ROYAL CITY #1

• Writer/Artist: Jeff Lemire
• Published by: Image Comics
• Publication Date: March 1, 2017
• Notes: Monthly ongoing series

Jeff Lemire’s latest written/drawn creative work since his award-winning Sweet Tooth series. This looks to bring back the dramatic, emotional feels of the rural, family conflict better remembered from his other well-known, award-winning story. Essex County. Overall, a promising read for the winters end, and into the spring reading season.

Synopsis:

“ROYAL CITY follows Patrick Pike, a fading literary star who reluctantly returns to the once-thriving factory town where he grew up and is quickly drawn back into the dramas of his two adult siblings, his overbearing mother and his brow-beaten father, all of whom are still haunted by different versions of his youngest brother, Tommy, who drowned decades ago.

As each member of the family struggles to keep themselves above water, it quickly becomes clear that Tommy’s death isn’t the only dark secret tearing the town, and this family, apart at the seams. Can each member of the Pike family come to terms with their own guilt over Tommy’s death, and make peace with the many versions of Tommy that still haunt them, or will they all be dragged down below the river along with his lingering ghost?”

Preview Pages (click on each for full-size image, slideshow options):

Special thanks to Image Comics for providing access to preview pages. You may follow them for more info and other great books on their official site at www.imagecomics.com.

– Orion T