Gideon Falls 3: Stations of the Cross

Comic Info

Gideon Falls #12 Variant

Reprints Gideon Falls #12-16 (April 2019-August 2019).  Time has broken apart and a father of the church finds himself falling through parallel worlds in search of a man named Norton Sinclair.  Meanwhile, Father Fred and Danny has switched realities as they both seek answers to where they are and where they have been…but the darkness is growing closer and the evil is getting stronger!

Written by Jeff Lemire, Gideon Falls Volume 3:  Stations of the Cross is a horror mystery comic published by Image.  Following Gideon Falls Volume 2:  Originals Sins, the collection features art by Andrea Sorrentino.  Issues in this collection were also published as part of Gideon Falls Deluxe Edition—Book 1.

I picked up Gideon Falls in the search for a decent (modern) horror comic.  The premise and the themes of the story combine with Jeff Lemire’s writing for a satisfying thriller.  As the series deepens, the mystery rises…and Gideon Falls really starts to open up.

This volume provides an “origin” for Bishop Burke who thus far has been a mysterious figure with a seemingly surprising amount of knowledge about what is occurring in the small town of Gideon Falls.  It follows Burke’s own ties to Gideon Falls and explains how he actually both could be the solution to the problem and in some ways the cause.  When dealing with time and dimensional stories, it can sometimes get very heady, and Gideon Falls is walking a fine line of absurdity and sci-fi.

Gideon Falls #16 Variant

While it is good to know about the Bishop after a number of issues, it is really the story of Father Fred who has been the reader’s “touchstone”.  He’s the fractured and tortured hero along with the mysterious Norton and it takes a few issues before Norton and Fred return as the lead characters of the title.  It is a good level of suspense built by doing this and fortunately I’m reading the story collected because I might question what happened to the characters I was following if I was picking-up issue-by-issue.  The fates of both Danny and Fred are kind of up in the air since they are both still perplex by what is occurring and the “evil” isn’t confused about its actions…which is a good set-up for more thrills.

Lemire is a smart writer and the mystery/oddness of Gideon Falls is perfect thematically with some of his other stories like The Underwater Welder and Trillium.  This hearty dose of sci-fi and small town mystery echoes Twin Peaks (another obvious influencer of the series), and for fans of all of these series, Gideon Falls is a must.  Gideon Falls 3:  Stations of the Cross is followed by Gideon Falls 4:  The Pentoculus.

Related Links:

Gideon Falls 1:  The Black Barn

Gideon Falls 2:  Original Sins

Gideon Falls 4:  The Pentoculus

Gideon Falls 5:  Wicked Worlds