War’s Aftermath
Postscript to Fax from Sarajevo Fax from Sarajevo © the Estate of Joe Kubert & Strip Art Features.
Ervin Rustemagic, the real-life protagonist of Kubert’s book, talks of life since the war Editor’s note: Fax from Sarajevo, Joe Kubert’s ground-breaking 1996 book, is less a graphic novel and more a journalistic long-form comic book story depicting real-life events of the early 1990s: the struggle of Ervin Rustemagic and his family during the Bosnian War. Winner of the Eisner and Harvey awards for best graphic novel/album, the 207-page tome follows Ervin — Joe’s European art agent, business partner and friend — as he fights to stay alive in the hellhole that was the Siege of Sarajevo and to reconnect with his family: Wife Edina, daughter Maja (pronounced mah-yah) and son Edvin. The story ends, now almost 20 years ago, with mother and children flying out of Sarajevo, bound to reunite with father. Ervin, who was exceedingly generous with CBC in sharing Joe Kubert material from the archives of his company, Strip Art Features, graciously offered to tell, in words and photos, what’s happened since to the Rustemagic family and about visits by Joe & Muriel Kubert…
All photos & text ©2013 Ervin Rustemagic.
Bottom left: From left, Muriel Kubert, Ervin Rustemagic and Joe Kubert during the couples visit to the Rustemagics in Slovenia in Spring 1994. Bottom right: Joe drawing for Maja, while Edvin patiently waits his turn.
After the U.S. military aircraft The Kentucky Air Guard has flown them from the siege of Sarajevo to Split, in Croatia, on Sept. 25, 1993, the Rustemagic family settled in Slovenia. On Dec. 24 of that year, they moved into a house they bought in Celje. The photo [above right] was taken in their house’s garden in early spring 1994. Maja was 11 years old and Edvin was 6. Edina, who is a professor of philosophy couldn’t work in Slovenia in her profession due to the language barrier, but she had to devote most of her time in raising Maja and Edvin and helping them come over the stress and trauma which they were experiencing for 18 months in the Bosnian war. Joe and Muriel Kubert were among the first friends who visited them in Slovenia. It was only then Joe told Ervin about plans to do Fax from Sarajevo.
Comic Book Creator Tribute Joe Kubert: Creator & Mentor
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