World Famous Comics: Palestine Book2: 'In the Gaza Strip' (Bk. 2)
Palestine Book2: 'In the Gaza Strip' (Bk. 2)
By: Joe Sacco Publisher: Fantagraphics Books Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 144 Publication Date: 1996-03 Studio: Fantagraphics Books
the best artist in a small field ^ Sacco is great at comic-book journalism; he in fact has a degree in journalism and can really draw. It's a shame that this terrific book is so little known while its precursor Maus--which is similar only in basic format--was out winning awards and hitting the bestseller lists. Maus is subjective, culturally and racially biased, far too personal and badly written and drawn where Palestine is objective, intelligent and well-drawn, but Maus came first (and also had the benefit of appealing to the prejudices of many book reviewers) and so still gets all the attention. Perhaps some readers were stung by the overhype that surrounded Maus and judge the infinitely better works of Sacco by it; if so that's a shame. Sacco succeeds where Maus failed, that is, everywhere.
A faithful representation and a premier work of art ^ Sacco's second book (the first book of the two is called "Palestine Book 1: 'A Nation Occupied'") opens up more of the conflict, this time in the setting of Gaza, but should be considered as indivisible from the first book, as both represent the complete collection of "Palestine" comics which were originally published as individual issues.
In both books, powerfully-told stories are laced with well-researched facts, all couched in Sacco's humanity and disbelief at the people he meets and the events he sees.
The visual imagery is almost photographically faithful to the actual landscapes and cityscapes of Palestine (where I lived from 1994-1998). Both books together cover a wide variety of topics, including life for refugees, Israeli attitudes to the conflict, daily life inside prison, and more.
Accounts such as Sacco's taxi ride to Nablus will elicit delighted cries of recognition and laughter from those who have visited the country, as well as being funny in themselves even if you haven't.
Both books are a 'must have' that you will definitely not be disappointed with if you're buying them for yourself, and which should be considered a necessary part of your standard tools to explain the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict to others. In the absense of a Palestinian "Cry Freedom", these two books are the next best thing.
A faithful representation of the atmosphere of a visit to Palestine, and a well-conceived articulation of the conflict. Highly recommended.
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