The Fixer: A Story from Sarajevo
When bombs are falling and western journalism is the only game left in town "fixers" are the people who sell war correspondents the human tragedy and moral outrage that makes news editors happy.
It's dangerous, a little amoral and a lot desperate.
Award-winning comix-journalist Joe Sacco goes behind the scene of war correspondence to reveal the anatomy of the big scoop. He begins by returning us to the dying days of Balkan conflict and introduces us to his own fixer; a man looking to squeeze the last bit of profit from Bosnia before the reconstruction begins. Thanks to a complex relationship with the fixer Joe discovers the crimes of opportunistic warlords and gangsters who run the countryside in times of war. But the west is interested in a different spin on the stories coming out of Bosnia. Almost ten years later, Joe meets up with his fixer and sees how the new Bosnian government has "dealt" with these criminals and Joe ponders who is holding the reins of power these days...
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Community Reviews
It feels very basic compared to his studies on cultures. This is mainly about 1 guy. A Serb who fought for Bosnia. But he was so brave they had to get rid of him as his commander was afraid someone from his own unit would shoot him while he was alone out there. At that point several commanders controlled much of the defense around Sarajevo. A rich city. They were former petty criminals and they stole what they needed even apartments. Many had riches and many women. We see one commander steal an apartment from Serbs to house his mistress. Some commanders kidnapped Serbs from the city to execute them in the woods. Just because they hated Serbs. Soon the military tries to have all of these commanders killed or imprisoned. By surrounding them or hiring a hitman. The mass killings are uncovered yet much of Bosnia wants to see them as heroes still as they did do proper military work too. But genocide was not accepted once it was clear it was happening.
The Fixer himself is just a drunkard who constantly lies and asks for money. He's poor and unfortunately lies so much his war stories are nonsense even though he did do some good work for a few years. I think this focus is the main issue. He's just not a great character. As a side character he's perfect. But the main deal here is the genocide against Bosnian Serbs and even Muslims. That's what really shines, yet it's a few interview segments with random researchers, and unfortunately feels a tad rushed. I still think this is a very good comic book and highly recommended. But I wish someone else had been the focus not a drunkard who lost himself in all of this. I feel like many other people are actually quite honest and open. The author just picked the worst guy around. The researchers are not even introduced yet what they say is extremely fascinating. They say more engaging things in 1 panel than the Fixer says on a full page. Yet I would probably read 100 of such comics readily. I would never get tired of this.
The Fixer himself is just a drunkard who constantly lies and asks for money. He's poor and unfortunately lies so much his war stories are nonsense even though he did do some good work for a few years. I think this focus is the main issue. He's just not a great character. As a side character he's perfect. But the main deal here is the genocide against Bosnian Serbs and even Muslims. That's what really shines, yet it's a few interview segments with random researchers, and unfortunately feels a tad rushed. I still think this is a very good comic book and highly recommended. But I wish someone else had been the focus not a drunkard who lost himself in all of this. I feel like many other people are actually quite honest and open. The author just picked the worst guy around. The researchers are not even introduced yet what they say is extremely fascinating. They say more engaging things in 1 panel than the Fixer says on a full page. Yet I would probably read 100 of such comics readily. I would never get tired of this.
