Gideon Falls #27: Close the Barn Door Behind You This Time

Gideon Falls has always been difficult to describe or boil down to a specific genre or even a set of genres. It has also never been afraid to spawn an extra genre here and there – a little horror, fantasy, mystery, character study and then… dystopian science fiction, or a touch of western. It’s all there in one incredible meal of a story with all the flavors and textures of each literary tradition working in harmony with one another to create a unique (and always surprising) blend. It’s been an exciting, and often disturbing, ride. So the question is: does the end satisfy the promises and demands of the beginning and the middle?

We’ll get to that. For now, let’s talk about how we reach that ending.

When last we saw Nort– err, Daniel? — he had found himself lying at the feet of Joe Reddy, the former school bus driver whom you may remember from such antics as murdering his wife, hanging a deputy from a roof and, now, reclining atop the corpses of Norton’s time displaced, N95 mask wearing “children.” Now, in the final hour, we trace Norton’s path from his initial displacement to this most unpleasant awakening. Along the way, questions are answered, all of existence shifts, and Norton confronts the filthy, crawling darkness at the center of everything, The Smiling Man.

If you can call it a man.

Unfortunately, before they can help Norton’s situation, the others must find him. To do that, they must first escape the giant mawed, grey-skinned, red-eyed smiling zombies, or whatever they are. I have to say, these creatures are the creepiest play on zombies that I have seen… ever, maybe. They are truly nightmare fuel – all the more so now that they’ve cost us cities, worlds, and allies.

The power of Andrea Sorrentino’s artwork probably goes without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway: Sorrentino is without question a master of art, of comics, and of the art that is comics. Page layouts crumble and collide as reality shatters. In one striking image, Clara is framed by a Venn diagram-like series of circular panels, each with a different version of Gideon Falls serving as her backdrop. White space curls into tendrils that anchor or disrupt panel placement, and then characters topple out of their world and into the space outside comic book pages. Characters are at times framed by branches, bent and spiky like the hairy legs of insects.

By the time the reader has finished turning the book itself in circles or sorting out the Escher-like environment within the barn, they are nearly as out of sorts as the characters, and that’s exactly how it should be. Many artists use panel layout in really intriguing and story-servicing ways, of course, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen someone do it better than Sorrentino.

Enhancing Sorrentino’s brilliant storytelling is Stewart’s beautiful, if somewhat visually jarring, use of colors which expertly conveys the different feelings of each setting and each scene. Most notable is Gideon Falls’ signature shock of bright red – the sight of which only ever denotes trouble. If I were a character in this series, when I saw red, I’d run.

I also want take a moment to compliment the lettering and design work of Steve Wands – I’m especially in love with his use of special effects.

So, let’s go back to the original question: is the ending truly satisfying?

Yes. We see the pieces come together in all their horrible beauty, and we are left with a sense of hope, and then unease.

Also, no. There are still questions I’m curious about. I’ve finished my meal, yet I’m still a little hungry.

But I think that’s intentional. Not because I suspect Lemire and Sorrentino of angling for a sequel, but because this rather unsettling and still fairly mysterious last issue provides the perfect endcap for what was a rather unsettling and fairly mysterious series. And really, not all stories are meant to be tied up in a neat bow.