Thanks to NetGalley and Image Comics for the e-copy to review.

3.75 stars

Fishflies is classic Lemire. A small rural town in Canada, a history of generational trauma and the supernatural mixes with a story of redemption and second chances, of violence and the innocence of a friendship between a girl and the monster she sees herself reflected in.

The story starts with the heat of the summer. A group of teen friends walking to the grocery store to buy some popsicles are stopped by the annual invasion of fishflies, the kind of flies that come from the river once a year and stick to every part of lakeside villages. One of the kids decides to walk the path full of them to enter the store, however he steps into the scene of a crime. A man is robbing the store and immediately shoots the kid. What follows is the search of the shooter through the town. The fugitive's transformation after escaping. And the meeting of a lonely girl and the monster that will become her protector.
The story, divided in seven chapters, has different povs, different timelines and supernatural elements. As always, and with Lemire's classic haunting art style, the finished product is a tale that makes you think about humanity and mortality. About the experiences that shape us, the never-ending cycles of trauma, and the second chances we take. It's an existential story, one of those Lemire loves to tell in his indie stuff. And this one works, it's not my favorite but it's a strong graphic novel.
The pacing is great, and this is almost four hundred pages, the eco-horror is unsettling and the characters feel realistic. The ending left me with a bleak feeling, even with the hopeful elements teased in the last scenes.

If you are a fan of Lemire, you know you have to pick this one immediately. If you are not familiar with his work, this is a great sample of the haunting stories he crafts. He writes and illustrates such beautiful yet eerie human stories, hopefully you'll give him a chance.

I am obsessed with Jeff Lemire, I think everything he does is genius, and Fishflies is no exception. The art style is eerie and beautiful, if a bit unsettling. I love the unique storyline that keeps you guessing as you make your way through the issues.

Franny Fox’s sadness and desire for companionship and acceptance is palpable. Her unsettling friendship with a very unusual fugitive conveys her desperation even more. That friendship exposes horrific revelations about her town and its repeated swarms of fishflies.

Lemire’s signature style of artwork and story choices make this tale of companionship and redemption equal parts sad, creepy, and endearing. But in a good way!

I didn’t know fishflies existed until this book, and now I’m terrified of them.

Thanks to NetGalley and Image Comics for the opportunity to read the Fishflies ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have yet to meet a Jeff Lemire comic I didn't enjoy. It's so weird and the art is dark but whimsical (if that's a thing). As sad as the reasoning is for a young girl to befriend a criminal turned giant bug, it was a fun little romp. I appreciate the originality that Lemire brings to all he does, though I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't some Kafka influence at play here!

This is a great graphic novel about a crime in a small town that sets off a chain of events which have roots in the town’s history. It is an eerie story but one that also focuses on friendship, redemption and love and justice. The artwork brought the story to life.

Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

This lost me pretty early on due to the muddied story and the fact that fishflies don't bite. the whole thing kind of falls apart after that.

A very gripping small town crime / horror story with strong themes of family trauma and cycles of violence. I've enjoyed all of Lemire's work that I've read and this is no different; my one criticism is that he needs a wider variety of faces and facial expressions! Overall I really enjoyed this book.

Fishflies is your next excellent Jeff Lemire story!

Jeff Lemire is one of the most talented writers in the graphic novel world! His stories are full of rich characters and emotional depth. I quite literally have cried at the end of almost every single one of his stories. Fishflies is another excellent story that Lemire has crafted. Not only is this a unique creature feature, the likes of which readers have never experienced, but the story has complex themes of found family, abuse, and belonging. One would think that a story featuring a massive bug-creature would struggle to make those emotional connections. However, Fishflies sets the stage expertly. I care so deeply for the characters in this story. The illustrations in this story are exceptional. With the themes present within this story, the illustrations had to convey a lot of difficult topics, and they did so with tact and grace. It elevated this story in so many ways. I cannot speak about how great this graphic novel is. Readers, go out and purchase this ASAP! You won't regret it.

In Fishflies Lemire does an incredible job of pushing the color scheme and composition to its limits. To read this story is to enjoy top quality material.
Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for this advanced reader's copy.

So when I read Frogcatchers thinking it was a more recent Lemire comic, Fishflies was the one I had in mind, which is pretty forgivable as mix-ups go. And this is once again familiar Lemire territory – literally, it's set in Essex County, but also in the sense of featuring bullied kids, adults turned bitter by life and lashing out, and others making faltering efforts to do better than life has treated them. Envisaged as a rural crime story, it ends up more like an ickier Iron Giant as Franny – probably the possessor of comics' runniest nose now Snotgirl has those new allergy meds – taking refuge from her brutal father with... well, you can see on the cover, and he has something to do with the annual swarming of the titular bugs. There is an affecting story here somewhere, but being 400 pages long definitely doesn't do it any favours.

(Netgalley ARC)

I want to thank Image and NetGalley for supplying me with this review copy of Fishflies from Jeff Lemire. I actually read the single issues when they were coming out and seeing it all together in one volume was something special. Lemire excels in these mini series that he also does the art on. They are very human, realistic pieces, but each of them have a fantastical/supernatural element to them. Even with that part though, Lemire really tells his stories in a way that the fantasy actually just feels like it could be reality. Fishflies is no different. Franny is a highly likable character that just wants to find acceptance in someone when normal day life involves being tormented from her peers and even father. No one truly cares. This is until she meets the Fugitive. This unlikely pair both have a journey of self discovery and transformation (quite literally in his case), blending in small town drama and some dark crime elements. It’s a story you can’t miss.

Having experienced "fishflies" myself, I was instantly transported back to Lake Erie and the unsettled feeling these buggers leave you with. I can totally see where an experience with these things can spark this type of supernatural story. It wasn't anything novel or new, but it was enjoyable none-the-less. Very pretty art as well.

My favorite thing about this was the wonderful art style, the way the colors seem to try and push against the lines, the design of the bug creature, the use of lighting, just fantastic work.

Jeff Lemire has a distinctive style, often writing stores set in rural Canadian communities. Fishflies is one such story, that first appeared as part of Lemire's Substack. It begins with children on a walk to the convenience store while masses of the fishflies swarm on the streets, drawn by the lights. One boy enters the store only to interrupt a crime in progress and what happens next will permanently change the lives of several residents of the town and on outsider.

A small town crime drama with supernatural elements, the cover shows the main characters. Franny Fox is a lonely girl, with an abusive father, no friends, and a constantly runny nose. She finds a stranger in the family barn and decides to shelter them. The stranger undergoes a transformation at the time of year when odd events frequently occur in town. A pair of elderly twins are strangely watchful.

The sheriff is trying to find the robber, a teenage boy lies in a medically induced coma with his single mother his only companion. Other Lemire titles or characters make appearances (like the psychic from Minor Arcana).

Compared to societal wide or cosmic horrors of other series, the stakes this time seem small, a few people. But in a town the size of Bell River, it will be long remembered, at least what is believable.

I liked Lemire's art, especially the 'Bug' design (felt like The Iron Giant filtered through District 9) - but Shawn Kuruneru’s brief cameo is gorgeous, loved these two as a team. Story's fine, a little meandering, a little seen-it-all-before, but the ending's satisfying enough.

Everything happens in cycles.

In Belle River, Ontario, a man is on the run from the law. Franny Fox, a little girl, finds him in her barn and offers her assistance. His choices have altered him into something inhuman, a human-size fishfly. Follow this unlikely friendship as the town is in absolute upset over a child hurt and the man on the run.

Jeff Lemire has done it again. He has spun a wonderfully intriguing story with his usual, unusual twists. As is the case with any of his work, this one is worth the read.

#ThxNetGalley #JeffLemire #Fishflies

I received this DRC from NetGalley.

I enjoyed the artwork style, and the story was interesting enough. I usually prefer comics with a faster pace, but there were several elements going on to help push the story forward. A lot of the characters aren't great people, and seems a bit depressing, but it still ends on a hopeful note. I would have liked to know a bit more of the logistics of this curse or whatever it is, but I'm glad it at least had some backstory.

Jeff Lemire, a name that already has me reaching for my wallet, is back with Fishflies, and this time he's pulling double duty on both words and pictures. Now, let's be honest, Lemire's artwork can be... an acquired taste. But this time I dug it, because it has this eerie, unsettling vibe with a story to back it. It's echoing the raw emotion of Sweet Tooth in some ways, but I think it's actually more refined this time.

At the heart of this strange and wonderful tale are two unlikely souls: a hulking fly-creature (formerly a man haunted by a terrible mistake) and Franny, a young woman adrift in her own lonely world. Thrown together by circumstance, they find themselves on the lam, the cops are hunting the fly-man for his past, Franny is desperate for any kind of escape, and their small town is unraveling thread by fragile thread.

Make no mistake, Fishflies is a damn good read. Lemire's dialogue crackles with authenticity, and his characters breathe with a messy, relatable humanity. The weight of past actions and the yearning for redemption feel genuinely earned. Plus, the story unfolds at a solid pace, offering a satisfying blend of plot progression and intimate moments that let these characters truly shine.

While I saw a few narrative beats coming down the road, the journey was so captivating that it barely registered as a flaw. Initially, I had this pegged at a solid 3.5 out of 5, but the connection I forged with these flawed, fascinating characters nudged it up to a well deserved 4. Definitely dive into this one.