It’s the 13th month of the year (Editor’s Note: No, it’s actually the 10th), and the witching-y day approaches! In honor of All-Hallow’s day, as any snotty 10-year old will try to correct you to, Nerdcenaries is doing a special countdown of spooky comics. For the next 13 days until Halloween, I’ll be talking about one scaaaaaary issue or original Graphic Novel per day, to get you in the proper mood (Editor’s Note: the proper mood is murder.) Here’s the Fourth!:
The Nobody
Written and drawn by Jeff Lemire
Is this the first book written and drawn by the same person on the Halloween countdown? I think it is! It won’t be the last, though.
Anyway, this is a retelling of The Invisible Man, which, in itself, isn’t all that impressive. However, Lemire shows some nice knowledge of pacing, panel layouts, and motifs that elevate the, if we’re being fair, conventional plot. What’s more, Lemire uses the original story as a springboard, allowing the reader’s expectations to drive the beginning of the back, and then leading to a twist that subverts those same expectations. It’s an interesting comic more than a good one, but it still manages to show off some great qualities. If you’re a fan of Jeff Lemire at all, you should snag a copy.
BONUS SUGGESTION:
The Underwater Welder
Written and drawn by Jeff Lemire
Someone said that if I was mentioning a Jeff Lemire comic that’s Halloween-related, I should throw a shout-out to The Underwater Welder, which is his most recent graphic novel. The art is a bit more ambitious and the story is a bit more polished, but overall I still like The Nobody a bit better, so that’s on the list. This is good too, though! Check ’em both out for a one-two punch of creepy comics.
