Loretta and her family follow Grandpa Judd into the dark alleys of New York City’s Chinatown in search of a cure, but Meg is beginning to embrace her terrifying transformation. Mild Spoilers Ahead.
Written by Jeff LemireCover by Phil Hester & Ryan Cody
Illustrated by Phil Hester & Eric Gapstur
Colored by Ryan Cody
Lettered by Steve WandsMegan is now in the throes of her tree-like transformation and issue #3 begins with a surreal look into her dreamscape as things begin to progress for her. Making her way through what look like underground tunnels lined with branches, she hears her father’s voice calling to her, beckoning her to embrace him and the change that is upon her.
The problem with this scenario is that her father is dead, also taken by the same mutation that now threatens Meg’s life. She asks how it is possible to see and talk to him, as well as seeing other people throughout these tunnels. He explains that this network of tunnels is The Branch. A place where everyone afflicted by the transformation has their consciousness (soul?) displaced and they carry on there in some form. He tells her it isn’t a dream and they really are having the conversation, but that she can switch back and forth between her waking life and The Branch. Her mother speaking to her brings her out of The Branch and with this newly found information and she begins to wonder if the transformation is truly the death sentence her family believes it to be.
This issue is the leap forward in the narrative that is both crucial to how the series progresses from this point on and explains how the greater plot has existed prior to our coming into the story. It is these issues that can make or break a series and with his typical penchant for crafting a story, Lemire does it beautifully. He moves the plot very quickly from page to page. We learn of The Branch and that Meg’s father is there, we see Grandpa Judd continuing to be the stern leader who only gives enough answers to get Loretta and the kids to continue on with him. While worried about his sister, Josh is on board for this adventure as Judd is bringing them to New York City, a place their little family unit has never visited. He believes Judd will have the answers to help and is bringing them where they need to be. He’s also happy to meet his grandfather for the first time. He is motivated by the excitement and fear and is willing to come along for the ride because, hey, it’s better than going back to school.
Loretta is, of course, the worried mother. She knows her husband disappeared and is now dead. She sees Megan beginning to turn the way her husband did. And she has to balance her dislike and her need to trust her estranged father-in-law. It is understandably overwhelming to the point of insanity and aside from a few angry outbursts she is doing her best to stay calm and to keep Meg as unafraid as possible. The script is natural and is incredibly recognizable as realistic in terms of the subject matter.
Having mastered the ability to allow a comic book story to evolve and flow with or without a heavy script, “Family Tree” is very much like the most of Jeff Lemire’s oeuvre. Nearly every bit of dialogue could be removed from this issue and you would still be able to completely understand exactly where the story is going and what new information is being handed to us. Phil Hester & Eric Gapstur’s illustrations, while very much their own style, allows for each panel and page to progress in the manner set forth by the story at hand. It is a beautiful collaboration between writer and artist and it is the type readers hope and deserve to see more often.
The detailing is superb throughout. There is a real sense of space and environment on each page. The way they use page layouts to emphasize the blank white of the page surrounding the art is nothing that hasn’t been done before, but their technique is outstanding and it truly punches up the entire design of the issue. There is nothing stoic or quiet about this little horror book. While the illustrations have clear, distinct line work throughout, it still all feels very organic, which given the plot of this book, is exactly the style needed.
Continued belowRyan Cody’s color work is a life force all its own. His use of shadows and black space as a counter to the white negative space is sheer perfection. The way he fills out this world is not only crucial to the story, but to the overall design. This book would lose out on so much if it fleshed out by a lesser colorist. The way he colors this new place in space and time known as The Branch from the beginning in the issue to when we see it again towards the end is simply astounding in its ability to put us in a different mentality with how the reader and Megan should feel towards it. Even the coloring of Meg’s transformed body parts is both horrifying and beautiful depending on how she is feeling in the moment.
As for the rest of the main characters and environments. Cody’s palette choices have the sense of many inspirations throughout. This isn’t a knock on his talent or his originality by any means because while his work feels familiar, I honestly don’t know who to compare it to in this moment. It is all its own, but has the ghosts of colorists past on every page. He understands not only how to color this book, but how to bring his own touch this world.
This is the type of exposition issue you hope for early in a series. It moves the plot along at lively, but never rushed pace, it gives more information to catch us up without holding the reader down under the crushing weight of an absurd amount of dialogue, and it expands the world just enough to let you understand how things work, but keeps us in the dark enough that we crave to see what happens next.
Final Verdict: 8.5, “Family Tree” continues to be an outstanding blend of sci-fi/horror constructed with Lemire’s incredible world building.
