Frogcatchers

 

Frogcatchers is a brief but memorable book about memory, aging, and second chances. It begins with an older man waking up in a strange room, attached to medical equipment. As he gets untangled and disconnected he begins to wander; then he finds he is in a strange hotel building. When he goes outside, he finds himself in a tunnel where a young boy is hunting for frogs. As he gets his bearings, he finds more mysterious items and learns about the ominous being known as the Frog King, who runs the place. 

I don't want to describe much more about the plot of this book, because of spoilers but also because it is more based on tone and sensation than narrative. There are extended passages without words, where the scratchy images establish context or feelings. Sometimes the imagery also complicates to the overall enigma that is this place and setting. I know that it does not always look polished, but I feel that is what makes it exceptional. The lines are expressive and capture so much feeling with their kinetic energy. 

When I called this book brief I meant that it goes by quickly, but it also invites multiple re-readings and opportunities to suss out just what happened. It is a quiet, introspective book that offers interesting insights into what makes a life worth living.

This book's author Jeff Lemire is one of the most prolific comics creators in the field today. He has a huge list of comics credits and has won a few major awards along the way to boot. He is best known for The Essex County Trilogy, Black Hammer, and Sweet Tooth. He speaks about his work on Frogcatchers in this interview.

All the reviews I have read about this book have been raves. Irene Velentzas called it "a visually and narratively rich tale that suggests the key to navigating life and the self is to remain amphibious, to see under the surface of things, to grasp at opportunities, and to remain open to the constant change found within life’s current." John Seven commended the emotional work in this book, opining that it is "more like a visual poem than a character drama." Kevin Apgar gushed, "Unlike so many other graphic novels that sometimes overstay their welcome, I didn’t want Frogcatchers to end. Ever."

Frogcatchers was published by Gallery 13, and they offer more information about it here.

Sherlock Frankenstein and the Legion of Evil

This follow-up to the Black Hammer series delves a lot deeper into the complex history and intriguing characters of this alternative superheroic world. With the absence of the super team who have saved the world, there is great sadness and a vacuum as well. Lucy Weber, whose father was Black Hammer, has grown up and become an investigative reporter, and she begins exploring what may have happened to him and his cohorts. Her tactic is to trace the exploits of the extremely cool-named Sherlock Frankenstein, who was their greatest adversary, to find out what his role may have been.

I do not want to spoil much about the plot, but she has a lot of difficulty tracking the villain as he had gone underground soon after the heroes saved the world and mysteriously vanished. What is more, she finds that his actions are somewhat suspect but also puzzling. As she delves deeper and deeper into that mystery, she also finds herself being followed, and all kinds of other complications arise.

 

I know I am being purposefully vague, but I hope that it comes through just how well plotted this book is, with lots of twists and turns of the screw. My expectations were confounded a few times in the course of this relatively short volume. Also, I was thrilled to see all kinds of inventive new characters, most notably Cthu-Louise, who will get her own one-shot soon. If you are into superheroes but are sick of the same-old, same-old, this book and series are for you. I love how it plays with the conventions of superhero comics and weaves them into something fun, poignant, and unique.

This impressive bit of adventure and world-building is a collaboration between two of my favorite creators, writer Jeff Lemire and artist David Rubín. Lemire has a huge list of comics credits and has won a few major awards along the way to boot. Rubín may have fewer credits, but he has drawn an impressive bunch of comics, including the series Rumble and the graphic novel Fall of the House of West. Lemire speaks about his work on this book in this interview, while Rubín discusses his role in it in this interview.

The Black Hammer series has already won an Eisner Award, and this volume was nominated for another this year. The reviews I could find of this trade paperback have been very positive. Phillip Kelly called it "a truly satisfying emotional arc" and "also a necessary piece to the greater world of Black Hammer." A.J. Jones wrote, "The writing is quintessential Lemire, carefully plotted and filled with dialogue that amuses and intrigues by turns," and added further, "Rubín’s distinctive style is a joy to the eye, demonstrating the power of the graphic medium to transcend mere representation."

Sherlock Frankenstein and the Legion of Evil was published by Dark Horse, and they provide previews and more info here.

Black Hammer, Volume 1: Secret Origins

Winner of the 2017 Eisner Award for Best New Series, Black Hammer is a unique and interesting take on superheroes. Writer Jeff Lemire, one of the hardest working guys in comics, with a tremendous amount of titles to his credit wrote in the introduction to this book that he came up with the concept a while ago soon after finishing his Essex County Trilogy (some of the best comics I've read and well worth checking out). The plot follows a superhero team after they have spent ten years stranded in a small, rural town in another dimension following a grand battle to save the universe.

The characters in the book stand well enough on their own, though experienced comic book readers will recognize them as analogues for some pretty well established figures. Abraham Slam is very similar to Captain America, an older hero who lacks powers and is nearing the end of his career. Barbalien is an alien who seems a lot like the Martian Manhunter. Golden Gail is superheroine a lot like Mary Marvel, only she is unable to transform back to her human form so she is a 50-year-old woman trapped in the body of a 9-year-old. Colonel Weird is a version of scifi adventurer Adam Strange who is unstuck in time, and seems to be aware of the past, present, and future, though he cannot make sense of any of it. He is accompanied by a helpful robot called Walky Talky (who spends a lot of time hiding out). Madame Dragonfly is a lot like Madame Xanadu, a mystic possessed of great magical power. The final member of the team is Black Hammer, a hybrid version of Thor/Steel/Orion who has godlike powers but a strong drive to cater to humanity, though he is seemingly dead. He did have a daughter though, and she is still striving to find out what happened to the team while others have moved on and simply concluded they are dead.

 

 

This motley bunch is stuck in this place, though they don't know how they got there or why they cannot seem to leave. The kicker is that they still retain their powers (mostly) maintain a particularly low profile. Some, like Abraham Slam, find they like the quiet, mundane life while others view it as a horrid circumstance. Golden Gail is especially galled to have to relive elementary school and often gets drunk and is abusive to others. What makes this series compelling is more the personal angles to the relationships and plight they are in. Each chapter focuses on a particular character, recounting their secret origin and adding insight into their current status. The plot is also propelled by attempts to escape this place, not to mention the drive to find the mysterious cause of their situation. Clearly, this book has a lot going on, but the plot never gets convoluted. Black Hammer was the best kid of superhero comic for me, very easy to get into and very difficult to set aside. I am very much looking forward to picking up the next volume soon.

Joining Lemire in this collaboration are artists Dean Ormston and Dave Stewart. Ormston hails from the UK and is known for his work on 2000 AD and various Vertigo titles. Stewart is a veteran colorist who has won multiple Eisner Awards for his work.

All of the reviews I have read of this book have sung its praises. Thea James wrote,"I can’t really remember the last new superhero book that I read and desperately wanted more: Black Hammer is the superhero comic you need." Cam Petti praised the comics creators because they "use those cultural touchstones as tools not to celebrate, but to examine humanity, and in this way, they strike out on their own and craft an excellent story." Spencer Church called it "an incredible display of character development and storytelling."

Black Hammer was published by Dark Horse, and they have a preview and more information about this volume here.

Plutona

Plutona has a pretty simple set-up: It is about five young people who happen upon the dead body of their city's greatest superheroine in the woods. So, in a way it is like a bizarro version of Stand By Me, but like that movie what really makes this narrative hum is the synergy between its protagonists. The superhero elements are the backdrop, and the human drama takes center stage. The players here are a motley bunch, starting with goody-goody superhero fanboy Teddy,

trying to be cool Diane,

proto-juvenile delinquent Ray,

tough-girl Mie, and her little brother Mike (who constantly annoys her):

Of course there is a bunch of in-fighting between these kids, but what transpires crosses over into surprisingly dark territory. There are lies and betrayals aplenty, and alliances and relationships form, shift, and morph in almost unrecognizable ways. This book is much more about identity and finding one's place in the world than it is about a murder mystery. And I found the characters and constant twists highly satisfying, because the characters were so well-defined and the plot was so compellingly complex.

Part of what makes this book work so well is that it looks very cartoony and bright, which juxtaposes very well with the darkness and seriousness of the plot. Writer Jeff Lemire and artists Emi Lenox and Jordie Bellaire have collaborated in excellent fashion, and this tale is simply masterful. Lemire has a laundry list of comics credits for all sorts of genres at all sorts of publishers. Lenox is a relative newcomer, and Bellaire is the reigning Eisner Award winner for Best Colorist. Lemire and Lenox speak about their work on the book in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been full of praise. Doug Zawisza wrote, "I was ready to dismiss "'Plutona" #1 as "Stand By Me" meets super heroes, but Lemire, Lenox, Bellaire and Wands bring along a balanced cast and fun, lively art." Paul Bowler wrote that it is "one of those new comic book series that arrives like a bolt from the blue, capturing the imagination and completely blowing you away with its thoughtful premise, great writing, and beautiful artwork." Caitlin Rosberg called it "a mystery worth waiting for."

Plutona was originally published as a 5-issue limited series. This collection was published by Image Comics, and they have a preview and more information available here.

The Valiant

I have not read a comic book from Valiant since the 1990s. And to be honest I don't think I can tell you much about the ones I did read, other than I remember Bob Layton artwork and Magnus the Robot Fighter. Well, the company is up for pretty much every Harvey Award category this year, a circumstance that some feel is suspicious given their market share size, and this collection of comics was available to borrow from Comixology Unlimited, so I figured why not? Also contributing to my decision was that it was written by Jeff Lemire and Matt Kindt, two prolific and well-respected comics creators whose works I have loved.

So, how was it, you ask? I loved it, and I am seriously thinking about following the adventures of some of the major players in this limited series. But I am getting ahead of myself. This collection contains four issues of the series meant to introduce (or reintroduce in my case) readers to the Valiant Universe. It has excellent and brief background on the major players, and although it is technically a crossover, it smartly focuses on a select few. The main plot deals with an ages old character named the Eternal Warrior in his quest to defend the Geomancer, a mystic strongly linked with the Earth, from being murdered by The Immortal Enemy. The rub is that this circumstance has happened three times before, and each time the Warrior has failed and the Earth plunged into a dark age. The intro to the book shows their first encounter/battle.

 

 

The difference this time is that there are government agencies, not to mention a good number of super-powered beings, that can assist the Eternal Warrior. Still the Enemy can use their greatest fears against them all, which makes the central character on the cover, Bloodshot, so important. He is an ex-agent enhanced by nanite technology whose memories have been wiped. He is a killing machine with a healing factor and no fear to exploit, and he is the last line of defense for the Geomancer. I won't spoil things any further, but I will say that I was quickly captivated by the story and artwork. As you can see from the preview, this book melds superhero art and narratives with legends and myths to excellent effect.

Lemire and Kindt wrote the story here, and Paolo Rivera provided the artwork. Lemire became known for his beautifully spare and brutal Essex County Trilogy as well as work on multiple superhero titles, and his original works The Underwater Welder and Trillium. Kindt also has created numerous graphic novels, including Super Spy, Red Handed, and Revolver, worked on his own series Mind MGMT and Dept H, as well as having written a good number of titles at Marvel and DC Comics. Rivera is a well established comics artist who has mostly done work for Marvel Comics. His line work and storytelling are exceptional. Lemire and Kindt speak about their work on The Valiant in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read about this collection have been glowing. David Harper described it as "one of the better superhero comics in recent years," adding that it was "certainly a comic worth reading for readers both new and old." Publishers Weekly called it "a classic adventure story that hits all the right notes." Jeff Lake praised it as "a fantastic read."

The Valiant was published by Valiant Entertainment, and they have more info about the book here. There is a preview available here from Comic Vine, where I copped the three pages above.

Descender Volume One: Tin Stars

Tin Stars is the first volume of the ongoing Descender series. It compiles the first six issues, telling the tale of a universe where robots have destroyed a sizable portion of the population on nine worlds. The resulting backlash resulted in robots being hunted and destroyed. Ten years after the initial massacre, Tim-21, a small robot designed to be a child's companion reactivates. He finds himself in a strange and lonely place, and he tries to get his bearings.

I don't want to spoil much, because I think that this series is well paced with revelations and surprises, but Tim-21 is wanted by a number of interested parties, because his is a unique robot model. Also, his codex is somehow related to that of the "Harvesters" that wrought the massive destruction. I know that this series is similar to other works, and it seems to wear influences, to the manga series Astro Boy and Pluto, the TV series Battlestar Galactica, and the film Prometheus, on its sleeve, but I still think the story feels fun and fresh. Much of that freshness has to do with the artwork, which you can see is wonderfully atmospheric in its painterly qualities. I also feel that the character work is interesting, and the motley crew that assembles is amusing for its dynamics.

Descender is a collaboration between writer Jeff Lemire and artist Dustin Nguyen. The multiple-award winning Lemire is known for his spare and beautiful Essex County Trilogy. He is a prolific comics maker who has worked for the big 2 comics companies, doing superhero work on titles like Animal Man and Extraordinary X-Men, as well as also creating original works like The Underwater Welder, Plutona, and Trillium. Nguyen has been drawing mostly for DC Comics for the past decade, being one of the main artists on various Batman books. Both creators speak about their work on the Descender series in this interview.

The reviews of I have read about this series are positive, though some are somewhat measured. In a starred review, Published Weekly praised Nguyen's "marvelous" artwork while also praising Lemire as he "smoothly doles out information while amping up the tension, and the innocent, friendly character of TIM-21 creates real heart in the midst of extreme violence." Emily King praised the artwork as well, but added that "If you don’t know much about Mass Effect, than Descender will seem pretty fresh in terms of the core pillars of its story and setting" (Disclaimer: Until I just googled it, I knew nothing about Mass Effect). Henry Dykstal called it "an excellent start to an epic."

Descender Volume One was published by Image Comics. They have more information and links to previews here.

Sweet Tooth, Volume 1: Out of the Deep Woods

I very much enjoy the work of Jeff Lemire in general. I think that his spare and brutal Essex County Trilogy was inspired and brilliant. His superhero work on titles like Animal Man was well crafted, and his original works like The Underwater Welder and Trillium are incredibly well plotted and characterized. He is a multiple award winner, and I very much enjoy his atmospheric and deceptively simple-looking art.

Out of the Deep Woods collects the first 5 issues of Sweet Tooth, Lemire's 40-issue series of comic books set in a post-apocalyptic USA where a nuclear plague is wiping out humanity while also spawning hybrid creatures that combine features of humans and animals. One of these hybrids is Gus, who lives in an isolated cabin in the woods with his father, the only family (human being actually) he has ever known. Gus is 9 years old, full of his dad's religious teachings, and widely ignorant of the ways of the world. He also has some survival training, which comes in handy after his father dies. Of course, he eventually runs afoul of some humans.

Original scan from iFanboy. Also, as you can see here this book has some mature language and violence, so I recommend parental guidance.

He ends up tagging along with a strong, silent type named Jepperd, who seems to be offering protection but may also have ulterior motives of his own. I won't go on further to spare spoilers, but let me just say that this story gets addictive pretty quickly. This first volume excellently sets up the premise and characters and also sets a suspenseful and compelling narrative in motion. I know that this genre is very popular and almost omnipresent right now, but this book is exceptionally done and well worth exploring. Lemire speaks extensively about his work on Sweet Tooth all the way until the series' conclusion (so there are spoilers) in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read for this series have been full of praise. iFanboy's Paul Montgomery gave this volume 5 stars and added, "I'd be really happy to see a book like this go on for however long Lemire wants it to proceed." Joey Esposito called it "a great hook into this new series." Ian Aleksander Adams called it "amazingly irresistible. It’s executed very very well and makes for an enjoyable read."

Out of the Deep Woods is now titled Out of the Woods, apparently, and was published by Vertigo. For more information, you can visit the book's official blog, though it has not been updated in a long while.

The Underwater Welder

Jack Joseph is the underwater welder from the title of this book. He works on an oil rig off the coast of Nova Scotia, and he is under pressure from a few circumstances. His work is intense and dangerous. He and his wife are expecting their first baby, who is due within the month. He is haunted by memories of his father, a diver who died in a diving incident, and his relationship with his mother is strained. In the midst of all these tensions, Jack begins to see things while he is at work, things that should not be in the water around him. Of course, he feels compelled to investigate...

This story was very affecting and captured a wide range of emotions. This should come as no surprise to readers who have read other of Lemire's original comics. His artwork is scratchy, in black and white, and packs quite a wallop when it comes to setting moods, delineating characters, and evoking feelings. He makes great use of pacing, with mundane actions balanced with a few wide screen moments reminiscent of Jack Kirby spreads that make for effective storytelling effects.

Jeff Lemire is no stranger to accolades, having won an Alex Award for Tales from the Farm,  Joe Shuster and Doug Wright Awards for being an outstanding cartoonist, and a Xeric Award for his first graphic novel, Lost Dogs. His Essex County Trilogy was incredibly well received, and he has more recently worked on more mainstream comic books, with his series Sweet Tooth from Vertigo and writing a number of books, including Animal Man, Constantine, and Green Arrow for DC Comics. He speaks about his work on The Underwater Welder in this interview.

Reviews I have read about this book have been resoundingly positive. NPR's Glen Weldon offered this opinion about Lemire's book, "These pages are poignant and masterful, and represent some of the very best work he's ever done." Jason Serafino wrote, "It’s incredibly heartfelt and emotional with a few life lessons sprinkled throughout that you might be able to learn something from. The prospect of a 200-plus page comic book about a family drama might seem intimidating, but once you pick it up you’ll wish it never ended." Erik Norris called it a "tour de force with enough emotional resonance that you might find yourself wiping away a single tear while closing the book’s final page."

A preview and more are available here from the book's publisher Top Shelf.

The Country Nurse

The third book of the Essex County Trilogy, The Country Nurse simultaneously looks backward and forward. Most of the story happens now, focusing upon Anne Quenneville, a widowed nurse who  "meddles" some in the lives of the townfolk in Essex County. She has lost her husband and is caring for her twentysomething-year-old son, who is distant from her. While she makes her rounds, she looks back at what has happened in the past, finding old wounds, lost relationships, and a present where people do not always know where they came from or even who their parents are.

Constantly, the reader is shown the bleak, spare landscape of the area, which takes up a role like a character among this cast of damaged and unfulfilled people. The book opens on a scene of sewing, and that metaphor runs throughout the book as Annie's trek across the county connects scenery, history, and characters into a narrative whole. This is some fine, subtle storytelling.

This graphic novel is the work of Jeff Lemire, a multiple award winning comics creator. He won a Xeric Award for his debut book Lost Dogs. He has also won a Young Adult Library Services Association Alex Award, a Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Book Creator Award for Outstanding Cartoonist, and the Doug Wright Award for Best Emerging Talent. Currently he writes multiple series for DC Comics, including Justice League Dark and Animal Man. He also has recently published an acclaimed, original graphic novel, The Underwater Welder. Lemire talks more about his work on the Essex County Trilogy in this interview.

Reviews of the book I have read praise Lemire's craft but offer cautious approval. Hebdomeros wrote that Lemire's art is "more cinematic than ever here" but that this book "is completely dependent on what occurred in the first two; anyone new to this story will miss a lot of the subtext." And Andrew Wheeler concluded that it is "still a fine story about Canadians with truly epic-sized noses, and well worth reading for people who enjoyed the first two books – I just wouldn’t recommend starting the series here." I agree with these assessments: The Country Nurse artfully ties together the events of the first two books in the trilogy, but it is not as readable as they are as a stand-alone volume. Also, its revelations are not so impactful without a prior introduction to the characters.

A preview and much more is available from the book's publisher, Top Shelf.

Ghost Stories

A story of two brothers, Ghost Stories is a sad, beautiful book about regret, family, and lost connections. This second book in the Essex County Trilogy focuses on Lou Lebeuf, an elderly, deaf man who lives in the farmhouse where he grew up. The story flashes from the present to the past, with glimpses into Lou's career as a street car driver as well as the time he and his younger but very much bigger brother Vince played professional hockey. While they are away in the big city, Lou falls in love with Vince's fiancee, Beth, and what transpires afterward changes their relationship forever .

This graphic novel is the work of Jeff Lemire, a multiple award winning comics creator. He won a Xeric Award for his debut book Lost Dogs. He has also won a Young Adult Library Services Association Alex Award, a Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Book Creator Award for Outstanding Cartoonist, and the Doug Wright Award for Best Emerging Talent. Lemire talks more about his work on the Essex County Trilogy in this interview.

Reviews of Ghost Stories have been relatively positive, with most comments focusing on the powerful story and evocative art. Benjamin Jacob Hollars commented that "Lemire’s sparse and seemingly unforgiving Canadian landscape only intensifies the cool shivers that the reader finds throughout each page." Brian Heater admitted that the book is driven by melancholy but called the storytelling "so powerful" that it is very affecting. Andrew Wheeler offered a different take on this graphic novel, concluding that "I can’t quite recommend Ghost Stories: it’s technically excellent, and has a real emotional power, but its relentless dreariness turns into something almost like a parody of soap opera by the end."

A preview is available from the book's publisher Top Shelf.

Tales from the Farm

The first book in a trilogy set in Essex County, Canada, Tales from the Farm contains the story of Lester, a 10-year-old orphan who lives with his uncle on a farm. Isolated and with no other company than his laconic uncle, Lester starts wearing a mask and cape and escapes into a fantasy world. He befriends Jimmy Lebeuf, a huge man who runs the local gas station, when Jimmy slips him a free comic book. Jimmy used to play professional hockey but an injury has left him a changed person. The two play pond hockey, talk superheroes, and fight alien invaders (!) until his uncle forbids them to hang out any more.

Tales from the Farm melds fiction, biography, and fantasy. The art is done in black and white and is spare, scratchy, and evocative. Its creator Jeff Lemire has won a slew of awards, including a Shuster Award, the Doug Wright Award, and the American Library Association's Alex Award for Adult book with teen appeal. Currently, he is working on the series Sweet Tooth for Vertigo and is writing for DC Comics.

In terms of reviews, they are mostly positive, with most criticisms coming about Lemire's sketchy art and slow pacing. Aaron Albert said that the book "is a touching story about growing up, loss, and finding ways to cope with the hard times." Leroy Douresseaux called it "a broad universal tale with which many young adult readers may identify." Nisha Gopalan likened it to an "indie film" and said that "patient readers will appreciate this Podunk comic's languid pacing and stark, jittery visuals."

More information about the Essex County Trilogy can be found in this review by Wes Walcott. More information and news about Jeff Lemire's work can be found in his blog.

A preview is available from the publisher Top Shelf.