Comic review: Sweet Tooth No. 4

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Sweet Tooth No. 4

Published by Vertigo (DC Comics). Story and art by Jeff Lemire.

The Deal: Vertigo’s tale of an animal-human hybrid making his way across a ravaged future version of America keeps on keeping on.

The Good: You know, it’s really easy to screw up a so-called “post apocalyptic” story. Honestly, those dour tales of fucked up futures are a dime a dozen. It takes a skilled creator to elevate that type of speculative fiction from cliché to groundbreaking — and writer/artist Jeff Lemire has done just that four months in a row in Sweet Tooth. Like all great sci-fi, this title is exploding with eye-popping action and suspense, but — at the same time — is bubbling over with subtext about violence, civilization and the true nature of humanity. On top of that, Lemire makes you care about (and feel very afraid for) the characters and their fragile place in a dangerous world.

The Bad: As I’ve said before, I can see some folks not loving Lemire’s art. It’s not “pretty,” but it works with the story about an “ugly” future. Still, if you’re into artists like Jim Lee ... or even Steve Dillon ... you may not like Lemire.

The Verdict: How many times do I have to tell you to buy this comic? Just go down to the comic book shop now. Seriously. Skedaddle.

Reviewed materials provided by Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find: www.heroesonline.com.