No ordinary Joe

For those of you already familiar with acclaimed cartoonist and journalist Joe Sacco, he needs no introduction. The Maltese/American illustrator is currently working on "Footnotes in Gaza" which should be out by December of 2009 (download Henry Holt Catalogue PDF)

The story takes place in squalid Rafah, a town in the Gaza Strip. The 1956 incident that left 111 Palestinian refugees dead seems to have been the catalyst for a war that has gotten out of hand. Joe Sacco immerses himself in the daily life of the people of Gaza in an effort to find out more.

Aljazeera asked Sacco about his methodology for his previous work - Palestine:

I wasn't sure what I was going to be doing when I went to the Palestinian territories. I already had a minor career as a cartoonist and knew that was my direction.

I went thinking, well, I'll do a travelogue of my experience there, but I knew I'd be talking to people and taking notes, so when I got there, I felt the journalist impulse came to the fore, interviewing people, getting stories, looking at the occupation and needing to do something about it.

So I began looking at major aspects of occupation, finding people who had those experiences and finding people with something to say about it.

It became methodical, but there were certainly more random aspects to the book. I let myself be pulled in many ways, with the mindset: "What ever comes up, comes up."

I took photos purely for reference, and I had a sketch book with me but I found myself not really using it. My photos aren't good; I only use them to have an idea of what things looked like as I mainly wanted to talk to people.

The book has a very organic feel. So many of my adventures were random. I'd get into a taxi to a certain city, and I thought: "Let's see who comes up to me." Someone was always likely to approach me and I'd say to them: "I'm here to see how you live, what your lives are like."

More often, the Palestinians I met would say: "If you want to see something, follow me." People at that time appreciated your interest in them and their lives, and were less worried or paranoid like they are today.