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thisisstephenbetts's review against another edition
3.0
Another tale from the former Yugoslavia by Joe Sacco. I enjoyed this a lot - a good comic. The book focuses on Neven, a "fixer" for international visitors (mostly journalists) who need someone to show them the ropes of Sarajevo. Through Neven, it tells the story of Sarajevo in the Yugoslavian war - the sieges and the internal struggles. One thing it does really well is show the relationship between the unofficial paramilitary groups and the Bosnian government - naturally, it's a pretty ugly story.
Some of Sacco's writing seemed a little off here - too much talking to the reader as if they were Neven. Felt a bit disorienting, but not in they way that might have worked. Also the jumping around in time seemed a little gratuitous at times. Still, another wonderfully drawn, powerful book by Sacco.
Some of Sacco's writing seemed a little off here - too much talking to the reader as if they were Neven. Felt a bit disorienting, but not in they way that might have worked. Also the jumping around in time seemed a little gratuitous at times. Still, another wonderfully drawn, powerful book by Sacco.
koreilly's review against another edition
4.0
Joe Sacco is an enigma. He is unarguably a journalist, and a great one at that. Traveling to war zones and areas of turmoil to interview people and let them unspool their stories at a slow and even pace. But Sacco doesn't record them with a video camera or even photos he makes photo realistic pictures with just a twinge of Art Spiegelman's Raw in them, creating a sort of twisted reality that fits the usually horrific content of these people's stories.
And Fixer focuses only on a very small group of people and their relation to the Bosnian Crisis of the 90s. The titular character is a washed up soldier who shuttles journalists around for petty cahs and boasts of his time on the front. How much of it is true and how much bullshit to coax extra tips out of an uncomfortable journalist is a source of debate throughout the book, but Sacco treats them with respect and never looks down at his character. If the Fixer is flawed, he is a flawed person who lived through a horrible years-long conflict and that's still a person that Sacco is interested in, and you will be too by the end.
The other stories are just as gripping, with a rock musician, mine-clearer and a trip across the Balkans with some horny CBS Radio journalists on Christmas. If you've already read his fantastic 'Safe-Area Gorazde' then 'The Fixer' is the perfect way to learn more about an area of Europe that was changed forever in three short years.
And Fixer focuses only on a very small group of people and their relation to the Bosnian Crisis of the 90s. The titular character is a washed up soldier who shuttles journalists around for petty cahs and boasts of his time on the front. How much of it is true and how much bullshit to coax extra tips out of an uncomfortable journalist is a source of debate throughout the book, but Sacco treats them with respect and never looks down at his character. If the Fixer is flawed, he is a flawed person who lived through a horrible years-long conflict and that's still a person that Sacco is interested in, and you will be too by the end.
The other stories are just as gripping, with a rock musician, mine-clearer and a trip across the Balkans with some horny CBS Radio journalists on Christmas. If you've already read his fantastic 'Safe-Area Gorazde' then 'The Fixer' is the perfect way to learn more about an area of Europe that was changed forever in three short years.
jekutree's review against another edition
4.0
In “The Fixer” Joe Sacco recounts his time with war correspondent, or fixer, Neven at the tail end of the Bosnian War. This book serves as a sort of journalistic account of Neven’s perspective and stories on the Bosnian War, specifically in the city of Sarajevo.
I can’t really say anything about the “plot” of the book since it’s entirely nonfiction, but Sacco‘a writing style and how he presents these stories are extremely effective. He records his meetings with Neven and Neven’s stories in a visual format which allows the reader to deeper engage with what they’re being told. If this story was in prose it would still be a good read, but the visual aspect of it completely sells it. Sacco’s work is completely unique, no one does it like him.
Joe Sacco’s art and techniques are great as expected. He draws all these real people in a way that captures their personalities very well and his page layouts and what not are engaging. The detail Sacco provides is probably the best part of his art. He operates in a very Mad Magazine esque style but with lots and lots of detail. Sacco invites the reader into Neven’s stories and into Sarajevo to create a very immersive story.
8/10
I can’t really say anything about the “plot” of the book since it’s entirely nonfiction, but Sacco‘a writing style and how he presents these stories are extremely effective. He records his meetings with Neven and Neven’s stories in a visual format which allows the reader to deeper engage with what they’re being told. If this story was in prose it would still be a good read, but the visual aspect of it completely sells it. Sacco’s work is completely unique, no one does it like him.
Joe Sacco’s art and techniques are great as expected. He draws all these real people in a way that captures their personalities very well and his page layouts and what not are engaging. The detail Sacco provides is probably the best part of his art. He operates in a very Mad Magazine esque style but with lots and lots of detail. Sacco invites the reader into Neven’s stories and into Sarajevo to create a very immersive story.
8/10
leavingsealevel's review against another edition
3.0
I decided to read this because I'm impatient for Joe Sacco's new book, [b:Footnotes in Gaza|6796708|Footnotes in Gaza A Graphic Novel|Joe Sacco|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51P-ANwcWiL._SL75_.jpg|7002029]. I wasn't expecting this to be amazing, but it was. I'm coming to the conclusion that pretty much anything Sacco writes and draws is amazing.
I'm old enough to remember the siege of Sarajevo, barely. Actually, I was living in Europe at the time and sort of obsessed with the conflict (hey, I was an intense, political kid...I'm sure that doesn't surprise anyone). Here and in [b:Safe Area Gorazde|82861|Safe Area Gorazde The War in Eastern Bosnia 1992-1995|Joe Sacco|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171030481s/82861.jpg|80004], Sacco really complicates what I remember reading about and caring about back then--which is a good thing.
Also, I'm starting to become a little alarmed by how fast I read.
I'm old enough to remember the siege of Sarajevo, barely. Actually, I was living in Europe at the time and sort of obsessed with the conflict (hey, I was an intense, political kid...I'm sure that doesn't surprise anyone). Here and in [b:Safe Area Gorazde|82861|Safe Area Gorazde The War in Eastern Bosnia 1992-1995|Joe Sacco|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171030481s/82861.jpg|80004], Sacco really complicates what I remember reading about and caring about back then--which is a good thing.
Also, I'm starting to become a little alarmed by how fast I read.
nick_jenkins's review against another edition
5.0
Some of the figures Sacco draws look like the halfway point between Doonesbury and Robert Crumb, but the story is fantastic.
stephen_on_a_jet_plane's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic novels are expensive enough that they’re rarely worth the money-time-pleasure ratio compared to say, spending less than a graphic novels worth of money on say a months access to the entirety of a major studio’s back-catalogue in a streaming service. The same is particularly true of this ‘graphic novella’ which is shorter than one might hope for the £12.99 price tag ( I got lucky and found in a thrift store for the cost of a slightly overpriced americano) but this is a great shame, it’s a true-life documentation of a ‘fixer’ Neven based in Sarajevo who exchanges commission from journalists for local knowledge, guidance and a plethora of tales from his time in the army and the machinations, dealings and guerrilla forces he came across as a younger man.
Joe Sacco’s book is filled with darkness, tension and issues of trust all lavishly portrayed in his ugly, shadowey drawings. Nuggets of narrative lie hidden in layers of heresy and recollection, it seems history is about as trustworthy as the chain-smoking, charismatic guide Neven that joe met in Sarajevo.
Joe Sacco’s book is filled with darkness, tension and issues of trust all lavishly portrayed in his ugly, shadowey drawings. Nuggets of narrative lie hidden in layers of heresy and recollection, it seems history is about as trustworthy as the chain-smoking, charismatic guide Neven that joe met in Sarajevo.