Paying the Land

A Literary Hub Most Anticipated Book of 2020A Comics Beat Most Anticipated Graphic Novel for Spring 2020

“A tour de force … luminous … Joe Sacco’s large-scale panels teem with detail, visual and verbal … What begins as an exploration of the effects of fracking on Native lands sprawls into a haunted history of an entire civilization.” –Ed Park, The New York Times Book Review“Nuanced, highly sensitive journalism … Sacco’s measured artwork lets the Dene people speak for themselves, working in tandem with the historical and sociopolitical context that he deftly interweaves.” –The Times Literary Supplement“Sacco is a talent entirely unto himself, applying an exquisitely fine eye for detail to the urgent histories that define the world around us… . Now, Sacco brings that eye to the lives of the Dene people in the Canadian subarctic, getting the full picture as only he can.” –Jonny Diamond, Literary Hub

“Anyone trying to wrap their heads around Thanksgiving myths about Pilgrims and Indians while also acknowledging their role in the occupation of lands stolen from indigenous people and the continued demand for fossil fuels and other resources that has brought us to a state of climate emergency needs to read this incredible work of comics journalism by a masterful researcher, storyteller, and artist.” –Thi Bui, Marin Independent Journal“It has been more than ten years since Joe Sacco, one of our greatest living graphic journalists, has produced a full-length work, and the wait has been worth it… . an immersive exploration that casts its net across a broad panoply of topics while still hewing to the granular details that make Sacco’s work so rewarding.”–Minneapolis Star Tribune“Magisterial … Paying the Land details a painful and tragic history, but in it Sacco finds images of hope for the Dene people and, by their example, for a world facing environmental collapse.” –The Brooklyn Rail“Such a powerful book.” –Book Riot“To say that Joe Sacco is the greatest practitioner of comics journalism working today is an understatement… . Paying the Land may well represent the greatest work he has ever done.” –Comics Journal“What are the Dene willing to sacrifice to sustain themselves? Deeply observed and masterfully drawn, Paying the Land brings light to dark corners of the world and to the human condition.” –Orion Magazine“Impassioned … Joe Sacco winds the most complex story of his career into a finely tuned narrative loop … An immediacy runs through the work.” –The Literary Review of Canada“Tender … moving … fabulously drawn … The book recreated the immensity of the Northwest Territories in an astounding array of tightly knit crosshatched lines.” –Galleries West”[Sacco’s] finest, most layered work to date.” –World Literature Today“Sacco goes where important conflicts rage … We are lucky he ventures into these spaces, because the insights he shares offer important lessons in understanding and compassion … Nuance and plurality dominate this narrative, and that’s important because it’s so often omitted from settler journalist coverage of Indigenous topics.” –PopMatters“The richly detailed, meticulously rendered black-and-white illustrations truly shine… . Sacco wisely allows the Dene to carry the narrative, and his distinctive style brings their voices vividly off the page.” –Eric Liebetrau, Kirkus Reviews

“A stunning, important piece of work.” –Daily Cartoonist“Extraordinary … masterful … a startling depiction of an Indigenous people struggling to remain true to their traditions. Yet another triumph for Sacco.” –Kirkus (starred review)“An arresting exploration of a community on the brink… . meticulous … Sacco again proves himself a master of comics journalism.” –Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Impressively detailed reporting … This is a vitally important story about an underrepresented people.” –Library Journal (starred review)

Joe Sacco is the author of Footnotes in Gaza, for which he received the Ridenhour Book Prize, as well as The Once and Future Riot, Palestine, Journalism, Safe Area Gorazde, and other books. His comics reporting has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, the Guardian, and Harper’s Magazine. He lives in Portland, Oregon.