Farmhand Volume 1: Reap What Was Sown - Book Review

Post

Subscribe

When Ezekiel Jenkins finds himself short of money he moves his family back into the home where he grew up, near the family farm where his grandfather, Jedediah, still works. However, the farm has changed a lot in the meantime and is now a research facility where his grandfather has pioneered some amazing new technology. He has managed to find a way to grow human organs on plants, which can be harvested for transplant. It's disgusting, but there's big money in it if he can just fend off the many attempts at industrial espionage.



In volume one, Ezekiel is dealing with baggage from his childhood, with some stranger leaving threatening signs on his property. At the same time, Green State eco-terrorists are harassing anyone connected with the Jenkins farm. Luckily, Tree, the town's enormous pastor and Ezekiel's godfather, is around to help out. Meanwhile, Ezekiel's 6-year-old son, Riley, has made a new friend named Mikhail who has "a bad case of murder face". Mikhail helps Riley fend off bullies at his new school with his ninja moves.



While Jedediah is convinced that his work only serves to help those in need (giving sight to the blind, limbs back to those who have lost them etc.), it comes to light that there may also be some serious negative consequences. The 'Seed' has somehow leaked out into the wild and started to infect plants and wildlife, and the people who have received transplants have begun to notice some strange effects.

Created by Rob Guillory, the artist from Chew , Farmhand is drawn in much the same style, with the same combination of humour and creepiness. For Chew fans it's the next best thing to more Chew, although the story is quite different. I liked the characters, especially Ezekiel's tough as nails sister, Andy.



Farmhand Volume 1: Reap What Was Sown is a creepy, sometimes funny, comic which I would recommend for fans of Chew or anyone with a reasonably strong stomach looking for a bit of fun summer reading. The story continues in Farmhand Volume 2: Thorne in the Flesh.

#book_reviews
#books-writing
#comics
#misc
#arts_culture
%wneverywhere

More articles by Jennifer Muirhead:
Farmhand Volume 2
Farmhand Volume 3: Roots of All Evil
Ever After - Book Review