HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to all my great readers. Thanks so much for supporting me and my comics this past year!

GREEN ARROW TALK

Corey Fryia at THE READ COMIC BOOKS BLOG recently posted a 2-part interview about my upcoming GREEN ARROW run. The second part of the interview is with my collaborator, artist Andrea Sorrentino.  

Lesley-Anne Green's Critters

My lovely wife, Lesley-ane still has a few of her amazing felted critters for sale over at her shop! Check them out before they're all sold out!

JOSE VILLARRUBIA REFLECTS ON SWEET TOOTH

My wonderful collaborator, the talented colourist of Sweet Tooth, Jose Villarrubia, handed in his final beautiful colours for issue 40 of Sweet Tooth this morning. Afterwards he posted the comment below on his Facebook page. I thought I'd share it...

"I just realized, as I turn in the last pages of Sweet Tooth #40, the final installment of this saga, that at about a whooping 800 pages this has been by far my longest effort in comics, and in many big and small ways, the most satisfying. I 

owe it all to my dear friend Jeff Lemire, for trusting me with his baby, and also to the great editors: Bob Schreck, Brandon Montclare, Pornsak Pichetshote, Mark Doyle and Greg Lockard. But I specially want to mention Karen Berger, who broke the rules of the mainstream market so many times, enabling this, and many other types of book to exist, and has left the American market a better place. Without Karen's support you would not have read Sweet Tooth as it stands, and that would have been a shame..."

Jose Villarrubia - December, 2012

AMAZON CANADA PICKS UNDERWATER WELDER AS BEST GN OF 2012!

Amazon Canada has chosen THE UNDERWATER WELDER as the BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL OF 2012!

The book is now listed at 39% off for canadians and is also available through TOP SHELF PRODUCTIONS.

JEFF LEMIRE ORIGINAL ART FOR SALE

Original artwork from my comics is available for sale from 2 different locations online:

CADENCE COMIC ART 

BEGUILING

SWEET TOOTH an UNDERWATER WELDER Included in THE NEW YORK TIMES' Gift Guide

The Underwater Welder and Sweet Tooth have both been included in The New Yortk Times' list of Graphic Novels for their 2012 Gift Guide!

Sweet Tooth Vol.5 laso made the New York Tines Graphic Novel Bestseller's list this week!

"I’ve come to anticipate any new work by the cartoonist Jeff Lemire with excitement. ‘THE UNDERWATER WELDER’ (Top Shelf, $19.95) is about a deep-sea welder coming to terms with fatherhood. The characters are completely relatable and so visually expressive that the words are almost redundant. Similarly engrossing is Mr. Lemire’s ‘SWEET TOOTH’ series, now on Volume 5, from the DC Comics imprint Vertigo, about a post-apocalyptic world populated by human-animal hybrids."

Click here to see the full list!

UNDERWATER WELDER makes Amazon's Top Graphic Novels of 2012

The Underwater Welder has been chosen as one of AMAZON'S Top Graphic Novels of 2012! You can see the full list here (which also includes books by my friends Scott Snyder, Jeffrey Brown and Brian Azzarello).

The Underwater Welder can be ordered from AMAZON here or From Top Shelf at their site.

GREEN ARROW 17 Now Available For Pre-Order!

GREEN ARROW #17

Written by JEFF LEMIRE

Art and cover by ANDREA SORRENTINO

1:50 Variant cover by DAVID FINCH

“We Can Be Heroes” blank variant cover available

On sale FEBRUARY 6 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

• Welcome the new team of writer JEFF LEMIRE and artist ANDREA SORRENTINO!

• As Ollie struggles to come to terms with the loss of his fortune, his company and his heritage, he discovers a shocking truth about his father that ties to his time stranded on an island before he became Green Arrow.

• Plus: Green Arrow battles the deadly archer known as Komodo!

Issue 17 will be my first issue as the new writer of GREEN ARROW. It will also be a totally accessible jumping on point for new readers, so make sure you ask your local comic book store to reserve you a copy!

News and Updates

A couple of recent links I thought I'd share. The DC Comics Blog posted "5.2 Reason s Why Jeff Lemire Rocks" yesterday, and who am I to argue. You can check it by clicking out here.

ifanboy has a new video interview with me from New York Comicon

Boin Boing posted a nice review of SWEET TOOTH VOL.5 by Matt Kindt and myself

EXCLUSIVE! Jeff Lemire Takes Aim At 'Green Arrow'

Posted 21 mins ago by Alex Zalben in Comic Books, DC Comic via MTV GEEK

We already broke the news this morning that writer Jeff Lemire - best known for his supernatural and scifi work in books like 'Sweet Tooth' and 'Justice League Dark' - is taking it to the streets as the new writer of DC Comics' Green Arrow. His run isn't starting until February, to coincide with Oliver Queen's new status as a member of the Justice League of America; but we snagged you a first look at the art by Andrea Sorrentino, and an essay about Green Arrow from Lemire himself:

“How about Green Arrow?”

It was a sunny day in late July, a few days after I’d returned home from San Diego Comicon, and Dan Didio had called me. I had talked to Dan at Comicon about what I would write next. We had bounced a few things around at the Con, but nothing stuck. So when Dan called that afternoon, I wasn’t sure what to expect. When he asked me, “How about Green Arrow?” I paused. Oliver Queen was never a character I’d had any particular affection for. I love DC comics and love DC characters, but Green Arrow was never one of the guys I gravitated towards. Yet, for some reason, as soon as Dan said it, something sparked in my head. At that moment, I wasn’t sure why, but something told me this was exactly the kind of book and kind of character I was searching for.

Green Arrow is a character that always has the potential to be a major player in the DCU. When I took on Animal Man, I immediately saw it as a chance to do my version of the classic Vertigo horror/superhero books I loved as a teenager. And, similarly, the first thing I thought of with Green Arrow was a chance to do a really hard hitting, crime/superhero book in the tradition of Mike Grell’s classic run on the character or Denny O’Neil’s The Question comics from the late 80’s early 90’s. Quite simply, I wanted to make Green Arrow a hunter again. A street level hero of the gutters caught up in a world of violence, betrayal and conspiracy.

My ever growing plans for the book will build a huge new mythology around Green Arrow’s legacy and send him across the globe, all the while trying to stay one step ahead of a deadly new cast of villains with mysterious ties to his past. And I knew that if I wanted to pull it off, I’d need one hell of an artist, someone who could match the new vision for Green Arrow that I was after.

Andrea Sorrentino’s stark and beautiful artwork on I, Vampire had caught my eye last year when I was looking at preview copies of the New 52 books. And, I’ve continued to follow him ever since. While his work is perfectly suited for the horror vibe of Vampire, I thought that putting him on a character like Green Arrow would create an amazing tension and a really unique take on a DCU superhero. And boy, was I right. His work so far in Green Arrow has been the absolute best of his career. This is one beautiful looking comic book.

It really is a brand new day for The Emerald Archer. I’ve fallen in love with writing this book and this character. I can only hope that a fraction of the excitement that both Andrea are feeling while working on Green Arrow translates onto the page and you’ll give the book a chance come February when our first action-packed arc, THE KILL MACHINE debuts with Issue #17. I intend to hurt Oliver Queen. Strip him down to the bone and force him to rise up and become the hero he was destined to be. I hope you come along for the ride.

So, “How about Green Arrow?”

Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino's run starts in February, in Green Arrow #17. Here's a full look at the cover, below:

I'm The new Writer of GREEN ARROW!

As announced this morning on MTV, I will be taking over as the writer of DC Comics monthly GREEN ARROW series with Issue 17 in February!

Joining me as the series' new artist will be the incredible Andrea Sorentinno (I Vampire).

I couldn't be more excited about the character and the series and have a bold new direction for the book planned. Keep an eye on DC's Blog THE SOURCE later this afternoon for more details on what I have planned as well as an exclusive first look at Andrea's art for the series!

MY COMPLETE BIBLIOGRAPHY

I've been meaning to put together a comprehensive bibliography of all my comics work for some time. Looking at what I've compiled, I realized I've actually drawn over 1900 pages of published comics since 2005! Most of that I wrote as well. That doesn't include the comics which I wrote for DC in that time (to date I've written over 1100 pages of comics for other artist) for a total of just over 3000 pages of published comics since 2005!

And before you email to ask, I have NO copies of any of the out of print books for sale, sorry.

****

ASHTRAY #1 -2003-Self-published- (early short stories. 300 copies printed and self-distributed)
(Writer/Artist)

ASHTRAY #2 -2004- Self-published- (more early short comics. 100 copies printed)
(Writer/Artist)

LOST DOGS -2005. 1st Edition. Self- published. 205. Xeric Award Winner. 96pages. (1000 copies printed)
(Writer/Artist)

BEOWULF #7-2006- Speakeasy Comics.
(Penciller, Inker and Colourist on pages 1-5)

THE FORTRESS. 2006 3-parts of a serialized post-apocalyptic comic published in Canadian Magazine UR. The magazine folded before the comic could be completed.
(Writer/Artist)

TALES FROM THE FARM - 2006 - Ashcan Edition. Self Published. (50 Copies printed) (Writer/Artist)

ESSEX COUNTY VOL.1: TALES FROM THE FARM -2007- Top Shelf Productions (Writer/Artist)

ESSEX COUNTY VOL.2: GHOST STORIES -2007- Top Shelf Productions
(Writer/Artist)

ESSEX COUNTY VOL.3: THE COUNTRY NURSE -2008- Top Shelf Productions
(Writer/Artist)

THE NOBODY - 2009- DC/Vertigo (144-page Original Graphic Novel)
(Writer/Artist)

BIO-GRAPHICAL -2009 - (3, 1-page comics printed in the Canadian magazine "DRIVE" )
(Writer/Artist)

OUTLAW TERRITORY VOL.2: A COFFIN FOR MR. BISHELL- 2009 -Image Comics (10-page short story in a western Anothology.
(Art only. Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov)

NOIR: THE OLD SILO - 2009- Dark Horse Comics (10-page Rural Noir story in Crime Anthology) (Writer/Artist)

SWEET TOOTH- 2009-2012 (Issues 1-40). DC/Vertigo. (Monthly comic book series, later collected into 6 paperback volumes)
(Writer/Artist)

THE COMPLETE ESSEX COUNTY -2009- Top Shelf Productions - (Collects Essex Vol.1-3 plus 50 pages of unpublished material. Available in Softcover and Limited Edition Hardcover)
(Writer/Artist)

SWEET TOOTH VOL.1: OUT OF THE DEEP WOODS -2010- DC/Vertigo. (Collects #1-5 of the monthly series)
(Writer/Artist)

HOUSE OF MYSTERY #18 - 2010- DC/Vertigo. (Art on a 5-page short story. Later collected in HOUSE OF MYSTERY VOL.3: BEAUTY IN DECAY))
(Art only. Written by Matt Sturges)

BRIGHTEST DAY: THE ATOM -2010- DC Comics (36 PAge One-Shot. Part 1 of "The Atom: Nucleus" story, continued as a back-up feature in Adventure Comics)
(Writer Only)

ADVENTURE COMICS #516-521 -2010- Dc Comics (Wrote the 10-page "ATOM" back-ups in each issue)
(Writer Only)

GIANT SIZED ATOM#1 - 2010- DC Comics. (38-page One Shot finale to The Atom: Nucleaus story)
(Writer Only)

ACTION COMICS #892 -2010- DC Comics (10-page Superboy Preview story.)
(Writer Only)

SUPERBOY #1-11 - 2010-2011-  DC Comics (New Monthly Superboy series later collected in papreback as SUPERBOY: SMALLVILLE ATTACKS)
(Writer Only)

SUPERBOY: SMALLVILLE ATTACKS -2011 - DC Comics. (Collects Superboy 1-11)
(Writer Only)

FLASHPOINT: FRANKENSTEIN AND THE CREATURES OF THE UNKNOWN #1-3 -2011- DC Comics. (3-part mini-series.PArt of the FLASHPOINT crossover event. Later collected in FLASHPOINT: THE World of GREEN LANTERN paperback)
(Writer Only)

SWEET TOOTH VOL.2: IN CAPTIVITY -2010- DC/Vertigo. (Collects #6-12 of the monthly series)
(Writer/Artist)

STRANGE ADVENTURES -2011- DC/Vertigo (10-page ULTRA THE MULTI-ALIEN Story in Vertigo Sci-Fi Anthology)
(Writer/Artist)

JONAH HEX #69 -2011- DC Comics. (20-page story. Later Collected in JONAH HEX: BURY ME IN HELL Trade paperback)
(Art only. Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray)

ANIMAL MAN 1-,  2011-, DC Comics (New monthly comic launced as part of DC's NEW 52. Currently 14 issues, an annual and a zero issue have been released.)
(Writer Only)

ANIMAL MAN: THE HUNT -2012- DC Comics (Collects Issues 1-7 of the monthly book)
(Writer Only)

FRANKENSTEIN: AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. # 1-9 - 2011-2012- DC Comics (New monthly comic launced as part of DC's NEW 52)
(Writer Only)

FRANKENSTEIN: AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E: MONSTER PLANET  -2012- DC Comics (Collects Issues 1-7 of the monthly book)
(Writer Only)

SWEET TOOTH VOL.3: ANIMAL ARMIES -2011- DC/Vertigo. (Collects #13-19 of the monthly series)
(Writer/Artist)

CBLDF ANNUAL 2011 -2011- (3-page story written by Mark Waid)
(Art only. Written by Mark Waid)

SKETCHBOOK #1 - 2011- Self-published. (Collection of commission, sketches and a 5-page short western comic "The Horseless Rider. Limited Edition 500 copies.)
(Writer/Artist)

THE UNDERWATER WELDER-2012- Top Shelf Productions. (220  page Original Graphic Novel)
(Writer and Artist)

LOST DOGS -2012 - Top Shelf Productions. (New Edition of my first out of print GN from 2005)
(Writer/Artist)


SWEET TOOTH VOL.4: ENDANGERED SPECIES  -2012- DC/Vertigo. (Collects #20-25 of the monthly series)
(Writer/Artist)

MEN OF WAR: UNEASY COMPANY-2012- DC Comics. (Collects #1-9 of the minthly seroes. Co-Wrote #9 of the series, A FRANKENSTEIN Story, with Matt Kindt)
(Writer Only)

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #9-, 2012- DC Comics (Took over as writer with Issue #9 of the monthly book. Currently at issue 13 with an annual and a zero issue also)
(Writer Only. Issue 14 Co-written by Ray Fawkes)

EMITOWN Vol. 2 -2012-(New 2-page Sweet Tooth story included in Emi Lenox' 2nd Collection of auto-bio comics)
(Writer/Artist)

NATIONAL COMICS: ETERNITY#1 -2012- DC Comics. (40-page One-shot)
(Writer Only)

BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #1 -2012- Dc Comics. (10-page Batman Story "The Butler Did it)
(Art only. Written by Damon Lindelof)

GHOSTS - 2012- (8-page story "Ghost-For-Hire" in Vertigo Horror Anthology.)
(Art only. Written by Geoff Johns)


SWEET TOOTH VOL.5: UNNATURAL HABITATS -2012- DC/Vertigo. (Collects #26-32 of the monthly series)
(Writer/Artist)

HARBINGER #9 -2013- Valiant Comics -(Drew variant Cover for the issue)
(Variant Cover Art only)

ANIMAL MAN VOL.2: ANIMAL VS. MAN -2013 - DC Comics  (Collects Issues 8-11, Annual #1 of the Monthly series)
(Writer Only)

FRANKENSTEIN: AGENT OF SHADE VOl.2: THE LEVIATHAN - 2013. (Collects Issues 8-12. Left as writer of series with Issue 9.Issues 10-12 Written by Matt Kindt.)
(Writer Only)

SWEET TOOTH VOL.6: HOME SWEET HOME -2013- DC/Vertigo. (Collects #33-40 of the monthly series)
(Writer/Artist)

TRILLIUM #1-10 -2013- DC/Vertigo. (New 10-Issue sci-fi series coming in 2013)
(Writer/Artist)

Announcing TRILLIUM

Arriving in 2013, Vertigo will publish TRILLIUM, a limited series written and illustrated by the incomparable Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth, Animal Man, Justice League Dark, Essex County Trilogy, Ghosts).

We asked Lemire to share some thoughts about the new series and here’s what he said: “As Sweet Tooth moved towards its conclusion earlier this year, I started to look ahead to what my next creator-owned project for DC/Vertigo could be. I pitched a number of ideas to editor Mark Doyle that I wasn't totally happy with.  Finally he pushed me to leave my comfort zone, and get away from the genres and themes that I'd become known for.

Sci-Fi is something I've wanted to tackle for a while. I experimented a bit with it last year when I did the ULTRA THE MULTI-ALIEN short story for Vertigo's STRANGE ADVENTURES anthology and enjoyed that project so much that I was eager to do more. I've also always wanted to do a really powerful, human love story. There have been so few love stories done really well in comics. Preacher and Blankets come to mind as recent successes, but in my mind, it’s still a difficult and rather unexplored genre in the comics medium. It seemed like just the kind of challenge Mark was pushing me to undertake. So, I combined these two interests along with my ongoing fascination with in World War 1, and turn of the century exploration, and the results are TRILLIUM.”

It’s the year 3797 and botanist Nika Temsmith is researching a species of strange plant-based life forms on a remote science station near the outermost rim of colonized space. 

It’s the year 1921, and war-scarred explorer William Pike leads an expedition into the dense jungles of Peru in search of the fabled “Lost Temple of The Incas,” an elusive sanctuary said to have strange healing properties.

Two disparate souls separated by thousands of years and hundreds of millions of miles. Yet they will fall in love and, as a result, bring about the end of the universe. Even though reality is unraveling all around them, nothing can pull them apart. This isn’t just a love story, it’s the last love story ever told.

Lemire continued, “It will be my most ambitious creator-owned project and my most challenging. I think fans of my previous work will see traces of both SWEET TOOTH and THE UNDERWATER WELDER in its chemistry, but I really do want to push myself in new directions as well.

TRILLIUM is a mind-bending sci-fi thriller about the end of the universe. And, it's a story about the dawn of human exploration and its natural conclusion thousands of years away. But most of all it’s a love story. And I can't wait to share it with you.”

Check out Lemire's gorgeous promo images below and get ready for the story to begin in 2013.

NEW YORK COMICON NEWS AND SCHEDULE

I will be attending New York Comicon from Friday October 12 to Sunday October 14. I'll be doing two signings at the DC COMICS BOOTH and two signings at the TOP SHELF BOOTH (Booth #1115). In addition, I'll be taking part of the Vertigo and New 52 panels for DC. My full schedule is below.

ALSO: Take note that tomorrow afternoon there will be a major announcement about a new project! So, if you can't make the Con, check back here or on DC's BLOG for the news! (A LITTLE TEASER IMAGE BELOW!)

Friday 10/12

11am-12pm SIGNING (DCE Booth #1238)

1:30-2:30pm PANEL (Vertigo: A View from the Cutting Edge of Comics – Room 1A23)

Saturday 10/13

12-1pm SIGNING (DCE booth #1238)

1:30-2:30pm PANEL (DC Comics - The New 52 - Room 1E07)

5-6pm SIGNING (TOP SHELF BOOTH #1115)

Sunday 10/14

4-5 pm SIGNING (TOP SHELF Booth #1115)

First Look at GHOST-FOR-HIRE by Geoff johns and Geoff Lemire

FROM COMIC BOOK RESOURCES....

Vertigo has debuted a first look at “Ghost For Hire,” the short story created by Geoff Johns and Jeff Lemire for the Halloween anthology Ghosts. It marks Johns’ Vertigo debut.

A revival of the publisher’s 1970s horror series of the same name, the 80-page one-shot boasts also includes stories by the likes of Gilbert Hernandez, Paul Pope, Phil Jimenez, David Lapham Amy Reeder, Mark Buckingham, John McCrea, Rufus Dayglo, Toby Litt and the late Joe Kubert, with covers by Dave Johnson and Brendan McCarthy.

As the title hints, the story by Johns and Lemire centers on a ghost-for-hire haunting agency. “It was a real thrill for me to work with Geoff,” Lemire told the Vertigo blog. “I’ve written with him before, but to get to draw for him was really special. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what kind of ghost story Geoff would deliver and I was pleasantly surprised with ‘Ghost For Hire.’ It’s whimsical and fun and it has heart. When Geoff said he wanted to do a story like all the old Abbot and Costello movies he watched as a kid it really clicked for me!”

Vertigo this week has also offered other Ghosts sneak peeks from Litt, Buckingham and Victor Santos, Lapham and Pope, Hernandez, and Al Ewing and Dayglo. Check out the full image from “Ghost For Hire” below. Ghosts arrives Oct. 31.

NEW YORK COMICON SCHEDULE

Friday 10/12

11am-12pm SIGNING (DCE Booth #1238)

1:30-2:30pm PANEL (Vertigo: A View from the Cutting Edge of Comics – Room 1A23)

Saturday 10/13

12-1pm SIGNING (DCE booth #1238)

1:30-2:30pm PANEL (DC Comics - The New 52 - Room 1E07)

BALTIMORE COMICON

I will be at BALTIMORE COMICON September 8-9 and will be signing all weekend at the TOP SHELF BOOTH.

I won't be sketching or taking commissions, EXCEPT FOR 1-hour of exclusive sketching at the HERO INITIATIVE BOOTH each day, with all proceeds THE HERO INITIATIVE. The full sketching schedule below:

Saturday, September 8 (con hours 10-6)

1000-1100: Chris Ivy

1100-100: John Romita Jr.

200-330: Herb Trimpe

300-500: John Romita Jr.

400-500: Jeff Lemire

500-600: Mike Choi

Sunday, September 9 (con hours 10-5)

1000-1100: John Romita Jr.

1100-1200: Jeff Lemire

1200-100: Chris Ivy

100-200: Herb Trimpe

200-400: Chris Ivy

Fan Expo Signing Times

FAN EXPO CANADA

As previously announced I will only be at this weekend's FAN EXPO CANADA for a limited period of time. However I will be doing TWO SIGNINGS at the DC Comics booth,  Friday from 3-4 and Sunday from 3-4.  I will also be on the DC ALL ACCESS Panel in Rm 716 from 1-2 on Friday.


DC COMICS PANEL: FRIDAY AUGUST 24 1-2pm Rm716

SIGNING: FRIDAY AUGUST 24 3-4 pm DC BOOTH

SIGNING: SUNDAY AUGUST 24 3-4 pm DC BOOTH

The Underwater Welder is a New York Times Bestseller!

The Underwater Welder made the New York Times Bestseller list this week as #6 on the paperback graphic novel list! There is also an exclusive new interview with me at The Times. 

Earlier this week there was a great review of The Welder at NPR 

And another new interview with me at Macleans.

The Making of The Underwater Welder: Part 3

Sorry it's been so long between these "making of" posts, I've been really busy with deadlines over the last week. At any rate here is the 3rd behind the scenes look at the creation of my new graphic novel, THE UNDERWATER WELDER.

In this instalment I'll take a look at some of my initial concept drawing done in early 2008. You can see pages from my old sketchbooks where I had quickly scratched out ideas for scenes or key visual moments in the book. You can also see how these initial ideas stuck around and how close they became to the finished art.

The Underwater Welder Reviews and News!

The Underwater Welder has landed -- and it's a hit!

July 30, 2012

Jeff Lemire's long-awaited follow-up to Essex County is finally in stores everywhere, and from all reports, The Underwater Welder has been touching readers profoundly. Here's a sampling of the critical reaction:

"Lemire’s stylized art and inventive panel structure is the perfect vehicle for his well-told story, and the tale’s poignant moments make the moments of desolation even more heart-wrenching... A beautiful, moving, wholly satisfying story about fatherhood and growing up." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"The Underwater Welder... is all kinds of wonderful. Buy it. You will wet yourself with tears, your brain will spin from masterful storytelling, and you will love it." -- Jeff Jensen, Entertainment Weekly

"The Underwater Welder is an early contender for the year's best comic book... a richly-detailed story with characters that are all deeply flawed and undoubtedly human... once you pick it up you'll wish it never ended." -- Jason Serafino, Complex

"A spectacularly unpredictable reading experience... a roughly 220-page tour de force with enough emotional resonance that you might find yourself wiping away a single tear while closing the book’s final page. Thus far, this is my favorite original graphic novel of the year." -- Erik Norris, IGN

"This is a pretty clear frontrunner for me for 'Best of 2012' so far, but while it may still be too early to call that race, The Underwater Welder is at least the best in what was already an impressive line of work from Jeff Lemire." -- Ain't It Cool News

"Already a safe bet for the best graphic novel of the year." -- Multiversity Comics

"Absolutely brilliant... one of the highest quality pieces of work that I have read in a very long time." --Comicosity

"Underwater Welder has rocketed to the top of my Book of the Year list." --Stumptown Trade Review

"My words cannot do justice to the beauty of Lemire’s inks. There is literal and figurative depth here, but also subtlety when it is needed." -- Heroes Aren't Hard to Find

"Meditative and haunting." -- The Outhouse

"Rife with big universal ideas made strikingly personal... engaging, emotionally affecting and sometimes frightening." -- Talking Comic Books

"The magic that Lemire works with the story is astounding. The tightness of the plotting, the scripting, the pacing, the sheer impact of it all; everything is right." -- Geek Syndicate

If you haven't read The Underwater Welder, you can grab it today in print or digital. And if you're new to Jeff's work, don't miss his early gem Lost Dogs and his landmark opusEssex County.

Essex County

by Jeff Lemire

$29.95 (US)

$9.99 (US) DIGITAL

Add to Cart Buy Digital

Lost Dogs

by Jeff Lemire

$9.95 (US)

$3.99 (US) DIGITAL

Add to Cart Buy Digital

The Underwater Welder

by Jeff Lemire

$19.95 (US)

$9.99 (US) DIGITAL

Add to Cart Buy Digital

The Making of The Underwater Welder: Part 2

In this second behind the scenes installment of the work that went into The Underwater Welder I'll share some of the earliest character designs as well as a few more developed model sheets. The character of "Trapper" is my favorite to draw. he was modelled after Elliot Gould in Robert Altman's MASH, and I even called him Trapper after Gould's character.

Incidentally the lead characters, father and son Jack and Pete were originally named Jack and Ted as an homage to the greatest father/son superhero comic ever, James Robinson's STARMAN. But I changed it at the last moment to Pete because my Father's name is Ted and I didn't want him to think that the character, an alcoholic and often absentee dad, was a reflection of him. My Dad was about  the best Father you could ask for and couldn't be further from the Pete/Ted character.

The Making of THE UNDERWATER WELDER: Part 1

My newest graphic novel The Underwater Welder was released on Wednesday, but I actually started working on the book over four years ago. It was an incredibly difficult undertaking both creatively and in terms of scheduling. When I started working on the book I wasn't a Dad yet, and I hadn't started working on monthly books for Vertigo or DC Comics yet. In other words I had time on my hands. But over the course of the last four years my life changed dramatically and finding time to work on The Welder became increasingly difficult.

In the first of a series of blog posts I'll try to retrace the creation of the book from my initial notes and sketches to the final product.

Below are the earliest notes, ideas and doodles for the book that I did. Dated 2008, I remember waking up in the middle of the night one night with the initial idea and filling this little notebook with notes and ideas.  As you can see I originally called it  "The Ballad of The Underwater Welder". All I had then was an image of a guy in a diving helmet and the phrase "The deeper I go...the further I get from you." From there I started building a story...