The last couple of issues has been a bit of a let down if I’m honest. I rated them high and I think they were good issues, don’t get me wrong. But it felt like Jeff Lemire was riding the wave and wasn’t doing much to wow me like he did earlier with the series. It also didn’t help that the pace of the story was going at a snails pace at some point. This issue however, issue #16, is where it all changes I think. Pardon for the cliche but: the shit hits the fan and I’m so happy that it has.

I was surprised at how Lemire brings everyone back so quickly considering where the arc was going. But he was able to do so in a reasonable way and it doesn’t feel rushed at all. Jepperd is finally leading his new troops into the military facility and I’m happy for it. Jepperd is finally back to the badass he once was and not the depressed grown man we’ve seen for so many issues. I also like how Gus is turning into such a more well rounded character then he was. Now he has attitude (not extreme, 90s attitude mind you) and is acting like a hero then just a scared kid. My only complaint for the issue though was the ending. It really feels like Lemire is going to stretch the end of this arc and I literally thought I was missing pages once the final panel hit.

As always though, even if the story is turning out great, the highlight is Lemire’s art. Right off the bat I have to say my favorite pages this week in comic are the two pages of Jepperd’s face. It’s a little hard to describe; but to have one page cover Jepperd’s close up face with a panel, and then show that face on another to block another page was well done. Stuff like that here, and throughout the series, makes this one of the more unique titles on the stands. Plus I gotta give a nod to Jose Villarrubia whose coloring has really improved every month and the colors in here are fantastic.

I think this is the issue the series needed. It gave a boost to the action and excitement and it’s also nice to see Jepperd be the badass once again. There are some amazing pages in here as well and it could be some of Lemire’s best in the last couple of months. Chew might have taken over, for me anyways, as the best comic on the stands today. But with this issue it proves to me also that Sweet Tooth is a very, very close second.