GIDEON FALLS is the most inventive and striking story happening in horror. This week, issue #16 takes a turn into a whole new world for our cast of characters.
***SPOILERS LIE AHEAD***
Things just got a whole lot more complicated for our friend Norton Sinclair. Gideon Falls #16 reveals that Norton is really Daniel Sutton, who is the young boy in the opening that falls from the tree and sees the black barn. His father was the doctor obsessed with the black barn mystery and sister to the Gideon Falls sheriff.
This issue is an anxiety attack that readers experience along with Norton. It’s a deja-vu trip that takes a turn for the worst. The work that artist Andrea Sorrentino, colorist Dave Stewart, and letters/designer Steve Wands are doing is an absolute triumph for horror storytelling.
There are multiple moments in Gideon Falls #16 that are terrifying and dreadful. This art team has a way of giving the reader that drip of anxiety and panic down the back of their skull that you get when you’ve stepped into somewhere you’re not supposed to be.
Everything about Gideon Falls is striking and iconic. The terrifying images presented in these issues are hard to shake from your head. There’s a palpable sense of dread that washes over readers anytime the story calls for it. Stewart’s bold coloring sends shivers down your spine and grabs your attention every time it needs to.
Gideon Falls #16 is chock full of twists and turns that are hard for our main protagonist to swallow. It’s a disoriented mess of overwhelming curve balls that’s scripted and presented in such a smooth manner. The way this creative team is able to deliver this complex story in this easy digestible format is impressive.
Not only does Norton get smacked in the face with information about who he really is, he’s reunited with his father at the exact moment the “Laughing Man” uses the old man’s body as a doorway into our world. This issue sets up the next chapter of Gideon Falls in a big way. We’re in a whole new world now.
Our main cast is split up and completely disoriented at the worst possible time. The way this story has unfolded is an absolute masterpiece for both comic books and the horror genre at large. Gideon Falls isn’t just important to the comic book medium, but all of horror–especially with a television show on the way.
Jeff Lemire has developed these characters and this narrative at the perfect pace. The chemistry he has with this art team is astounding. They are operating on another level of storytelling. As strong a writer as Lemire is, he almost takes a backseat to the visuals that Sorrentino provides.
The sixteenth chapter takes us in a new direction for the start of the next arc. One loaded with dread and terror that will surely continue to take readers on a horrifying journey right along with this strong cast of characters.
