REVIEW: LOST DOGS by Jeff Lemire
PUBLISHER;
When I’m introduced to a “new to me” writer I enjoy, finding their earlier works becomes a passion for me. Each early work sheds a little more light on the author, his or her passions as well as an opportunity to watch their craft grow. I first discovered Jeff through his work on the Vertigo comic Sweet Tooth. Lost Dogs is a stand alone graphic novel that chronicles a tragic series of events that effect a small family who visit the city. Though the horse drawn cart that brings them to town hints at the time period of the story, everything else about the events that unfold are sadly timeless. A senseless attack, sunders the family and explores the darkest corners of a man’s heart.
Lost Dogs is a raw, gripping tale. The emotive Black , White and Red coloring throughout the tale give it a sharp clarity and magnifies the horror. This story will grab you and not let you go. It really echoes the fragility of life and love and what we will do to survive and what we won’t.
Artistically Jeff has really succeeded in containing the vibrant roughness of his art, though in Dogs the play with proportions and shading is a positive addition to the story.
Not an easy read but a book that really showcases the power of graphic novels, and another volume to add to my ever growing Lemire collection.
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