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The Nobody
by
Jeff Lemire
The tiny, isolated fising village of Large Mouth never saw much excitement -- until the arrival of the stranger, that is. Wrapped from head to toe in bandages and wearing weird goggles, he quietly took up residence in the sleepy town's motel.Driven by curiousity, the townfolk quickly learn the tragic story of his past, and of the terrible accident that left him horribly di...more
Hardcover, 144 pages
Published
July 7th 2009
by Vertigo
(first published January 1st 2009)
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"The Nobody" opens with a mysteriously bandaged man entering the small town of Large Mouth and taking a room. His appearance causes the townspeople to start speculating about what's underneath the bandages and why he's chosen their small town for a base. The narrator is a high school girl who becomes increasingly obsessed with the man known as John Griffin and through her we slowly find out about his past life. Meanwhile the tension some of the townspeople feel toward the bandaged man grows unti...more
The invisible man comes to a small town where nothing interesting ever happens. That's about to change. I loved the art and the spare, but effective style of storytelling. I'll definitely read this one again.
The Nobody: Truth On Sight
Can a man who wants to be lost disappear into a quiet town? Or will everyone see him for what he truly is? Especially one teen girl?
Questions of identity and how our past forms it are central to Jeff Lemire’s graphic novel The Nobody, a modern day retelling of the tale of the Invisible Man.
Lemire sets his story in the really small town called Large Mouth. Our man with the invisible identity shows up, all bandaged up and acting quiet and unobtrusive, and holes up in a mo...more
Can a man who wants to be lost disappear into a quiet town? Or will everyone see him for what he truly is? Especially one teen girl?
Questions of identity and how our past forms it are central to Jeff Lemire’s graphic novel The Nobody, a modern day retelling of the tale of the Invisible Man.
Lemire sets his story in the really small town called Large Mouth. Our man with the invisible identity shows up, all bandaged up and acting quiet and unobtrusive, and holes up in a mo...more
This is award winning indie cartoonist Jeff Lemire's first graphic novel for DC/Vertigo, a sort of modern take on the Invisible Man story. I haven't read Lemire's much-praised Essex County trilogy yet, or any of his mainstream superhero stuff at DC, but this particular book didn't really do it for me. It sticks to the themes and settings that Lemire is known for - small towns, secrets, isolation - but it was a bit too cold and impersonal for my tastes. There's nothing wrong with the actual story...more
Jeff Lemire is an acquired taste, especially his drawings. His visual work reminds me of a more rural Ted McKeever, and it complements his storytelling perfectly. His Vertigo comic series Sweet Tooth is one of the most bizarre and original books around, and his Essex County stories have a Flannery O'Connor skeleton, or even a little William Faulkner, hiding under their skins.
At its core, The Nobody is an original take on H.G. Wells' The Invisible Man, but to think of it as a mere adaptation woul...more
At its core, The Nobody is an original take on H.G. Wells' The Invisible Man, but to think of it as a mere adaptation woul...more
After Essex County & Sweet Tooth both blew me completely away, I picked up Lemire's The Nobody, his Vertigo graphic novel. It's a modern, small-town America take on H.G. Wells' The Invisible Man, and it really interacts with the original novel in an interesting way. The Nobody is told through the eyes of a 16-year-old girl who befriends a bandage-wrapped stranger (spoiler alert: he's invisible) who wanders into her small village. Thematic threads that are woven into Lemire's other works are...more
The latest up-and-coming indie comics creator has just published his first hardback graphic novel courtesy of DC’s Vertigo imprint. Billed as an updated take on H.G. Wells’ classic science fiction tale, The Invisible Man, Lemire infuses enough oddity and pathos that best resembles filmmaker/auteur David Lynch and prose writer Raymond Carver. After falling hook-line-and-sinker for his brilliantly subtle and evocative realism in his Essex County trilogy, Lemire ranks up there on my list of comic b...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Sometimes I read a graphic novel and feel that it should have just been a novel. A graphic novel has to incorporate beautiful paneling, composition, style in its art to warrant the graphic part of the novel. The art needs to give it a life an beauty and detail it could never have with the written word alone.
This book wasn't one of those. It needed, desperately, to be a graphic novel and I felt like the book was crying out to not only be read, but watched. Experienced. Absorbed.
But for all of it'...more
This book wasn't one of those. It needed, desperately, to be a graphic novel and I felt like the book was crying out to not only be read, but watched. Experienced. Absorbed.
But for all of it'...more
I sincerely wish this was not my introduction to Jeff Lemire. It would not inspire me to look for more of his work. Fortunately, my history with comics has taught me that established indie creators are rarely well-served by their major-publisher debut (particularly when that debut is from Vertigo). So, I'd love to see more of his work, most especially his magnum opus Essex books, but who knows when that'll happen.
This book gave me a bad feeling from the start, as soon as a bandaged stranger name...more
This book gave me a bad feeling from the start, as soon as a bandaged stranger name...more
Trying to follow up a masterpiece is always tough. After Jeff Lemire hit the jackpot with his masterpiece ESSEX COUNTY TRILOGY. THE NOBODY would have to go a long way to even match his previous work.
THE NOBODY is a soft haunting story that riffs off of HG Wells Invisible Man and plunks him down in the heart of the small coastal town of Large Mouth - home of the world's biggest bass.
Like the giant bass statue that plunks in the heart of this small town, this story swims deep. It is a subtle tale...more
THE NOBODY is a soft haunting story that riffs off of HG Wells Invisible Man and plunks him down in the heart of the small coastal town of Large Mouth - home of the world's biggest bass.
Like the giant bass statue that plunks in the heart of this small town, this story swims deep. It is a subtle tale...more
Summary: A stranger who keeps his face hidden with bandages moves into a small town's motel to hide from the world. He soon finds that his idea of the quiet hamlet was uninformed as the bored inhabitants begin to speculate on the secret that lies beneath his bandages: Nothing.
Verdict: A pleasant effort.
Yay!: The author immediately deserves credit for doing a graphic novel about an invisible man. Planning a story told in pictures that will involve not being able to see a character at times is bra...more
Verdict: A pleasant effort.
Yay!: The author immediately deserves credit for doing a graphic novel about an invisible man. Planning a story told in pictures that will involve not being able to see a character at times is bra...more
The Nobody helped me to realize what it is I think Graphic Novels, if we are to distinctly delineate collected issues from one shot tomes, should be. The Nobody does not fit in with my new understanding of the term. It doesn't do anything to announce itself as belonging exclusively to the medium of GN - the staging, and angles, and the limited color scheme are not noteworthy. The Nobody is a subtle story, with subtle artwork, so subtle that the entire effort goes by without notice. This could be...more
A small-town Canadian re-telling of the Invisible Man story. Lemire's drawings are simultaneously rough and elegant (as always), and he's obviously right at home describing small-town Ontario life.
I realize most of the graphic novels I've reviewed on Goodreads have pretty shining reviews-- I think the factor that immediately attracts me to them in the first place is the style of illustration, and it's easy to be really glowing about something I've already decided is beautiful. But I think I nee...more
I realize most of the graphic novels I've reviewed on Goodreads have pretty shining reviews-- I think the factor that immediately attracts me to them in the first place is the style of illustration, and it's easy to be really glowing about something I've already decided is beautiful. But I think I nee...more
The Nobody is an abstract spin on H.G. Wells' The invisible Man. It focuses on the time a stranger spent in the fishing community of Large Mouth. Bandaged from head to toe, this creepy man wears goggles over his eyes. Locked up in his hotel room for weeks, conducting strange experiments, or not seen at all, only a teenage girl from the town notices him. By the end of the novel, you know as much as this girl does. A love story with a tragic ending is exposed, and the reader sees that nice guys mi...more
This is my third attempt at writing a review of The Nobody. I'm beginning to think Goodreads hates me.
I only have a passing knowledge of H.G. Wells' The Invisible Man, upon which The Nobody is loosely based. As a result, I went into The Nobody with nearly no expectations and was completely enthralled. The story is about a scientist hiding out in a small town, where he is at first the subject of fascination (but quietly left alone) and then, once things go wrong, he is scrutinized and persecuted....more
I only have a passing knowledge of H.G. Wells' The Invisible Man, upon which The Nobody is loosely based. As a result, I went into The Nobody with nearly no expectations and was completely enthralled. The story is about a scientist hiding out in a small town, where he is at first the subject of fascination (but quietly left alone) and then, once things go wrong, he is scrutinized and persecuted....more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
A great take on an old classic. One of my favorite things about graphic novels is when there are scenes that wouldn't work on other platforms, or are best conveyed as art, as opposed to descriptions in books or scenes in movies and this book did a great job of taking advantage of that ability.
The story is an updated version of the original (although I won't say what it is, one look at the cover makes it somewhat obvious to anyone that knows the story it's based on) that I think works better tha...more
The story is an updated version of the original (although I won't say what it is, one look at the cover makes it somewhat obvious to anyone that knows the story it's based on) that I think works better tha...more
The Nobody follows a strange new man who comes into a small town where everyone knows everything about everybody. This strange new man creates a lot of attention not only because he is new to town, but because he covered from head to toe in bandages.
This story is so mysterious that you can't help but flipping the pages to find out more to the story. Who is this strange mysterious man?? His character is enticing, leaving you hurting where he hurts and smiling when he smiles.
Overall the art style...more
This story is so mysterious that you can't help but flipping the pages to find out more to the story. Who is this strange mysterious man?? His character is enticing, leaving you hurting where he hurts and smiling when he smiles.
Overall the art style...more
The Nobody is really a simple story by all accounts. Mysterious man wrapped in bandages appears in small-town, locks himself away in a motel room, doesn't really talk to anybody except the awkward teenage daughter of the diner he seldom gets take out from.
But, it all works.
Lemire's strengths really ARE in the small town aesthetic and attitudes of his characters. It's what he knows and he makes it what YOU know.
This story would have been swallowed up in the context of a city, but thrives perfect...more
But, it all works.
Lemire's strengths really ARE in the small town aesthetic and attitudes of his characters. It's what he knows and he makes it what YOU know.
This story would have been swallowed up in the context of a city, but thrives perfect...more
Disappointing. I bought this in Vancouver in the Spring, along with Essex County, because I've heard such great things about Sweet Tooth. Then, this summer, I read Lemire's Atom one-shot for Brightest Day, which I thought was great, so I was really psyched to finally get around to reading this.
Boring.
Basically, it's a retelling of Wells' Invisible Man, which I thought was "meh" anyhow. I DID like the artwork and the coloring though ... which made it atmospheric, but not worth the $15.99 (Canadia...more
Boring.
Basically, it's a retelling of Wells' Invisible Man, which I thought was "meh" anyhow. I DID like the artwork and the coloring though ... which made it atmospheric, but not worth the $15.99 (Canadia...more
Jeff Lemire is getting a lot of praise for the Essex County trilogy (which was good), but I prefer this much more. The Nobody is a really interesting take on the Invisible Man that abandons the horror and scifi elements in favor of a quiet and melancholic story about a broken man trying to work some shit out.
What I liked most about The Nobody is how Lemire doesn't really hammer home any point. A lot of the plot threads feel slightly unfinished, so you can interpret them how you want. It was rea...more
What I liked most about The Nobody is how Lemire doesn't really hammer home any point. A lot of the plot threads feel slightly unfinished, so you can interpret them how you want. It was rea...more
I'm not in love with Lemire's illustration style. I've read several of his GNs, and there's something about the angularity of his drawing that feels a little unfriendly to me. It certainly communicates the story sufficiently, and is even aesthetically pleasing a lot of the time.
Anyway, this is the story of a mysterious man, covered in bandages, who shows up in a small town and confounds the inhabitants. I like that Lemire kept the big reveal mysterious for most of the story, and the reactions of...more
Anyway, this is the story of a mysterious man, covered in bandages, who shows up in a small town and confounds the inhabitants. I like that Lemire kept the big reveal mysterious for most of the story, and the reactions of...more
Lemire has a real knack for capturing that super small rural countryside thing. A real knack! The Nobody is pretty much just an invisible man story (spoiler? I don't know, it seemed pretty obvious) but it's a nice little story. A quaint little mystery with a really strong current of small town distrust thrown in that leads up to a predictable climax. Still, I really adore Jeff Lemire's art and writing, and Essex County tackles that rural Canadian town thing magnum opus style. Worth a read becaus...more
A graphic retelling of Wells' "Invisible Man" set in a small rural town. Lemire's sketchy, blue-wash drawings do a wonderful job at recreating the moody, slightly foreboding atmosphere of the town, but the storyline was all too predictable, and most of the characters are nothing more than two-dimensional small town archetypes (the gossip, the trigger-happy paranoid, the loner on the edges of town, the bumbling sherriff, etc, ad infinitum). Still, I liked Lemire's drawing style enough that it mak...more
The blue, black, grey and whites of the comic lend the town of Large Mouth a wintery feel, even during the warmer days. A completely bandaged man comes to town one day, piquing the interest of several townspeople before he fades into the background. A teenage loner, Vickie, is more curious and strikes up a friendship. What will she do when she learns the banadaged man's secrets?
Simple, effective story that harkens back to black and white movie sensibilities. The ending is ambiguous enough for th...more
Simple, effective story that harkens back to black and white movie sensibilities. The ending is ambiguous enough for th...more
Jeff Lemire is a wonderful storyteller with a great artistic style. The more of his work that I read, the more that I like him and want to devour.
This is a great story of isolation, as well as possible madness brought on by an experiment that may have gone wrong.
Who is this man that has shown up in a small town, why is he so prone to staying to himself, is he running from something? The answers to these questions will entertain you, and leave you thinking about what led to them.
I highly enjoyed...more
This is a great story of isolation, as well as possible madness brought on by an experiment that may have gone wrong.
Who is this man that has shown up in a small town, why is he so prone to staying to himself, is he running from something? The answers to these questions will entertain you, and leave you thinking about what led to them.
I highly enjoyed...more
Lemire continues to impress me.
While this one wasn't quite to his same awesomeness standard of his ESSEX COUNTY trilogy, I still enjoyed his retelling of H.G. Wells invisible man. Lemire managed to take a rather unlikeable character and humanize him enough to make me care somewhat about him.
Plus, I really like Lemire's visual poetry, how he rhymes so many of his images and panel structures.
He's definitely an unsung, on-the-rise hero in the graphic novel world, and you should check him out if you...more
While this one wasn't quite to his same awesomeness standard of his ESSEX COUNTY trilogy, I still enjoyed his retelling of H.G. Wells invisible man. Lemire managed to take a rather unlikeable character and humanize him enough to make me care somewhat about him.
Plus, I really like Lemire's visual poetry, how he rhymes so many of his images and panel structures.
He's definitely an unsung, on-the-rise hero in the graphic novel world, and you should check him out if you...more
Review from Badelynge
Canadian writer/artist Jeff Lemire brings H.G. Wells' classic psychological sci-fi tale The Invisible Man forward in time a hundred years to 1994 in three acts. Lemire's spare narrative and simple black and white artwork (sorry black, white & icy blue tint) are well suited to the subtle storytelling of The Nobody. The original novella put forward several philosophical theories about what would happen to a man freed of the moral constraints of society by the escape route...more
Canadian writer/artist Jeff Lemire brings H.G. Wells' classic psychological sci-fi tale The Invisible Man forward in time a hundred years to 1994 in three acts. Lemire's spare narrative and simple black and white artwork (sorry black, white & icy blue tint) are well suited to the subtle storytelling of The Nobody. The original novella put forward several philosophical theories about what would happen to a man freed of the moral constraints of society by the escape route...more
Yes it's very wistful and "mysterious" in a sweetly Canadian (i.e. not that extreme or challenging) way. The story itself is faintly interesting in that you don't exactly know the protagonist's motives or backstory, but Lemire never entirely commits to it either so we have little to care about. Even the grand confrontations don't contribute much except a sense that there's another story to be told just beneath the visible surface of this one.
Reminds me of Sweet Tooth - another Lemire written-and...more
Reminds me of Sweet Tooth - another Lemire written-and...more
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Jeff Lemire is an award-winning Canadian cartoonist, and the author of the Essex County Trilogy, Sweet Tooth and The Nobody. Lemire is known for a his moody, humanistic stories and sketchy, cinematic, black-and-white art.
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10 sept. 19:50