Farmhand vol. 2: Thorne in Flesh

The first volume of this series didn’t leave me very hopeful for its long-term prospects.  What with an ending that left so many plot threads and questions open to the point where one of its characters threw up their hands because of it.  Creator Rob Guillory has said that he wants this series to have a thirty-issue run and vol. 1 wasn’t the best case for that. Vol. 2, however, is a step in the right direction as we get a better idea of what to expect from “Farmhand” both in tone and story.

Things are still crazy on Jedediah Jenkins’ farm where he grows transplant-ready organs and limbs after the election saw his friend-turned-nemesis Monica Thorne installed as mayor.  Now the EPA is wanting a much closer look at his operation and Jed has delegated things to his daughter Andrea to sort out. It’s about the worst time for him to do something like that because not only are the recipients of his transplants starting to experience some rather unpleasant side effects, but his crops are starting to escape the confinement of his farm as well.  Meanwhile, Jed’s son Zeke is trying to mend fences with his dad, yet only seems to get sucked deeper into the mess his father has created.

Guillory’s wonderfully cartoonish and expressive art has always screamed “comedy” to me.  However, it’s clear with this volume that “Farmhand” is trending more in the direction of a horror series.  That’s not a dealbreaker for me as he’s able to deliver some impressively creepy scenes by pitching his style in a darker direction.  There’s also more focus on the events that are happening within the context of this volume, which gives it some much needed focus. Guillory also gets points for having Zeke and his wife deal with their problems like adults.  That leaves Thorne as the biggest… problem in this series as there’s a whole lot of mystery surrounding her and her motivations at this point. My feeling now is that this series will ultimately prove its worth once they’re revealed, so I’ll keep following “Farmhand” until that happens.

Or until my patience runs out.  Whichever comes first.

(While the world of “Farmhand” may be one filling up with human/plant mutants, the best joke in the series lets us know it’s also one where “The Walking Dead” got to issue #500.  So it’s not ALL bad.)