The Fixer
I just finished The Fixer, Joe Sacco's latest work of comix journalism. The first thing I noticed was how much time it must have taken him to create this book. We live in the Where is Raed? world--instant journalism, available from anywhere to anywhere, maybe even Atom-enabled (perhaps not quite, but you get the point). The Fixer is about a war nearly 10 years over and Sacco's meticulous touch is evident throughout the book, from the careful pacing of the story right down to the fine cross-hatching in nearly every panel.
The story of The Fixer--Neven, a former Bosnian soldier who escorts journalists around Sarajevo--is fascinating, too. Neven helps journalists cover the war in Sarajevo, and in his own way he influences the reporters he assists (including Sacco). Sacco hints at an interesting parallel between his own work at the intersection of comics and journalism, Neven's work in war and journalism, and the muddied truths that emerge from each. It's worth picking up if those topics interest you.
