Essex County by Jeff Lemire

Yesterday I read volumes 1-3 of Essex County by Jeff Lemire. In the past I had read Volume 1: Tales from the Farm and adored it. At the risk of sounding like a terrible, artsy-fartsy review writer, I would describe it as a little raw, touching, and personal. Those are really pretty disgustingly common descriptors, but I feel like all three volumes deserve them in the most genuine of ways.

Maybe I'm biased towards enjoying stories that are based in rural or farm towns since I grew up in one myself, but I felt that there was a lot to connect to even from the immediate beginning. I think it could be enjoyed no matter what your background is, because it's so well-composed and unfolds in such a great way. It starts off with the story of Lester, an imaginative little boy who is trying to figure out life and where he belongs, and as the series goes on you get to learn how his past and present intertwines with the lives of other folks in Essex county.

The artwork really fit well to the setting and style of the story, as well as the character's personalities. They were each illustrated so perfectly. Some panels are more scratchy looking than others, but it all fits together as a whole; the feel of it matches the look of it.

I don't often want to purchase every graphic novel I read (I would have a stupidly large collection) but this one is definitely going on my to-own list. I would be happy to read it over again, and it's possible to do in a quick manner because there are more graphics than text. Anyway, I loved this one and I think everyone should read it.