Digital Mini Reviews | Gideon Falls by Jeff Lemire

Hi there!

A dynamic duo who loves to push the boundaries of visual story-telling to unimaginable heights, writer Jeff Lemire and artist Andrea Sorrentino have now completed their original horror psychological thriller over at Image Comics known as Gideon Falls. Collected in six volumes with a grand total of 27 issues, this series has caught the attention of many readers and my curiosity wouldn’t allow me to ignore it. Honestly, I was bound to get around to it with my track record for anything related to Jeff Lemire…

Having now completed it, it pretty much resumes what I often notice from Jeff Lemire’s work, that is, he has great ideas, an original structure, a familiar family theme interweaved into the story (central or underlying), and an ending that either succeed or flops from one reader to another.

Fans can also now look forward to a TV adaptation of this comic book series in the upcoming future (currently in development).

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Gideon Falls (Vol. 1): The Black Burn.

The legend of the Black Barn tells of an otherworldly building that has appeared and reappeared throughout history, bringing death and madness in its wake. Now, its mystery ensnares and entwines the lives of two very different men. One: a young recluse, obsessed with finding hidden clues within the city’s trash. The other: a washed-up Catholic priest, finding his place in a small town that hides dark secrets. Neither of them are prepared for what’s inside the Black Barn.

From Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino, the bestselling creative team behind Old Man Logan and Green Arrow, comes a character-driven meditation on obsession, mental illness, and faith.

Collects Gideon Falls #1-6.

This one is interesting at first, building up the suspense as you try to understand the direction it’s heading towards and the story writer Jeff Lemire wants to tell, but once it really gets into the mythology behind the barn and the horror elements that are attached to it, it becomes too zany to be fully appreciated.

The artwork fits with the overall tone of the story and adds some very original structure to it that really gets psychedelic when you least expect it.

It was hard to say if this premise could deliver but I wasn’t completely dissuaded by it all yet.

Gideon Falls (Vol. 2): Original Sins by Jeff Lemire.

In the series that writer MARK MILLAR (HIT GIRL) called “the best comic of 2018,” rural mystery and urban horror collide in the second volume of the runaway best-selling series by JEFF LEMIRE and ANDREA SORRENTINO, the acclaimed creative duo behind Green Arrow and Old Man Logan.

The lives of a reclusive young man obsessed with a conspiracy in the city’s trash, and a washed up Catholic Priest arriving in a small town full of dark secrets become dangerously intertwined around the mysterious legend of The Black Barn — an otherworldly building that is alleged to have appeared in both the city and the small town, throughout history, leaving death and madness in its wake.

Collects GIDEON FALLS #7-11

Writer Jeff Lemire builds up a fascinating and intriguing story around the mysteriously eerie Black Barn as he continues to develop on both Norton and Father Fred’s characters, both inching their way towards unraveling mysteries that will force them to question their own sanity.

Artist Andrea Sorrentino once again brings into play his terrifying artwork, stylistically playing around with the reading direction, the panel placements, and extremely creative splash pages.

The series is now progressively growing into an excellent series that is worth checking out for fans of psychological thrillers and horror.

Gideon Falls (Vol. 3): Stations of the Cross by Jeff Lemire.

The hot horror series that WIRED magazine named one of the best books of 2018 returns from the creative team that BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS said “will go down as one of the greatest comic teams of all time!”

After the mind-blowing events of the second arc, our story heads right through the looking glass. Father Burke tracks a vicious killer named…Norton Sinclair? And when that killer can travel through time (and space!) readers are in for a wild ride.

Collects GIDEON FALLS #12-16

This is a very trippy story-arc that allows artist Andrea Sorrentino to go all out on a visual level. The story now pushes the narrative twist to unexpected boundaries that introduces to the horror story a very kaleidoscopic element. However, there’s a lot that’s left to be taken for granted and I hoped that this will be explored in the next volume.

Gideon Falls (Vol. 4): The Pentoculus by Jeff Lemire.

The smash hit horror series continues! After the time and space shifting journey of the last arc, Norton and Clara are trapped in “small town” Gideon Falls with a murderous psychopath. Meanwhile, Father Fred and Angie confront the Bishop in “big city” Gideon Falls and the secrets of “The Pentoculus Machine” are revealed in all their mind-twisting glory. And what will happen when The Ploughman finally answer the call of duty?

COLLECTS GIDEON FALLS 17-22

While the story-telling consistency and quality are doubtful, I find that the artwork really carries most of the weight here. In fact, whenever artist Andrea Sorrentino takes over, things get much more intriguing and riveting. It’s that strange and misleading style that really keeps you wanting for more. That’s when you start praying that writer Jeff Lemire has a good ending in mind for this series.

Gideon Falls (Vol. 5): Wicked Worlds by Jeff Lemire.

After the mind-bending destruction of the Black Barn, our heroes find themselves spread across the multiverse of Gideon Falls that it contained within! While Angie struggles to survive in a 1984 version, Clara is alone in an old west version and Father Fred is a man out of place in the cyberpunk Gideon Falls. And where Norton landed is anyone’s guess… And while these worlds all seem far apart, the Laughing Man is always closer than you think!

Collects GIDEON FALLS #22-26

The story progresses at mind-numbing speed as each key character finds themselves in a unique universe and has to find a way back to their time to try and stop the mysterious Laughing Man. The artwork in this volume continues to be phenomenal and further plays on the insane narrative and the crossover between all the point of views. Writer Jeff Lemire is really outdoing himself with his creativity in this series and he found the perfect partner to lay out his ideas.

Gideon Falls (Vol. 6): The End by Jeff Lemire.

The mind-bending conclusion to the Eisner Award-winning series by New York Times bestselling writer JEFF LEMIRE and artist ANDREA SORRENTINO (the creative team behind Green Arrow and Old Man Logan), with the talents of Eisner Award-winning colorist DAVE STEWART (Hellboy)!

As all the universes of “Gideon Falls” finally converge, can the combined forces of this rag-tag band of adventurers be enough to stop the Laughing Man and his limitless legions of evil?! Find out the answers to all your questions! This volume include loads of behind-the-scene extras from this ground-breaking series.

Collects GIDEON FALLS #27.

The final volume in this hallucinatory series is an oversized issue that goes full circle to confront the threat head-on while all characters embrace their ultimatum. While the artwork continues the stellar display of Jeff Lemire’s imagination, it is the story’s dull exit that makes for an unmemorable finale that offers nothing sufficiently satisfying to take home. Welp. 😉

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