Jeff Lemire: Tales From The Farm

I was unfamiliar with cartoonist Jeff Lemire before receiving this graphic novel from Top Shelf, but I have to count myself among his most ardent fans after reading Essex County Vol. 1: Tales From The Farm. The first in a proposed three-part series, this is the story of Lester, a ten-year-old boy whose mother recently died from cancer. Lester has never known his father and, with no other family, ends up going to live with his Uncle Ken on his farm in Essex County, Ontario Canada. Isolated, confused and probably more than a little angry, Lester finds a friend in Jimmy Lebeuf, the town’s simple-minded gas station owner and a former pro hockey player.

Tension grows between Lester and his bachelor uncle, due to their individual personalities and attempts to emotionally deal with the death of Lester’s mother and Ken’s sister. Lester prefers to be alone with his thoughts, losing himself in the world of comic books and super heroes. Uncle Ken is trying to understand the boy but, being somewhat of a loner himself (like most small farmers working long hours in the field), struggles to connect with Lester on any meaningful level. Only hockey brings the two together, albeit briefly. Meanwhile, Lester has found a kindred spirit in the childlike Lebeuf, as the two play pond hockey and fend off an imaginative alien invasion.

Lemire is a natural storyteller, able to convey a great deal of emotion and thought with a simple line or facial expression. His distinctive art style is unlike any that I’ve seen and, to his credit, he clearly isn’t trying to look like any other artist. Bold black lines intersect with stark white backgrounds, blackness envelopes some panels, and Lemire’s use of perspective and panel arrangement sit easily within both the flow of the story and in his graphic narration. Lemire’s art is elegant in its simplicity, deceptively hiding the depth and beauty of the story.

Jeff Lemire’s Essex County Vol. 1: Tales From The Farm presents a charming, entertaining story and is a fine example of what can be done with the graphic novel format by an artist and writer working outside of the admittedly more popular super-hero comics genre. I eagerly await future volumes in the series; kudos to both Lemire and to Top Shelf for their dedication to excellence. (Top Shelf Productions)

(Click on the book cover to buy from Amazon.com or buy directly from Top Shelf)