(EDITOR’S NOTE: Welcome to Saturday Night Shivers, a feature at Paint Monk’s Library. In the spirit of Elvira, the Ghoul, and other horror movie hosts, we’ll be featuring a review of one classic horror comic each week. Most horror stories we review (with a few exceptions) are from books approved by the Comics Code Authority or from comics that were published before the code was enacted. This installment is written by guest writer David Conine.)

After slowly absorbing the first issue of Gideon Falls from master storyteller Jeff Lemire, there is no question that I have just experienced something extremely rare. Lemire is joined by artist Andrea Sorrentino, with whom he collaborated on Marvel’s Old Man Logan and DC’s Green Arrow.

While working together on those titles, both were slowly developing Gideon Falls. Lemire reveals the origins of Falls in an essay at the end of issue one which struck a nerve so deep there is no doubt that I’d just been introduced to what will one day be considered a masterpiece.

This first issue sets the stage for Gideon Falls; an atmosphere of darkness, perpetually overcast and bleak seems to foreshadow an impending evil.

There are no explosive vibrant colors, with the exception being a recurring blood red that appears without warning. It gives the panels in which it appears the feeling of an open wound, where the reader expects them to open up and bleed out. The remainder of the panels are dark, grainy and only to serve to drive the nail deeper and furthering the foreshadowing of impending doom. The “Our Father” prayer closes out the prologue, and then the story begins.

The issue consists of two separate narratives, both expertly written and running parallel to each other. The reader meets Father Wilfred, who against his will is transferred to the town parish, replacing the former priest who had passed away.

The other narrative is that of Norton, a man who we learn is mentally ill – we see several sessions with his psychotherapist. She implies that Norton is sick. Recently released from inpatient treatment, Norton suffers from what appears to be a form of delusional OCD. He is almost always seen wearing a surgical mask and gloves, roaming the city and rummaging through the trash, searching for different items. He says these items are calling to him – as if he knows evil is coming. He doesn’t know the connection, but each of the pieces of garbage – a nail or large splinter of wood – needs to be collected and cataloged.

The slow burn of the narrative, the captivating artwork and the utterly compelling dialogue allow the story to sink its teeth in, dragging the reader further into the psychological thriller.

I don’t want to ruin Gideon Falls for any of you waiting to read the most intriguing title I’ve come across in years – but I’m already craving more and I do not want to stop reading. I will say there is an interesting turn of events for Father Wilfred on the first night in his new home, while the visions of an ominous barn all lead to a cliffhanger, revealed on the last page.

Gideon Falls is shrouded in mystery and intrigue. It is the detail, the dual narrative and the ominous sense of foreboding in each panel that makes this title groundbreaking, easily, in my opinion, the best release at the point it was published in 2018. Two protagonists – Wilfred, the Catholic priest suffering from wavering faith and Norton, the man whose reckless conviction keeps him searching for a truth he cannot grasp keep you hungry for more.

There are no “in your face” scares in this book, yet the tone set by Lemire in combination with Sorrentino’s artwork is visual storytelling at its best. It’ll send shivers racing down your spine.

All of this is masterfully executed, creating the grand mystery at the center of the story.   Lemire breathes an entirely new life into the horror aesthetic…and as a writer and an avid reader, I implore you not to miss this title.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Paint Monk’s Library is open to exploring supernatural and horror stories, even those that have “Catholic” figures as central characters. However, the theology of this comic book does not necessarily reflect the theology of Wally Monk or any order or religious group with whom he may be affiliated.)