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.
soniek's review against another edition
3.0
The Fixer is about Neven, a fixer from Sarajevo. Joe Sacco met him in his first trip to Sarajevo during the seige in the 90's. While the story is about Neven, it describes the situation in Sarajevo during the war.
So far, I had only heard of Sarajevo in the song "Bosnia" by the Cranberries, and I remember hearing about Bosnian war in the news when I was a child. I only knew that there was a war in Bosnia, why was it fought, who fought it and who won, were things that I never got to, or cared to learn, because these were events in a country far away. And unlike the Middle Eastern conflict, European conflicts of the 90's were short-lived in global news.
And so, this novel answered all my questions (a quick Wikipedia reference of Yugoslavia, Bosnia, Sarajevo also helped!). The story jumps to and fro, it starts with the present when Sacco revisits Sarajevo in the 2000's and goes back in the 90's to when he first met Neven, to further back about Neven's alleged exploits in the war.
While Neven's own stories and claims are depicted to be doubtful because of his reputation, the major incidents, the 3 main paramilitary leaders who played key roles in the war, are accurate and help the reader get an idea of the situation in Sarajevo during the war. There are no right sides. Neven is a Serb who joins forces to fight the Serbs. He claims he's killed many people as a sniper. Others tell Sacco that Neven is bluffing. That many personal combats of his never even happened. Neven narrates "the true story" behind many major incidents which neither Sacco nor we have any way of cross-checking. By the end of the war, Neven as well as the 3 key leaders receive mixed responses. While "the war left behind Neven, instead of the other way around", the other 3 leaders meet different treatments from the government, some good, some bad.
Just like we are confused about the truth in Neven's stories, he and everyone who fought in the war are left confused about the purpose of the war: Who won? Who lost? Was it fair? Where do their loyalties eventually lie? Even the final death count is unclear. The only thing that is an obvious fact is that Sarajevo burned, it's citizens were trapped in their own city, evicted from their homes or killed inside.
The story is not very clear and concise. It runs as a narration by Sacco about what Neven told him. Maybe it is deliberate, to tell things straight from the horse's mouth and hence preserve the confusion in the mind of a fighter.
I also loved the visuals in this novel. Sacco's work is beautiful, it's dark and intricate. It clearly depicts the bloodshed, the filth, the cruelty, terror, pain and other emotions in people's faces. The 2 full pages showing Sacco entering Sarajevo during the war, against a backdrop of burning skyscrapers and an overcast sky (by clouds or smoke?) was the visual highlight of this book.
To summarize, I appreciate books like these which bring stories from underrepresented global events.
So far, I had only heard of Sarajevo in the song "Bosnia" by the Cranberries, and I remember hearing about Bosnian war in the news when I was a child. I only knew that there was a war in Bosnia, why was it fought, who fought it and who won, were things that I never got to, or cared to learn, because these were events in a country far away. And unlike the Middle Eastern conflict, European conflicts of the 90's were short-lived in global news.
And so, this novel answered all my questions (a quick Wikipedia reference of Yugoslavia, Bosnia, Sarajevo also helped!). The story jumps to and fro, it starts with the present when Sacco revisits Sarajevo in the 2000's and goes back in the 90's to when he first met Neven, to further back about Neven's alleged exploits in the war.
While Neven's own stories and claims are depicted to be doubtful because of his reputation, the major incidents, the 3 main paramilitary leaders who played key roles in the war, are accurate and help the reader get an idea of the situation in Sarajevo during the war. There are no right sides. Neven is a Serb who joins forces to fight the Serbs. He claims he's killed many people as a sniper. Others tell Sacco that Neven is bluffing. That many personal combats of his never even happened. Neven narrates "the true story" behind many major incidents which neither Sacco nor we have any way of cross-checking. By the end of the war, Neven as well as the 3 key leaders receive mixed responses. While "the war left behind Neven, instead of the other way around", the other 3 leaders meet different treatments from the government, some good, some bad.
Just like we are confused about the truth in Neven's stories, he and everyone who fought in the war are left confused about the purpose of the war: Who won? Who lost? Was it fair? Where do their loyalties eventually lie? Even the final death count is unclear. The only thing that is an obvious fact is that Sarajevo burned, it's citizens were trapped in their own city, evicted from their homes or killed inside.
The story is not very clear and concise. It runs as a narration by Sacco about what Neven told him. Maybe it is deliberate, to tell things straight from the horse's mouth and hence preserve the confusion in the mind of a fighter.
I also loved the visuals in this novel. Sacco's work is beautiful, it's dark and intricate. It clearly depicts the bloodshed, the filth, the cruelty, terror, pain and other emotions in people's faces. The 2 full pages showing Sacco entering Sarajevo during the war, against a backdrop of burning skyscrapers and an overcast sky (by clouds or smoke?) was the visual highlight of this book.
To summarize, I appreciate books like these which bring stories from underrepresented global events.
steds's review against another edition
3.0
i love sacco - not my favorite, but as always on point, intimately observed and well constructed. his amazing art really shines.
al_capwned's review
5.0
Joe Sacco's drawing style matches perfectly with the themes of his stories. The Fixer may not be his most popular work but it is still quite powerful.
alisonannk's review
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Death
Moderate: Violence, Alcohol, Blood, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Murder, Racial slurs, Rape, and Religious bigotry