FAMILY TREE #4, out this Wednesday from Image Comics continues the horrifying yet thrilling tale of one family and the dramatic changes they are going through. This is a series that takes the concept of a family tree more literally than most.
***SPOILER WARNING***
Family Tree is one of those unique series that’ll make fans stop and think. It merges family drama with chilling horror, and the end result is something memorable. Here we have one family torn apart. At first glance, it’s just the normal drama. Dad bails on his family, never to be heard from again.
But it’s not that simple, is it? The last few issues of this series have revealed all of the reasons why the father had no choice to leave – and the legacy he unintentionally left behind in his wake. Now it’s up to the disgraced father to change the course for those that remain. It’s safe to say that this is a tale as full of bitter feelings as it is intrigue.
The creative team behind Family Tree has been going all out to make this series something memorable. Together, Jeff Lemire, Phil Hester, Eric Gapstur, and Ryan Cody have merged such human elements with something utterly disturbing – the concept of losing everyone and everything to something outside of your control.
The Plot
Family Tree #4 is a heavy-hitting issue. That’s an impressive feat when you consider the issues that this one has had to follow. The last issue focused on the transition itself (with the daughter taking center stage, understandably). Issue four opted to go a different direction, allowing readers to see the plot from a whole new angle.
What unfolded here was intriguing at first, but quickly evolved to something more…something darker, as the issue went on. This is a family that has been put through hell and back, and it’s pretty clear that their journey is far from over.
This is a fact that was made painstakingly clear over the course of these pages. It was almost hard to bear at times. But it was certainly the perfected combination of horror and family drama. Though one could argue that they’re pushing those concepts to the extremes.
The conclusion for this issue is admittedly a bit of a rough one. It’s one of those endings that’ll make the month-long wait feel worse than normal. Fans will be eager to see what happens next…as well as having some confirmations on our assumptions.
The Art
You wouldn’t think that a series set primarily with bright lights and colors would be terrifying. But Family Tree #4 manages to do exactly that. This is an issue that is alarmingly bright in color, while the themes march steadily towards darkness.
There’s something to be said in that. The creative team has done something different here while creating these pages. There’s a lot that could be said about the artwork, including the color palette we’ve already touched upon.
One highlight for this issue would have to be the last several pages. Those pages contain a series of fights – but that almost feels like an understatement. Here we have a brutal fight for survival. No, a fight for family. It’s bloody and fierce, and unafraid to show how desperate a fight like that would truly be. The sheer determination poured from the pages, increasing the impact of the events tenfold.
In Conclusion
Family Tree #4 was an alarming and dramatic issue, one that was unafraid to show the brutality and desperation that comes from fighting for your life. This is an issue that will leave fans on the edge of their seat, waiting for the fifth issue to drop.
