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10,000 Ink Stains: Memoirs
Manga artist: Jeff Lemia
Publisher: Dark Horse Comic
Publication date: July 2025
Jeff Lemia is a name that you don’t need to introduce to most regular comic readers, even if you’re a fan of independent comics or major publishers. Over the course of 25 years in the industry, the Canadian author/artist has become famous for independent titles such as Essex County, Royal City, and Minor Arcana, and has big names series such as Animal Man, Moon Night, Sweet Tooth, his own superhero universe, and Black Hammer. Always a relatively personal individual, Lemia dives into his life and career with his whole new memoir, 10,000 ink staining. This is an incredibly intimate look at some of his own experiences in the comic business, some of his incredible heights and crushed lows, and an incredibly intimate view of his experience as the main name of the comic profession.
The 10,000 ink staining began with Ashtray #1, his first self-published comic collection of Lemia’s youth and his first self-published comics, and continued all the way to the present, starting with his work at Minor Arcana, and the memoir is a collection of essays and autobiographical writing using materials and behind-the-scenes artwork that are virtually not serving as his material and behind-the-scenes artwork. The most rewarding way to experience this book is by taking a break between chapters, revisiting some of the moments and works that Lemia is discussing with a new eye, and making sure she knows at least a little about the comics he has made. Lemire’s love for the comics is evident on every page, and he states in his memoirs.
I fell in love with the manga when I was six, and since then they have been a big part of my life.
Lemire discusses a refreshing level of integrity and transparency about youth and life before cartoons. Over the decades he has been repeatedly asked about the seemingly autobiographical elements of his work. He eventually split it into detail here and discussed his life and his experiences growing up in the Canadian countryside after moving to Toronto as a young adult. I found him very moving and refreshing to see him being honest about his experiences with mental illness, alcoholism, and getting caught up in a difficult cycle of constant work with little consequences. This section is very addressed with the idea of a “starved artist” and Lemire explored a young creative about some of the harm that the idea does and how his work could thrive after he was in an emotionally stable position and looked after himself and escaped the cycle of despair. These sections aren’t as detailed as Grant Morrison’s SuperGods, but it’s great to see someone discuss their experiences of invading the comics with sincere respect for their audience. Not only does Lemia recognize his luck, but she also acknowledges how much pain and work it takes to publish his earliest books. Still, it’s not an easy process and it’s interesting to see personal experiences and perspectives.
Art by Jeff Lemair
For the majority of the 10,000 ink staining, each project will involve projects on various series and graphic novels where Lemia writes and describes herself. There are many reasons for this, but the main thing is that, in contrast to scripting, when he writes and works in both art, he can go into more detail about his creative process. From lesser-known titles like The Nobody and Trillium to famous successes like Sweet Tooth, everything is explored in detail. Lemire goes to his creative decisions, the motivation to take on or abandon a particular project, and the process of creating all the books. It is very enlightening as we can learn more about his creative process and how it evolved over his career. All of his works, deeply realistic and autobiographical, have another work that comes from a place of pure imagination and fiction. Lemire explains as much detail as possible about the publication of the deal and its process, feels “discovered” by the comic publisher, and discusses and explores his first success in Essex County. It’s interesting that a few years after Lemire first entered the mind, he often returns to ideas and story concepts. In other words, all the “dropped” projects discussed in this book feel that Lemia might return further down. It’s never written in a way that is insensitive to people who haven’t read all the books and never gets into heavy spoilers. There are some things I haven’t read here, but it was still interesting to see how Lemia discussed his process with them. I think Lemire pretty much knows that not everyone reading likes all of his work, but he wears it on his sleeves and doesn’t seem desperate to be impressed.
I know my art style is hits and missed by people. You love it or just don’t get it at all. I was in peace with it a long time ago. You can’t draw like Jim Lee or Brian Hitch. I can only draw like Jeff Lemia, and I’m fine with that.
I think Lemire knows that many people first discovered him through his superhero work. He dives into it here, especially at a deep and respectable level of candidity, towards his fallen period at Marvel Comics. It’s great to see the creators being so honest about some of the behind-the-scenes editorial madness of big companies, and while Lemia doesn’t come out as bitter or scars, he’s also human and you can feel his frustration with some of those experiences. It also marks some of the major changes in the industry over the past 20 years, as superheroes become a global phenomenon, with both “Big 2” publishers owned by billions of dollar companies already interested in protecting their brands. Without a doubt, these chapters are not filled with joy. Lemire is just like everyone else, and it’s great to hear about the experiences of writing for them, as his passion for certain characters and heroes is obvious and contagious. I am very happy that the book spent some time here in the sun as a lover of his animal man runs deep. Lemia will go into detail about her experience writing books owned by creators, including Descender, Gideon Falls, and Black Hammer. There are so many books out there that he can’t spend all his time.
Art by Jeff Lemair
The final third of the book focuses on Lemia’s experience of getting older and returning to explaining his own work, as well as expanding into work outside of graphic novels. This was my favorite part of the book. It was incredible to see artists and creators reflect their current careers. Also, when your career is already finished effectively, it’s where they want to go next, as opposed to reading about their thoughts. Lemire tackles some of the challenges involved in creating Roughneck and a secret path with Gord Downie before he dies. The latter leads to one of the most moving moments in the book. It leads to a discussion of sadness and a long-lasting and important art that is truly trying to make a difference, and how to do it more while there is still time. It was interesting to hear Lemia’s thoughts on Royal City and the Maze. And at this point he still wants to challenge himself and his process and try something new every time. Lemire doesn’t stay in his glory, and stands out as one of the hardest-working people in the comic industry. As a writer, listening to his advice on how to stay involved in your art and how to continue to find motivation even when you achieve your initial goals was wonderfully resonated. It was also interesting to hear Lemire discuss how mental illness affects him and his life. Many times people disregard their success in favor of it. Lemia’s honesty to the topic may motivate other creators in this space to do the same.
Lemia also explores his experience adapting his work for TV, namely Sweet Tooth and Essex County. Both sections are great reads and give them plenty of insight into the television and film industry and how they interact with the comics that are based on their work. Lemire’s honest and complicated ideas about Sweet Tooth Show are a great demonstration of his commitment to creating a genuine memoir, and the stress and joy of being a major showrunner for the Minister of Essex County. It appears that many major comics experts are jumping on working in film and television, and are trying to do so with more and more degree of success. And Lemia’s personal experiences are fascinating to what the experience is, for better or worse. In general, 10,000 ink staining serves as a memoir that subtles the creative process, just like David Lynch caught a big fish.
Art by Jeff Lemair
It should be noted that 10,000 ink stains are not comics or graphic novels in the traditional sense. Most of it is non-fiction prose, accompanied by artwork, production material and pictures of Lemia’s life. The only “comic” you really put in the book is the whole of Ashtray #1, the first self-published collection in Lemia, and it was fully printed here for the first time since its first run. While it might argue that Craig Thompson’s ginseng roots and the autobiographical comic format spent by Alison Bechdel could have worked well for projects like this, I believe that the prose format works in the favor of the book, allowing time and space to explore every stage of Lemire’s life in detail. Lemire is not surprising, he is a great and entertaining author, and although this book is dense, it is easy to read. If possible, I think it’s best to sit simmering for a while and then wash you out for a while and get hooked on the story of life and career.
Overall, the 10,000 ink staining is an essential read for fans of Lemia’s work and career, exploring his experience in the comics industry over the past 20 years with an exhilarating level of integrity and respect for his audience. It is an intimate view of one person’s creative process, how it evolved over the years, and how the changes informed his work and its evolution. I found it to be a prominent quest for how to make comics that are faithful to myself, so I was able to read another 200 pages with Lemia getting a detailed grasp of every detail, all the details. Even those who are not so familiar with Lemire and his work come up with the experience of being an expert in the comic making process and the comic business. The ultimate goal of this book is to show people that they can create cartoons for themselves and others that mean something, regardless of where they come from or what they have experienced. As Lemia himself says:
If you’ve ever thought about making your own manga, do that. Pick up a pen or pencil to start.
10,000 ink stains this month
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