The Underwater Welder has landed -- and it's a hit!
July 31, 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 opus Essex County.
