ROUGHNECK

A literary graphic novel by award-winning, New York Times bestselling author Jeff Lemire about a disgraced, alcoholic Cree hockey player who faces his demons—both those of his violent past and his troubled people.

Derek Fish is totally burnt-out. Used up. A former hockey tough guy, Derek had risen through the minor leagues to play for the New York Rangers, only to throw it all away on booze—that, and a brutal on-ice incident that left him banned from pro-hockey for life. Now, four years later, Derek re- turned to Black River, his hometown in Northern Ontario where he works as a short order cook dur- ing the day and spends his nights drinking at the only bar in town, fighting anyone stupid enough to step into his dark orbit. With his bar fights becoming increasingly bloody and his behavior more erratic, no one—not even his childhood friend, the Sheriff in Black River—can see just how close Derek is to stepping off the edge. But as Derek sits alone in his apartment late one night staring at the jagged edges of a broken beer bottle, and contemplating speeding up his inevitable slide into oblivion, there is a knock at his door: Annie Fish, his long-lost kid sister, has come home. Roughneck is a literary graphic novel about family, hockey, and life in the north, as well as the abuse, neglect and violence that plagues the First Nations. But it’s also a story of cycles: cycles of abuse and also cycles of healing. As Derek and Annie reconnect with one another as adults they also reconnect with their past—both the painful family memories that left them damaged, and the lost ways of their Cree ancestors, which open up a new way of life and a new path of healing for both of them. But when Annie’s bad news ex-boyfriend biker Wade rolls into town, he threatens to drag Annie back into the darkness. Derek is determined to give her a fresh start—even if it means throwing away his new life for one last shot at redemption. Jeff Lemire is New York Times bestselling author of the acclaimed monthly comic book series Sweet Tooth (DC/Vertigo) and Trillium (DC/Vertigo), New York Times bestseller The Underwater Welder (Top Shelf), and the award-winning graphic novel Essex County (Top Shelf)—one of the five Essential Ca- nadian Novels of the Decade. Among other awards, he has been nominated for five Eisner awards and seven Harvey awards. He currently lives with his wife and son in Toronto, where he works.