Notes From A Defeatist

Notes From A Defeatist

Summary

Sacco paved the way for Palestine with his powerful triptych on modern war and its innocent victims, originally published in his comic Yahoo and collected here: 'When Good Bombs Happen to Bad People' chronicles the effect of aerial warfare on civilians, from Germany and Japan in World War II to Libya in 1986; 'More Women, More Children, More Quickly' is written from a victim's perspective, as Sacco illustrates his mother's harrowing experiences during Italian and German WWII raids on Malta; and 'How I Loved the War', Defeatist's centrepiece, is Sacco's impassioned but sardonic reflection on the Gulf War, and the surrounding propaganda and media circus. Published during the reign of Bush I, it has since acquired an even sharper relevance.

Defeatist also features Sacco's first (relatively) long-form piece, 'In the Company of Long Hair', a hilarious roadie's-eye view of an American punk band's eventful European tour from Amsterdam to Madrid, as well as 'Cartoon Genius', 'Voyage to the End of the Library', 'A Disgusting Experience', and 'On My Day Off', a cycle of funny and rueful autobiographic comics that display Sacco's graphic verve to its fullest extent.

Defeatist is rounded off with a large section of Sacco's earliest, pointedly satirical strips (none of which has been collected in book form before) and new introductions and notes by the author.

A combination of youthful indiscretions and mature masterworks, Notes from a Defeatist spotlights the work of a brilliant young artist as he defines the capabilities and potential of his chosen medium.

Reviews

  • Sacco is formidably talented. A meticulous reporter... and a gifted artist whose richly nuanced drawings tread a delicate path between cartoonishness and naturalism
    Independent

About the author

Joe Sacco

Joe Sacco, one of the world's greatest cartoonists, is widely hailed as the creator of war reportage comics. He is the author of, among other books, Palestine, which received the American Book Award, and Safe Area: Goražde, which won the Eisner Award and was named a New York Times notable book and Time magazine's best comic book of 2000. His books have been translated into fourteen languages and his comics reporting has appeared in Details, The New York Times Magazine, Time, Harper's and the Guardian. He lives in Portland, Oregon.
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