Review – Farmhand #13 (Image Comics)

The Rotted Core is Revealed in Farmhand #13

Farmhand #13 feels like the issue we’ve all been waiting for. The entirety of this series has been one intense buildup; this issue is the calm before the storm. Although it isn’t all that calm, is it?

This is a world where one company figured out how to use plants to create prosthetics and organ replacements. Only, it is quite a bit darker than that. They ignored all of the warning signs and kept plowing forward. Now one entire town must reap what has been sown.

Now, the secrets hidden by Jed and his accomplices are on the brink of coming out, all while upping the ante on the genuine risk at hand. The real question is, will they get to the bottom of this before it is too late?

Writing

Farmhand #13 is a chilling and fascinating issue. It went a long way in answering so many of my questions; while raising hundreds more. But that seems to be a particular talent of Rob Guillory’s. Here he’s written this complex organic horror series, where it looks like we can never quite get ahead of the flow of information.

And honestly? I love it. It adds to the intensity of the series, all while driving us to try and put the pieces of the plot together as we read. It’s not the sort of plot you idly read instead of demanding reader participation the whole way through.

There were a lot of significant elements in this issue. For one, the use of flashbacks to continue the story advancement. That was very carefully used, but it worked out brilliant here. There’s also a stronger sense of balance, with slightly more humorous moments helping to even out our emotions as we get ever deeper into this mystery.

Art

Rob Guillory is not simply the writer of this series. He’s the lead artist as well. The artwork in Farmhand #13 proves that his control of this series directly results in his vision making it to the pages. And man is it a chilling vision.

Farmhand has always had this specific aesthetic to it, one that is simultaneously appealing and horrifying. It’s something that Guillory used to full effect, and frankly, the series wouldn’t be the same without it.

Working alongside Guillory, you’ll find Jeremy Treece (colorist) and Kody Chamberlain (letterer). Treece’s sense of colors truly enhances this series. There’s this blend between an organic color palette (naturally) and a horror one. The merger is effective, and I honestly adore every bit about it.

Then there’s the Chamberlain, who did an excellent job of keeping this story together. There’s a lot of show and tell in this issue, which can be tough to keep organized. Yet there’s never any sense of disjoint or interference, as we read along.

Conclusion

Farmhand #13 was a chilling and delightful issue to read. That sounds like a contradiction, I know. But any horror fan out there knows what I mean by that.

This series has been so much fun to read, and I’m honestly looking forward to seeing what will happen next. Though I can’t even begin to guess at what the next dramatic revelation will be.

This review was originally written for Word of the Nerd, but has been ported over to Quirky Cat’s Fat Stacks now that the site has shut down.