Joe Sacco

"Joe Sacco is a genius. Easily one of the most important journalists, writers and cartoonists alive, every stroke of his assured and humblingly mature pen captures what the camera simply cannot. Through his reserved yet compassionate use of words and pictures, he allows us to occupy the horrifying inner and outer boundaries of human cruelty and desperation — yet all, I believe, with the aim of returning to what it means to be a civilized, sympathetic and possibly even forgiving soul." – Chris Ware

"In a world where Photoshop has outed the photograph to be a liar, one can now allow artists to return to their original function — as reporters." – Art Spiegelman

"By combining eyewitness reportage with the political and philosophical perspectives of those he meets, Sacco tells stories in which the experiences, memories, and voices systematically excluded from mainstream news coverage — those pushed aside, to the margins of history — are recuperated." – Lisa Fischman, Curator, University at Buffalo Art Gallery

"Born in Malta, raised and based in Portland, Sacco has become one of the most well-respected comic book artists of his generation, winning all the big grants, and spoken of as a successor to Art Spiegelman. But in many ways Sacco is not a successor to anyone... One can't call him a 'graphic novelist,' because this is real reporting. He is an observer, a witness: He offers no solutions and no relief from the harsh world he is documenting. He is a self-described 'war junkie' who recently traveled to Iraq, much to the dismay of his friends and family. But he came back. His work is so important one hopes he will always be coming back." – Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"There's nobody else anywhere near Sacco's level doing journalistic comics in English." – Douglas Wolk

2010 recipient of the Ridenhour Book Prize

See also:
• Artist Bio
• Interview - Joe Sacco, October 27, 2007 (audio & video)
• Blog posts relating to Joe Sacco on FLOG! The Fantagraphics Blog