Curiouser and curiouser.
Creative Staff:
Story: Jeff Lemire
Art: Andrea Sorrentino
Colors: Dave Stewart
Letterer: Steve Wands
What They Say:
The mysteries of the “Black Barn” heighten as the reclusive Norton begins to unravel new clues just as a murder spree breaks out in the town of Gideon Falls. But how is it all connected?! The puzzle pieces begin to fall.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The opening installment of Giden Falls didn’t grab me in a big way but it had a number of things that I was intrigued by. Jeff Lemire knows clearly what he’s doing and revealing it in a distinct manner that will take time but requires more hooks early on to catch the more casual of readers. I’ve enjoyed much of what he’s crafted in the last few years so it’s relatively easy to stick with, even at the $4 price point, as Andrea Sorrentino’s artwork and layouts definitely makes it worthwhile. There are some great moments in this issue with how it moves around and just the reactions of characters, particularly Claire and Father Quinn, that makes it very worthwhile. I’m still less than sold on the style Steve Wands is applying to the lettering through as it’s very difficult to read on a desktop of a decent size because of the nature of it.
Events here primarily play out in two areas that draw on more characters. Norton’s time with his therapist, Claire, is interesting as she walks outdoors with him to see how he’s coping and dealing with things, which is showing an improvement overall as he’s not quite so focused on his obsession. He’s starting to let her in on things, though wary because he doesn’t want to put her in danger. I like seeing the dynamic between the two as the trust builds only to have it torn down so quickly because of his place being ransacked with all his clues and him unable to get help from Claire because of how he does it. Which in turn has her ready to send him back to the hospital for more help. But it’s this moment that draws her more into the reality of what’s going on, or the surreality of it, when the Black Barn appears to her.
More interesting to me, however, is what we see with Father Quinn. His encounter with the supposedly dead Father Tom and the death of Trembley has him getting a hard questioning from the sheriff, particularly as she found out some of his past and views him as a prime suspect for this. Quinn seems innocent but isn’t an innocent man in general, which is why he didn’t want to leave the seminary. Thankfully, a few teases do get brought in from a helpful deputy that talks to him while events unfold but there are a lot of curiosities. The bishop makes it clear Quinn was sent here for a big reason that only he can deal with and the reveal of Father Tom’s body – only hours dead at best – puts everything into a new context. The supernatural element of the Black Barn means anything is possible until we understand its rules and that is definitely interesting.
In Summary:
Gideon Falls plays out as something that I would find to be really intriguing if it was a late night premium cable series. I can envision the flow of it, the characters that inhabit it, and the way that the Black Barn and the red light around it would be quite chilling to say the least. As a comic, it’s going to take some time to really warm up to as it’s going for the slow unfolding of events, which makes sense for it, but it feels like it just needs a little more of a hook to really cement it for me. I’m still in for the long haul at this point I think simply because Jeff Lemire’s work has paid off in other areas in a big way and there are a number of curiosities here for me. I’m also really digging what Sorrentino is bringing to each page as there’s some really great visuals that key in on where Father Quinn is with its earthy nature and his worn and weary attitude. I’m just waiting a bit more for that big moment where it clicks and you go “ah ha!” and it becomes magical.
Grade: B-
Age Rating: 17+
Released By: Image Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: April 11th, 2018
MSRP: $3.99
