"No one has ever rendered this terrible state of affairs better than Joe Sacco," says Chris Hedges, the Old Testament Prophet of Journalism, of the "inventor" of graphic novel journalism. Sacco joins Hedges on this episode of the Chris Hedges Report to revisit his graphic novel in the midst of the current iteration of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
It's an excellent talk that's rekindled my interest in Sacco's work. For those curious about a dedicated journalist/meticulous cartoonist's firsthand account of travels in a country under occupation, you wont get better than "Palestine" and "Footnotes in Gaza", Edward Said even said so! Hence the aforementioned quote. Throughout Sacco's nine issue "Palestine", the cartoonist brought unusual nuance and levity to the, to put it lightly, heavy subject.
Though "Palestine" is from the 90s, it's still depressingly relevant. Sacco's use of caricature, gesture and occasional snide remark takes the gargantuan political topic of Palestine and makes it comprehensible. Give them a read, give it a listen.
