Paranoia is the main dish in Jeff Lemire (writer) and Andrea Sorrentino’s (artist) Gideon Falls, a story that weaves in and out of themes of madness, faith, and the supernatural. A sort of Twin Peaks meets…I’ve been digging around for a second example, because there is something in the way this book is approached and constructed that doesn’t quite feel like this or that. I could say Jacob’s Ladder or Hellraiser by way of Andrei Tarkovsky. There’s a gritty, dreamlike quality to this book, an effective, surreal, nightmarish atmosphere that Sorrentino creates with Dave Stewart (colors).

There are two stories, both connected by a mysterious black barn that appears and disappears, and within it lives a sort of demon. One story follows a priest, Wilfred, with a checkered past, as he settles into his new home in the country. A mysterious story of madness and murder follows the previous priest’s untimely demise, and Wilfred is drawn into it after seeing the black barn. This issue allows him to get to his routine; it’s subtler, introducing us to some new characters and exploring some relationships on deeper levels. Even in these quieter moments, things never feel…quite right.

The other half of this story takes place in the city between a therapist, Dr. Xu, and her patient, Norton. Norton wears a mask over his mouth; he hunts the city for random items, truly believing that he’s being called to build the black barn. In the last issue, Norton’s apartment was broken into, and a lot of those items were stolen. Also, the skeptical Dr. Xu became…not so skeptical. There aren’t a lot of revelations in this side of the story either. I have a feeling Lemire turned down the heat and is letting us slow boil like a frog in a pot.

So far, I’m intrigued by this comic. I’m not sure where exactly it’s headed (though a sort of hint was laid down in this issue) or how these worlds are going to collide, but this creative team has my attention, so I’m choosing to stick around for the journey.

Creative Team: Jeff Lemire (story), Andrea Sorrentino (art), Dave Stewart (colors), Steve Wands (letters)
Publisher: Image Comics
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