Tim Fish

In 1952, middle-aged American Samuel Wells returns to Berlin, but it’s not the same as he knew it before the war. In flashback to 1932 we see his blissful life in the gay art scene, full of parties and friendship and love. As the Nazis rise to power, Berlin slowly becomes unsafe for Sam, his boyfriend Philip, and their bohemian family and friends.

This story was written in 2017, though the full-length graphic novel was not published until 2022, and it’s only gotten more meaningful in the show more past year. The Nazi Holocaust was against the Jews but also against freedom for all kinds of people - freedom to love who they want, to paint what they want, to believe in what they want. There is no happy ending here (in the best-case scenarios, the very privileged got to leave the vulnerable behind) but reading it did make me feel a bit less alone. The art is understated but still emotional - it’s rare to see depictions of men physical in their love that don’t feel intended to titillate. I really appreciated the creators’ notes at the end, about why they told this story and how it came to fruition. show less

(Full disclosure: I received a fee e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Trigger warning for homophobic and anti-Semitic violence.)

In the early days of Nazi Germany, Samuel and Philip meet and fall in love. Samuel is an American visiting Berlin to help his boss open an office overseas; Philip is young man of means who travels in Bohemian circles. As their relationship deepens, so too does the schism in Europe.

Twenty years later, an aging Samuel returns to Berlin, ostensibly to procure show more some Holocaust-era artwork for his museum. But he has another goal as well: find out what happened to Philip, who was kidnapped and disappeared by the SS so many years ago. Haunted by the memory of Philip, whom he never stopped loving, Samuel sees his beloved - and the city they once called home - in the ruins of Berlin. He also grapples with survivor's guilt: as an American, he was simply sent home for his "deviancy," and was thus spared Philip's fate.

LIEBESTRASSE is a powerfully evocative look at the creep of fascism, just as relevant today as ninety years ago. ("We thought it was empty rhetoric...but they are doing everything they said they would," Samuel notes wryly in one panel.) It's a bittersweet story, wherein a charming budding romance is juxtaposed with raw, ugly moments of hatred. Though, thankfully, the Nazi imagery and violence is kept to a minimum, allowing Samuel and Philip's story to take center stage.

The artwork is lovely and complements the story nicely. The back matter contains notes from the creators on the comic's genesis, as well as their research, which includes trips to Germany. (The Memorial to Homosexuals Persecuted under Nazism, inaugurated in 2008, is especially poignant/horrifying.) show less

An American man, Samuel Wells, travels to 1950s Berlin and recalls his first visit in the 1930s when the cultural renaissance of the Weimar Republic was giving way to the rise of the oppressive Nazi regime. As the title Liebestrasse, or "Love Street," implies this is a romance, but a melancholic one, where 1930s Wells is falling in love with another man but 1950s Wells is dwelling on his regrets.

This historical fiction humanizes the loss of life and emotional toll caused by hateful Nazi show more policies against gay people. The story and art could be a bit more detailed for my tastes, but they're still quite good. show less

Superb graphic novel of two men in 1930s Berlin who fall in love with each other. The ending is unsurprisingly sad, but it is a truly wonderful book. It's currently available to read on Prime or Kindle Unlimited, so do check it out if you have either service.