Essex County

Alright, welcome back my newly appointed comic book readers. I hope you all had a happy New Year and are ready to add comics into your life in 2011.

Last we meet I told you about the comic Blankets. It is a moving coming of age tale that deals with first loves and religion in some challenging and beautiful ways. Well, if you liked Blankets then this next one is for you.

Essex County by Jeff Lemire is an incredible comic. The first thing you should know is that it is very Canadian. Yes, that’s right! Essex County all takes place in America’s attic and includes, but is not limited to: snow, hockey, moose, white people, french people, and more snow.
More than its Canadian setting though Essex County has some beautiful black and white artwork not dissimilar to that of Blankets. When I think of comics I usually have images of striking color and overly muscled men in tights. However, I have found that in many (but not all) cases, a comic that is worth reading, and is in black and white, tends to be an incredibly intimate and beautiful story.Essex County has just that. What is most striking about the story is...nothing happens. Sure there is betrayal and sexuality and family strife and medical issues, but at the end of the day it is all so very real. This may be because Jeff is from the real Essex County and is pulling a lot from his own life.
So if you want a grand tale of superhuman proportions...you should wait till our next installment. However, if you want a gripping and moving tale that feels so real you can touch it, welcome home.
Now come on in and get out of the comic chaos.

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Third Option for First Steps

Welcome back to your personalized path the comics zen, comics chaos. Earlier this week we peered down doors number one and two towards comic fulfillment, and today, I’m going to give one last first step option to all of you out there in the blogosphere.

When I was thinking about this third beginning towards comic fulfillment I realized that comics get wrongly accused of being two things.

1. Unable to handle the big issues
2. Only about make believe

And it dawned on me that some of my poor readers may be under this same sad impression. And so the comic I choose today is for all of you that may need a little extra elbow grease to be convinced that comics have something inside worth reading.

Blankets by Craig Thompson is unlike any other graphic novel out there, and it is as close as you can get to perfection in a coming of age tale. Why is this comic awesome you ask? Here are your five friendly bullet points:

• Awesome black and white penning
• A brutally beautiful first love story
• A challenging and heartwarming story of brotherhood
• A true(ish) story (ie. no superheroes)
• A very relatable story of religion

Blankets has a tenacity about it. It catches your heart strings on page one and plays all sorts of different songs on them before handing them back. It plays happy songs and sad songs and mournful songs and contemplative songs. This comic is an absolute journey and is a perfect first step on your journey out of the comics chaos.

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