The story and storytelling here are not entirely fantastic; it's definitely clear that Lemire was just starting out (indeed, this was his first published graphic novel). The artwork, though, is kind of amazing. It's much rougher than his later work, but there's this incredible *life* to it -- it feels like it's going to spill off the page in all its tangled, chaotic glory. It literally looks as though it was painted directly onto the page with a brush or perhaps his fingers, with very little in the way of penciling. Super beautiful, powerful art. In LOST DOGS a tall, eight-foot man with a loving wife and daughter has everything taken away from him. Walking through a strange town he ends up in the wrong part. Even though he’s big and strong, he can’t take on a gang of men. He’s beaten and left for dead in the water, and his wife and daughter are also assaulted. After he’s rescued a stranger presents him with a choice. If the tall man fights the toughest boxer in town the stranger will tell him where his wife is, but he doesn’t want to fight when he’s a gentle person who already went through a harrowing experience with the thugs. This is a sad, brutal graphic novel packed with gritty emotions. The illustrations are in black, white, and red, which add to the gloomy mood of the story. I received the galley from NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher.
What do You think about Cani Smarriti (2005)?
Too depressing for a higher rating. Nonetheless, beautiful read.
—mardor
