Boosterism: Essex County Volume Two: Ghost Stories
A disclaimer right up front: I know (and like) Jeff Lemire.
By using a Stephen Leacock quote about hockey and the Canadian experience at the beginning of the latest installment in his Essex County trilogy, Lemire states outright that "It's a Canadian thing, you may or may not understand," something he may not have been able to do even just a few years ago, before the Great Graphic Novel Revolution occured in the popular press and work from outside the United States became just a bit more acceptable in bookstores and (some, if not all) direct market outlets. I'm sure somewhere, there's a neoconservative comics pundit who's hammering away at his keyboard, furious that one of the two great American art forms has become corrupted by foreign influences, but, you know, fuck that guy.
Anyway, back to Lemire's book.
Ghost Stories is about hockey and family and senility and aging and loneliness and heartbreak, among other things. It's beautifully rendered, cinematic in a just-surreal-enough way - the image of a streetcar in a field of wheat is one of those touches of whimsy that avoids being cloying, and the casual depth of the writing engages the reader on an emotional level that can be uncomfortable without reaching the levels of (self) loathing that, say, Tomine can induce. There's a few moments in this book where I paused, sort of amazed at the reaction it was pulling from me, perhaps a bit jealous.
Lemire's making great strides as a comics creator. As accomplished as Lost Dogs seemed when it debuted a couple of years ago, his narrative voice has become clearer and his art more and more accomplished. I may consider him a friend, but I also think of Jeff as someone that's pushing comics forward without muss or fuss, a typically Canadian way of doing things.
There's a preview of Ghost Stories on Lemire's website. You can buy it from my Amazon shop or support Top Shelf Comics directly.
