10,000 INK STAINS

A profusely illustrated memoir that traces a cartoonist’s success in the comics industry.

Twenty-five years into his prolific career, Lemire (Minor Arcana, 2025, etc.) humbly reflects on his expansive bibliography and guides readers through his progression from producing his own self-published zines to inking production deals with Netflix. Each chapter primarily focuses on one book’s genesis and is packed with character studies, sketches, and archival photos. Lemire worked constantly, committed himself to his craft, and held on to stories and ideas for years before finding the bandwidth to develop them. Starting in the mid-’90s, he recounts self-publishing and distributing his own comics while living in Toronto. (His first zine, Ashtray #1, is reprinted in full in the book’s appendix.) He won a Xeric Grant in 2005 for his book Lost Dogs, which garnered the attention of small publishing houses. While working on his Essex County books in 2007-2008, DC Comics showed interest and opened a door that led to multiyear runs of mainstream comics like Trillium, Animal Man, and Sweet Tooth (now a Netflix series). After leaving DC for a disappointing stint at Marvel, Lemire now prioritizes his creator-owned serials. His memoir is written not as a comic but as a straightforward text, and frequent clichés suggest that, compared to the taut action of his comics, this format might require more words than Lemire is accustomed to working with. His early years were “a roller coaster of exciting things”; writing volume 2 of Essex County was “just…incredible.” While at DC, “learning how to write mainstream comics was only half the battle,” and a pitch meeting was “just throwing stuff against the wall and seeing what stuck.” On his initial breakthrough with DC/Vertigo, he says, “Talk about being at the right place at the right time.” Despite some clunky prose, the book’s lavish trove of behind-the-scenes lore and Lemire’s unbridled energy are capable of inspiring budding cartoonists.

A generous production for fans.