Jeff Lemire’s story of a post-apocalyptic world and the people who inhabit it, whether they be survivor of plague or mutated animal children, continues with a closer look at the man known as Tom Jeppard. Jeppard, a former hockey pro, recounts his life before the plague, an idyllic existence with a beautiful wife he never felt he deserved. As his tale continues, we learn a bit more about what happened after the plague hit and people started dying in droves. The collapse of government and military, selfishness and the struggle to survive overtaking the spirit of community and the depression of living in such a hellish existance.
As Jeppard tries to drink his past away, we also spend a little time with Gus, aka “Sweet Tooth”, as he befriends other animal/human hybrid children who are locked in The Preserve with him. Purported to be a safe haven from the dangers of the outside world, The Preserve turns out to be anything but. Hideous experiments are performed on children and it seems that Gus will be next.
Post-apocalyptic stories are nothing new; in fact, they seem to be all the rage these days. The story of a simple man with a good heart being forced to betray his core beliefs in order to survive has been done before as well and if anything, the general direction of this story is fairly predictable. I think we all know what Jeppard is going to do when he finishes that bottle of booze he’s drowning his sorrows in… but as the saying goes, it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. And I, for one, am enjoying the hell out of this trip.
While I occasionally question Lemire’s artistic style, there’s no doubt the man knows how to put a comic book together. You guys know this, but I’ll say it anyway: it’s not just about drawing pictures and putting words in little bubbles. To put it in layman’s terms, the size and placement of the panel, the particular image shown and obviously, the quality of the artwork all come together to make it work. You know that and I know that and clearly so does Jeff Lemire. The man just knows how to make comics. That’s all I’m sayin’. You’re totally in it the whole time and it’s packed with emotion from start to finish.
As for the story itself, I was glad we got to get at least a glimpse of what happened during whatever it was that killed most of the people on the planet. After his betrayal of Gus a couple issues back, we’re getting a look into the head of Tom Jeppard, an honest guy who has been known for keeping his promises and having a hot temper (at least, back during his pro hockey days). He is now dealing with the consequences of his actions and Lemire handles it perfectly. If there’s any complaint, it’s with portions of the art. Now don’t get me wrong, I like Lemire’s artwork a lot and I think Jose Villarrubia’s colors compliment it so well that they guy’s name probably ought to be on the cover of the book every month. But as refreshing as Lemire’s artwork is, I kind of feel like he’s trying too hard sometimes.
Cover art to SWEET TOOTH #7 by Jeff Lemire
I love, love, love the fact that we’re getting a sweet Mad Max-style story with artsty, indie-style sensibilities… Sweet Tooth has a look and feel that, even when the story ventures into the realm of predictability and unoriginality, is very unique. But sometimes I kinda think that Lemire is just drawing really weird for the sake of drawing really weird. It’s like when you see those dudes with the messy hair and you know that they spent about 2 hours and $20 on product to give you the impression that they just rolled out of bed. Know what I mean? I don’t feel that way all the time, but every so often there’s a panel that gives me that sense.
But it was another good issue of a book that I’ve come to look forward to every month. I’ve come to love Gus for his good-natured simplicity and hope that I’ll come to respect Tommy Jeppard once he comes to his senses and follows his heart. And the overall mystery of just what the hell is going on in the world and where all these animal kids came from is enough to keep me coming back. I’m giving this one a B and I’ll definitely keep Sweet Tooth on my pull list.
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