IMAGE COMICS – @ImageComics
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
STORY: Rob Guillory – @Rob_guillory
ART: Rob Guillory
COLORS: Taylor Wells
LETTERS: Kody Chamberlain
MISC. ART: Burt Durand (“Farmhand Calendar” design)
32pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S.(November 2018)
Rated “M/ Mature”
Farmhand created by Rob Guillory
Chapter 5: “The Antique Lady”
Farmhand is a recently-launched comic book series from comic book creator, Rob Guillory, known for his award-winning tenure on the long-running comic book, Chew (Image Comics). Farmhand is written and illustrated by Guillory; colored by Taylor Wells; and lettered by Kody Chamberlain (who also designed the Farmhand logo).
Farmhand focuses on Ezekiel “Zeke” Jenkins. a husband, father, and graphic designer and illustrator. He returns to the place where he grew up, Freetown, Louisiana, with his wife, Mae, and their children, Abigail and Riley. The old family business, “Jenkins Family Farm,” no longer focuses not on “beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes,” but on the growth of human body parts. Yes, “Jenkins Family Farmaceutical Institute” grows plant-based human organs and tissue.
Farmhand #5 (“The Antique Lady”) finds much trouble a-brewing. Almost all the fuss centers around the “Jenkins Experimental Stem Cell,” the miracle “seed” that apparently appeared to Zeke's father, Jedidiah “Jed” Elias Jenkins, in a dream. Zeke's sister, Andrea Jenkins, is learning her father's history with Dr. Monica Thorne, who helped Jed make sense of the science of his dream seed so that he could grow limbs as easily as he would grow trees. Now, Andrea is also missing...
The first two issues of Farmhand recalled the sensibility of the work of television writer and producer, the late Rod Serling, especially his legendary TV series, “The Twilight Zone.” I am also reminded of the writings of the late Ray Bradbury, known for his short stories and novels in the genres of speculative fiction, science fiction, and horror. Like the work of Serling and Bradbury, Farmhand is mysterious, macabre, and entrenched in the rich, black soil of Americana.
By the end of the second issue, however, Farmhand began to reveal a darkly humorous sensibility, which became a kind of gleeful and maniacal comedy in the third issue. That was when Guillory gave Zeke's children, Abigail and Riley, a showcase to fight a monster. And it was wonderful!
Farmhand #5 marks the end of the series' first story arc. It is a really sweet, but scary end to the introductory arc of this series The situation with Andrea Jenkins chills me because even the disappearance of a fictional woman of color reminds me of the still unexplained 2015 death of jailed African-American activist, Sandra Bland.
Although all five of these issues introduce Farmhand, none of them seem like padded story or comic book decompressed storytelling. Rob Guillory fills each issue with a... cornucopia of imaginative and inventive characters, creatures, plot twists and... plants. Each issue is almost like a brand new thing, a chapter in a larger narrative than manages to be its own unique tale – fresh from the farm, of course.
Taylor Wells, with her vivid and beautiful colors, heightens the sense of imagination in this series, while not hiding the fact that Guillory is turning the narrative darker. Kody Chamberlain's lettering pops off the page and gives the dialogue teeth. Yeah, the words that are coming out of the characters' mouths have bite. Holla!
I am enjoying many Image Comics titles, and Farmhand is my favorite right now. That is saying a lot because Image is killing it every week. By the way, the farm will be returning to us in March, and the first Farmhand trade paperback is due January 16, 2019 – fresh from the farm, also.
10 out of 10
http://RobGuillory.com
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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