Customer Reviews

Sweet Tooth Vol. 1: Out of the Woods

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

"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.

This TPB collects the first five issues of Canadian writer/artist Jeff Lemire's fascinating monthly Vertigo series. Protagonist Gus is a deer-human "hybrid" boy who lives with his dying father in an isolated wooded area as the outside world crumbles after an apocalypse known only as "The Accident". Based on his father's dire warnings of "fire and hell", Gus has never left his part of the woods or seen humans besides his parents. Resembling an aging Frank Castle/The Punisher, the shadowy and commanding Mr. Sheppard meets Gus and promises salvation at "the preserve". Gus' heartbreaking innocence contrasts with the brutal dystopian surroundings. The plot unfolds slowly with Lemire's gradual revelations: this volume ends with a bang but much mystery remains for Volume 2. Lemire's simple, maudlin artwork echoes that of his "Essex County Trilogy". This title was nominated for a 2010 "Best New Series" Eisner Award. I've enjoyed all ten Sweet Tooth issues thus far and hope this series continues for a while.

This is not your typical zombie-style post-apocalyptic tale centered on shock and violence and atrocities. Though atrocities do happen in this unsettling tale, they are far from the focal point. Instead there are many small, thoughtful moments that work together in an elegant way to convey the emotion of this very sheltered unusual boy and his father as their lives in the deep woods are irrevocably altered.

Lemire has proven himself capable of the finest character drama in the entire comics business. With Sweet Tooth he establishes himself as one of our pre-eminent Sci-Fi writers, too. Despite the grotesquerie of the characters and world of Gus and his friends, you find yourselves instantly in love with the delicate characters built by a master writer/artist.

One of the best series on the stands today.

This is the first GN since Y that has really really excited me. Sure I read a lot of others that I really like but this one has something special. Admittedly the artwork is not what most would say to be "the best" but it represents the story itself in such a way that I find it to completely work. What I enjoy most about this is it's telling a weird story with strange characters but as the reader you feel interested in the motivations and feelings of the characters. Highly addictive and unusual read, highly recommended.

gus lives in the deep woods without knowing about the world awaiting him. it is only him and his father and the world he has been taught. Then tragedy strikes and his father dies and he is alone. Well, sort of. a stranger comes and tells him he cannot stay here, that he has to move on, and Sweet Tooth has to make a choice. Does he stay in this place and see what happens or does he brave the outside world?

In so many ways, gus is an enigma and yet he is easily understood and he is a sstranger and yet someone you might know and come to like. That is because he seems like a million other faces in the world and because he seems like a very nice kid. The only thing about him is the deformity he has, making him part kid and part game animal. Strange? Sure. Hunted? you bet.

Into this sets a stranger who comes with promises, and one of those is to take gus to a place where he will be safe. Since Gus has not seen the world he doesn't see the danger in staying where he is, but situations soon change and he understand he has to leave. This leaves him with a quandry - does he listen to his father and keep on here, or does he leave and go? It is interesting, to say the least.

When I read the books at first, I was immediately taken in by a lot of stuff. The art got me as did the story, and I could see the world and all the things that could be done to it. The place is a mess, all of it, and I am not sure what the world is if it is not scary. Seeing it through the eyes of Sweet Tooth makes it all the more scary, until you want him to run and to find his own way, hoping fo rthe best. Basically, the author makes you like him - and that is a beautiful thing.

I would say get this, check it out, and see what you think. It is good eough to have a 5/5 and it stays good for a while. Some debate it later but, with anything, you have that. Now, however, you have one thing - gus and the world beyond.

"Sweet Tooth"
(DC Vertigo, 2010)
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I overheard a couple of employees at my local Comic Hut gushing about this title and decided to check it out. It was engaging, but also pretty familiar, full of typical Vertigo tropes such as a vaguely-defined, violent apocalypse, crass religious fundamentalism and brutish American venality. The hero, Sweet Tooth, is a hapless, wide-eyed tweenage mutant, one of an unexplained wave of children born with animal-like characteristics, and hunted down by the cruel humans in the big, wide world outside his remote rural home. The boy is nicknamed Sweet Tooth because he likes the candybars provided by a scary but seemingly friendly mercenary who takes Sweet Tooth under his wing and escorts him through the Mad Max-ish bandlands of post-apocalypse America. Like I said, a lot of familiar elements, but I'm still up for checking out Volume Two. I'll keep you posted. (Axton)

I don't really know what it is, but Sweet Tooth has this element that keeps me pageturning till the end. It is very entertaining and well written. On top of that, the author also does the beautiful illustrations. While Sweet Tooth is another post-apocalyptic tale, it doesn't feel like one. It feels really fresh and original, because of its connection with animals and humans.

This is definitely my new craze. Jeff Lemire is instantly a new favorite and I can't wait to read more of his work. He handles dialects flawlessly, while also mastering the art of writing and drawing comic books. I have rarely been this excited to read volume 2 of a series.

Got this as a Christmas gift and have already gobbled it up. Sweet Tooth is a very sweet story set in a post-apocalyptic world where a plague is wiping everyone out except for the children who are human/animal hybrids.

Dark and sweet. I am just beginning to get into comics and have previously only read WE3 and Y: The Last Man. And this one is just as good. I am looking forward to reading more!