Farmhand, Vol. 3: Roots of All Evil

Farmhand #11-15

by Rob Guillory, Taylor Wells (Artist)

Jedidiah Jenkins is a simple farmer. But his cash crop isn't corn or soy. He grows fast-healing, highly customizable human organs.

With the Jedidiah Seed leaking into the local ecosystem at an ever-increasing pace, the Jenkins' search for a cure will take them to the very roots of the seed's creation. What they find there will rock Freetown and shatter their family. There is no going back.

Collects FARMHAND #11-15

Genres: Comics, Horror, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Fantasy

144 pages, Paperback

First published June 24, 2020

About the author

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).

Reviews

[Prince Mendax · Rating 4 out of 5]

#hållermedholm

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now we're planting with style. Farmhand kicks it into high gear in this third arc, leaning into the supernatural/sci-fi leanings (still not sure which one we're going for quite yet) as the mystery of Monica Thorne gets blown wide open. There are still a LOT of questions to answer, but there's definitely a sense that all the set-up has been accomplished by now. All the characters are on the board, and now we just have to see what they're going to do. Guillory's art remains top notch, of course, and I'm very sad that this volume is going to be the last for a while.

[Valéria. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woaaa, geniálne sa to rozbehlo, geniálne všetko vysvetlené z minulosti a geniálne tento diel navnadil na pokračovanie. Už dlho som nemala tak dobrý pocit z nejakého dielu rozbehnutej série. Scény masakrovania sú skvele nakreslené, vlastne celé je to skvelé nakreslené a určite sa teším ďalej.

[Kyle Dinges · Rating 5 out of 5]

Farmhand continues to be probably my favorite currently running comics series. There's a lot of books in the running, but I just enjoy the hell out of this. It's incredibly unique and has a dead-on mix of science-fiction body horror, suspense, family drama, and Guillory's gags. If you haven't checked out any Farmhand yet I highly recommend it. My only complaint about this volume is that it concluded with Guillory mentioning the hiatus before volume 4 is going to be a bit longer than usual this time.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just really love Rob Guillory. His work here is scary, fun, smart, and intriguing and that's just the writing, he's always doing some amazing line work. A lot of answers are revealed here and they're game-changers. Jed's secrets are coming out and his actions are making more sense. Monica Thorne is a solid antagonist and ultra creepy. I wished the big battle at the end finished differently, or at least less abruptly but I'm sure next volume will handle that. The book continues to be one of the best.

[Missnöjd Konfirmand · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inte lika starka fyror som föregångarna, men det blev riktigt spännande där ett tag!

[Farah Tarek · Rating 5 out of 5]

cant wait for whats next ...waiting for what the writer has got planted out ..get it planted out..
sry

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tastier and tastier.

[Marisa Gettas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection took a darker turn. I really enjoyed the change.

[Jourdain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great! Ends with zee knowing Thorne killed his mom and Jeff injected Thorne and his mom. It saved Thorne but made his mom sick. Zeke says he's the all powerful now?

[Matt Graupman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, so this series has become somewhat of a bait-and-switch kind of deal but in the best way possible. Rob Guillory’s “Farmhand” began as a lighthearted dark comedy/horror hybrid about a miracle seed that bore plants capable of growing human arms, eyeballs, hips, and whatever other bits and pieces surgeons required for transplantation purposes. It was a frothy, fun comic full of rich, strange characters and angular, striking art. Well, in this third volume, “Farmhand, Volume 3: Roots Of All Evil,” the great characters and drawings remain but a lot of the humor has been pushed into the background in favor of a remarkably poignant exploration of racism, morality, political intrigue, and familial strife. Normally a course correction like that would give the reader whiplash but Guillory has done such a fine job of gradually shifting the focus of the series so that it feels completely organic (pun intended). “Farmhand” is unlike any other comic nowadays and it’s quickly established itself as a favorite of mine. It’s unpredictable, action-packed, sinister, and totally engrossing. I feel like the story has a finite lifespan, however, which is disappointing (but probably smart) because I could keep following this book for a long, long time.

[47Time · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I stumbled onto another comic that isn't complete. My research into these series is lacking.

Zeke also has the plant bug. It's something that has been in the Jenkins bloodline for generations and now it's manifesting in force again. People are being killed by it and everyone is demanding answers. Or Jed's hide. Jed's secret past is creeping up on him and threatens to destroy not only his family, but the whole town. How long can he keep it hidden?

Zeke and Andy reach out to Walter Sparrow who was Jed and Monica's assistant while they were developing the seed. He knows that Monica is a serious threat due to her control over anyone touched by the seed. Jed confronts her. Her near-invulnerability makes her a serious challenge, though all the times she is run over by cars is a bit funny. She has had a demon inside her since Jed saved her life many years before when they had their falling out. Though everyone expects a battle, she and the mind-controlled transplanters retreat. She wants only to destroy Jed's family. The seed of doubt has already been placed in Zeke's mind - she effectively offers to bring his mother back from the dead.

[Andy Hickman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Farmhand, Vol. 3 – Roots Of All Evil
I repeat my overarching comments about volume 2:
“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.” ****
-
#11 – Rootwork – “Her condition has grown steadily WORSE since all this began.”
#12 – The Earthdiver – “Beautification WON’T fix Freetown. Not when YOU PEOPLE are dead set on RUINING it.”
#13 – The Wiz – “I have a nagging feeling this is about to get WEIRD. Even by OUR standards.”
#14 – The Voice – “I see your wounds, and I bring you HOPE and FUTURE.”
#15 – The Knowledge of Good and Evil – “Don’t play INNOCENT, Jedidiah. This may end with me, but it began with YOU.”

[Norman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really am enjoying this title. However, this story arc in particular felt the least engaging even if things are really ramping up. The dialogue could have been cut in half as there was way too much fluff, and the reveals could have been less generic and cliffhanger-y. It’s ending up to be another zombie tale, which I am not a huge fan of, and there is way too much going on on he side. Guillory tries his best to put it all together, but for me, it feels haphazard and amateurish.

But — and this is a big but — the art is so engaging that I can’t fault him too much. I still remind myself it’s his first time out in the writing seat, and yeah, three years on is a long time, but it’s plain and clear his forte is still in the art. So clever, emotive, succinct. Kinda the opposite of his writing, unfortunately...

[Dávid Novotný · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vol. 1.-3.:

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.

[Alex Sarll]

If a story has been teasing strange goings-on, the explanations should provide satisfaction. But too often they're more of a reminder that writers are much better at coming up with new mysteries than new solutions. So it proves here, with the distinctive oddness of the first two volumes slumping into too many scenes of people looking haunted in rooms, a fairly standard bio-zombie apocalypse, and hardly any of the intriguingly freaky plants growing human body parts which used to be the series' USP.

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay so the setup was definitely worth the payout here. Finally we get some answers and some evil plans are revealed. It was also real well done, because obviously this whole time they've just been telling us how bad the thing Jed did was, but now we finally get to see it and understand. This series has felt a little all over the place, but it is really nice to finally feel like we're move towards something and getting some resolution. I can't wait to see how they're going to recover from that last issue in the next volume.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Individual issue reviews: #11 | #12 | #13 | #14 | #15

Current review score: 2.83

[Mateen Mahboubi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot to like in this volume and it really did push the story forward but I feel like it did get a bit plodding at times and could have moved a bit faster. I don't know how much more is left in this series but really a lot has been set up and it seems like we're pretty close to the climax. Maybe I'm wrong but I hope that the series doesn't end up dragging too long if there isn't new life written into it.

[Doctor Action · Rating 3 out of 5]

All the history of the plot unfolded and explained pretty neatly. I wasn't completely satisfied, though. Felt like Rob decided he wasn't going to finish the tale here, so the ending was pretty anticlimactic. And the source of the baddiness was pretty loose and weak. I would have preferred it had been more character-based.

I don't think I'll read a fourth volume if one comes out but I liked it on the whole. I will probably go back and try Chew again as I really liked Rob Guillory's style.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid addition to the sci-fi/supernatural series. This volume does a great job providing just enough answers to flesh out the story and create more intrigue, but still leaves you wanting more.

(Also, after having just attempted getting into Chew, Guillory’s series with John Layman, I appreciate how he now approaches drawing female anatomy compared with that series...)

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Farmhand is a series that continues to get better and better. Guillory's artwork is vibrant, readable, and sweetly grotesque. As the story threads begin to come together and mysteries are revealed, it throws a light upon his writing skills as well. It is a joy to look at these pages and unravel the weird world of Farmhand.

[Ma'Belle · Rating 4 out of 5]

For some reason I was under the impression that this volume would end the series, but I'm glad to see it appears to have more to the story. Rob Guillory's story arc, characters, and just everything about this series is so solid! We get some important backstory in this volume, and we get to see some peripheral characters in action. The Jenkins family dynamics seem very real.

[Ondřej Halíř · Rating 5 out of 5]

9/10

Tady už se od humoru upustilo úplně, ale i přes to je to pecka.

Celý volumko totiž nešlápne na brzdu a furt se něco děje a je to doslova page turner. Bavilo mě jak se to vyvinulo i přes lehkou předvídatelnost to fungovalo a postavy jsou napsány dobře. Jsem dost zvědavý jak to půjde dál.

Btw ta Cheowitost z toho tímto svazkem zmizela úplně.

[Ben Zimmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

It feels weird to be caught up with a comic series. I'm usually so late to find out about them that I just assume they're finished. Farmhand is still a cool series. It's still gruesome and just a little campy, with a fun visual style.

[Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

Art is again magnificent and while the story is wacky yet still grounded in believable character interactions it's starting to feel like it's... overstayed it's welcome notes that I've learned this is the halfway point. Don't think I'll be back when the series returns.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the history of the Jedidiah Seed program is shown and crayfish attack!

This is a fun, comical/horror story with great art by the author. I'm bought in - I want to see what happens next. Seeing just how 'bad' Mayor Monica Thorne is opens it up into new weirdness.

[Matthew Harwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story with an amazing art style. There is a a good collection of horror, humour and science fiction that make this a great story. It raises questions about how far is too far in terms of scientific exploration and what horrors can come from it.

[h · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is really coming together in an interesting (and horrifying) way.

That being said, I don’t understand why Jedidiah injected Monica after she’d already shot herself. Why not let her go?

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

None of this will make sense unless you've read the previous volumes, of course. But, secrets are revealed, horrors occur, and some dark humor helps to balance it out. Guillory's cartooning remains a big draw.