The first volume, Out of the Deep Woods, introduced us to Gus, a hybrid of a young boy and a deer, and the post apocalyptic world he's grown up in. We also met Tommy Jepperd, a tough guy, former hockey player, who "helped" Gus out of his home in the woods and brought him to a mysterious laboratory before betraying him. Now, in Volume 2, In Captivity, writer and artist Jeff Lemire uncovers certain mysteries that have intrigued us during the opening arc of Sweet Tooth.
Jepperd's late wife, Louise, who passed while giving birth to their child, was his only motivation in life, and after finally giving her a proper burial, he's run out of reasons to live. Succumbing to alcohol, depression and some meaningless violence, he seems to be at wit's end. Meanwhile, back at the lab station, Gus is being studied by scientists who are trying to uncover the meaning behind the disease that wiped out most of the world's population. It seems that Gus wasn't born from a woman, as the absence of a belly button would suggest. Is he perhaps the reason the world has fallen apart? How did he come to be? Was he artificially created by his strange "father", or is he a second coming, of sorts?
Lemire keeps the tension and suspense at a high level throughout In Captivity, as some questions are answered, but others are wisely raised and left open to interpretation. The cruelty of common man once again shows its ugly self; Gus is treated like an animal, and just may be butchered for the sake of "science"; Jepperd is beaten to a bloody pulp, and no one in the vicinity blinks an eye. The world of Sweet Tooth is a cruel one. Man has turned into animal, and if Gus is any evidence, vice-versa seems to be true as well. Regardless, Lemire keeps the story elevating to new heights, and as long as he does, I'll be picking up the next issue.
B+
No comments:
Post a Comment