Books: The Fixer

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The Fixer
By Joe Sacco
2003





Available now from Islington Libraries
You can reserve this item for free here:
http://www.library.islington.gov.uk/TalisPrism/

From the one-man vanguard of "serious comics dealing with serious issues" Joe Sacco (the proponent of what Time magazine so delighfully calls: "comix-journalism"): The Fixer sticks you head first into the muddy realities and extreme happenings of the Bosnian War and all of it's many sticky aftermaths... The Louis Theroux/Jon Ronson of graphic novel reportage Joe Sacco tells of his own dealings with "The Fixer" a Bosnian resident called Neven who - for the right price - can help journalists get the inside scoop and exclusive assess that they crave. Think Del Boy - only even more unscrupulous.

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Links: Guardian Review, Time Review, PopMatters Review, Comic Critique Review.

Further reading: Palestine, Footnotes in Gaza.

All comments welcome.

Books: Footnotes in Gaza

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Footnotes in Gaza
By Joe Sacco
2009





Available now from Islington Libraries
You can reserve this item for free here:
http://www.library.islington.gov.uk/TalisPrism/

Of all his books so far - this is Joe Sacco's biggest, most sprawling and most ambitious. If you've encountered his work before then you will know what to expect: built to resist all but the most assiduous readers this is a comic that requires diligence, patience and hard work: but for those ready to surrender and commit this is meticulous researched sledgehammer journalism that will crack you hard in the head. Unfurling slowly with testimony from soldiers to widows to school-kids: all combining to create a patchwork of life in a war zone - this is a gut-wrenching experience that attempts to reveal how 111 Palestinians died way back in 1956. With unflinching artwork that darts around from unexpected angles and enforces the human beings hidden behind the statistics: this is a commanding book that demands that you sit up and pay attention.

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Links: Comics Journal Interview with Joe Sacco, Tearoom of Despair Article: Sacco And The Hole Truth.

Further reading: Palestine, Waltz with Bashir, Kiki de Montparnasse, DMZ.

All comments welcome.

Books: Palestine

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Palestine
by Joe Sacco
2001





Available now from Islington Libraries
You can reserve this item for free here:
http://www.library.islington.gov.uk/TalisPrism/

In late 1991/early 1992 the artist Joe Sacco visited Palestine and interviewed many of the people who lived there. Using their testimonies he then wrote and drew this book. Not so much then "graphic novel" but more "graphic reportage." While the tone of the book is serious and the events depicted mainly harrowing and bleak (although Sacco does enliven things up with his distinctive authorial voice and keeps keen note of how much tea he ends up drinking) the artwork is lively, full of rich detail and shot from great twisty angles - with the box captions spilling around and across the pages. There's no 'big' narrative that keeps you going throughout the book (disclosure: I'm the type of guy that likes a good story) and so at times I did find things heavy going - but this is deservedly a landmark work and one that will repay the reader with a better, clearer understanding of how the world works and how those with power treat those without.

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Links: Guardian Review, Guardian Interview with Joe Sacco.

Further reading: Footnotes in Gaza, The Fixer, The Photographer, Maus, Waltz With Bashir.

All comments welcome.