Essex County Vol. 1: Tales From the Farm -- Jeff Lemire

I’ve been in the mood for oddball comics again. ESSEX COUNTY, VOL. 1: TALES FROM THE FARM is a graphic novel written and drawn by Jeff Lemire. The story follows a year in the life of nine-year-old Lester, from one summer to the next, as he lives on an Ontario farm with his bachelor uncle. Lester had to go live with his uncle because his mother died of cancer, and he doesn’t know who his father is. Like most nine-year-olds, he has an active imagination, and in Lester’s case, that imagination focuses on comic books and superheroes, to the point that he wears a cape and a mask to school. As you probably expect, that doesn’t go over too well and makes Lester even more alienated.

And speaking of aliens, Lester also believes that a fleet of invaders from space is about to land on earth, so he keeps an eye out for their advance scouts. The only person who really seems to understand Lester is the owner of the local gas station, a former hockey player who made it to the NHL only to have his career end in his first game due to a head injury that left him with brain damage.

Lemire’s script is as terse and laconic as the people he’s writing about, and his deliberately unpolished art is very effective. The story takes some strange turns before it’s over, and I’m still not quite sure what happened in the ending. But it sure does work well, so I guess that’s what really matters. TALES FROM THE FARM is a poignant little gem, a mixture of fantasy and autobiography, and I’m glad there are at least two more volumes in the Essex County series. I plan to pick them up and read them soon.