily propaganda for her ministry. Many people who know about this comic may not have realized that because it's not blatant propaganda.
SYNOPSIS:
Hansi is a young girl living in the Sudetenland in 1938 when the Nazis invaded and gave her books to read. She is thrilled by this because the Bible was the only book she was allowed to read while growing up. She wins a contest to go to a Hitler Youth Training Camp and says goodbye to her family and home.
In the camp, Hansi becomes enthralled by the message of the Third Reich, no matter what may happen to shake that belief. She also falls in love with Rudy, a young German soldier with whom she corresponded before meeting in person. He proposed marriage immediately, but his wealthy parents disapproved, so Hansi urged Rudy to forget her.
When the war takes a turn for the worse against the Germans, Hansi stands firm, even denouncing the pleas of besieged soldiers for Bibles to be sent to the front line. After Hitler commits suicide, Hansi is taken to a Russian labor camp. Submitted to abuse at the hands of the soldiers, Hansi and many of the other girls escape into West Germany, where Americans are in control but are slightly better with female prisoners. Hansi is suspicious but quickly realizes that the Americans are nowhere near the monsters that their Russian allies are. After giving her clean clothes, warm food, and a place to rest, they take her to the Red Cross.
There she becomes a teacher and discovers that Rudy was thought dead in the war but is alive and still in love with Hansi. Unfortunately, after getting married, they find something missing in their marriage. Rudy brings home a bible, and the two become good Christians and eventually immigrate to America. There, Hansi sees a country that has lost any sense of purpose and reason. Hansi is inspired to open her home to troubled kids and introduce them to Christ, thereby changing their lives. She and Rudy broaden their ministry to prisons, finding continued success and fulfilling their purpose in life.
REVIEW:
Again, the problem comes from not reviewing this without personal bias. As a product of its time, Hansi uses some broad strokes to paint groups of people. The Russians are portrayed as rapists (without directly referring to rape) and monsters. The Americans are all presented as Christians. Once in America, they meet no conflict, as Americans are just lost and awaiting ministry to introduce them to Christ.
The story is brief in parts, a problem of telling a life story in just over 30 pages. The plot is consistent from beginning to end, and to the credit, Hansi is a flawed person who only becomes idealized by her salvation, which she refuses numerous times. One can appreciate the character growth, although it is unbelievable it was like this, as they never really meet with resistance to their ministry.
The art by Al Hartley is basic but consistent. The colors are too bright in the places where the story is dark. When stated that Hansi is thin, Hartley fails to draw her as skinny. The clothes are not depicted as dirty or damaged. Hansi’s appearance changes very little throughout the story, despite the passage of at least twenty years. There are moments where Hartley takes the opportunity to use page layout to his advantage. He also uses some good illustrative techniques to convey many things at once.
It still could be much better, but this book is about drawing attention to the HANSI ministry. Over time, that appeal has become lost, becoming a joke among comic fans. The shame is that the comic has a purpose and does it well. As a comic book, it falls into mediocrity.
