The Underwater Welder Review

We still have a long way to go before the year is over, but I’m willing to bet Jeff Lemire’s The Underwater Welder remains at the top of my list for best graphic novel of the year. Yeah, it’s really that good.

The story follows a man named Jack who is dealing with some serious psychological issues as he and his wife get ready to usher their first child into the world. Jack’s trauma stems from when he was a boy and his drunken father died before he ever really got a chance to say goodbye. It’s something that’s torn at the seams of Jack ever since, as he struggles to balance a fine line of resentment for his father leaving him and an unflinching desire to live up to his father’s legacy as a loving, albeit flawed, man.

I hate to steal the words out of someone else’s mouth, but Damon Lindelof’s introduction to the book is a perfect summation of Jeff Lemire’s work here. Lindelof calls The Underwater Welder “the most spectacular episode of The Twilight Zone that was never produced.” After reading the book, Lindelof was right on the money. There is an eerie quality to The Underwater Welder that carries the entire story, helped by the bizarrely attractive black and white art by Lemire himself. You never quite know where the story is headed, but every twist and turn is played expertly by Lemire leading to one of the most satisfying endings I’ve read in a long time. You know that feeling of hope you felt by the end of watching The Shawshank Redemption? Well, you get that same effect here with The Underwater Welder. The power of this book’s conclusion cannot be understated.

At its core, The Underwater Welder is a story about one man taking responsibility for his actions and the life he’s lived. It’s a coming-of-age story, only the man is already well into his adult life. It’s a tale that anyone should be able to relate to, although Lemire takes that emotional and thematic through line and spins it with a pseudo sci-fi twist. It’s that Twilight Zone inspiration seeping through, and it’s what makes The Underwater Welder truly a spectacularly unpredictable reading experience.

Lemire’s artistic style can be considered an acquired taste; it’s very surreal and raw. Yet, the art of Underwater Welder perfectly complements the story as if the two are peanut butter and jelly (or fluff for the wild cards among us). Furthermore, the decision to go black and white with occasional gray tones is a nice touch that helps play up the eerie quality of the work.

The Underwater Welder is a roughly 220-page tour de force with enough emotional resonance that you might find yourself wiping away a single tear while closing the book’s final page. Thus far, this is my favorite original graphic novel of the year. Hands down. You should not let this one pass you by. So rush out to your local comic shop and snag this bad boy as quick as you can, even if it’s at the expense of some of your weekly pull. Stories like this don’t come around too often, so get while the gettin’ is good.

As a final note, digital comics readers can pick up The Underwater Welder for half off at $9.99 through comiXology. That’s an absolute steal. Buy it now.

Source : feeds.ign.com