Scan barcode
_jmrz_'s review against another edition
5.0
http://bibliophileblather.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-underwater-welder-jeff-lemire.html
As an aficionado of Jeff Lemire's Sweet Tooth series, I was thrilled to learn that he had written a new graphic novel..and The Underwater Welder has made me more of a Lemire aficionado than ever before.
The laugh-out-loud introduction to the novel by Damon Lindelof perhaps says it best - it reads like an episode of The Twilight Zone that was never produced. No plot spoilers, but the tale has a somber, eerie tone that brings on a strong mood of melancholy and a subtle essence of haunting. You are addictively drawn into the plot out of a sense of pity for Jack's (the main character) plight created by his self-constructed missteps but also due an unexplained attraction to spectral nature of his life.
The dialogue and narrative are not over-done, but are, in Hemingway-like fashion, concise, which makes some lines particularly powerful and punchy:
But now I am nothing. And I'm nowhere.
We never get tired of running from ourselves.
I wasted so much time looking back that I haven't let myself look forward...
The Underwater Welder has the same wispy, Dali-esk, unpolished illustration style that is the trademark of Lemire. The characters look frail and gaunt, almost tortured, which makes them instantly worthy of your sympathy and fixed fondness. In short: you care about the characters before you even know them. More than anything, I appreciate the variation of the panel layout. Some spreads are in traditional, sequential squares, but more often a single image will bleed through two cells, or a big spread with a main image will have several other images embedded within, in a seemly sporadic layout that still somehow lends itself to be 'read' in a fluid flow. Some panels, in traditional fashion, focus on a larger scene but Lemire is master of driving storytelling through illustrating the minutia and emphasizing the normally overlooked details (wrinkles around an eye, a droplet of water in sink full of water, etc.)
Anyways, I am biased because I was already a Lemire fan, but I don't believe The Underwater Welder will disappoint anyone who speaks the language of somber storytelling and who understands the haunting nature of memory. Further more, the novel stands as a good reminder of what can be lost if we permit regret or nostalgia to shepherd our present and future.
http://bibliophileblather.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-underwater-welder-jeff-lemire.html
As an aficionado of Jeff Lemire's Sweet Tooth series, I was thrilled to learn that he had written a new graphic novel..and The Underwater Welder has made me more of a Lemire aficionado than ever before.
The laugh-out-loud introduction to the novel by Damon Lindelof perhaps says it best - it reads like an episode of The Twilight Zone that was never produced. No plot spoilers, but the tale has a somber, eerie tone that brings on a strong mood of melancholy and a subtle essence of haunting. You are addictively drawn into the plot out of a sense of pity for Jack's (the main character) plight created by his self-constructed missteps but also due an unexplained attraction to spectral nature of his life.
The dialogue and narrative are not over-done, but are, in Hemingway-like fashion, concise, which makes some lines particularly powerful and punchy:
But now I am nothing. And I'm nowhere.
We never get tired of running from ourselves.
I wasted so much time looking back that I haven't let myself look forward...
The Underwater Welder has the same wispy, Dali-esk, unpolished illustration style that is the trademark of Lemire. The characters look frail and gaunt, almost tortured, which makes them instantly worthy of your sympathy and fixed fondness. In short: you care about the characters before you even know them. More than anything, I appreciate the variation of the panel layout. Some spreads are in traditional, sequential squares, but more often a single image will bleed through two cells, or a big spread with a main image will have several other images embedded within, in a seemly sporadic layout that still somehow lends itself to be 'read' in a fluid flow. Some panels, in traditional fashion, focus on a larger scene but Lemire is master of driving storytelling through illustrating the minutia and emphasizing the normally overlooked details (wrinkles around an eye, a droplet of water in sink full of water, etc.)
Anyways, I am biased because I was already a Lemire fan, but I don't believe The Underwater Welder will disappoint anyone who speaks the language of somber storytelling and who understands the haunting nature of memory. Further more, the novel stands as a good reminder of what can be lost if we permit regret or nostalgia to shepherd our present and future.
http://bibliophileblather.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-underwater-welder-jeff-lemire.html
clarks_dad's review against another edition
5.0
Eerie and moving at the same time. I know it's been said a million times before, but Lindelof's sentiments in the foreword are absolutely on the money: Underwater Welder is "the most spectacular episode of The Twilight Zone never produced." It has all the classic black-and-white fever dream feel as the best of episodes of The Twilight Zone combined with insightful characterization. In many ways, I can see how Lindelof would gravitate toward this type of story. Believable characters thrust into unbelievable situations that help them work through their problems to become more complete human beings - it's a hallmark of Lost at its very best.
Lemire writes brilliant subdued dialogue and weaves a layered story that gets peeled away in strips. The structure promotes the mystery and compels the reader to learn more about Jack's past and the demons that haunt him without being obtrusive or heavy-handed. It's a story of subtlety that begs re-reading to see all the nuances you missed when the picture was incomplete. There's enough closure and grounding in reality to make this a believable story, and just enough of the fantastic to pull at the mythological and magical heartstrings we expect in the best traditions of allegorical growth - the confrontation of self and inner courage central to the transformation of the main character writ large in the environment around them. We all have a tendency to think of our private struggles as somehow epic - tied to the fate of others and our environments and that is what Lemire captures in this volume. Rather than an over-all elliptical telling, Lemire has many tiny ellipses embedded within the volumes of the story. There's a cadence to sections of the narrative and a repetition that drives certain hard truths home, especially when the structure is quite suddenly broken, to tasteful and dramatic effect.
The style reminds me of I Kill Giants, but with more maturity and subtlety - not that that is in any way, shape or form a jab at that particular graphic novel; it's fantastic. The art work is phenomenal in its full black and white glory - minimalist and shaky, as unsure of itself as Jack himself is. There are moments when Jack's sketchy lines and hollow cheeks parallel his father's scraggly image and the progression of Jack's visual transformation meshes nicely with the revelations about his (and his father's) character.
Lemire is a master storyteller. What ordinarily would be a trope or stylistic cliche in the hands of some less imaginative writer end up being subtle and nuanced in his. One gets the impression that this is what many other authors strive for, but seldom get right. High praise, but certainly deserving.
Lemire writes brilliant subdued dialogue and weaves a layered story that gets peeled away in strips. The structure promotes the mystery and compels the reader to learn more about Jack's past and the demons that haunt him without being obtrusive or heavy-handed. It's a story of subtlety that begs re-reading to see all the nuances you missed when the picture was incomplete. There's enough closure and grounding in reality to make this a believable story, and just enough of the fantastic to pull at the mythological and magical heartstrings we expect in the best traditions of allegorical growth - the confrontation of self and inner courage central to the transformation of the main character writ large in the environment around them. We all have a tendency to think of our private struggles as somehow epic - tied to the fate of others and our environments and that is what Lemire captures in this volume. Rather than an over-all elliptical telling, Lemire has many tiny ellipses embedded within the volumes of the story. There's a cadence to sections of the narrative and a repetition that drives certain hard truths home, especially when the structure is quite suddenly broken, to tasteful and dramatic effect.
The style reminds me of I Kill Giants, but with more maturity and subtlety - not that that is in any way, shape or form a jab at that particular graphic novel; it's fantastic. The art work is phenomenal in its full black and white glory - minimalist and shaky, as unsure of itself as Jack himself is. There are moments when Jack's sketchy lines and hollow cheeks parallel his father's scraggly image and the progression of Jack's visual transformation meshes nicely with the revelations about his (and his father's) character.
Lemire is a master storyteller. What ordinarily would be a trope or stylistic cliche in the hands of some less imaginative writer end up being subtle and nuanced in his. One gets the impression that this is what many other authors strive for, but seldom get right. High praise, but certainly deserving.
karliclover's review against another edition
4.0
A very nice read. Anything by Jeff Lemire is worth reading, I think. But this book definitely stands out. I discovered Jeff Lemire through his work on Animal Man, as many other people have, and sought out his solo projects like The Underwater Welder and Sweet Tooth. One of the things I love most about his solo books is his art. It's very different than traditional comic art, in that it's very awkward and sketchy, but in a way that's breath-taking. I love it. And the story is great, too. Very Twilight Zone-y.
rbreade's review against another edition
Creepy, moving story in the style of The Twilight Zone from the point of view of an underwater welder named Jack.
vwakfer's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Engaging and intriguing, but focuses too much on the flaws of the protagonist, treating other characters as story fodder, lacking agency.
rocketiza's review against another edition
2.0
Everyone hypes Lemire up so much I always read with high hopes, but nothing he's ever done that I've read feels all that special.
lisalikesdogs's review against another edition
4.0
A quick read, really love this guy. Great story and lovely drawings.
paziicrm's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75