The Secret by Michaela Pohl – Episode 1 – SEE SAW Comics, Webcomics from the Sequential Artists Workshop

The Secret by Michaela Pohl – Episode 1

“The Secret © Michaela Pohl 2023”
A poster reads “Schöne Zeiten Täter Gaffer Austellung” next to two bust statues, one with years 1920-2003, the other 1928-2008

“In the spring of 1989 I spent a semester in Germany to research my senior thesis.”

Nobody in Germany took me seriously but I felt creative and confident. I had read an early chapter of ‘Maps’ in RAW Magazine.

My project’s title was ‘Wiesbaden 1933-1945.” I wanted to do oral history and use local archives.

I was into punk and cassettes. I’d been to the USSR and interviewed rockers and wrote a big scene report for maximum rock ’n’ roll.

My biggest mistake was asking my adoptive parents if I could stay with them. I had not seen them in 8 years.” Close-ups of two mean looking older folks, one Marlies, the other Helmut.

Marlies points at Michaela and yells, “You need to lose weight!”

Helmut scolds, “10 pm is too late to come home!”

Helmut says, “Will you ever graduate?” Michaela responds, “I was in the Air Force, Papa! Did you forget? I’m only 26!”

“At first we argued about kind of normal stuff.” Marlies says, “You think you know everything. But it’s from books.”

“Then they started sounding more reproachful.” Marlies says, “They had antisemitism everywhere, not just in Germany.”

Coming out from inside the “Neue Heist” apartments in Wiesbaden - Dotzheim, speech bubbles read, “Hitler will be forgotten in 100 years. Stalin was worse! Mao killed more people!”

“Soon after I arrived in Germany I went to an exhibit in Frankfurt. It was held at the Institut für Stadtgeschichte. In a former monastery the Karmeliter-Kloster.

I still have the flyer, taped into my journal.

The show documented how enthusiastic the perpetrators of the Holocaust often were. It included souvenir photos of personnel at Treblinka, enjoying breaks.

The exhibit showed crowds of GAWKERS.”

Michaela looks at an exhibited photo of gawkers and thinks, “They’re all women.”

“Kurt Franz, Treblinka’s camp boss. titled an album of his snapshots ‘Good Times.’ The album became evidence at his trial (1959). Somebody tried to erase the words but they remained visible.”

“When Pap saw the poster for ‘Schönezeiten’ he flew into a rage.” Helmut yells, “‘Good’ times? Parties? During the war? Lies!”

He continues screaming, “Nobody had fun! And how is kaffee and lichen (teatime) relevant?” Michaela, shrinking in the background, says, “But…”

Even smaller in the background, Michaela continues, “But Papa! The exhibit wasn’t just about parties! It showed—“ Helmut interrupts, “I don’t care what it showed. And why do you? Why now?”

Helmut replies, “Your ‘history’ books were written in revenge.” Michaela thinks, “Is he for real? I thought he ‘wasn’t a Nazi.’”

“We stopped talking after that.” Helmut reads from a newspaper.

“And a week later Mama informed me that I had to find somewhere else to stay.” Michaela, carrying her luggage and looking dejected, thinks, “Scheisse. What do I do now!?”

Published On: July 4, 2024

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“The Secret © Michaela Pohl 2023” A poster reads “Schöne Zeiten Täter Gaffer Austellung” next to two bust statues, one with years 1920-2003, the other 1928-2008

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