Dominick LaCapra’s book History and Memory after Auschwitz traces the impact of the Holocaust on survivors, perpetrators, and the generations of people who came after them.  There is a great chapter on Maus that discusses a number of topics, including the use of animals to create some distance between the reader and the horrific details of the Holocaust; and the personalities and difficult relationship between father and son.  The book is not available at the GMU library, unfortunately.  But there is a Google books version that is pretty comprehensive.  There are some pages left out, but you can find most of the chapter pages.

Here’s the link: http://bit.ly/3UC0lb

Also, here’s a 1991 review by Lawrence Langer of the NY Times (spoiler alert:  if you have not read Maus II I suggest you do not read this article right away).  Langer writes quite a bit about the relationship between Vladek and Artie, as well as their struggle with the loss of Richieun:  “nearly every Holocaust testimony, written or oral, provides [the same melancholy answer]: the dead, those who did not return, have the last word. How could it be otherwise?

http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/12/06/specials/spiegelman-maus2.html