6 Indian Publishers Contacted Me Joe Sacco On His 2013 Muzaffarnagar Riots Graphic Novel

Penguin Random House India has pulled out of plans to distribute Joe Sacco’s The Once and Future Riot, his graphic novel reportage of the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, but the acclaimed cartoonist-journalist says that at least six Indian publishers have approached him about bringing the book out. Sacco, who is credited with pioneering war reportage in comics form, has used the form to report on Palestine and the Bosnian War, and his work has been translated into 14 languages. “About six Indian publishers have approached me about publishing the book in India,” Sacco told The Indian Express, “so I also have the impression that India still contains people who want to preserve the Indian experiment and who will push back against the forces that seek to hinder political self-examination.” The Once and Future Riot, published in 2025, is a 135-page illustrated account of the 2013 Muzaffarnagar communal riots in western Uttar Pradesh, which left over 60 dead and 40,000 displaced. It was expected to reach Indian shelves by August-September. However, Gaurav Shrinagesh, CEO of Penguin Random House India, told The Indian Express earlier this month that the title had been red-flagged during pre-check and legal scrutiny, including an inaccurate map of India's borders and unanswered requests for citations. “We are very clear about this: if we know there is an inaccurate map and no changes are forthcoming, we will not do it,” he said. Joe Sacco; book cover (inset) “The citations never came through because I sent none in,” Sacco said. “My book was thoroughly fact-checked by my editors at my North American publisher, Metropolitan Books,” he said, adding that Penguin Random House India’s actual list of “required” changes went well beyond the map. “Some of these requirements were for me to change quotes from people I had interviewed, including a public figure, so as to mute their rhetoric. I do not change quotes.” “I was also asked to move a caption down the page and, most importantly, to remove my conclusion that Hindu nationalism is “firing on all cylinders,” he said, adding that he felt that his book was “balanced and fair.” The litany of changes and concerns from Penguin Random House India ultimately led Sacco to conclude that it did not want to distribute the book, and so he told his agents that he would “not comply with the onerous verifications and requirements, and that’s where I left it.” The requirements, he says, included Penguin Random House India asking for “consent forms” for use of quotes and “likenesses to be verified,” which was another pain point.