Review – Farmhand #14 (Image Comics)

The Hits Keep On Coming in Farmhand #14

Farmhand #14 continues the chilling tale of wayward prosthetics and plants. What at first seemed like a brilliant advancement in technology has quickly turned into a horror story. And the stakes keep getting raised.

This series combines horror with family drama, technology, and medical science in the best of ways. If you’ve ever found yourself wanting to read a series that will forever leave you slightly afraid of the plants in your very own backyard, then this is a series for you.

For those that haven’t heard of the series, Farmhand follows one family through a series of increasingly dangerous adventures. At the core of it is the family business, the growing of implants and prosthetics. It seemed like a genius move to have plants grow all the spare parts we needed, but as it turns out, there is a cost to everything.

Writing

Rob Guillory has continued to surprise and terrify his fans in Farmhand #14. This issue brought with it many answers that we’ve been seeking. However, in the process, it feels like it’s raising even more questions in need of answering.

This issue was split into so many different parts and perspectives, yet it shockingly never feels rushed. It’s almost hard to believe how much Guillory was able to fit into the pages, given how smoothly it read.

As such, there were multiple threads of the same plot moving forward here. Given everything that has been going on, it was quite exciting to get a chance to see it all in context. The viewpoints provided also helped to establish what characters were involved in which specific elements, etc. You can tell that it was all carefully planned out.

One thing I do know about this series; it is steadily upping the ante and the tension. It feels like at any moment; the dam will burst. In this instance, the dam is slightly less figurative, as long as you’re good with picturing zombie plants instead of water.

Art

As mentioned above, a lot is going on in Farmhand #14. But have no fear; the artwork had no trouble keeping up with it all. Honestly, I’m very impressed with the balance that was struck in this issue.

There were flashbacks and perspective shifts and several other storytelling techniques thrown into the mix. Each change came with a slight alteration to the artwork, creating a clear delineation between one moment and the next. It was subtle but precisely what was needed here.

Rob Guillory, alongside writing the entire series, is also the lead artist. Therefore, he’s the one responsible for the foreshadowing imagery and all of the little details that set the tone in this issue (and the series as a whole.).

Working alongside Guillory, you’ll find Rico Renzi (colorist) and Kody Chamberlain (letterer). Renzi’s colors take the series to new heights, as he has cleverly infused scenes with green hues in a way that has become remarkably alarming (think of the purple infusions whenever Killgrave is near). Meanwhile, Chamberlain’s letters perfectly support the flow of the story while providing unobtrusive insight.

Conclusion

Farmhand #14 was another chilling but brilliant addition to this series. It’s officially hit a point where I’m practically counting down the days until the next release. That’s how intense and fascinating this plot has become.

One of the best things about this series (aside from the eerie tone) is its completely unpredictable series. You can come up with countless theories for what is to come, and the odds are good that you’re not in the same mind space as Guillory.

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.