When a creator has a body of work underneath their belt, it can be easy to draw parallels to prior works, or group books together by theme. It is also easier to notice their habits and, in doing so, build expectations into a new work, either of quality or of form. “Frogcatchers” is Jeff Lemire’s, depending on how you count, sixth or seventh graphic novel that he both wrote and illustrated (not counting series like “Trillium” or “Sweet Tooth” that came out monthly). By this point in a career, it is easy to begin to start making assumptions about what a Lemire book is, and what it should feel like. But, like any great creator, he can easily throw you off and bring you into an entirely different type of story.
This is a spoiler-free review, which may lead to less plot talk than usual for a review, but due to the nature of the story, it is the way it has to be.
Written and illustrated by Jeff LemireCover by Jeff LemireA man wakes up alone in a strange room with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. The padlocked doors and barren lobby reinforce the strangeness of this place. This is—as he reads from an old-fashioned keychain beside his bed—the Edgewater Hotel. Even worse, something ominous seems to be lurking in one of the rooms.
But when he meets a young companion—the only other soul in this vast, enveloping emptiness—his new friend begs him not to unlock the door. There must be something behind it…but what?
A haunted hotel on the edge of reality, an endless bridge spanning an infinite ocean, and a man and a boy looking for a way out. This is the setting for a boundary-pushing, genre-defying new work of fiction by one of comics’ master storytellers.
From a strictly form discussion, this feels like Lemire channeling late-period Mike Mignola, circa “Hellboy in Hell.” The narrative is a little less straightforward than what we are used to, but the art is getting simpler and simpler. That’s not meant as a pejorative term for ‘not good,’ it is simply the most accurate descriptor here. Lemire has, in many ways, stripped out all the inessential elements of his work, and focused on making each line matter as much as possible. He hasn’t gone the full Mignola, but this is decidedly less polished or fussed over than some of his past work.
Again, it is hard to read that as a complement, but that is how it is intended. Due to both the subject matter and the tone of the story, it wouldn’t feel right to have every panel feel like every detail has been filled in. Without spoiling the book, which is very easy to do due to the nature of the story, the book is about racing against various clocks, and the characters are constantly in motion, trying to get away/get somewhere. So the panels feeling a little rushed in places is appropriate for the tone of the text.
But more than that, the story is about clinging to what is important in your life, the power of memory, and the tricks that the mind can play on you. So by making the art a little less pristine, it works in favor of all three of those themes. It is a stripped down, incredibly powerful book that gets more powerful with each subsequent read. Because of how spare it is, it is also the quickest read in Lemire’s bibliography, and the speed with which it can be read also works against how deep and moving the book is.
That’s an important point, because on the first reading, I wasn’t as enamored with the book, in part because I ‘got’ the twist almost immediately. It is unclear if that is meant to be more of a mystery than it was in practice, but it is easy to overlook something’s beauty when it is obvious. That, too, is an important part of the tonal makeup of this book.
For reasons that are obvious when you read the book, “Royal City” is the Lemire work that most resembles “Frogcatchers,” but whereas “Royal City” is about a family and the interpersonal relationships forged there, this is much more of a journey through one life. For a few very personal reasons, this book hit home for me, and each subsequent reading reinforced the emotional connection even more. I found myself incredibly moved on the third reading especially, when I made a more consistent effort to take it slowly, and not read it fast simply because I could. That, too, plays into the themes on the page.
Ultimately, this is a deceptive book. It appears slight in both size and process to the casual viewer, but is one of the more heartbreaking and personal stories Lemire has ever told. But there is also a lot of comfort in these pages, and the end result is one of hope.
