Gideon Falls, Volume 1: The Black Barn

by Jeff Lemire, Andrea Sorrentino (Artist), Dave Stewart (Artist)

Overview

Forbes’ Best Graphic Novels of 2018
WIRED
Magazine’s Favorite End-of-Year Books, 2018


A brand-new ongoing horror series from the acclaimed best-selling creative team of Old Man Logan and Green Arrow!



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 intertwined around the mysterious legend of The Black Barn—an otherworldly building alleged to have appeared in both the city and the small town throughout history, bringing death and madness in its wake.


Rural mystery and urban horror collide in this character-driven meditation on obsession, mental illness, and faith that
Mark Millar (Hitgirl) called his "personal pick as the best comic of 2018!" Also featuring a variant cover gallery from some of comics' best artists, including
Cliff Chiang (PAPER GIRLS), Jock (WYTCHES), Skottie Young (I HATE FAIRYLAND),
and more!


Collects GIDEON FALLS
#1-6

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781534308527
Publisher:	Image Comics
Publication date:	10/23/2018
Series:	Gideon Falls Series , #1
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	141,371
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.10(d)
Age Range:	16 Years

Editorial Reviews

09/24/2018
In this spooky supernatural noir, disgraced priest Wilfred “Fred” Quinn, who struggles with alcoholism, gets ordered by his superior to the “nice little town” of Gideon Falls, where he replaces its deceased pastor. Things turn weird when the supposedly dead pastor materializes and shows Fred surreal visions of an eerie black barn, from which he emerges to discover a parishioner’s violent murder. Fred’s storyline is told in parallel with therapy sessions involving apparently schizophrenic, previously institutionalized Norton Sinclair and his skeptical therapist, Dr. Xu. Norton searches the town’s trash for clues to what he is convinced is a looming evil in the form of the black barn, and his therapist does not believe him—until she begins having visions of the structure herself. The narrative is a solid example of mystery box storytelling, as pieces of the puzzle fall into place throughout the story. Lemire (Sweet Tooth) scripts apt conversational dialogue, and the verisimilitude is cemented by photo-realist artwork by Sorrentino (I, Vampire). This first volume, however, is all setup—mysteries layered one upon another. While the True Detective vibe is appealing, some readers may not have the patience to wait for the follow-up. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"If you were a fan of Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino Green Arrow or Old
Man Logan, which were instant classics in the eyes of many, then check out this original story." —IGN



"Though Lemire is one of the busiest writers in the industry right now, the sheer volume, diversity, and high quality of his output is remarkable. He doesn’t lose a step here nor does Sorrentino, who is composing here at peak level too... I left the experience of Gideon Falls more than ready to see how the mystery of this odd town plays out in the next chapter." —The
Comics Beat



"Jeff Lemire really knocks it out of the park with this comic. I highly recommend this one. Give it a read." —Bleeding Cool



LIBRARY JOURNAL — Against his wishes, recovering alcoholic Father Quinn is assigned to lead a church in the small community of
Gideon Falls. The previous pastor died, so Quinn is particularly disturbed when that same clergyman appears in his room one night. Chasing the allegedly dead man into a field, Quinn sees an ominous, abandoned-looking structure, which disappears after he finds one of his new parishioners murdered in the field.
Meanwhile, in a big city also called Gideon Falls, Norton Sinclair is obsessed with searching through trash, convinced that he is uncovering the remnants of something terrible from his past, a mythical Black Barn. He collects and bottles nails and other specimens from the building, which he hopes to track down. His psychiatrist Dr. Xu is worried that Norton may require institutionalization again, but after she begins to receive her own visions of the Black Barn, she understands that whatever Norton is experiencing is more than psychosis.
Together, the various characters are drawn toward whatever sickness lies within the Black Barn.
VERDICT Moody metaphysical horror with echoes of Twin Peaks-style strangeness establishes this mysterious world created by Lemire (Essex County; Roughneck), Sorrentino
(Old Man Logan), and Stewart (Hellboy), presented in this first volume of a popular ongoing series. Collects single issues 1-6.






“I know everybody lies in blurbs, but this comic really is amazing.
Do not gloss over these words. This is two guys at the top of their game and my own personal pick as the best comic if 2018 if the first issue is anything to go by.” —Mark Millar



“Lemire and Sorrentino will go down as one of the greatest comic teams of all time. Gideon Falls cements that. Well, Green Arrow did, but this really REALLY does it.” —Brian Michael Bendis

From the Publisher

06/21/2019

Against his wishes, recovering alcoholic Father Quinn is assigned to lead a church in the small community of Gideon Falls. The previous pastor died, so Quinn is particularly disturbed when that same clergyman appears in his room one night. Chasing the allegedly dead man into a field, Quinn sees an ominous, abandoned-looking structure, which disappears after he finds one of his new parishioners murdered in the field. Meanwhile, in a big city also called Gideon Falls, Norton Sinclair is obsessed with searching through trash, convinced that he is uncovering the remnants of something terrible from his past, a mythical Black Barn. He collects and bottles nails and other specimens from the building, which he hopes to track down. His psychiatrist Dr. Xu is worried that Norton may require institutionalization again, but after she begins to receive her own visions of the Black Barn, she understands that whatever Norton is experiencing is more than psychosis. Together, the various characters are drawn toward whatever sickness lies within the Black Barn. VERDICT Moody metaphysical horror with echoes of Twin Peaks-style strangeness establishes this mysterious world created by Lemire (Essex County; Roughneck), Sorrentino (Old Man Logan), and Stewart (Hellboy), presented in this first volume of a popular ongoing series. Collects single issues 1–6.—Douglas Rednour, Georgia State Univ. Libs., Atlanta

Library Journal

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