Sweet Tooth Vol. 1: Out of the Woods [Paperback]

Jeff Lemire (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: May 18, 2010 | Series: Sweet Tooth (Book 1)

Following on the heels of THE NOBODY, his Vertigo graphic novel debut, writer/artist Jeff Lemire pens his very first ongoing series SWEET TOOTH. A cross between Bambi and Cormac McCarthy's The Road, SWEET TOOTH tells the story of Gus, a rare new breed of human/animal hybrid children, has been raised in isolation following an inexplicable pandemic that struck a decade earlier. Now, with the death of his father he's left to fend for himself . . . until he meets a hulking drifter named Jepperd who promises to help him. Jepperd and Gus set out on a post-apocalyptic journey into the devastated American landscape to find 'The Preserve' a refuge for hybrids.

This unique and haunting new series is written and illustrated by Eisner-nominated creator Lemire (The Essex County Trilogy) and colored by fellow Eisner nominee Jose Villarubia.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The latest entry in the postapocalyptic survivalist fantasy stakes has a peculiar sentimental streak in it. Gus, an almost parodically naïve young boy with antlers sprouting from his forehead and a taste for chocolate, is one of the few children born after some kind of manmade catastrophe. Following the death of his Bible-thumping father, the only other person he's ever known, he's rescued from hunters by a hulking, rifle-toting man called Jepperd, who promises to take him to a sanctuary for kids like him (and slaughters the refugees from Clichéd Dialogue University who get in their way en route). But could Jepperd be more than he seems? (One guess.) Lemire's thick, crunching brush strokes can be rawly expressive; he's got a terrific sense of composition and narrative flow, and the crumbling settings he draws effectively evoke a blasted, forsaken world. Too often, though, his artwork simply comes off as crude. His characters' bodies and features are often distractingly inconsistent from one panel to the next. And Gus's dream vision of a cartoon deer (identified as Dandy) telling him to run away, which should be a dramatic peak of this volume, falls flat because Lemire can't pull off his attempted shift away from his baseline style. (May)
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From School Library Journal

Gr 10 Up–Years ago during the Affliction, billions of people died and children were born as human/animal hybrids. Gus, a human/deer hybrid, was raised in isolation for years, but after his father dies hunters come to capture him. He is rescued by a mysterious man who tells him that he will take him to a preserve for hybrid children. While Gus is never sure if he should trust Jepperd, he goes with him because he is lonely. What follows is a voyage through what is left of the country, during which Jepperd gives Gus candy (and the nickname "Sweet Tooth") and fights through all of the obstacles that are in their way, usually with violent methods. While Gus is the protagonist, Jepperd continues to steal the spotlight. Readers know that he has sympathy for Gus and for other characters they meet along the way, and they know that he saves Gus's life multiple times. But they also know that he frequently lies. What isn't clear until the end of the book is just how much he has been lying. Sweet Tooth is often visually stunning and even cinematic. It primarily uses a muted palette that reflects the darkness of this postapocalyptic world, but bright colors burst from the page during moments of violence, and there are quite a few of those in this book. An outstanding choice for most collections.Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library
© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Vertigo (May 18, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401226965
• ISBN-13: 978-1401226961
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 0.6 x 10 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #199,017 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Award-winning Canadian cartoonist Jeff Lemire is the creator of the acclaimed monthly comic book series SWEET TOOTH published by DC/Vertigo and the award winning graphic novel ESSEX COUNTY published by Top Shelf. He also writes ANIMAL MAN, FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. and SUPERBOY for DC Comics.

In 2008 Jeff won the Schuster Award for Best Canadian Cartoonist, and The Doug Wright Award for Best Emerging Talent. He also won the American Library Association's prestigious Alex Award, recognizing books for adults with specific teen appeal. In 2010 Essex County was named as one of the five Essential Canadian Novels of the Decade!

Recently named one of Wizard magazines 25 "rising stars", Jeff is also hard at work on a new graphic novel for Top Shelf called THE UNDERWATER WELDER, due in 2012. He currently lives and works in Toronto with his wife and son.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Sweet May 18, 2010

By Noel TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

Gus or "Sweet Tooth", as he's nicknamed, is a young boy who lives in the woods with his father. Some sort of freak accident has mutated Sweet Tooth so that he has antlers on his head. When his father dies, he ventures out of the woods where he is ambushed by hunters and is saved by a mysterious, extremely tough man called Jepperd. With no choice but to follow his guardian, Sweet Tooth embarks on a journey out of the deep woods and into the wide world with Jepperd. But who is this man and why is he helping Sweet Tooth? What happened to the world where horses are now the sole mode of transport? Why does Sweet Tooth have antlers?

The excellent Jeff Lemire begins his first serial comic with an excellent start. The post-apocalyptic world he creates has shades of Mad Max and Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" but it's definitely Lemire's vision you see on the page. From the brothel where the women dress like mutants to the roving gangs of humans wearing animal masks, something very strange is going on here.

Lemire's art is also the best he's ever done, with Jose Villarrubia adding vibrant colours to bring the world to life.

Lemire keeps the reader guessing throughout the story, answering just enough to keep you going but allowing enough to remain unanswered so you'll come back for Book 2, especially with a cliffhanger like the one at the end.

A promising start to an original series.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Oddly Original, Nearly Perfect August 15, 2010

By Paige Turner

Format:Paperback

"Sweet Tooth", written and drawn by Jeff Lemire, may be the most original graphic novel concept since "Y the Last Man." It's a dark tale of a hybrid deer-boy "Gus/Sweet Tooth" and his thuggish killer/protector, Jepperd. They wade through a post-apocalyptic hyper-violent mileu, encountering obstacles, which beneath the violence, deal with emotional issues.

This book is a trifecta of near-perfection: 1. Deceptively simple, engaging plot 2. Fascinating, unique concept with amazing characters 3. Artwork that perfectly conveys the mood of the story. At times when reading this book, I was so engrossed and emotionally connected with "Sweet Tooth" that I felt I WAS him, cowering under Mr. Jepperd's protective violence.

The set-up sounds like a weird combination, but "Sweet Tooth" succeeds where others like "Preacher" and even "Ex Machina" fall a bit short. This is the kind of book that confirms that we indeed live in the absolute best time in history (so far) for the graphic novel medium. Pick up this book - you won't forget it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Emotionally gripping. Jeff Lemire can really write! January 25, 2013

By Vish Singh

Format:Paperback

This is the text for Sweet Tooth from my comics blog, Breaking the Fourth Wall, which can be found at: bt4wall [dot] wordpress [dot] com. I wrote this after reading the entire series, not just the first volume, but it does not contain spoilers.

For my first entry, I'd like to talk about Sweet Tooth, a series from Vertigo written by Jeff Lemire. A clerk at a comic shop in NYC recommended this title to my wife when she was looking for something to read, maybe 2 years ago. I didn't start reading it until a few weeks ago, in December, and as luck would have it, I read it through just in time for the final issue to print on January 9th, this year.

Stats:
40 issues
Not suitable for children (language, violence)

Jeff Lemire can write. This series was my introduction to him, and I've found that he writes about characters in a way that makes me place an emotional investment in them. I really liked his story and pacing in this series. Characters developed as their awareness of the workings of the world increased and due to (sometimes harsh) interactions with each other and their own internal logic.

Sweeth Tooth takes place in a post-apocalyptic setting where humans have largely been wiped out by disease and a small number of human/animal hybrids is growing. For the most part, these hybrids are peaceful creatures. They're actually mainly young children, with none of them being older than about 10 years of age.

The story focuses on the "adventures" of Gus, a human/deer hybrid and Tommy Jeppard (rhymes with leopard), a former hockey player and generally tough-as-nails badass (who is looking for a reason to live) that basically adopts Gus and travels with him on a quest to discover his origins. Along the way, some other hybrids and a few humans join up and drama ensues.

Aside from writing the story, Lemire also draws the comic. His art isn't typical superhero fare, nor is it visually stunning. Instead, what it gives us are simple yet evocative illustrations that convey mood very well. The character close-ups, in particular, seem to focus on the emotional reactions of the characters to what they're experiencing. In a way, the simple drawings suit the innocent Gus. He's really a child and the illustrations aren't too far off from what a child might focus on if s/he were illustrating a story.

In some ways, the story reminds me of The Road, by Cormac McCarthy. Its isolating and focuses on a scant few characters. The relationship between Gus and Tommy is also very much like father and son - something I've been seeing a lot of since recently watching Fringe, as well. I don't want to spoil the series for anyone who hasn't read it (I'll do that at a later time), so I won't go into more detail just yet. Its one of the most engrossing series I've read though, and its made me want to hunt down Lemire's other works as well.