Joe Sacco Signed Firsts: A Reference

Joe Sacco (born 1960) invented comics journalism — long-form, on-the-ground reporting rendered in dense, meticulously crosshatched drawings. His books on Palestine, Bosnia, and Gaza are simultaneously works of journalism, political argument, and visual art. Sacco’s commitment to being physically present in conflict zones and drawing what he sees has produced some of the most politically significant comics ever made.

Key Titles

• Palestine (Fantagraphics, 2001) — Collected edition of nine issues (1993–1996). Winner of the American Book Award.
• Safe Area Goražde (Fantagraphics, 2000) — The siege of Goražde during the Bosnian War.
• Footnotes in Gaza (Metropolitan/Holt, 2009) — Investigation of two 1956 massacres in Gaza.
• The Great War (Norton, 2013) — 24-foot panoramic fold-out depicting the first day of the Battle of the Somme.

Signed Copy Market Values

• Signed Palestine collected: $50–$125
• Signed Safe Area Goražde: $40–$100
• Signed Footnotes in Gaza: $30–$75
• Unsigned collected editions: $15–$30

Sacco signs at literary festivals and bookstore events. His work’s political subject matter gives it a collector base that extends beyond comics — Middle East studies scholars, war correspondents, and political activists collect Sacco alongside comics enthusiasts.