# Is "Notes from a Defeatist" by Joe Sacco a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Notes from a Defeatist by Joe Sacco (Fantagraphics Books, 2003) is identified by: First edition, Fantagraphics Books, 2003; first printing. First-thus collection (2003) gathering earlier material; the original stories appeared previously in periodical form, so the individual pieces predate this volume.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, Fantagraphics Books, 2003; first printing
- Collects Sacco's earlier journalistic, autobiographical and satirical short work from the 1980s-the printed price, including When Good Bombs Happen to Bad People, More Women More Children More Quickly, and How I Loved the War
- ISBN 1560975105 / 9781560975106
- Correct publisher/imprint: Fantagraphics Books

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Joe Sacco |
| Publisher | Fantagraphics Books |
| Year | 2003 |
| True first | world edition |
| Format | Comic / graphic novel |
| Key point | First edition, Fantagraphics Books, 2003; first printing |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition, Fantagraphics Books, 2003; first printing. Collects Sacco's earlier journalistic, autobiographical and satirical short work from the 1980s-the printed price, including When Good Bombs Happen to Bad People, More Women More Children More Quickly, and How I Loved the War. ISBN 1560975105 / 9781560975106.

## Is this the true first?
First-thus collection (2003) gathering earlier material; the original stories appeared previously in periodical form, so the individual pieces predate this volume.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings are reprints of the 2003 collection.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Notes from a Defeatist* by Joe Sacco a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/notes-from-a-defeatist
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.