10,000 Ink Stains: A Memoir

In this lavishly illustrated autobiography and career retrospective, Eisner winner Lemire (Sweet Tooth) recounts how he found a niche in the comics industry. Born in rural Canada, Lemire set out to become a filmmaker but was drawn to the indie comics scene of the late 1990s. He self-published comics, including a series funded by a grant from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cocreator Peter Laird, and broke into traditional publishing when Top Shelf picked up his semi-autobiographical Essex County. Success followed, including runs on DC and Marvel comics, collaborations with musicians Gordon Downie and Eddie Vedder, and TV adaptation deals. Lemire describes his rise to alt-comics renown in conversational prose, skimping somewhat on the details of his personal life, though he’s frank about his periodic struggles with depression and anxiety. The illustrations comprise a treasure trove of comic art, including sketches, original artwork, previously unpublished pages, and the complete first issue of Lemire’s early comic Ashtray. Throughout, Lemire comes off as grateful and faintly surprised by the scope of his career. “I can only draw like Jeff Lemire,” he says, “and I am more than okay with that.” It’s a delightful testament to the rewards of not compromising one’s vision. Agent: Charlie Olsen, InkWell Management. (July)