Sweet Tooth
I'm a bit of a comic nerd. I never had them growing up, and about a year ago I started getting into them. That said, being a student, I'm pooor, so I only buy a few titles here and there, and follow a few authors around.
Vertigo is doing this awesome thing where they only charge you a dollar (plus tax) for the first issues of all their new series. Whoever came up with this idea is a genius. It's simple, but makes so much sense. Everyone is always afraid to pick up a new comic title, because they're afraid if they start it, they'll keep buying it even if it sucks. For a dollar, you can't go wrong.
Taking advantage of this, I picked up the first issue of Sweet Tooth, by Jeff Lemire. Here's the cover:
Sweet Tooth #1 by Jeff Lemire
"Sweet Tooth is the story of Gus, a young boy born with antlers and deer-like features. He has lived his entire life in total isolation in the woods with his Father, a kind, but zealous man. As our story begins Gus’ is finally forced to leave their forest sanctuary and begins to experience the outside world for the first time, and what he finds outside is beyond his comprehension; an American landscape decimated a decade earlier by a deadly pandemic. Even more remarkable is that Gus is part of a rare new breed of human/animal hybrid children who have emerged in its wake, all apparently immune to the infection.
The boy is soon taken in by Jepperd, a hulking drifter who promises to lead Gus to “The Preserve”, a fabled safe-haven for hybrid children."
- Jeff Lemire, author
I really loved this book. The art is something different by all means. It's nothing like the typical superhero art, and I found the emotion really came through, particularly with Gus' expressions in particularly sad moments. At other points, shit hits the fan and things get a little gruesome. I'm not sure I'd recommend this book to a young kid for that reason alone, but we'll have to see as the next couple issues drop. It's nothing extreme, but I'll leave that up to parents. The paper in my copy wasn't the typical sleek, shiny stuff most books are on. It had more of a real paper feel, and I think that lent to the feel of the book.
I'm really digging the story and writing. I immediately felt like I was pulled into the story, and for me that's essential. Lemire's definitely creating a world here, and we barely leave the small woods the main characters live in in the first issue. The dialogue is believable, and despite Gus speaking in a very "simple" way, it didn't remind me I'm reading a comic book like many attempted accents/dialects do. It's an *almost* typical post-apocalyptic story, aside from the fact that the main character has antlers, but I like the way it's being handled, and I'm expecting a more than typical story. For the first few pages, Gus' antlers were cut out of the frames, so you didn't notice his deformity until you already connected with him on a human level. We have no idea what the scope of the epidemic causing Gus' deformity is, or how it's effected humanity in general. All we've got is a couple characters, a few perceived threats, and an entire world to explore. I'm excited.
Ch-check it out if you're looking for something different from the typical super hero book, and make sure to let me know what you think.
More info:
- Sweet Tooth #1 at iFanboy.com
