By Jeff Lemire

Issue 10 of SWEET TOOTH is my favorite so far. Well, maybe issue 18 is now, but you haven’t seen that one yet, so I’ll stick with 10 for the time being. In that issue, featured in SWEET TOOTH Vol.2: IN CAPTIVITY (Out Dec.8), we take a break from the ongoing storyline as the mysterious, possibly evil Dr Singh hypnotizes Gus, the antlered protagonist of the series, and enters his mind…literally.

This was a really fun issue to draw. I got to break the rules of a linear narrative a bit and really experiment with my layouts and try to capture a surreal kind of dream logic in the storytelling, as Singh and Gus delved back into the boy’s memories trying to unlock the secrets of the plague that wiped out most the human race.

It was also a chance for me to play around with ink washes again. I had done a lot of this in my early self-published work, but hadn’t tried it since. Washes create a looser more fluid look that I thought really suited the surreal feel of this issue. Then I saw what artist extraordinaire Jose Villarubia’s colors looked like over the washes and I totally fell in love. Now I can’t stop using them. Incidentally I also think this is the issue where Jose and I really gelled as an art team. Where we really found our common voice together.

Issue 10 also marked the start of a concerted effort on my part to try and push the boundaries of what a monthly comic can be a little bit each month. Sometimes this desire to experiment takes the form of a high concept format like the completely silent/split-screen issue 12, or the horizontal “storybook” format of issue 18 (all done in washes). Other times it means playing with the layouts or style on a smaller scale within a specific scene or page. Either way these are almost like games that I play with myself to keep me energized over the course of the sometimes-grueling marathon that is writing and drawing a monthly comic.

At any rate, Issue 10 felt like a breakthrough issue for me. I felt like I really started to find new energy for SWEET TOOTH again after the initial rush of starting the book had worn off. I think that energy shows on the page. I hope you agree. I have more tricks up my sleeve as Gus and the gang trek along the post-apocalyptic wasteland, so stay tuned!

By Jeff Lemire

Despite the fact that his doe-eyed face fills most of the covers of SWEET TOOTH, the series was never meant to be just about Gus. It was always going to be just as much about Jepperd, the mysterious, hulking drifter. Jepperd’s like Batman to Gus’ Robin, Butch to his Sundance, Tango to his Cash. You get the picture.

For me the differences between Jepperd and Gus are the core of the book. Specifically, Gus is the ultimate innocent. He embodies childhood and incorruptibility and purity. Jepperd on the other hand is a like a dark, violent storm. He’s everything that’s been degraded, ruined and hurt in this post-apocalyptic world. Gus only knows hope. Jepperd only knows disappointment and loss.

But I soon discovered that when you put these two together they each become something else, something more. Jepperd suddenly softens. And his violence, when it inevitably explodes out of him, suddenly has a focus...the protection of Gus. And Gus, on the other hand, starts to show a resourcefulness and guile that was originally hidden beneath his almost cherub-like exterior.

And then Jepperd goes and ruins it all (SPOILER ALERT FOR ANYONE WHO HASN’T READ VOL.1 YET!). As we left the two characters at the end of SWEET TOOTH Vol.1, Jepperd betrayed Gus, selling him to the militia for a strange form of payment…a mysterious duffle bag. What’s in that bag? And furthermore, what could be worth this man turning his back on the only good thing he’s ever had in his lonely life since the plague hit?

All this and more is slowly revealed in SWEET TOOTH Vol. 2: IN CAPTIVITY (Out Dec.8). If Vol.1 introduced us to the world of SWEET TOOTH, and to the character of Gus, then Vol.2 is really Jepperd’s tale. It’s here that he becomes more than the two-dimensional killing machine he first appeared to be. He becomes a man. A man that knows pain and loss beyond anything Gus could imagine in his young life. Does this justify his actions? And will Gus ever forgive him? You’ll have to keep reading to find out. But for know I’ll leave you with a look at my earliest design sketches of Jepperd along with the earliest version of the cover for Issue 6. Enjoy!

This weekend is Halloween. The day for tricks and treats...and costumes!

So, if you find yourself dressing up as, say Gus from SWEET TOOTH, Skinner Sweet from AMERICAN VAMPIRE, John Constantine and Epiphany Greaves from HELLBLAZER, Fly Catcher from FABLES, Delirium from SANDMAN, or any of Vertigo’s many amazing characters this weekend, do send us a photo. And maybe, just maybe, we’ll post a bunch of them next week.

So get your outfits together and your camera’s ready!

Then send your photo as a 72-90 dpi jpeg to pamela.mullin@dccomics.com.
Please include: What character you are, your age and your okay to post.

We can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Just as Jepperd gathers his army to take down the militia camp, Gus and the hybrid kids embark on a daring escape. In the process, our doe-eyed hero crosses a line, and he'll never be the same. "Animal Armies" amps up as our cast all head toward a bloody, heart-wrenching collision.

Check out some pages from SWEET TOOTH #14 and pick up a copy October 6th!

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