REVIEW: Rob Guillory’s Farmhand #1

Created, written, and drawn by Rob Guillory
Colors by Taylor Wells
Letters by Kody Chamberlain
Review by Art Bee

When you first enter into a bakery, the smell that hits you makes you aware of the comfort within the door, dazzling you with an airy spell-like seduction. Our local bakery is one of my very favorite places to go and sit for a donut and a cup of joe, since the bakery is connected to a café. The blend of the smells makes me feel like the world is right.
Farmhand #1 gave me a similar feeling, and I think I am going to live here for a spell.

This comic started enchanting me through the beautiful images I saw as I thumbed through the issue at my LCS. More on that soon...
When I bought this comic book, my first thought was, “another zombie book”.
Guess what…
I was dead wrong (pun intended).

The story starts with Ezekiel (Zeke) Jenkins and his sister, Andrea (Andy), investigating an attack in the chicken coup when they find their father buried in the ground. This obviously freaks the kids out as they are under the impression he is on a business trip. While trying to dig him up something strange happens to Zeke when he touches his father. 

Zeke wakes up in his bed about eight years later with his wife and two kids, Riley (6) and his older sister, Abby. This dream is triggered by the family’s planned trip to visit Zeke’s father and the farm, which is now more than a traditional farm.

For fear of narrating the entire comic for you and risking fingers pointing my way screaming plagiarist, I will switch tracks and tell you my top three reasons for absolutely loving this enchanting miniseries.
First this is a NOT a zombie story. Not that I hate them, but they are becoming a bit passé. Instead this is what I would call a sci-fi/horror story featuring the concept of Farmaceutical Stem Cell Research.
That was not a misspelling, but clever wordplay from Guillory. Zeke’s father, Jedidiah Jenkins, has a farm where he grows safe transplantable organs and limbs from plants!
Yes…yes…I know this is a farce, but it is so very clever. I love the concept! Here is Guillory’s own words:

“Thanks to the genetic interweaving of the Jedidiah Stem Cell with Plant DNA, Jenkins Institute Bioengineers are able to  deliver safe, transplant-ready farm-grown organs, without the expensive limitations that hampered past bioengineering techniques.”(Farmhand #1, pg. 14, panel 1)

Second is things hidden in the scenes. For instance on page 12 and 13 there is a beautiful two page scene with a tree producing arms in the center with other things going on as well. Standing in the middle of the foreground is a scientist with a clipboard with the following written on the paper: 
“preanalysisWTF Science”
Finding hidden jokes like this just tickle me with joy, and there are more to find than that one.

Third is all the exceptional work that has obviously been poured into this book. Farmhand should be a hit and if it isn’t my head just may fall off my shoulders and roll to another country. The story and artwork are absolute precision! All of the characters and scenes have such vivid life it is hard to avoid getting lost in them. I have read this issue three times and love rereading it.
My hope is that all five issues are presented with the same quality.

Rob Guillory’s Farmhand has made my list for next year’s best miniseries due to it not finishing until November. This was a very enjoyable and exciting issue.
Please check this series out either now. This is one of those comic book stories that could become an instant classic and even have the potential to hit the silver screen.