Jeff Lemire is one of the most impressive cartoonists to emerge in the last several years. His graphic novel trilogy Essex County, has been a well-deserved critical darling, and continues to amaze anyone that picks it up. Be sure to give his work a try, as it will absolutely blow you away. Lemire's expressive ink work, moody storytelling, and a surprising sense of humanity is not to be missed.
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 "A rich tapestry ... Mr. Lemire infuses his characters with vivid details that make them burst to life." -- George Gene Gustines, The New York Times
"Jeff Lemire's Essex County trilogy represents one of the most remarkable recent achievements in indie comics: three interlocking graphic novels about the mysteries and melancholy of a small Canadian farming community, rendered in a distinctive style and turned out surprisingly quickly." -- The AV Club
"Essex County is a tremendous achievement ... This heartfelt piece of graphic literature surpasses its form to stand as an enduring example of the finest in Canadian literature." -- from the introduction by Darwyn Cooke
"The subtle inter-weaving of Jeff Lemire's Essex County Trilogy is brilliant and constantly surprising. The cumulative impact left a lump in my throat." -- Jeff Smith, creator of Bone and RASL
"These three books on Canadian lives are individually striking, and cumulatively stunning." -- Paul Gravett, author of Graphic Novels: Stories to Change Your Life
"A quiet, somber, haunting masterpiece... Lemire is writing about loneliness and regret, and I'm at a loss to explain how he manages to illustrate the devastating toll they take on his characters even as he inspires his readers." -- Steve Duin, The Oregonian
"This is the comics medium at its best." -- Booklist (from one of three starred reviews)
- Winner of the 2008 Joe Shuster Award for Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Cartoonist
- Winner of the 2008 Doug Wright Award for Best Emerging Talent
- Winner of the 2008 American Library Association's Alex Award (For Adult Books with Teen Appeal)
- Nominated for the 2007 Ignatz Awards, the 2008 Harvey Awards, and two 2008 Eisner Awards
Where does a young boy turn when his whole world suddenly disappears? What could change two brothers from an unstoppable team into a pair of bitterly estranged loners? How does the work of one middle-aged nurse reveal the scars of an entire community, and can anything heal the wounds caused by a century of deception?
Critically-acclaimed cartoonist Jeff Lemire pays tribute to his roots with Essex County, an award-winning trilogy of graphic novels set in an imaginary version of the Ontario county where he was born. In Essex County, Lemire crafts an intimate study of one community through the years, and a tender meditation on family, memory, grief, secrets, and reconciliation. With the lush, expressive inking of a young artist at the height of his powers, Lemire draws us in and sets us free.
This new edition collects the complete Essex County trilogy (Tales from the Farm, Ghost Stories, and The Country Nurse) in one deluxe volume! Also included are over 50 pages of previously unpublished material, including sketches, promotional art, and two new stories. -- Softcover Graphic Novel with French Flaps, 512 pages, 6 1/2" x 9"
  $29.95 (US)
Diamond: JUN091069 - ISBN 978-1-60309-038-4 |
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 Also available, a special HARDCOVER edition of THE COMPLETE ESSEX COUNTY.
$49.95 $39.95! (US)
Diamond: JUN091068 - ISBN 978-1-60309-046-9 |
 The tiny, isolated fishing village of Large Mouth never saw much excitement — until the arrival of the stranger, that is. Wrapped from head to toe in bandages and wearing weird goggles, he quietly took up residence in the sleepy town's motel. Driven by curiosity, the townfolk quickly learn the tragic story of his past, and of the terrible accident that left him horribly disfigured. Eventually, the town embraces the stranger as one of their own — but do his bandages hide more than just scars?
Inspired by H.G. Wells' The Invisible Man, The Nobody explores themes of identity, fear and paranoia in a small community in a special two-color story that'll have you guessing until the very end. -- A 144-page, 2-color graphic novel.
Published by DC / Vertigo, and available from the Top Shelf website as well.
$19.99 (US) |
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 JEFF LEMIRE'S ESSEX COUNTY IS THE:
-- WINNER OF THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION/YALSA "ALEX AWARD" -- THE PRIZE THAT RECOGNIZES ADULT BOOKS WITH SPECIFIC TEEN APPEAL!
-- WINNER OF THE SHUSTER AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING CANADIAN COMIC BOOK CARTOONIST (WRITER/ARTIST)!
-- WINNER OF THE DOUG WRIGHT AWARD FOR CANADIAN CARTOONING'S BEST EMERGING TALENT!
-- NOMINEE FOR ONE HARVEY & TWO EISNER AWARDS!
"Books like this are the reason alternative comics publishers such as Top Shelf exist. Lemire uses an utterly personal, idiosyncratic drawing style, rough but completely clear, that even just-off-mainstream publishers would insist on gussying up for publication. And the simple story's slice-of-life lyricism, sparked by magic realism, is way too arthouse-movie-ish for the mainstream. But lordy, does it work!" -- Ray Olson, Booklist
"Lemire’s writing nails that complicated mixture of anger and sadness that comes with losing a loved one. His black-and-white illustrations work equally well, using rough and chunky lines to powerfully re-create the solitary nature of farm life and Lester’s vivid imagination. Teens will love the humor in Lester’s odd imagination and will be touched by the heart of a book that delivers a compelling look at tragedy and how to move on after it strikes." --School Library Journal
"Jeff Lemire's Tales From The Farm is one of the best books I read last year and I'm glad to see that it's finally coming out through a publisher that consistently brings interesting new talent to the fore. Lemire's going to go places and I'm glad to get to watch him rise." -- beaucoupkevin.com
In ESSEX COUNTY (VOL 1): TALES FROM THE FARM, Lemire illustrates the tale of Lester, a recently orphaned 10-year-old who goes to live on his Uncle’s farm. Their relationship grows increasingly strained and Lester befriends the town’s hulking gas station owner, Jimmy Lebeuf. The two escape into a private fantasy world of Superheroes, Alien Invaders and good old-fashioned pond Hockey. TALES FROM THE FARM is the first volume in a trilogy of graphic novels set in a fictionalized version of Lemire’s hometown of Essex County, Ontario. -- A 112-Page Graphic Novel, 6 1/2" x 9"
Check out the video trailer here: TFTF Trailer.
And check out this cool webcast where TFTF is discussed:
The Comic Book Syndicate.
OUT OF STOCK, BUT YOU CAN NOW PURCHASE THE COMPLETE ESSEX COUNTY!
$9.95 (US)
Diamond: JAN073894 - ISBN 978-1-891830-88-4 ** OUT OF STOCK ** |
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 "Indy book of the year!" -- Blair Butler, G4tv / Attack of the Show
"Ghost Stories is truly inspired work ... This is the second volume of a trilogy that firmly establishes Lemire as one of the premier storytellers in the graphic arts ... the best graphic novel of 2007." -- Steve Duin, The Oregonian
"A great graphic novel ... I had tears in my eyes when I was done." -- Whitney Matheson, USA Today
"Lemire handles the stuff of a Willa Cather novel with equal poetry, though in images made of lines and spaces rather than words. He renders emotion and temperament in a cartoon face with breathtaking, masterful economy. He manages transitions between present and past and sequences of magic realism as deftly and hauntingly as Ingmar Bergman in Wild Strawberries and Orson Welles in Citizen Kane. Is it too soon to say that Lemire is a major graphic novelist?" -- Ray Olson, Booklist (starred review)
Presenting the critically-acclaimed second volume in a trilogy of graphic novels set in a fictionalized version of Jeff Lemire’s hometown of Essex County, Ontario. Ghost Stories follows the lives and relationship of brothers Lou and Vince Lebeuf over the course of nearly seven decades. In this volume, eldest brother Lou, now a deaf and lonely man, lives out his final days on his farm full of guilt and regret for the decisions he made that tore his family apart. From their childhood on the farm, to Toronto in the 1950’s (where they both played professional hockey), Lou revisits his life, a silent observer haunted by his own memories. -- 224 pages
OUT OF STOCK, BUT YOU CAN NOW PURCHASE THE COMPLETE ESSEX COUNTY!
$14.95 (US)
Diamond: JUL073879 - ISBN 978-1-891830-94-5 ** OUT OF STOCK ** |
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 Named one of the year's Top 10 Graphic Novels by Booklist!
"This is the comics medium at its best." -- Booklist (starred review)
"The power of Lemire's hushed, deliberately paced storytelling is in his black-and-white linework: raw, scratchy and sometimes minimalist, it conveys a lot with a handful of ragged lines." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Jeff Lemire's Essex County trilogy, from Top Shelf, is a quiet, somber, haunting masterpiece... Lemire is writing about loneliness and regret, and I'm at a loss to explain how he manages to illustrate the devastating toll they takes on his characters even as he inspires his readers." -- Steve Duin, The Oregonian
"Volume 3 in the Essex County series establishes Jeff Lemire as one of the most elegant graphic novelists of our time. The complexity, the nuances, the pacing and the magic of this Canadian series elevates it to the status of Spiegelman's Maus and Craig Thompson's Blankets. The Country Nurse is a deeply important and unforgettable human story, one that can be returned to again and again for inspiration and strength. It also confirms Top Shelf Productions as a publisher of stories that move us to awe." --Richard Van Camp, author of The Lesser Blessed and Angel Wing Splash Pattern
"Lemire creates the kind of beauty that art can invent from sorrow. ... The Country Nurse is the closing chapter in a truly exceptional graphic novel trilogy." --Leroy Douresseaux, Comic Book Bin
The Country Nurse is the final volume in the critically acclaimed Essex County trilogy of graphic novels set in a fictionalized version of Lemire’s hometown in Ontario, Canada. The Country Nurse follows a day in the life of Anne Quenneville, this peculiar farming community’s traveling nurse. As Anne checks in on her favorite patients, we finally discover how all three volumes stitch together a portrait of how loss and regret push and pull at the fabric of family in small town life. -- 128-Page Graphic Novel, 6 1/2" x 9"
$9.95 (US)
Diamond: AUG08-4324 - ISBN 978-1-891830-95-2 |
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