Lemire is an all time favorite as far as graphic novels go.

To be fair the copy I received was only 19 pages, and were very interesting. However, there was not enough there to form an opinion about the story. Seems like it has a lot of potential.

*Review for preview of the first 19 pages*

Lemire is a dependably good writer, and the beginning of "Roughneck" is no exception. With sparse art and dialogue, the volume establishes an effective tone from the very beginning. The excerpt I received was brief, but provides a clear sense of how the rest of the volume will play out.

The tone throughout is dark and gritty. Combined with language and violence, this appears to be a more adult title. However, the content fits with the isolated nature of the story and the personal nature of the content - an examination of one world-weary character and the difficult situation he finds himself in.

Lemire brings strong characterization and awareness of story construction to "Roughneck." And, while I wasn't personally a huge fan of the art style, it was more a matter of personal taste than a flaw on the part of the artist. Indeed, the art blends well with the tone and content.

Based on what I saw, I can't speak to how the rest of the story will necessarily play out, but for fans of Lemire, or for anyone looking for a sparse, gritty, and darkly human story, this appears to be a solid choice. I personally look forward to seeing the entire work.

I very much enjoyed...the first nineteen pages. That's all I got. If I knew it was only going to be a one issue preview, I would have skipped it. I enjoyed the artwork and story set-up so far, but I enjoy reading volumes for comics and graphic novels rather than issues.

Wonderful, intense illustrations. Since I only got a sample I can't speak to the story, but I would be happy to read The whole story when it's released.

Well, nineteen pages is basically not enough to try to review the comic, but the beginning surely seemed interesting. I do enjoy Lemire's comic and the idea of brother and sister meeting their disturbed family history is always exciting, since Lemire is usually good with stuff like this. I'm intrigued to read more. The art of the heavy black ink with just white and blue gives this hollow and sad feeling, which works well. The art is a bit smudgy though and some of the panels are too stuffed, but otherwise it actually fits the suffocation this comic will probably be.