Rating: 
Summary: A powerful story of war and personal endurance
Review: "Fax from Sarajevo," by Joe Kubert, uses the comic book format to tell a story of war. "Fax" takes place in the former Yugoslavia from 1992-1993. The main character, Ervin Rustemagic, is in the comic strip industry. But he and his family soon face the reality of war and "ethnic cleansing." As the story unfolds, we see the struggle of Ervin's family to survive the violence and destruction, and their quest to flee to a safe haven.There are many haunting and disturbing images in this book: a pack of abandoned dogs whose suffering has turned them into dangerous predators; the despairing faces of the victims of a "rape camp"; children playing on the ruin of a car; and more. In a note near the end of the book, the author writes, "This story is true. The characters are real." Kubert notes that most of the names are factual, and he merely took some storytelling liberties. The book includes actual photographs of the real Ervin, his family, and their surroundings. "Fax" is comparable to "Maus," Art Spegelman's powerful comic book tale of the Shoah. With "Fax from Sarajevo," Joe Kubert demonstrates the continuing relevance and versatility of the comic book as a literary form.
Rating: 
Summary: powerful disappointment
Review: After reading all of the praise that has been heaped on this book, I finally bought a copy, eagerly anticipating a moving historical witness on par with Barefoot Gen, Will Eisner's work on the Depression, or even Maus. Given these high expectations, I was thoroughly disappointed. Somehow, Kubert managed to create a story of human triumph that is utterly uninspiring. Even after looking through the photos in the back, I cared less about these characters and their real-life survival story than a whole host of well-developed super-heros. I understand that Kubert, by drawing a story about a close friend and his family, was in a sensitive position and may have been reluctant to depict any sort of vulnerability in his protagonist, but the comic suffers from this lack of courage. Not only does the main character show no weakness, but his wife and children have no personalities. Halfway through the story, after many frustrated, failed attempts to become emotionally involved, I decided that this comic was not intended for me, nor for anyone else whose love of others stems from an appreciation for individual quirks and flaws. Instead, it was intended for patriotic macho men who are somehow able to find nuance in the words "I miss my wife and kids" repeated over and over and over. For those who want to know more about what went on in Sarejevo, by all means read this book. Like a colorful textbook, it is informative and interesting. But do not be fooled into thinking that tales of human endurance and survival will automatically be stirring and insightful. This book, unfotruantely, proves otherwise.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read Book!
Review: As a University student who is currently studying the topic of genocide, I had my first lesson of what genocide really is after reading Joe Kubert's book "Fax From Sarajevo". Joe Kubert, the author, really opened my eyes to this international problem of war crimes when he explicitly described the atrocious conditions and slaughterous events of the 18 month siege in Bosnia. The story brought me to my knees and put tears in my eyes when I finished reading the documented true life story of a family. I have such admiration for the Rustemagic family, the author and also my professor for educating me some more on a topic that I was once ignorant on and thought it was a foreign enigma. I was impressed by the families strong will to survive during this murderous event, and leave Bosnia in the middle of an ethnic cleansing campaign by the Serb Army, which could have easily taken their lives. I highly suggest that future readers of the book take into account that victims and survivors of all genocides are the ones who are the "True Hero's" of war.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read Book!
Review: As a University student who is currently studying the topic of genocide, I had my first lesson of what genocide really is after reading Joe Kubert's book "Fax From Sarajevo". Joe Kubert, the author, really opened my eyes to this international problem of war crimes when he explicitly described the atrocious conditions and slaughterous events of the 18 month siege in Bosnia. The story brought me to my knees and put tears in my eyes when I finished reading the documented true life story of a family. I have such admiration for the Rustemagic family, the author and also my professor for educating me some more on a topic that I was once ignorant on and thought it was a foreign enigma. I was impressed by the families strong will to survive during this murderous event, and leave Bosnia in the middle of an ethnic cleansing campaign by the Serb Army, which could have easily taken their lives. I highly suggest that future readers of the book take into account that victims and survivors of all genocides are the ones who are the "True Hero's" of war.
Rating: 
Summary: Extract from ¿Books on Bosnia¿, London 1999
Review: Brilliantly executed 'graphic novel' that has won a raft of prizes for its story of the author's friend Ervin Rustemagic, as he and his family struggle to preserve their lives and dignity during the siege of Sarajevo - a story communicated in hundreds of faxes to friends outside.
Rating:
Summary: Extract from ?Books on Bosnia?, London 1999
Review: Brilliantly executed `graphic novel' that has won a raft of prizes for its story of the author's friend Ervin Rustemagic, as he and his family struggle to preserve their lives and dignity during the siege of Sarajevo - a story communicated in hundreds of faxes to friends outside.
Rating:
Summary: Kuberts' best work of his 50+ year career!
Review: I have read this book 3 times and each time it leaves me emotionally drained with tears in my eyes. Super,super book
Rating:
Summary: a flawed novel...
Review: I heard about this book when it first came out and I simply had to check it out. Why would a well-known artist like Joe Kubert abandon the hum-drum of fictional comics to produce a full-length journalistic book...? How could he expect it to even sell? When the Cranberries wrote a song about Sarajevo, comparing the hatred there to that of Northern Ireland, the topic of Joe's book made me sit up and listen. And I am so glad I did. Joe's connection to the subject matter is personal, and I think that this one fact makes this book a classic work of literature in its own time. Despite his bias because of his closeness to the situation, Joe takes the time to present the complexity of the situation in Bosnia with his art and editorial commentary. And for this I am very thankful. When I traveled to Croatia in 1997, this book gave me an emotional "frame of reference" from which to speak to the people I met, and I was met with passionate affirmations of the fear, frustration, and outrage that the people there were feeling, being threatened by people who hated them, not for political reasons, but for their ancestry or religion. Imagine: You walk outside one day and suddenly people on the street are drawing lines between people where they never drew them before. They taunt, persecute, even shoot at people who look just like them, went to school with them, and live across the street from them. This is not a phenomenon limited to Bosnians. It's a human phenomenon, and it's happening right now, in the U.S. between narrow-minded Americans and people who they fear for illegitimate reasons. Kubert succeeds in framing, accurately, how, given the right chain of events, the seeming tight knot of trust and brotherhood in society can quickly unravel.
Rating:
Summary: Society Unraveled
Review: I heard about this book when it first came out and I simply had to check it out. Why would a well-known artist like Joe Kubert abandon the hum-drum of fictional comics to produce a full-length journalistic book...? How could he expect it to even sell? When the Cranberries wrote a song about Sarajevo, comparing the hatred there to that of Northern Ireland, the topic of Joe's book made me sit up and listen. And I am so glad I did. Joe's connection to the subject matter is personal, and I think that this one fact makes this book a classic work of literature in its own time. Despite his bias because of his closeness to the situation, Joe takes the time to present the complexity of the situation in Bosnia with his art and editorial commentary. And for this I am very thankful. When I traveled to Croatia in 1997, this book gave me an emotional "frame of reference" from which to speak to the people I met, and I was met with passionate affirmations of the fear, frustration, and outrage that the people there were feeling, being threatened by people who hated them, not for political reasons, but for their ancestry or religion. Imagine: You walk outside one day and suddenly people on the street are drawing lines between people where they never drew them before. They taunt, persecute, even shoot at people who look just like them, went to school with them, and live across the street from them. This is not a phenomenon limited to Bosnians. It's a human phenomenon, and it's happening right now, in the U.S. between narrow-minded Americans and people who they fear for illegitimate reasons. Kubert succeeds in framing, accurately, how, given the right chain of events, the seeming tight knot of trust and brotherhood in society can quickly unravel.
Rating:
Summary: a flawed novel...
Review: I mistakenly picked this book up, thinking it was "Safe Area". I had heard about a graphic novel about the atrocities in Sarajevo, but wasn't sure of the title. The story is amazing, but many times I feel like I'm seeing the Hulk or Captain America in the role of the protagonist. There is a gaping lack of realism to the book, primarily in the way the characters are drawn. The subject is dark, but the characters look like they popped out of a Disney film. One reviewer compared this to Maus. This doesn't even come close. Maus is a masterpiece, while this book almost seems like hardly any work or research went into it. First of all, Maus is in black and white, almost drawn in a woodcut style, to deepen the impact of the story. Art Spiegelman really researched the project, and it shows. He interwove his complicated relationship with his parents and mother's suicide with the Holocaust. He made us see how he was affected by the Holocaust. Kubert is in the States the whole time, reading faxes. He really didn't have any significant role in the story. So, what does this have to do with what happened in Sarajevo? Then he admittedly took liberties with the dialogue and obviously embellished parts of the story. The admission by the author of improvised dialogue automatically lessens the impact of the story...This project should have been left to its protagonist, Mr. Rustemagic to write and realize. I will be checking out "Safe Area" instead. I do give the book 2 stars because it, despite its flaws, serves as testimony to a horrifying chapter in world history. For that, the author definitely deserves kudos.
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