Image Comics 2018
Written by Jeff Lemire
Illustrated by Andrea Sorrentino
Coloured by Dave Stewart
Lettered & Designed by Steve Wands
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?!
So the first issue wowed us with it’s promise of things to come as it introduced us to Norton and Father Quinn. It also presented us with these odd and supernatural aspects that included a murder by forces unknown. This issue picks up where the last one pretty much left off which is fantastic because there is no jumping into the future there’s a real life timeline going on here which is greatly appreciated.
There is no accurate way to express how I feel when I am reading this. There is the whole sense of unease and near restlessness from page to page. The story is fascinating on levels I hadn’t truly expected and we still haven’t gotten any closer to the facts of what this damn Black Barn is even all about! While that part matters little at the moment it is really all about Norton and Father Quinn and what they are currently going through. The way Jeff has this book structured is utterly sensational and as it flows through the pages all along the surface things are calm while below the current is swirling around ready to disrupt all travel on the river.
Norton and his psychiatrist Dr. Xu this issue make progress, destroy boundaries and end with some extremely unexpected moments. Father Quinn on the other hand is the main suspect in the murder of Mrs. Tremblay. His situation introduces us to new folks in the town and among them the sheriff, Clara Miller, who wants to be seen as tough but in all honesty all I see is a bitch and is going to be the cause of a lot of trouble as the story continues forward. Still with the cast of characters expanding that means more avenues to explore and the use of misdirection and disbelief are able to be used to muck up the path a bit.
There is a reason the mood, tone and feel of this book is as strong as it is, while I would love to give that credit to Jeff’s writing but let’s face it Andrea provides this stunning way of presenting the people, places and things so that they look like rain falls all over them giving us that affect the first rounds of photographs from the 1800’s had to them. His eye for his craft is beyond compare and his utilisation of page layouts and how we see all these angles and perspectives in the panels shows off this eye for storytelling that is superb. In this one the backgrounds are few and far between but ya know what that’s okay because the attention to detail is so sublime. Also they are used when they need to be to give us scope on what the characters see.
The more we see the less we learn leads to the more we want to know about what the heck is going on. This is brilliantly told as Jeff has us travel through two completely different environments telling two sides of a story that has yet to gel into one and yet manages to keep readers riveted to the proceedings. Then there’s the ending which manages to surprise you even though it was foreshadowed for us which by the way still has all the impact and eye popping cause and effect that makes you almost scream. You scream because it’s the end of the issue and you want, no NEED to know what is happening next.
Compelling, addictive and true story that will catch you in it’s web. The art of storytelling has never been more alive than it is here.