Photo courtesy: Matt Musselman

Today’s Word on the Street featured comic book journalist Joe Sacco speaking not once but twice. Starting in the morning on CBC Radio’s Studio One Book Club, 130 lucky contest winners got to hear Sacco talk. In the afternoon, the floodgates opened and the rest of his fans crowded into the limited seating in the Word Under the Street room for a “Chat and Signing.”

As a fan of Sacco’s, among other longtime fans, I wasn’t quite ready for the fifteen minutes the moderator allotted to the “chat” part. It wasn’t only me who went, “Huh? It’s over already?” after Sacco concluded his chat. Heck, it wasn’t even much of a chat, it was more of us asking Sacco questions. We missed out on Sacco’s description of his new book.

All we had to go on was the Word on the Street programme copy, that Sacco is promoting his new book, But I Like It, a collection of strips about music, drawings, poster designs and “graphic novelette of life on the road with punk band The Miracle Workers.” Something about rock ‘n’ roll being “one of the most dangerous beats of all.”

After Bosnia and Palestine, where his previous books were set, this latter statement is a disappointing marketing ploy. Not because I want Sacco to risk his neck continuously for my comicbook reading pleasure (he pointed out during his talk that life isn’t all warzones and anyone would break down if they didn’t have a more well-rounded life), but because the book should be recognized for being in a different category all together.

But Sacco didn’t say a word about it. And as But I Like It is so new, many of us had no chance to read it, much less have viable questions to ask that did not refer to his previous books. I presume that, because Sacco already talked to a select few this morning with the 130 contest winners, he either didn’t want to cover familiar territory for the second time in the day or else CBC Radio got exclusive rights to this new book’s story. Pity for those of us who lost out on the contest or missed the deadline.

The Word Under the Street room also had a bit too much happening - what with Nardwuar and the Ink Muffins injecting their very audible enthusiasm into the background noise of kids browsing the comics and zines. Certainly all the other speakers at Word on the Street had to raise their voices over the noise, but it felt as if it smacked of unfairness, that some of us had to strain our ears to listen, while 130 others had Sacco all to themselves.

A reconnaissance tour of the CBC site holds promise that the morning talk may yet be reincarnated online. While not as good as hearing Sacco in person (and having the chance to ask him questions), this will have to do.

Related posts:

1. The Word on the Street
2. Cheapie Sunday: The Word On The Street
3. A Letter
4. Cheapie Saturday - 7th Annual Yaletown Street Party
5. Literary Tour on Main Street