Jedidiah Jenkins is a simple farmer. But his cash crop isn't corn or soy. He grows fast-healing, highly-customizable human organs.
For years Jed's organic transplants have been a miracle cure. Of course, that was before his former patients began to transform into something not quite human.
As these poor souls come to the Jenkins Farm searching for answers, a dark figure lurks in their shadow with sinister plans for Jedidiah, his family and the world.
Born, raised and currently based in Lafayette, Louisiana, Rob Guillory is most known for his art on Image Comics' longrunning series CHEW. Written by John Layman, the book has achieved much success, winning two Harvey Awards (including Best New Talent for Guillory) and two Eisner Awards (Best New Series in 2010 and Best Continuing Series in 2011).
I'm so glad I finally continued this series! It's such a fun, fascinating premise with some really creepy, gross imagery and lovable characters. I love the art style, the storytelling, everything about it and I'm so eager to read Volume 3 next!
I am very glad that I had the second volume ready to go after reading the first and this did not disappoint. The plot continues to be interesting and imaginative and thee artwork continues to really lend itself to the story. The story has gotten a bit more dark and family relationships continue to evolve. I am excitedly and impatiently waiting for the release of Vol.3. I can easily say this graphic novel series is one of my favorite I have read.
The doodoo has hit the fan - many who have received Zeke's transplants are flocking to the city complaining of side effects. The condition has reached the local ecosystem as well - a pig is found to have meat with the same plant-like aspect as those of the transplanted organs.
Farmhand is still going steady with its plot. The first volume feels a little more fast pace but this second volume is definitely spookier! Finding out more about the planets and how they function while the Jenkins family is trying to hold it together. It still has its funny moments which is why I like this series so much, the humor sneaks up on ya. The end/cliff hanger was great and I'm very excited for the next arch!
Turns out there are unfortunate side-effects of growing organs for transplant on actual plants - who could have guessed, eh? In that sense this is a fairly standard mad science story, and not even one I agree with - imagine if we really could do that! Especially if, as here, it's not even being controlled by a sinister megacorp. Nor is the human side of the story, with a family reluctantly moving back to the father's home town, anything desperately novel. But the lively, rounded weirdness of Guillory's art makes it all work, and he's really no slouch as a writer either.
Rob Guillory gives readers such a weird and creepy book that's about family, hope, science, maybe magic? The second volume fleshes out more of the family dynamic and what's going on in town. There are dangers everywhere now and its tough to see who's in the right, if anyone. The Jenkins family is in over their heads and might not know how to get out at this point. Guillory's art will always impress especially when given the chance to be as creative as possible. That's the case here especially in drawing the Transplants. Overall, a very fun book that could be every bit as good as Chew.
Another solid volume. I feel like the art trumps the story and without the great art, the story would be a miss. Alot of info and dialogue dumps which Im not a massive fan of
Second volume is starting to grow in momentum. I like the interesting concept of this series. I hope we see more of Thorne's side as the story continues.
Ends with jed is the hospital, andy working as pr for mayor thorne, mayore thorne is working with the farm, and zeke is having visons/something from the mayor thorne lady....
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Farmhand continues to impress in volume 2. In this volume we get a shift more towards horror, now that the groundwork for the series was laid out in the first volume. I find it to really be an intriguing story, not least of all because it seems fresh. I can't think of much else on the shelves right now that it compares too.
While the tonal shift towards horror is the big development, there's still plenty of family drama to stay invested in the characters. And there's plenty of humor dropped in to add a bit of levity. Guillory is great at sight gags, but provides some humor in other ways, as well.
I can't help but feel that Guillory's style is adding to the appeal of the book to me. A more photo-realistic brand of art would take away from the balance I think that Guillory is managing to strike between story elements that pull in different directions. The absurdity of the story is more believable when rendered in Guillory's more cartoony style.
Im looking forward to the next volume. Farmhand has been original and intriguing so far.
I really like the dynamic in the Jenkins family, it feels so realistic it helps keep the story grounded, it makes me feel like these people were yanked out of a family drama and dumped into this world. And when you have characters being possessed by mind controlling plants you really need that level of realism.
The overall story continues to develop but it really is Zeke and his relationship with his father, sister, wife and kids that I really enjoy.
The artwork is great as usual, so I look forward to seeing where this goes next.
Where the first volume introduced an intriguing concept with cool art, volume two starts to dive into the meat of this story. I enjoyed the unfolding plot, as we get to see glimpses of the past intermingled. The art remains an excellent fit for the narrative as well. At this point, I feel fully invested in Farmhand.
Humoru ubylo ale zase tenhle díl byl nezastavitelný zvrat fest a uplnej page turner ! Zatim je Farmhand lepsi a lepsi.Edit: Druhé volume je fajn a kvalitativně stabilní, hvězdu ubírám protože to bylo fakt fajn pokračování děje, ale nijak mě to neodbouchlo jako jednička.
This continues to be interesting as the character relationships come into sharper focus, the mysteries pile up, and ominous events keep occurring. Will be on to the next volume shortly.
Pastor John “Tree” Moore’s been having visions. The latest is the worst one yet. He and his wife have been sheltering Transplants, former patients of Jedidiah Jenkins, owner of the Jenkins Farm.
The EPA and USDA are investigating the plant mutations that are common in the patients. Good time for a fishing trip. Jedidiah, his son Zeke, Zeke’s son Riley, and Riley’s friend Mikhail grab some rods and depart. A wild boar crashes the trip. The humans survive.
The EPA visit the Farm, learning Jedidiah’s seeds can only grow if Jedidiah tells the seeds to grow. “It has to be told to grow.” I did not see that coming!
Blinded in a chemical spill but gifted with new eyes, Transplant Mr. Jacob Roy confronts Jedidiah and Jacob’s not happy. “I thought it was a miracle. But I was wrong.”
Roy attacks Jedidah and the visiting Zeke. Bad time to pay Dad a visit.
“You don’t get it. No one does ‘cept us Transplants. Y’all think what Jed does is Science but it ain’t. It’s Magic. You just can’t see it. You ain’t got the eyes too. Hmm. Not yet at least.”
Zeke shoots Roy and Roy flees the scene and encounters Mayor Monica. “Those who cannot be controlled… must be Pruned.” Exit Roy.
Siblings, Zeke and Andrea, have a heart to heart. Andrea offers Zeke a job at the family Farm.
Flashback to Mayor Monica winning the Farmers Market Prize for best produce. It’s her 10th win in a row. “It’s all in the compost.” Cut to the present. Roy is part of the compost.
Flashback to the wake of Anna Jenkins, Jedidiah’s wife. Zeke runs off in tears only to be comforted by Auntie Mo, the future Mayor. She tells the sobbing Zeke, “Your Father killed your Mother. But it’s okay, he killed me too.” Some comfort.
Last page this volume, Zeke is sprouting green things.
Best quotes: Riley – “There is no Port-O-Potty.” Zeke – “Who wouldn’t want parenting tips from black Doctor Frankenstein?” Mayor Monica – “I guess you could say I like to collect people.” Zeke – “I met a man with Yams growing in his ears.”
I feel like botanical horror is a severely under-explored sub-genre. I mean, you have the campy “Little Shop Of Horrors” and Scott Smith’s excellent killer vines thriller, “The Ruins,” and then... what else? Well, you can now add Rob Guillory’s bizarre medicinal-seed-turned-monster-making-mutagen freakout “Farmhand” to the canon, a book that is unlike anything else on the shelves of your local comic shop. I loved the first volume of the series but I also noted in my review that, tonally, it felt sort of like foreplay; it was as though Guillory was using the first five issues to prep for the real craziness to come, presumably. I like being proven right. “Farmhand, Volume 2: Thorne In The Flesh” is full-speed-ahead action for five wonderfully pulpy issues. Razor sharp vines sever limbs, acidic sap burns flesh, flower petals sprout from eyes to grant otherworldly visions, and many other horticultural horrors abound. The plot is full of crazy twists and turns, the characters are continually surprising, and Guillory’s art is so appealingly chunky and pliable. I’m totally in love with this wild, unpredictable series.
Farmhand, Vol. 2 – Thorne in the Flesh I have reviewed thousands and thousands of comics. There is something strangely compelling about this work by Rob Guillory. It has key elements that make a solid epic mystery/horror/comedy saga, but there is freshness here that infuses historical family drama and dysfunction. The illustrations are like cartoons but classy, the colours evocative, and the allurement of Biblical verses that form the chapter titles is very unnerving. This haunted series has me hooked. ****
#6 – ReCreation – “Now don’t blow smoke up my blouse, John Moor. We’ve been MARRIED too long for that. It was another VISION wasn’t it?” #7 – The Wound – “He threw my new COMICS out. Said I didn’t fix the CHICKEN WIRE again ..” #8 – A Time To Reap – “I didn’t understand it then, I thought it was a miracle. But I was WRONG. Please … HELP ME.” #9 – Physician, Heal Thyself – “Those who cannot be controlled ..must be PRUNED.” #10 – In Vocation – “The Jenkins Farm began with a VISION. A desire to HEAL.”
Harvesting of body organs just got whole new meaning. Farmhand is fly and funny 'family drama' about small town growing body spare parts as plants. Everything is fine, until it isn't.
First book is setting up scene, with introduction of characters, glimpses of past, old sins and arguments. But slowly in second and third books everything nicely ties together. Author manages to switch between timelines pretty easily without confusing or boring the reader, also pacing action ad mystery in just right amount.
Over and all, well crafted and interesting series, with potential of one or two more books which I'm looking forward too.
We definitely got more answers here! And a lot more questions! I still don't know if I'm fully on board with this series. I'm usually able to jump into all kinds of series and get into it, but I don't know if it's the shifting perspectives so quickly, the jumping in time, or what, but there's definitely some kind of barrier for me to fully enjoy it. I really liked that we were able to get more perspective on the mayor in this one. I don't know, with this series it feels like every one step we take we're taking two steps back in confusion. I really enjoy the premise, I think the family dynamics are fascinating, I just want to feel more connection in it somehow.
The story in this comic is spotty. I feel like Guillory consolidated things since volume 1 and the series is more focused, but it's still kind of loose in terms of theme and metaphor. This is to be expected of most serialized media though. A lot of the appeal of this comic is the art. Guillory knows how to craft comics. His cinematography, for lack of a better word, is phenomenal. Characters are expressive and iconic. Backgrounds are beautiful. Page layouts are elegant. Even if the story isn't blowing my mind Farmhand is a very well structured and executed piece of visual media. I dig it.
Continues the story and the weirdness factor starts to really turn up. I love that this isn't just--perhaps isn't at all?--Science Fiction. We learn more about all the characters connected to the farm and the Jedidiah seed, and start to see how truly strange this whole process is. Is there science-fiction to it? Yep, there is. But there's also elements of fantasy and horror. I love the horror vibe when paired with Guillory's art, they just strike sparks for visually and tonally. Great comic, and entirely unlike anything else I'm reading at the moment.
So yea I'm addicted to this series now. This one was better than the first! So everyone who got a new body part is having weird stuff growing out of them and is turning them violent. Our main characters are trying to hold it together but the ending!! OMG what is going to happen next! And I must say I love the green floaty dog that is helping the son out... so cute! Good story and good illustrations.
I feel like the writing is getting better. Guillory is coming into his stride, and the series’ tone is coming together. It’s less comedy, more heart. Of course, the story takes more dramatic turns as the mystery unfolds, so it seems natural the tone would be less comedic.
In any case, I’m still enjoying the book. Lots of fun transformations, reminds me of all the variations of cibo-whatnots in Chew.
This is a really interesting series. I love the art, and visual jokes. It's a little off putting, but appropriate, that everything has this sickly green overlay. My problem with this series is so many things could have been prevented with a little communication. I have no sympathy for Jedidiah. He deserves whatever happens because of his lack of communication. Andy should be treated better. BUT. This is very Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and I am loving it.
Just when you think you know what Farmhand is trying to be, it turns into something else entirely.
It's a bit of a slow burn, with a lot going on in the background that infers things rather than outright states them, and a few subplots take the backseat in favour of the main characters and their drama, but that doesn't mean it's not compelling as hell.