With issue 14, the overarching story of Gideon Falls finally starts to take shape. We now have a better understanding of who the forces of good and evil are in this world, with the terrifying laughing man (Norton Sinclair) on one side, and now Bishop Jeremiah Burke on the other. The importance of characters come more into focus, taking on deeper, richer archetypes as the past catches up to the present. None of this disappoints. Lemire is using the very foundations of reality as his sandbox: the past and present, multiverses, good and evil, and our perceptions of hell with (thus far) no heaven in sight.

Sorrentino continues his collage-style artwork, breaking reality apart and putting it back together. He breaks apart the format of comic books and lets them fall back into place, shuffling people’s perception of what they see and know, keeping the reader off balance. In a way, it reminds me of David Mack’s groundbreaking work on Kabuki, but instead of taking us inward, like Mack did with Kabuki, Sorrentino is playing outward – offering existential dread, our insignificance swallowed up by things we don’t understand.

Dave Stewart’s colors are – I mean – his talent is extraordinary. He’s working on a number of series right now, and he brings each book to startling life in very different ways.

Now, with these pieces coming into focus, a much larger war looks like it’s in sight. I can only imagine the mind-bending nature of the book will only become amplified as these opposing forces stop holding back. I can’t think of one good reason why you shouldn’t be reading Gideon Falls.

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