The Collected Essex County [Paperback]

Where does a young boy turn when his whole world suddenly disappears? What turns two brothers from an unstoppable team into bitterly estranged loners? How does the simple-hearted care of one middle-aged nurse reveal the scars of an entire community, and can anything heal the wounds caused by a century of deception? Award-winning cartoonist Jeff Lemire pays tribute to his roots withEssex County, an award-winning trilogy of graphic novels set in an imaginary version of his hometown, the eccentric farming community of Essex County, Ontario, Canada. Here, Lemire crafts an intimate study of one community through the years, and a tender meditation on family, memory, grief, secrets, and reconciliation. With the lush, expressive inking of a young artist at the height of his powers, Lemire draws us in and sets us free.
This new edition collects the complete, critically-acclaimed trilogy (Tales from the Farm,Ghost Stories, andThe Country Nurse) in one deluxe volume! Also included are over 40-pages of previously unpublished material, including two new stories. ...Essex County delivers a collection of characters so genuine that by the end you'll swear they're real. —Complex, rankingEssex Countyas one of The 25 Comic Books You Need To Read Before You Die

It is a wonderful, thought-provoking, lovingly-produced work of fiction. I'm still not sure that this review does the book justice. I honestly cannot recommend this book enough.  —Pajiba

Lemire’s portraits of people are honest, and sad, and are full of broken dreams. All of these characters are living lives different than what they expected, and yet none of them really give up. And that is why a comic like this is so important – it is far more aspirational than a Batman story, even though no one in this book could do what Bruce Wayne does. But all of us can pick ourselves up, shake off the dust of disappointment, and tlă9