Polish history can be told interestingly and reach younger audiences through comic books, among other things. For over ten years, the Institute of National Remembrance has been publishing comic book series that popularize recent history. A comic book is also a great Christmas gift.
The best-known title published by IPN is Wilcze Tropy (Wolf Traps), dedicated to the members of the Cursed Soldiers. The premiere episode was published during the 1st Historical Comic Books Festival (in June 2011) and since then, the series has enjoyed great interest (both among Polish and foreign readers). Each of the six issues published so far takes the reader to the realities of post-war Poland and in an accessible way brings closer the most interesting moments in the life of the title character.
Moreover, at the end of each issue, there is a biography of an “ex-cursed” person, a reproduction of a photograph and a historical commentary by the Institute of National Remembrance researchers on the events presented in the book. The latest instalment of the comic book is dedicated to Antoni Heda (aka “Szary”) and is now available in the IPN bookstore.
In addition, comic books created by elementary and high school students appeared on the Institute of National Remembrance homepage. Their authors are the winners of various editions of the competition “Episodes from the Recent History of Poland in a comic book”, organized by the Institute of National Remembrance. The published works are related to the events of the Second World War and they present in episodes set against the background of historical events important to Polish society.