Gideon Falls Vol. 1: The Black Barn Kindle & comiXology

I found issue #1 at my local comic store for $1 and thought I would give it a shot. I am very glad I did. So glad, in fact, that I had to check out the rest of it in this volume immediately after I finished reading. This is a very compelling story, keeps you on the edge of your seat and itching to turn the page, and is, most importantly for anything horror related, straight nightmare fuel. And I should know, I’ve had chronic night terrors since the age of 4. The dialogue feels natural, the illustrations are wonderfully adept at giving you that mildly queasy feeling you get when you look at something and its Just Not Quite Right, and the pacing, conversely, is very much Just Right. If you enjoy the sensation of growing unease, being anxious for what has yet to come, and the ever-present feeling of certain dread, you’re in good company with this book, as I have been while reading it.

This story is a a story of the macabre. Laramie is Poe meets David Lynch with his story of a search for peace amongst the quiet horrors of perpetual chaos the stories characters reside. The dark and violent brush strokes provide the perfect visual companion to this tale of self discovery into darkness. The illustrations help the reader to jump out of the shadows and enter the doors of our imaginations. All for the sole purpose of asking the reader to solve the mystery of the Black Barn piece by piece and nail by nail .

I’ve heard wonderful things about this series. It explores a mythology about an evil presence personified as a black barn. The barn always seems to be there but is always out of sight.The story creates a strong mystery and explores the realm of believability. The pacing does well in building tension, and the characters are interesting.The art and paneling is mostly good. As an artistic choice, the inking and shadows are loosely defined and are not solid. The shading looks like vertical hatching giving the art a slightly unsettling appearance. A few panels have a few too many words, but it isn’t common. Also some of the paneling is a little too strange for me.The story has great build-up, but the impact of the climax is a little blunted by the unusual delivery. It gets a little too strange towards the end. I would have preferred if the author leaned more heavily into horror than strangeness.

I struggled with this review because while it is easily five star - in the sense that the artwork in so unique and incredibly well done ... and the story is interesting and unique... I just don't yet know if I am going to continue with the series. It's dark and labyrinthian in scope. The magnificent artwork on every page pulls you deep into the storyline. It's got everything I normally like. Maybe it's the timing (late in this never ending pandemic), but I just don't know if I want to stay inside the world created in this admittedly masterful graphic novel. Still giving it my highest rating.

It's not gory, just a little bit spooky, but like the majority of Manga it leaves you wanting more. I got this thinking "oh boy! A horror comic!" It's not ..it's more! Low on shock value, but incredibly interesting in its own way. Imagine X-FILES crossed with a bad joke: "A priest, a cop, and a patient from an insane asylum walk into a barn..." Did I mention that I like it? Yeah I'm definitely going to read the whole shebang.

I liked all of it, the mystery, the characters, the art.. Never read this fellow before but I guess he has a new fan. Let's move on..

Though, it’s a page turner and I love the suspense in these chapters and the art is vivid and grim yet alive with well-crafted pacing. Worth the read!

One of my all-time favorite comic book series is Lemire’s and Sorrentino’s Green Arrow run. When I saw these two were back at it, I had to pick this book up. As a horror fanatic, I was very excited to read this story. Unfortunately for me, this first volume did not live up to my expectations. I found it pretty slow and half of the main characters underdeveloped. I can understand not fully disclosing the plot and the mysteries behind the black barn so soon. However, they could have had better character development in the 140+ pages of this first volume.I also believe they emphasized strangeness too much. It’s filled with strange panels and not much dialogue, adding to an already confusing story ark. I’m going to keep reading just because Lemire is my favorite author and I have faith that this series will pick up the pace. If vol 2 has not convinced yet though, I’m giving up on.The positive side for me was the story ark with the Father Fred. I think it has a lot of potential. Norton I could care less about right now.