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Macedonia: What Does It Take to Stop a War?
“Pekar has proven that comics can address the ambiguities of daily living, that like the finest fiction, they can hold a mirror up to life.”
–The New York Times
For years Heather Roberson, a passionate peace activist, has argued that war can always be avoided. But she has repeatedly faced counterarguments that fighting is an inescapable consequence of world conflicts. Indeed, Heather finds proving her point to be a little tricky without examples to bolster her case. So she does something a little She sets out for far-off Macedonia, a landlocked country north of Greece and west of Bulgaria, to explore a region that has edged–repeatedly–close to the brink of violence, only to refrain.
In the process–and as vividly portrayed by the talented duo of Harvey Pekar and Ed Piskor–Heather is tangled in red tape, ripped off by cabdrivers and hotel clerks, hit on by creepy guys, secretly photographed, and mistaken for a spy. She also creates unlikely friendships, learns that getting lost means seeing something new, and makes some startling discoveries. War is hell and peace is difficult–but conflict is always necessary.
“Harvey Pekar wrestles the kind of things most comic book heroes wouldn’t touch with a laser blaster.”
–Cleveland Plain Dealer
“A visit with Harvey Pekar . . . will cause you to reexamine your own life . . . just as the greatest literature will.”
–The Austin Chronicle
“Pekar lets all of life flood into his the humdrum and the heroic, the gritty and the grand.”
–The New York Times Book Review
–The New York Times
For years Heather Roberson, a passionate peace activist, has argued that war can always be avoided. But she has repeatedly faced counterarguments that fighting is an inescapable consequence of world conflicts. Indeed, Heather finds proving her point to be a little tricky without examples to bolster her case. So she does something a little She sets out for far-off Macedonia, a landlocked country north of Greece and west of Bulgaria, to explore a region that has edged–repeatedly–close to the brink of violence, only to refrain.
In the process–and as vividly portrayed by the talented duo of Harvey Pekar and Ed Piskor–Heather is tangled in red tape, ripped off by cabdrivers and hotel clerks, hit on by creepy guys, secretly photographed, and mistaken for a spy. She also creates unlikely friendships, learns that getting lost means seeing something new, and makes some startling discoveries. War is hell and peace is difficult–but conflict is always necessary.
“Harvey Pekar wrestles the kind of things most comic book heroes wouldn’t touch with a laser blaster.”
–Cleveland Plain Dealer
“A visit with Harvey Pekar . . . will cause you to reexamine your own life . . . just as the greatest literature will.”
–The Austin Chronicle
“Pekar lets all of life flood into his the humdrum and the heroic, the gritty and the grand.”
–The New York Times Book Review
176 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2007
5 people are currently reading
206 people want to read
About the author
Harvey Pekar
119 books258 followersHarvey Pekar was an American writer and comics creator whose groundbreaking autobiographical series American Splendor helped redefine the possibilities of graphic storytelling. Frequently called the poet laureate of Cleveland, he developed a body of work that approached everyday life with candor, humor, frustration, and philosophical reflection. Pekar’s voice became central to the evolution of comics into a medium capable of serious literary expression, and his influence extended to criticism, journalism, and popular culture through his essays, radio work, and memorable television appearances.
Pekar grew up in Cleveland, where his parents operated a small grocery store, and his early experiences shaped much of the sensibility that later defined his writing. His deep love of jazz led him into criticism, and through that world he befriended artist Robert Crumb. Their shared interest in music eventually led him to try writing comics. Pekar wrote his first scripts in the early seventies, sketching out stories with simple figures before passing them to Crumb and other underground artists who encouraged him to continue. With the first issue of American Splendor in 1976, Pekar began chronicling the small battles, anxieties, and fleeting moments that made up his daily life in Cleveland. His day job as a file clerk, his marriages, conversations with coworkers, frustrations with bureaucracy, and the struggle to make ends meet all became material for a series that often blurred the line between observation and confession. Over the years, he worked with a wide range of artists who interpreted his scripts in styles that mirrored the emotional tone of each story.
The success of American Splendor brought Pekar national attention. Collections such as The Life and Times of Harvey Pekar received strong critical praise, and his unpredictable, often confrontational appearances on late-night television became a defining part of his public persona. The 2003 film adaptation of American Splendor, in which Paul Giamatti portrayed him, earned major festival awards and introduced Pekar’s work to a wider audience. He continued to write graphic memoirs, biographies, collaborations, and cultural commentary, expanding his range while maintaining the blunt honesty that characterized his voice. Pekar’s work remains central to the development of literary comics, influencing generations of writers and artists who followed his example.
Pekar grew up in Cleveland, where his parents operated a small grocery store, and his early experiences shaped much of the sensibility that later defined his writing. His deep love of jazz led him into criticism, and through that world he befriended artist Robert Crumb. Their shared interest in music eventually led him to try writing comics. Pekar wrote his first scripts in the early seventies, sketching out stories with simple figures before passing them to Crumb and other underground artists who encouraged him to continue. With the first issue of American Splendor in 1976, Pekar began chronicling the small battles, anxieties, and fleeting moments that made up his daily life in Cleveland. His day job as a file clerk, his marriages, conversations with coworkers, frustrations with bureaucracy, and the struggle to make ends meet all became material for a series that often blurred the line between observation and confession. Over the years, he worked with a wide range of artists who interpreted his scripts in styles that mirrored the emotional tone of each story.
The success of American Splendor brought Pekar national attention. Collections such as The Life and Times of Harvey Pekar received strong critical praise, and his unpredictable, often confrontational appearances on late-night television became a defining part of his public persona. The 2003 film adaptation of American Splendor, in which Paul Giamatti portrayed him, earned major festival awards and introduced Pekar’s work to a wider audience. He continued to write graphic memoirs, biographies, collaborations, and cultural commentary, expanding his range while maintaining the blunt honesty that characterized his voice. Pekar’s work remains central to the development of literary comics, influencing generations of writers and artists who followed his example.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
February 13, 2020
This one is a deeply frustrating read. It is similar in its construction and visual style to the work of Joe Sacco (e.g. "Palestine"), but it lacks the drive and craftsmanship associated with it.
The chief problem is the text itself. While the subject matter is interesting, the text reads much more as a lecture or long essay than as a graphic novel. There are pages and pages of people simply talking with virtually no distinction in voice and character. Moreover, the text is quite often theoretical rather practical, with focus on broad concepts taken from books and news outlets rather than unique stories told by members of the local population.
It's as if Harvey Pekar simply split Heather Roberson's thesis into panels without bothering with dynamics or characterization. It is difficult to get a sense of the country and the particular conflict as none of the characters is actually exposed to it. This is weird given that Pekar tends to be good with writing memorable character interactions.
Ed Piskor's illustrations don't elevate the text in the slightest. The average panel is of Heather talking to someone, both looking slightly annoyed. Even when a story is told, Piskor doesn't bother to illustrate it, but lets the speech bubble itself carry the weight. It is quite possible that Piskor did this on a short deadline, because he's done much better work.
Overall, "Macedonia" should be approached as a historic document rather than a graphic novel. Even then, this work is average at best, with many claims and viewpoints presented in a haphazard manner, lacking the detail and nuance of much better books in the genre.
The chief problem is the text itself. While the subject matter is interesting, the text reads much more as a lecture or long essay than as a graphic novel. There are pages and pages of people simply talking with virtually no distinction in voice and character. Moreover, the text is quite often theoretical rather practical, with focus on broad concepts taken from books and news outlets rather than unique stories told by members of the local population.
It's as if Harvey Pekar simply split Heather Roberson's thesis into panels without bothering with dynamics or characterization. It is difficult to get a sense of the country and the particular conflict as none of the characters is actually exposed to it. This is weird given that Pekar tends to be good with writing memorable character interactions.
Ed Piskor's illustrations don't elevate the text in the slightest. The average panel is of Heather talking to someone, both looking slightly annoyed. Even when a story is told, Piskor doesn't bother to illustrate it, but lets the speech bubble itself carry the weight. It is quite possible that Piskor did this on a short deadline, because he's done much better work.
Overall, "Macedonia" should be approached as a historic document rather than a graphic novel. Even then, this work is average at best, with many claims and viewpoints presented in a haphazard manner, lacking the detail and nuance of much better books in the genre.
June 6, 2014
Yet another book that I really wanted to like, but that ultimately was a great disappointment. I followed Harvey Pekar's career from early on and always enjoyed his autobiographical stories, most of which are included in my library. And I've had a special interest in the modern day wars of the Balkans for a long time, even collecting comics related to that part of European history.
So, I was anticipating a lot when starting to read this book, not the least when I found out that it was based on the autobiographical story of a woman actually travelling to Macedonia to study how and if a war can be avoided by international intervention. This felt like a surefire hit. Sadly, it wasn't. The story is interesting in itself and the ideas expressed by Robertson is fascinating, but Pekar rendition of them is not up to his usual level of telling a story, at all. The story is too long-winding, loosing sight of itself several times over and not picking up speed until Robertson travels to Macedonia and starts her fact fining mission, This part is bearable, but not more. Strangely, the script feels like it was left to the artist unfinished, as it lacks momentum, an idea of how the factual, journalistic parts and the "funny"/autobiographical parts relates to each other and just generally a sense of direction.
The artist Piskor is also not at all up to the task of doing this story justice. The art is static, the anatomy and postures of the characters awkward and the layouts of the pages disastrous. The latter could be Pekar's work, and if so it's even worse, since he does know how to write a well-paced comic. But this is just too much facts, too many words, too many panels stacked on top of each other on each page, making me weary and actually considering not finishing the book. This graphic novel could easily have been twice as long, and then it would still have felt cramped, but at least less so than the end product that we have now.
Early on, Pekar admits in the comic to the character Robertson, that he wants to do something like Joe Sacco, and report from the Balkans through comics. Well, the ambition is right, but having this in the comics only helps to underscore just how brilliant Sacco is at what he does, and how inferior Pekar's effort really is.
So, all-in-all, a missed opportunity at making what could have been great comics art.
So, I was anticipating a lot when starting to read this book, not the least when I found out that it was based on the autobiographical story of a woman actually travelling to Macedonia to study how and if a war can be avoided by international intervention. This felt like a surefire hit. Sadly, it wasn't. The story is interesting in itself and the ideas expressed by Robertson is fascinating, but Pekar rendition of them is not up to his usual level of telling a story, at all. The story is too long-winding, loosing sight of itself several times over and not picking up speed until Robertson travels to Macedonia and starts her fact fining mission, This part is bearable, but not more. Strangely, the script feels like it was left to the artist unfinished, as it lacks momentum, an idea of how the factual, journalistic parts and the "funny"/autobiographical parts relates to each other and just generally a sense of direction.
The artist Piskor is also not at all up to the task of doing this story justice. The art is static, the anatomy and postures of the characters awkward and the layouts of the pages disastrous. The latter could be Pekar's work, and if so it's even worse, since he does know how to write a well-paced comic. But this is just too much facts, too many words, too many panels stacked on top of each other on each page, making me weary and actually considering not finishing the book. This graphic novel could easily have been twice as long, and then it would still have felt cramped, but at least less so than the end product that we have now.
Early on, Pekar admits in the comic to the character Robertson, that he wants to do something like Joe Sacco, and report from the Balkans through comics. Well, the ambition is right, but having this in the comics only helps to underscore just how brilliant Sacco is at what he does, and how inferior Pekar's effort really is.
So, all-in-all, a missed opportunity at making what could have been great comics art.
January 7, 2017
I read this based solely on the strength of CLEVELAND, Pekar's other work, and yes, it paid off, somewhat.. the writing is stellar as can be expected, though I didn't care much for the history and desertation-type exposition on Macedonia. Still, it was interesting enough, if you do what I did, skip the blocks of exposition.
overall, its an interesting book, though not conclusively ended, though I suspect Pekar wishes us to reach our own conclusions on whether war is inevitable or can be averted ?
overall, its an interesting book, though not conclusively ended, though I suspect Pekar wishes us to reach our own conclusions on whether war is inevitable or can be averted ?
November 26, 2020
This graphic novel is about a peace activits named Heather Roberson. She sets out for Macedonia that tends to refrain from violence. During her month long visit she explores the country and meets many shady characters among new friends and allies. She talks to government officials, and professors, and academics, and ordinary citizens to figure out how Macedonia remains at peace.
This was a pretty good graphic novel. It was a bit choppy in the writing and some parts were just so so. But I did learn an incredible amount about Macedonia. The book if full of facts and information related tothe countries past and present (at the time of the writing in 2007), and those parts were well written. There is also an epilogue at the end of the book that is well written that wraps up the information nicely.
A good find. Most books you find related to Macedonia are about Alexander the Great. However - most of thos books don't take place in the country, so they didn't qualify for my Read the World challenge. I am glad I read this one and will add it to my collection.
This was a pretty good graphic novel. It was a bit choppy in the writing and some parts were just so so. But I did learn an incredible amount about Macedonia. The book if full of facts and information related tothe countries past and present (at the time of the writing in 2007), and those parts were well written. There is also an epilogue at the end of the book that is well written that wraps up the information nicely.
A good find. Most books you find related to Macedonia are about Alexander the Great. However - most of thos books don't take place in the country, so they didn't qualify for my Read the World challenge. I am glad I read this one and will add it to my collection.
May 8, 2008
One thing I've always had a problem with Pekar's work is that the distribution of text to image always seems a little off, never quite working as comics consistently, despite some real nice pages accentuated by Piskor's art. Also, I felt like this particular story suffered from being a factual essay revealed through a narrative, but the narrative itself seems lacking. Still, a nice try, and I would probably like it more if Joe Sacco wasn't already the absolute master of this kind of comics.
September 17, 2019
This is a very long and complicated read- you'll need a serious commitment to ingest this and proportional focus to digest it.
Some missing necessities for those new to the subject:
Footnotes for all kinds of words and terms.
An introductory section that lists things like:
- If Pekar was totally in charge of this instead of on the distant periphery I believe he'd have the co-hones to list
"The stereotypes, gross generalizations and absurd simplifications that are at the roots of all the problems"
with obvious disclaimers about their illegitimacy and your stupidity if you would choose to believe them.
How can I understand conflicts without knowing their origins and what continues to drive them?
Some are brought up briefly but are too buried in the rest of the details- I need to know them going in and have the ability to easily reference them occasionally.
If various forms of ignorance are a huge intrinsic problem then you must highlight them in order to tell the correct story!
More maps with ethnically shaded areas whenever they're mentioned in the story. All of the movement of the different groups throughout the protracted history that's referenced and more specific maps their present (during this story) locations is too hard to follow in the imagination of someone who is completely unfamiliar.
Books like this should be PRIMARILY focused on bringing the unfamiliar up to speed instead of keeping us in the dust of those with prior knowledge and/or points of reference.
Nowhere does it say who wrote the CRUCIAL text epilogue that made some things easier to understand.
Painful reality from an otherwise optimist:
-People, a breed of animals that only like to think of themselves as the most refined, are undeniably the worst creation on this earth.
We have transcended the order of the nature that we reside in which binds everything else together and have sought to create our own dominant order that is by definition unnatural no matter what fancy system, currently democracy and communism, we think is best. In spiritual terms- something(s) created us that our minds are OBVIOUSLY too limited to even conceive and we use our various interpretations to destroy rather than unite us because most humans somehow think they are capable of understanding any/everything. Such hubris is hilarious and a great example of how flawed we are.
My guess is that our environment itself will have to rise up and sort us out with its own methods or as a result of our self-destruction so that the resultant humility can bring us back together under a system that we can't control. Then we can argue argue over how to deal with the threat of actual bear arms- but until then our primitive minds will obviously trust the immediacy of instantly deadly weapons to settle things and protect themselves when they can't properly communicate.
It's sad, a universal tragedy, but a universal language seems to be the best tool for world harmony because translated rhetoric doesn't go over as well as shared words.
Some missing necessities for those new to the subject:
Footnotes for all kinds of words and terms.
An introductory section that lists things like:
- If Pekar was totally in charge of this instead of on the distant periphery I believe he'd have the co-hones to list
"The stereotypes, gross generalizations and absurd simplifications that are at the roots of all the problems"
with obvious disclaimers about their illegitimacy and your stupidity if you would choose to believe them.
How can I understand conflicts without knowing their origins and what continues to drive them?
Some are brought up briefly but are too buried in the rest of the details- I need to know them going in and have the ability to easily reference them occasionally.
If various forms of ignorance are a huge intrinsic problem then you must highlight them in order to tell the correct story!
More maps with ethnically shaded areas whenever they're mentioned in the story. All of the movement of the different groups throughout the protracted history that's referenced and more specific maps their present (during this story) locations is too hard to follow in the imagination of someone who is completely unfamiliar.
Books like this should be PRIMARILY focused on bringing the unfamiliar up to speed instead of keeping us in the dust of those with prior knowledge and/or points of reference.
Nowhere does it say who wrote the CRUCIAL text epilogue that made some things easier to understand.
Painful reality from an otherwise optimist:
-People, a breed of animals that only like to think of themselves as the most refined, are undeniably the worst creation on this earth.
We have transcended the order of the nature that we reside in which binds everything else together and have sought to create our own dominant order that is by definition unnatural no matter what fancy system, currently democracy and communism, we think is best. In spiritual terms- something(s) created us that our minds are OBVIOUSLY too limited to even conceive and we use our various interpretations to destroy rather than unite us because most humans somehow think they are capable of understanding any/everything. Such hubris is hilarious and a great example of how flawed we are.
My guess is that our environment itself will have to rise up and sort us out with its own methods or as a result of our self-destruction so that the resultant humility can bring us back together under a system that we can't control. Then we can argue argue over how to deal with the threat of actual bear arms- but until then our primitive minds will obviously trust the immediacy of instantly deadly weapons to settle things and protect themselves when they can't properly communicate.
It's sad, a universal tragedy, but a universal language seems to be the best tool for world harmony because translated rhetoric doesn't go over as well as shared words.
February 2, 2018
Este es el tipo de cómic "densito", de mucho texto y contenido político, que borda Joe Sacco. No así el equipo formado por Harvey Pekar, Heather Robeson y Ed Piskor. Hay mucha cantidad de información y está presentada de un modo que la hace confusa y monótona, algo que sucede también con la narración. Adoro a Harvey Pekar, su estilo de hacer cómic funcionó muy bien en American Splendor o en El derrotista, pero Macedonia parece un trabajo hecho por aficionados que apenas tienen recursos para contar una historia mínimamente compleja. Sospecho que Ed Piskor trasladó tal cual los famosos esquemas con monigotes de Pekar, con la poca experiencia de sus veintitrés añitos. De hecho Piskor reconoce que entonces no era el más indicado para ese trabajo, hizo lo que pudo y hoy en día cambiaría muchas cosas de esa colaboración. No seré yo quien le arroje la primera piedra.
December 3, 2022
Very timely. A good analysis of a part of the world hardly looked at as new conflicts erupt monthly. This idea that war is not inevitable and that solutions can always be found if looked for hard enough is very nice. The author has a positive view of the possibilities of international law while still being cynical enough to name opponents and difficulties to it.
How to make peace is a difficult question to answer, and unique, but a lot of the solutions talked about in the book seem so logical she goes to both sides and shows her getting yelled at and also being helped a lot along the way.
Ed Piskor is amazing as always.
How to make peace is a difficult question to answer, and unique, but a lot of the solutions talked about in the book seem so logical she goes to both sides and shows her getting yelled at and also being helped a lot along the way.
Ed Piskor is amazing as always.
November 2, 2016
This is one of the times I would've liked to have been able to use half stars. 3.5 sounds more like it. The content is very interesting to me and extremely well-researched, but the pacing feels pretty odd at times. I believe it could've used some tighter editing. Ed Piskor's art is solid in this, but not as good as his more recent work (which is to be expected, it was released ten years ago). I definitely recommend it if you're interested in international diplomacy, peace-making processes, or different parts of the world.
August 20, 2017
I thought the story was good, but I wasn't very impressed with the art. I can't tell if Harvey Pekar did the drawings or Ed Piskor did, but the characters were all pretty basic and similar. Heather's trip was great though. I really enjoyed how the dialogue between characters told what could have been a dry paper. That said, there's not a whole lot as far as the plot goes.
November 26, 2019
I loved this book hands! it's such an unusual topic along with it filled with so many different layers. the only thing I hate is how the book is laid out. like why does it have less than 200 pages but have so many words on the page? like it doesn't make sense because the book is dense and there is so much to read. that is one thing that annoyed me. also, I loved the illustrations by Piskor! amazing work!
May 25, 2022
Cómic de estilo periodístico guionizado por Harvey Pekar y la activista Heather Roberson e ilustrado por Ed Piskor. Se centra en el conflicto de Macedonia y su tensa situación con la población albanesa. Pese al talento de Pekar en otros trabajos y el cierto interés que la temática despierta al inicio, nada funciona en este cómic: farragoso, mal contado, mal dibujado, sin emoción.
January 19, 2024
E print needs reformating
I'd like to give this more stars but the inability to zoom in the image have me a headache with the right lettering. It's fun seeing Ed's first professional comicbook work
I'd like to give this more stars but the inability to zoom in the image have me a headache with the right lettering. It's fun seeing Ed's first professional comicbook work
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April 8, 2009http://nhw.livejournal.com/980610.html[return][return]This is the story of peace activist Heather Roberson, who went there in the summer of 2003 to find out how the 2001 conflict had been prevented from escalating into another full-scale Balkan war, and acquired an obsession to match my own. She and Pekar portray well her fascination with this paradoxical, contradictory country, exploring Skopje and Tetovo with excursions to Belgrade and Pristina, and I found much to agree with - the curious mixture of paranoia and pessimism which otherwise enlightened individuals sometimes display; the Hotel Ambasador and the Irish Pub in Skopje, the Hotel Moskva in Belgrade, the attitudes of the international officials involved with the local process. Indeed, one or two of the internationals depicted are people I know - mostly identifiable because of the positions they hold, though they are not named and their physical appearance in the book is quite different in real life. One particularly impressive character, who oddly enough has just renewed contact with me via Facebook and LinkedIn, is given a completely different profession in the book to real life but is none the less clearly recognisable to anyone who has met him.[return][return]I'm not sure how interesting the book would be to people who don't share the same level of fascination with the country as me and Roberson. It's very text-heavy in places, with an awful lot of background information needed to set her experiences in context (though it seemed to me mostly accurate, with only one or two points where my eyebrows rose in disagreement). Her basic paradigm, that conflicts can be resolved through application of the rule of law, is quite a complex area to explore through the medium of the graphic novel and it's not quite clear what her conclusion actually is, once she has seen her idealistic propositions tested in practice. Also, I'm not sure that she and Pekar quite manage to communicate the sheer charm of the country and its people of all ethnicities; I think the casual reader may end up being rather surprised or sceptical that she likes the country as much as she says she does. And there were a number of annoying errors in the Macedonia/Serbian phrases and street signs shown.[return][return]It may not be up to the standards of Safe Area Gora~de, but it is nonetheless a fine effort, and certainly would be good reading for anyone thinking of getting involved in Balkan politics these days.
May 27, 2009
Harvey Pekar co-authors this non-fiction graphic novel, Macedonia, with student of peace and conflict studies at the University of California, Heather Robeson. The book mainly focuses on Robeson's research into the events in Macedonia after the Kosovo conflict in the late nineties. It involved Albanian soldiers going into Macedonia after the Kosovo conflict. Most thought war was inevitable but NATO went in, disarmed the soldiers, gave the rebels amnesty, and many of their issues were addressed. Robeson travels to Eastern Europe to speak to several people about the incident and to see what prevented war and how this event could possibly prevent other wars.
Ed Piskor lends his well fit cartoonist skills to this otherwise dry topic. His thin lines and relaxed tones enhance the book and make it a little bit easier to read. I do like the travel log aspect of this book. The best parts come when Heather meets her contacts that prove very interesting people. The best writing comes when the subjective angle increases. However, I found many of the factual aspects of this book rather dry and difficult to keep my attention. When it came to the "important" stuff, so much of it was just a series of info dumps along the way. Fortunately the writers did their best to spread this material out but every time one of these appear, it slows the action considerably.
As a fan of Harvey Pekar, I'm compelled to note that my opinion of this book isn't based on my preference for Pekar's autobiographical work. This isn't true because his other non-autobiographical books that I've read Ego & Hubris and Unsung Hero I feel are great books. My difficulty in reviewing Macedonia comes from my lack of interest in politics and world events. I try to keep up but I find myself gravitating more toward the cultural rather than the political and that's just me, so there.
Ed Piskor lends his well fit cartoonist skills to this otherwise dry topic. His thin lines and relaxed tones enhance the book and make it a little bit easier to read. I do like the travel log aspect of this book. The best parts come when Heather meets her contacts that prove very interesting people. The best writing comes when the subjective angle increases. However, I found many of the factual aspects of this book rather dry and difficult to keep my attention. When it came to the "important" stuff, so much of it was just a series of info dumps along the way. Fortunately the writers did their best to spread this material out but every time one of these appear, it slows the action considerably.
As a fan of Harvey Pekar, I'm compelled to note that my opinion of this book isn't based on my preference for Pekar's autobiographical work. This isn't true because his other non-autobiographical books that I've read Ego & Hubris and Unsung Hero I feel are great books. My difficulty in reviewing Macedonia comes from my lack of interest in politics and world events. I try to keep up but I find myself gravitating more toward the cultural rather than the political and that's just me, so there.
November 23, 2014
I was expecting a lot from this book. A graphic novel about Macedonia co-signed by Pekar? Wow, I couldn't really see the connection between this author's previous work and this line of writing, but well, it was an enticing prospect to say the least.
Unfortunately, you don't get much of a graphic novel here. There's hardly a plot, a story to tell or any character development. There's a total disregard for the use of this artform's visual and narrative resources. The drawing is monotonous and uninspired, almost just an accessory to the socio-political commentary that the authors focus on. The impression is that you are reading an illustrated condensed masters' thesis on post-Ohrid Macedonia sparkled with some redundant testimonies and academic papers debris.
While it contributes with a large amount of information about the state of affairs following the Balkan republic 2001's armistice, obsessed with unveiling the big picture, it misses out on capturing the essence of the social tissue. Overlooking the small stories from average Darkos results in a rather bland, soulless and pseudo-academic effort.
Unfortunately, you don't get much of a graphic novel here. There's hardly a plot, a story to tell or any character development. There's a total disregard for the use of this artform's visual and narrative resources. The drawing is monotonous and uninspired, almost just an accessory to the socio-political commentary that the authors focus on. The impression is that you are reading an illustrated condensed masters' thesis on post-Ohrid Macedonia sparkled with some redundant testimonies and academic papers debris.
While it contributes with a large amount of information about the state of affairs following the Balkan republic 2001's armistice, obsessed with unveiling the big picture, it misses out on capturing the essence of the social tissue. Overlooking the small stories from average Darkos results in a rather bland, soulless and pseudo-academic effort.
October 23, 2011
Pekar attempts to stuff too much extraneous information, via massive self-referential speech bubbles which have nothing to do with the action of the panels themselves, into this informative but awkward non-fiction comic about Macedonia's lasting peace through the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s. The history of the conflict is shown through the most tenuous of threads, the studies of an affluent white college girl from Berkley.
Notes:
Pekar packs too many words into each frame. He's the Woody Allen of the comics world in this respect. Pekar seeks out self-centered extremely motivated individuals who function in a more focused one-track way than the rest of humanity, i.e. Ego and Hubris. Heather is no different. Roberson's experiences in Macedonia do help shed light on life in that little-known country. Macedonia is the comics version of a long form Harper's story. Pekar's book is less Macedonia's story than the story of a privileged white American intellectual searching for meaning in the politics of far-off lands.
Notes:
Pekar packs too many words into each frame. He's the Woody Allen of the comics world in this respect. Pekar seeks out self-centered extremely motivated individuals who function in a more focused one-track way than the rest of humanity, i.e. Ego and Hubris. Heather is no different. Roberson's experiences in Macedonia do help shed light on life in that little-known country. Macedonia is the comics version of a long form Harper's story. Pekar's book is less Macedonia's story than the story of a privileged white American intellectual searching for meaning in the politics of far-off lands.
February 27, 2008
While I love Pekar, and graphic novels, this one was definitely written for the text-lover. Not that I minded, it just relied *heavily* on the written word for explaining the complicated history of Macedonia, as opposed to Joe Sacco's work or [link:Pyongyang] by Guy Delisle.
I mainly read this book due to the its subtitle, "what does it take to stop a war?" and how peacemakers worked to help the constant destabilization in the Balkan arena. Fascinating--complex and understated, the main character, Heather, is an earnest, detailed and smart student from UC Berkeley's Peace Studies program. This would make a great read for any undergrad looking for an alternative to "International Relations" programs.
I mainly read this book due to the its subtitle, "what does it take to stop a war?" and how peacemakers worked to help the constant destabilization in the Balkan arena. Fascinating--complex and understated, the main character, Heather, is an earnest, detailed and smart student from UC Berkeley's Peace Studies program. This would make a great read for any undergrad looking for an alternative to "International Relations" programs.
November 9, 2009
This is a must-read for anyone who read Joe Sacco's tale of war in the former Yugoslavia, "Safe Area Gorazde". "Macedonia" is the chronicle not of war in the Balkans, but the tenuous job of preventing armed conflict in an ethnically diverse Balkan state. Told through the point of view of an American graduate student, we follow her progress in trying to uncover how Macedonia has kept the peace. That this country has managed to keep the peace is surprising, as her visit finds Macedonia rife with ignorance and mistrust between the ethnic Macedonians and ethnic Albanians. If I could change anything about this book, it would be for the artist to give us more panoramic views of the country in bigger splash panels.
May 11, 2011
Estaremos condenados a não conseguir evitar guerras? Quando os interesses étnicos ou políticos colidem nas exíguas fronteiras de um país, estaremos condenados a repetir os ciclos históricos de derramamento de sangue? A personagem principal deste livro atípico de Pekar pensa que não. Para defender a sua tese, desloca-se à Macedónia, ex-república Jugo-eslava que apesar da intensidade do caldeirão étnico pareceu evitar o mergulho na guerra civil com auxilio das instituições internacionais. Baseada nas experiências da activista Heather Roberson, Macedonia mergulha-nos numa zona de tensão permanente, onde as experiências individuais diferem do propagandeado nos media num país que tem possivelmente os taxistas mais rudes do planeta.
July 5, 2007
This book gives a fairly comprehensive history of Macedonia and the more recent peace process, both the positive aspects and the current challenges the country faces.
The choice to frame all of the information through the eyes of the traveling student, Heather Roberson, is at times frustrating. I found the focus on Roberson to be somewhat distracting to the story of the Macedonian peace process. Regardless, I certainly know more about the history of the Balkans and have a new context for viewing the history of the region.
The choice to frame all of the information through the eyes of the traveling student, Heather Roberson, is at times frustrating. I found the focus on Roberson to be somewhat distracting to the story of the Macedonian peace process. Regardless, I certainly know more about the history of the Balkans and have a new context for viewing the history of the region.
August 21, 2007
The opening few pages let's you know directly from Pekar himself that this is meant to be a follow-up piece to Joe Sacco's work such as Safe Area Gorazde. Unfortunately, it doesn't achieve the same balance between the narrator's fish-out-of-water-story and the story of the Macedonians being interviewed. Reads far more like an extended "American Splendor" slice-of-life story as we follow the main character's problems renting rooms and dealing with cabs. The epilogue is really informative though. This was also illustrated by Pittsburgh's own Ed Piskor.
May 4, 2012
This is Harvey interpreting, with cartoonist Piskor, the journals of Ms. Robison, a Berkeley student who travels within Macedonia to prove a point. Though the narrative is over-wordy, meandering, the point is valuable: Macedonia dropped from headlines because they avoided Balkan war; howzthat?
Harvey uses the experience of a Berkeley student to portray conflict resolution through a real place. He's responding to Joe Sacco's reportage in comics; though Sacco does this better, Harvey is swell, always readable.
Harvey uses the experience of a Berkeley student to portray conflict resolution through a real place. He's responding to Joe Sacco's reportage in comics; though Sacco does this better, Harvey is swell, always readable.
August 29, 2014
Heavy on the rhetoric, the graphic novel is an unusual format for this kind of book, which reads almost like a college level text book on conflict studies. With this region's conflicts currently in the news, it was interesting and informative for gaining insight on why the Balkans have been plagued with conflict. However, Pekar's harsh, aggressive artwork may have clouded the tone of the book too much, creating anger where they may not have been any and arguments in place of discussion. The result is distracting and, I have a feeling, misleading.
August 21, 2019
All must work toward a world order based on the mutual recognition of humanity, in which even the weakest can participate and be protected. Surely, this requires great sacrifice on the part of those who dominate, and faith on the part of those who do not. It will be an ongoing adventure, which will be frustrating and scary at times, and which is likely to yield more questions than answers. But the rewards are a world that we may all hold in common and a peace that all are committed to preserving.
September 8, 2013
Jammed full of information about a region few know too much about. This is somewhat similar to other Pekar books, with less personal touch and more facts. In fact, it seems more like an illustrated thesis paper, often bogged down by history and research. In fact, if this was a thesis paper, it would be awesome. But as entertainment, it works only if you are interested in learning more about Macedonia.
May 2, 2008
Though I learned a great deal about Macedonian political history and the nature of conflict, the dialog was painfully didactic and, often, unnatural. I've read few graphic novels, so perhaps this conforms to a standard writing style adopted by the genre with which I'm unfamiliar. It felt highly edited; subtlety, nuance were sorely lacking.
March 20, 2009
I love Harvey Pekar, he's even a bit of a personal hero to me.
That said, I'm torn on this book. It is heavy handedly didactic, something which is generally anathema to me, but I found myself exceedingly glad I read it. The recent political developments in Macedonia are something I was completely unaware of, and the insight this work provided did me a great deal of good.
That said, I'm torn on this book. It is heavy handedly didactic, something which is generally anathema to me, but I found myself exceedingly glad I read it. The recent political developments in Macedonia are something I was completely unaware of, and the insight this work provided did me a great deal of good.
January 2, 2008
My first graphic novel. It was very informative and an enjoyable way to read about something that could be just dry reading. I sometimes felt that some connecting information was missing so i found myself turning back pages thinking I missed a part. Maybe this is what graphic novels are like?
July 14, 2008
This was a very interesting "graphic novel," for once non-fiction, recounting a grad student's journey to Macedonia to find how the country avoided war in the wake of Kosovo and similar anti-Albanian clashes.
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