An ex-NHL player grapples with a traumatic past and a crappy career. There's a lot to unpack in this one: abusive father, death of a parent, head trauma, drug abuse, abusive partners, small town garbage...
I appreciate Jeff Lemire's art style, and the way his faces have all the flaws and beauty and characters real people have.

Excellent graphic novel in the same vein as Essex County. Lemire's story follows a drunk, has-been hockey player just barely scraping by in the small Ontario town where he grew up. He's got a room in the janitorial closet at the local hockey rink and works as a cook in the town diner, spending his nights drinking at the local bar and getting into the occasional fight. When his younger sister suddenly shows up in town, pregnant and on the run from an abusive boyfriend, the two of them must come to terms with each other and their past. This is very beautifully illustrated and spare and the writing is minimalist, too, yet the story has a lot of feeling and emotion in it. Really nice.

I’ve been a big fan of Jeff Lemire for years now. This graphic novel cements by fanhood. The sibling connection at the heart of Roughneck will touch many.

Hard hitting, strong, very powerful. I have ordered this for the college library and would certainly use this as part of a comics and graphic novels course, or even in a general literature class.

I have grown to enjoy graphic novels that are more realistic than the pure fantasy adventures I read as both a younger person and still today.

This is a very rough and gritty look at a man who has withdrawn into himself. He does not want to be bothered by anyone, especially former fans. And he is not afraid to strike out physically and verbally.

The depth of love inside this hard man is shown when his pregnant, abused, and addicted sister returns home. It is a hard love. But it is love.

The slow transformation this love brings is realistic and hard hitting.

Gotta love that artwork. Great story that's relatable.

ARC from Netgalley.
Jeff Lemire continues his streak of absolute genius with Roughneck.
Here we meet Derek Ouelette, ex-thug and enforcer for the New York Rangers. He's in a bar, washed up and drunk, solving his problems with violence. Derek works as the janitor for the local hockey rink, and lives in his office. Life is rough for him. Then his sister Beth comes back to town...
Beth is on the run from an abusive ex-boyfriend. She's an addict and pregnant. When she is found almost OD'ing, Derek finds the dealer and beats him severely enough to send him to the hospital. Should she go to rehab and him to jail? No... solution is to send them out into the wilderness for detox and self-reflection. But what happens when Beth's ex comes searching?
The use of color vs. black and white here is a wonderful way to convey time period, and Lemire's imagery is top-notch, like usual. Another fine, fast-paced, well written and drawn tale from a comics powerhouse. High recommend.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this book. While it was challenging (triggering?) to read in places, it was largely well-written and certainly worthwhile.

Jeff Lemire returns to the Canadian setting of his early masterpiece Essex County with Roughneck, a story that initially focuses on retired (and disgraced) hockey star Derek Ouellette. Oullette is famous for his fights on the ice–he even describes himself as a thug, rather than a hockey player–and it was an especially brutal attack that ended his hockey career. So he returned to his remote Northern home town of Pimitamon (“the Pit”), where he drinks too much and fights anyone who crosses him.

Meanwhile his estranged sister Beth shows up, on the run from an abusive boyfriend. It’s a tense reunion, but flashbacks soon reveal a history of abuse in the family. Between Derek’s recent violent outbursts and Beth’s drug addiction, it seems best to relocate to a secluded hunting camp in the woods. There the siblings slowly reconnect with themselves and their shared family history, as well as their Cree heritage.

Beth confronts her father, achieving closure there. And Derek confronts the boyfriend (who has followed her to Pimitamon). His surprising actions seem to indicate a conscious end to the family history of violence: an unexpected response from a character who seemed incapable of learning anything. Beth’s embrace of her Cree background at the end of the story is also unexpected, but it feels a bit abrupt–like a sudden, unprepared development. Still a satisfying wrap-up overall.

Lemire does have a tendency to reuse character designs. Derek’s appearance is initially very similar to Jeppard in his Vertigo series Sweet Tooth, although he soon establishes himself as a different character. The Netgalley proof I got for review was in black and white rather than the full color of the final book. While it was certainly a different reading experience, the power of the storytelling shone through.

Two siblings—each scarred by growing up with an abusive, alcoholic father who indirectly caused their mother's desth—seek closure, and perhaps redemption in this graphic novel.

Can't do too much of a review of the 19 pages but loved what I saw.

I’m a huge fan of Jeff Lemire. His Sweet Tooth series made me cry like a baby. So when this new graphic novel was offered for review, I jumped at the chance. I didn’t even look to see what it was about, I just knew I’d love it. And I did. This was realistic fiction, and dark - but then, everything I’ve read by Lemire is dark. This graphic novel isn’t particularly long, and there’s not much text, especially compared to some recent graphic releases. But despite how short and concise this is, I cared about these characters. Even the little subtle clues throughout the book are enough to give the reader a clear picture of their lives and history.

Lemire’s fans will fawn all over this book, like myself, and I think this will find a home with a lot of graphic novel readers that are tired of the capes and sci-fi stories. This book is the literary fiction of the graphic novel world, and is well worth a read.

Set in a cold and bleak Canadian town, Roughneck is the story of a retired hockey player trying to put his life back together.

The e-ARC I received is mostly black and white, (except for the first 15 pages or so, which have this nice, light blue, cold feeling to them), but from what I've read the final copy will be in color. For me though, the black and white worked quite well.

Derek Ouellette is trying to drown his sorrows in alcohol. Being that he already is a tough guy, the drinking doesn't bring out the best in him. Then, when his long lost sister Bethy shows up, (on the run from her latest abusive boyfriend), things get even worse. Derek tries to do the right thing, but can he make it happen? You'll have to read Roughneck to find out.

I've not heard of Jeff Lemire before, but I requested an ARC of this graphic novel based on the description alone. I'm so glad I did! I enjoyed the artwork, the isolation of the setting, and the realistic view of the characters. I'm not sure if there are going to be more books about Derek and his sister in the future, but if there are? Count me in!

Recommended for fans of cold, bleak settings and tough guy ex-NHL players that can drop the gloves and go in a second's time!

(This review will be up at Charlene.booklikes.com and Char's Horror Corner on Facebook) after 1:30 today.

This is an embattled, soulful story, and I was drawn to the bittersweet realism. The narrative boasts a winter noir aspect, and it speaks to the reader in surprising ways. Exploration of family dynamic and recovery is skillfully presented in concert with a fully-realized setting that mirrors both character and theme. At times brutal, at times tender, this is a slice of life that exposes complexity even as it can also be appreciated more roughly. Gritty and beautiful.

Speaking of beauty, I spent many a moment gazing at the art. It's amazing to me that such variation can be evoked in what could be a static landscape. However, that's the skill: taking what some may see as largely white and simple outlines and tease out nuance, volatility, and serenity. Anyone who lives with winter knows that there are different flavors of sky. Lemire uses the juxtaposition of blurred brushwork and starkly lined images to create tone. Whether time of day, level of menace, measure of wonder, degree of bleakness, all pushes through via shades of technique. Masterful. One additional example is the inspired interruption of images that adds a whole new level of story conveyance. Simply stated, it's stunning.

format note: Thrilled to have opportunity to read early, but I do prefer reading graphic novels in print. One aspect I'll be interested to compare upon re-read is how pages interact with each other. In a digital galley that offers only one page at a time, artistic choice can be undermined, especially with splash pages. Not a criticism, but it does offer something to anticipate upon revisit.

The sample I read gives a pretty good view into what the book is like, and it's enough to purchase for our library. I'm not yet ready to recommend to reading groups until I read the full, print version, but we do have several patrons who will enjoy investigating it. The drawing is very good, and the root story seems intriguing.

I absolutely love Jeff Lemire's work. The artwork matched the story line perfectly, and both of them will suck readers in immediately!

Roughneck is beautifully illustrated, with the snowy landscapes and expressive characters. The story is powerful, of a brother and sister reunited and each dealing with bad decisions in their pasts. I recommend this graphic novel to adults because of the storytelling and relatable themes, but not to students because of the drug and alcohol abuse and strong language.

I'm a big fan of anything by Jeff Lemire and love his art style. While I'm a fan of his work on Descender, I really enjoyed seeing a realistic fiction book from him. The storyline in this is good, but Lemire's artwork is really what makes this book great. I enjoyed the black and white artwork in the ARC, I'm excited to see how it looks in color.

Edgy storyline and graphics. Too much for my older students - not relatable - YET.