Review: Sweet Tooth
But nowhere is safe.
Nine year-old Gus lives alone with his father in their little house in the deep woods. Beyond the fence that surrounds the woods is the outside world, which Gus has never seen. His Daddy tells him it's a bad place.
He's right. Seven years ago the plague began. It spread like wildfire and most people died straight away. The few survivors cling to the remains of the world they once knew, but society has collapsed. Everyone has the disease and, sooner or later, everyone will die.
Except the hybrids. All children born since the plague began are part animal to some degree. And they don't get sick...
All that is left of the police or military is 'the militia' in their secure camp. Dr Singh works there, trying to find a cure for the plague. He is convinced that the hybrids are the key and he experiments on them to try to find a connection. But "brids" are in short supply, so the militia pays a good price for anyone who can supply them.
This is why Gus has to stay hidden. He has antlers.
His Daddy gets sick and dies. It's not long before hunters come into the woods and find him, but he is saved by "the big man"... Jeppard is an ex-hockey player, big, strong and good with his fists. He's also cynical and haunted by the death of his wife who was taken by the militia when she was pregnant, another subject for Singh's experiments.
Jeppard promises to take Gus to a safe place and they set off on a journey through a decaying landscape, overrun by gangs, the streets piled high with corpses. Gus places his trust in the big man... but is anywhere - or anyone - safe?
Sweet Tooth by writer/artist Jeff Lemire is a a dark, unflinchingly brutal story, full of violence, desperation and betrayal. The world has gone to hell and we see it through the eyes of a child who - antlers aside - is like any frightened kid suddenly alone and defenceless. The only good thing he finds in this horrific wasteland is candy, which he has a great fondness for - hence the knick name.
Lemire's art is boldly expressionistic yet also handles subtle touches of emotion in his characters. It's a potent combination, driving home the heart-wrenching narrative. Our young hero bravely clings to the hope that, somehow, if he just keeps going, things will be alright... despite his optimism failing him again and again. But he doesn't give up.
On the run from the militia and the gangs, Gus and his fellow fugitives find a purpose other than their own survival when facts arise that point to his origins being crucially linked to the plague. Could there actually be some bizarre plan behind the hideous transformation that has overcome the Earth?
He's right. Seven years ago the plague began. It spread like wildfire and most people died straight away. The few survivors cling to the remains of the world they once knew, but society has collapsed. Everyone has the disease and, sooner or later, everyone will die.
Except the hybrids. All children born since the plague began are part animal to some degree. And they don't get sick...
All that is left of the police or military is 'the militia' in their secure camp. Dr Singh works there, trying to find a cure for the plague. He is convinced that the hybrids are the key and he experiments on them to try to find a connection. But "brids" are in short supply, so the militia pays a good price for anyone who can supply them.
This is why Gus has to stay hidden. He has antlers.
His Daddy gets sick and dies. It's not long before hunters come into the woods and find him, but he is saved by "the big man"... Jeppard is an ex-hockey player, big, strong and good with his fists. He's also cynical and haunted by the death of his wife who was taken by the militia when she was pregnant, another subject for Singh's experiments.
Jeppard promises to take Gus to a safe place and they set off on a journey through a decaying landscape, overrun by gangs, the streets piled high with corpses. Gus places his trust in the big man... but is anywhere - or anyone - safe?
Sweet Tooth by writer/artist Jeff Lemire is a a dark, unflinchingly brutal story, full of violence, desperation and betrayal. The world has gone to hell and we see it through the eyes of a child who - antlers aside - is like any frightened kid suddenly alone and defenceless. The only good thing he finds in this horrific wasteland is candy, which he has a great fondness for - hence the knick name.
Lemire's art is boldly expressionistic yet also handles subtle touches of emotion in his characters. It's a potent combination, driving home the heart-wrenching narrative. Our young hero bravely clings to the hope that, somehow, if he just keeps going, things will be alright... despite his optimism failing him again and again. But he doesn't give up.
On the run from the militia and the gangs, Gus and his fellow fugitives find a purpose other than their own survival when facts arise that point to his origins being crucially linked to the plague. Could there actually be some bizarre plan behind the hideous transformation that has overcome the Earth?
And will they live long enough to solve the mystery?
Zak Webber
Twitter - @sfcomicartist / Instagram - @sfcomicartist
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