By Comix
Sometimes, the strangest stories come from the most humble of people. What could at one moment be a sweet tale of childhood innocence can quickly turn into one of horror in a world a thousand miles beyond redemption. Sweet Tooth is exactly that kind of comic. It is a story of brutality and survival in a post-apocalyptic world infested with what little is left of humankind and even less compassion. Though the post-civilization genre has been done over and over again, it has never quite been taken on as this particular work, where there are no zombies or bizarre, man-eating, creatures, but only an illness that stripped the world bare and strange collection of human/animal hybrids born in the aftermath. Though the series has recently ended, the last graphic novel is still on the horizon, ready to be snatched up on its drop date.
The story focuses on a boy named Gus, a kid born with deer antlers who lives deep in the Nebraska woods with his deeply religious father. One day, his father dies of an illness and Gus is forced to survive on his own, until a squadron of men find him and attempt to kidnap him. Suddenly, a rough looking man busts in and after making quick work of the kidnappers, promises to take Gus to a sanctuary. Gus and the man, named Jeppard, hit the road where the boy finally sees the outside world, a land filled with cruel humans scavenging for any remains of civilization. As they make their way to the sanctuary, they cross paths with gangsters, hybrids, and a prostitution ring. Eventually, they arrive at their destination only for things to take a turn for the worst. A most amazing of twists that I refuse to spoil, but it’s pretty crazy. The story soon delves deep in to who and what Gus really is and how much he actually affected the end of the world.
Sweet Tooth is a comic that goes beyond the usual post-apocalyptic, horror driven, guts-spilling story. Don’t get me wrong, it’s got plenty of that too, but it also explores the lives of the poor souls left to wander the barren plains. It’s fantastically written and so addictive that I was literally scrambling for the next issue as soon as it came out. It almost reads like The Walking Dead, in which every character has a back story a mile long and as soon as one is killed off, a part of you dies with them. Also, the whole animal hybrid thing is a great touch. It adds a bit of humanity to what easily could’ve been a Mad Max throw-away and it gives the characters a certain awkwardness that reflects well in the real world (because aren’t we all just really fucking weird kids?) It’s a quiet story with a powerful cast that clings long after you finished reading it. Really, when it comes down to it; it’s dark, it’s beautiful, and it reads like a long lost indie comic, wonderfully rehashed and colored up.
The author/artist, Jeff Lemire, is no stranger to writing comics that make you feel all bummed out. Originally an independent comic creator, his first published work called “Essex County” swept the four panel world with his story set in a fictional version of the town he grew up in. It’s all about family and feelings and junk, nothing we would be interested in, but it did garner several industry awards and two Eisner nominations. Soon afterwards, he got grabbed up by DC Comics and during and after his Sweet Tooth work, he had gone on to write several new DC relaunches, including Animal Man and Frankenstein. He even teamed up with Swamp Thing’s current writer Scott Snyder to work on the Rot World arcs. An interesting note: with Sweet Tooth being handled by DC/Vertigo, the company went a bit out of their norm by having Lemire both write and illustrate the comic. Usually, they have separate people doing the jobs in the bigger companies, so Lemire must really be doing something right.
So, as usual, how do you, the powerful fan, get your hands on Sweet Tooth? Well, there are two options: buy the issues or buy the graphic novels. With the series already ended, you’d have go diving in the back bins if you want the single issues and honestly, I don’t think it’s worth it. Definitely go for the graphic novels, five of which are already out and are about fifteen bucks each. Unfortunately, there’s no awesome extras in the back, but it’s good for reading. Besides, give it about a year and there will probably be some ultimate editions with a bunch of extras and crazy junk for the fanboys out there anyway. The last graphic novel won’t be out until June, so make sure to leave a space on your shelf for this amazingly sublime series.