Family Tree Volume 1: Nascimento

Family Tree #1

by Jeff Lemire (roteiro), Phil Hester (arte), Eric Gapstur (arte)

Não espere por meteoros, pragas ou guerras. No universo imaginado pelos aclamados quadrinistas Jeff Lemire e Phil Hester, o fim do mundo tem início num dia qualquer, numa cidade qualquer, quando uma menina de oito anos começa a se transformar numa... árvore.
Para salvá-la antes que seja tarde demais, sua mãe, seu irmão e seu excêntrico avô embarcam numa jornada bizarra e perigosa em busca da cura e de respostas, deparando-se com diversas ameaças pelo caminho, como mercenários assassinos e adeptos de cultos fanáticos, todos dispostos a destruir a menina ou usarem-na para benefício próprio. A cada passo longe de casa, mais a menina-árvore se vê perto de completar essa terrível transformação, correndo o risco de perder para sempre sua humanidade. Ou talvez tornar-se o que nasceu para ser.
Sombrio e impactante, este primeiro volume de Family Tree reúne os quatros fascículos iniciais da série, uma visão única do subgênero conhecido como body horror, ou horror corporal. Mistério, ação e terror se combinam nessa distopia sobrenatural sobre laços familiares indestrutíveis e a força apocalíptica da natureza.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Horror, Fantasy, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction, Comic Book

96 pages, Paperback

First published November 13, 2019

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

Jeff Lemire is a New York Times bestselling and award winning author, and creator of the acclaimed graphic novels Sweet Tooth, Essex County, The Underwater Welder, Trillium, Plutona, Black Hammer, Descender, Royal City, and Gideon Falls. His upcoming projects include a host of series and original graphic novels, including the fantasy series Ascender with Dustin Nguyen.

Reviews

[Sam Quixote · Rating 1 out of 5]

A little girl is transforming into a tree for no reason. Just like her dad did - also for no reason. And her estranged grandpappy is helping them escape cultists who are after them because they… like trees? Why? No reason.

Family Tree is the worst thing I’ve read from Jeff Lemire and that dude, while he’s written some great books, has written some real stinkers in his time: Descender, Hit Girl in Canada, The Terrifics, Royal City, Gideon Falls were all utter rubbish. But Family Tree? This was a total flat-line right from the start.

The characters are completely unoriginal: stock tough single mom, stock innocent little girl, stock troubled cynical teen boy, stock grizzled old man, stock faceless bad guys - each one a dreary cliche. The story is pathetically underwritten - uh, uh, this ridiculous thing is happening, uh, uh, RUN, RUN, DON’T THINK ABOUT IT!, just RUN, and, uh, uh, gunfire, and uh... RUN! Unimaginative, boring - just fucking awful. And speaking of awful, there’s Phil Hester’s ‘90s art looking stale on the page.

People turning into trees who’re then hunted down by murderous (lumberjack?) cultists is such a stupid idea - it’s more laughable than engaging and it’s never remotely engaging. I couldn’t have cared less about this rubbish story. A bad concept, badly executed makes for a bad comic - Family Tree is about as exciting to read as watching a tree grow. Even as a Lemire fan this was a worthless struggle to get through.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn, this was good. I flew through this in no time. It's the story of a little girl who develops a rash and begins to turn into a tree. Her mother, brother and grandpa are all trying to stop it from happening. Meanwhile, there's some strange cult that will kill anyone in her way to take her. At only 4 issues, there's not a lot of answers yet as to what is happening. Lemire and Hester, though, do a great job of keeping the story high octane as we delve into it.

Received a review copy from Image and Edelweiss. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Back to Nature

Four issues in one volume of a new series by Jeff Lemire about a family turning into trees. The general idea seems to be that the world is ending and we are, one person at a time, one family at a time, becoming Organic, Back to Nature. The story begins with an eight-year-old girl becoming a tree and her Mom and brother and grandpa trying to save her. At least I think they are trying to save her. Is there anything they can really do? We learn this process also happened to Dad, and others.

The pacing is fast, but the characters are not yet all that compelling. Because it is Lemire it features a missing father and a family trying to keep it together in the face of crisis. You can find links here to related works such as Swamp Thing which features a doctor turning into a plant-based creature. Lemire also did a run of Animal Man, where people become animals, but again, it's just another version of Going Back to Nature. One related series is Sweet Tooth, another apocalyptic father-kid story where kids are being born with animal features, like Sweet Tooth's antlers. Hybridity. But for what purpose. In Swamp Thing there is some over-arching environmental commitment, but it is not clear in this one yet.

I'm not sure where this is going or why but because it is Lemire I will probably see what happens next. That usually pays off, being patient with Lemire. But the people becoming trees seem to be pursued by some--not anarchists, but--arborists, though we don't even know if they are good or bad or why they are pursuing tree people. That part seems at this point silly, but we'll have to see.

[Sean Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is this a whizzbang clambaker of a dilly pickle? No. Is it a solidly entertaining tale of suspense, body horror, and family drama? Definitely. Sufficiently intriguing to pick up the second volume at some point with my fellow Loquacious buddy reader? Absolutely. Will I ever stop using the device of asking myself questions in lieu of providing substantive thoughts for a review? Not even after I am dead, because I’m pretty sure even my skull can pull off a quizzical look.

Thanks, SG, for the delightful buddy read—looking forward to Vol. 2!

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

UPDATE, MARCH 31, 2024:

Apparently a new project I'm doing this year is going back to finish series I started years ago and set aside for various reasons (see also: Beastars and Gantz). I meant to see this one through to the end, but I only recently got around to asking my local library to get the last volume. I remember the first volume was a short and quick, so I'm just going to re-read it to refresh my memory.

It holds up as a fast-paced story about one family's sudden lurch into the supernatural.


ORIGINAL REVIEW - NOV. 5, 2020:

An intriguing start to a new horror series, but it all seems a little frenetic and far-fetched. I can live with people turning into trees, but I have a problem with a secret society suddenly appearing to capture the tree people and lots of gun battles with nary a sign of bystanders or police. As long as it keeps rolling along at a fast pace, I probably won't stop to think too critically about it and have a good time.

Mostly, I'm a fan of Phil Hester's stylized art, heavy with the ink and full of sharp points.

[Artemy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was neither here nor there. It's a story of a family on the run from some crazies because for some reason their youngest child quickly starts turning into an actual tree. The series might get more interesting as it progresses, but based on just these first four issues there's really not much there, and what little story there is feels a bit basic and by the numbers. Still, I am enjoying it enough to keep reading for at least a few more issues.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeff Lemire offers a tantalizing introduction to a new series in Sapling, though four slim issues is barely enough to whet my appetite. If you think too hard about Family Tree, you realize it's built on common tropes: chosen one, apocalyptic cults, family drama. The mom is a grump who refuses to acknowledge what's going on; the grandfather abandoned the family but returns just in time to save them all.

Enough with the bad, though: Family Tree is weird and gruesome and propulsive. A young girl is turning into a tree, which may be a harbinger of the apocalypse. Grandpa rolls into town to save the day, though any full explanations of what's going on (A tree city?) will have to wait for later volumes. Phil Hester's art is perfect for this book, all dark and angular and menacing. The images of a tree growing out of Meg's back...yuck. Definitely made me concerned for the dry patches on my own skin.

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this what it reads like when Jeff Lemire does a 'normal' comic.

It still has the very Lemirean touch of a missing father and his relationship with his children, and it has an overall emphasis on family (well, it is called Family Tree..).

But it's a short affair, a collection of four issues, less than a hundred pages, so we only get to know the bare basics of what is going on - and even that is wrapped in mystery. I couldn't help to feel a bit shortchanged.

We do get a bit of fighting, a bit of shooting and quite a lot of action movie dialogue. There is much less character development than you'd normally expect from a Lemire story.

Eventhough this isn't a stellar first part, I would like to see what Lemire does with all of this in a following volume.

(Received an ARC from Image through Edelweiss)

[Lashaan Balasingam · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise is interesting. A world veering towards an apocalypse where people turn into trees. Writer Jeff Lemire explores some interesting ideas through this short story-arc but he more often teases rather than develops his world.

Nothing is actually truly clear as to the motives of various characters. You're sort of blindly dragged into this relatively-dysfunctional family as the mother tries to understand what is going on to her daughter.

The artwork is interesting and a bit rough. It sort of fails to really capture any form of horror but it doesn't feel like it fits writer Jeff Lemire's story-telling style.

Yours truly,

Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/

[Kadi P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me tell you all about this comic. A girl is turning into a tree. That is it. That's the entire storyline.

"Why is she turning into a tree, Kadi?" You might ask. Well, I'm afraid no one knows. And if anyone does know they didn't spend a single panel during these 95 pages explaining it. Naturally, I have to read Family Tree, Vol. 2: Seeds to find out. I'm not annoyed enough at the comic for not giving an answer to not do so, so... I guess I'm going to read vol 2!

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Family Tree is Lemire's newest creator owned comic and it's about as good as all his stuff.

This is about a family on the run after one of the children is becoming an actual tree. With her mom and brother protecting her, and now her grandfather, we learn there's a cult like group following them and trying to kill them. While it sounds like pure action packed adventure it's actually pretty emotional and touching family moments that make this special.

While not my favorite work Lemire has done he still somehow makes me like all the characters introduced here. The pacing is quick and exciting and that's a huge plus. I didn't love the art though and the action scenes suffer for it.

While not the best, it's still worth reading. A 3.5 out of 5.

[Stacie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars?

I enjoyed the story well enough, but the artwork wasn't anything special.

[Roman Zarichnyi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Знайомство із Джеффом Леміром продовжується із мальописом «Сімейне дерево», де ��алюнком займався Філ Гестер.

Лоретта — одинока матір, яка працює продавцем та має проблемного сина Джоша і молодшу дочку Меґ. Її викликали черговий раз до директора через сина. Дорогою дочка Меґ виявляє, що у неї є якийсь висип на руці. Лоретта сприймає це спокійно, але після того, як згодом ця рука починає перетворюватися на дерево, матір б’є на сполох і вирішує відвезти доньку до лікарні. Так розпочинається ця історія.

Це світ, де випадкові люди перетворюються на дерева, де є загадковий культ, що полює на таких людей. Але з іншої боку, це історія про сімейну драму, нерозуміння та несприйняття, про втрачені сімейні стежки та їх відновлення, про боротьбу за життя та марних надій.

Ще вартує згадати малюнок Філа Гестера, який сфоїм ламаним контуром підсилює враження від подій у коміксі. А все тому, що ці ламані лінії схожі до форм гілок на дереві, якщо провести геомтерію всіх вигинів гілок на ньому. Це досить сміливий підхід, який, як правило, виливається у досить плоский малюнок без деталей. У свою чергу це допомагає висунути на перший план емоції людей, які беруть участь у сцені. Часто на панелях взагалі немає фону, що допомагає підсилити емоційні переживання героїв — наприклад, коли є тільки Меґ на білому фоні, що акцентує увагу на змінах, які вона зазнає. Тому все виглядає атмоферно і гаромнійно.

В сюжетному плані історія інколи просідала, хоча тут непогано прописані стосунки у сім‘ї. І ще герої постійно кудись тікають і це трішки втомило. Та все ж, інтриги трішки є, тому читатиму далі.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

A most intriguing four issues to launch this weird saga, of a world where people have started turning into trees. Opening in the present time we flash back to the mid-1990s when humdrum single mother Loretta's lot is ruined when her daughter gets a rash, and the man who comes to help is someone with whom she never wanted contact again. The artwork is a bit weird, and could be taken against – it goes more angular and chunky figure than even Mike Mignola, and has a weird shtick of whitening out anyone in the extreme foreground as a reverse silhouette. But that seems in keeping with the oddity that's behind the story. Overall this first book has a heck of a lot happen, and yet nothing, so we would still appear to be no end of reading away from any explanations by the time we get to the finish. There's plenty of promise in what little we do get, however. A strong four stars.

[Bandit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Lemire’s work so much that choosing his books doesn’t even require a plot summary. Or I should say I love Lemire’s original work so much, because I’ve recently read his Moon Knight trilogy and was pretty underwhelmed. Only so much one can do with a stock superhero character and Lemire, to his credit, did that, but still…limitations.
In his original work, though, Lemire does fascinating and dark, very dark, things. This one is no exception.
The name is something of a pun for this is indeed a tale of a family tree but in a direct, strange, and strangely literal way.
Is this tale of a bizarrely treed family worth checking out? Absolutely.
The plot is interesting and just the right kind of odd and the art in all of its angularity really works to compliment the story. Suck a quick read too. Really hope library gets further volumes. Recommended.

This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW, I did not expect to love this as much as I do. This is a fantastic graphic novel with a very unique set up. This volume is issues 1 to 4. I really wish it was longer. I need to read more and know what is going to happen. This is an ongoing series and I hope it continues for a long time. Why did this happen to Darcy and Meg? Will Loretta ever accept the truth?

I received a free copy from Edelweiss and Image Comics in exchange for my honest review.

[Gabriell Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 ale dávám to na 4, abych provokoval Val. Zajímavý rozjezd, který toho sice moc neprozradí, ale naslibuje zajímavé věci a já se těším na druhou knihu, která snad rozvine víc svět ve kterém se z lidí jen tak stávají stromy.

[Drew Canole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating for the series. It's a fun fast-paced apocalyptic story. Certainly doesn't overstay its welcome. It kind of flubs the ending but I was entertained the entire time. Lemire sticks to his bread and butter with a family drama being the heart of the story.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Family Tree is the newest Image ongoing by Jeff Lemire, who can't seem to stop writing comic books, and prolific artist Phil Hester, about a family who go on the run when one of them begins literally mutating into a tree.

This volume apparently collects the first four issues, which is a peculiar choice, because things really ramp up after that. Family Tree is the kind of story that Lemire really excels at, with a sweeping mythology that we're only getting drip-fed at this point, and a family dynamic right at it's core. These four issues will endear all of them to you, only to rip them away right at the last second.

It's hard to really gauge where this series is going so far, and four issues really doesn't give you enough real estate for much more than the bare minimum, but this isn't bad at all. It's a very quick read though, and because it's difficult to draw an overall impression on, I'm sticking around for a while yet. Maybe that was the point.

Phil Hester's art hasn't changed much from the first time I saw it, back during his Green Arrow run. It's a lot of simple outlines bolstered by internal shading and colour contrasts, so it, like the story, is a bit thin on the ground. Hester does a lot with a little though, and while I couldn't tell you any defining characteristics of the main characters bar the Grandpa so far, the overall aesthetic of the book matches the story content so far. He draws some creepy trees too, which helps.

From tiny acorns, mighty oaks grow apparently; Family Tree is still on the tiny acorn part for now, but I'm curious to see what the oak will look like when it's done growing.

[Valéria. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okej, otázka na všetkých: Lemire mal mŕtvicu alebo niečo podobné? Lebo inak si neviem vysvetliť čo toto bolo. Ten dej bol absolútne zle podaný, dialógy boleli, postavy totálne suché, všetko sa deje preto-lebo mám pocit bez nejakého bližšieho vysvetlenia (ok, možno to bude ďalej vysvetlené, ale furt to neni jediná výčitka ktorú mám).. ten nápad mi príde zaujímavý, je to fajn nakreslené ale inak to bolo naozaj, naozaj o ničom.. Matka je nesympatická, podráždená ženská; je tu problémový (ale aj tak suchý) syn; dcéra, ktorej jediná charakterová črta je, že z nej rastú konáre.. 2,5/5 a som sklamaná..

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate the art but don't completely hate the story.

Individual issue reviews: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4

Total review score: 1.75

[Prince Mendax · Rating 4 out of 5]

ooooh

[Frédéric · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing first volume, to say the least - even if Lemire has already hinted at what the end will be - which can be summed up as a long chase between mysterious cultists and a little girl - and her family - who is turning into... a tree. I hope the joke in the title is not lost on you, guys!

We don't know much more at the moment, it's deliberately very mysterious but the action is gripping, the characters - as typical as they are - are interesting enough to make you want to follow them and the dialogue is pretty good.

I've always liked Phil Hester and it's a pleasure to see that he's still at the top of his game. His graphic style is perfectly suited to the story, as is the colouring.

[The Artisan Geek]

2/4/20
This one was alright. The whole tree transformation thing was unique, although I wasn't all that interested in all of it.

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[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lemire's newest is the story of a young girl turning into a tree, as part of what's apparently a familial condition. Lemire's strength is often his characters, and that doesn't disappoint, but the rest of this story of near-apocalyptic strangeness has a been-there, done-that feel to it. Somehow despite the newest weird idea, Lemire is getting repetitive.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sempre que vejo a Intrínseca lançar uma nova série de quadrinhos eu fico ressabiado. Será que vão concluir a série? Lembrando que Deuses Americanos demorou dois anos entre o primeiro volume o o segundo. Os títulos que a editora lançou de Jeff Lemire, este e Royal City, ainda não foram anunciadas continuações. Peguei este numa promoção esperta. Para variar, todas as histórias de Lemire contém um criança abandonada e um pai relapso, ou seja, lidam com daddie issues. Ele trabalha isso de diversas formas em seus títulos. Neste aqui, a criança abandonada possui uma compleição genética que a transforma numa árvore, caracterítica heradada do pai desaparecido. Claro que isso vai, definitivamente, como em todas histórias Lemirentas, levar todos a um grande périplo para reunir a criança ao pai, antes que algo terrível aconteça. Nesse caso, a transformação da menina em árvore. O mais interessante dessa vez é a arte de Phil Hestes, que tem um estilo "Animated DC' quadradão e que essa qualidade faz lembrar o estilo rizomático e o madeiramento de uma árvore. Chegamos no fim do encadernado com um cliffhanger. Infelizmente não sabemos quando a Intrínseca dará continuidade à história e à publicação...

[Matt Quann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve loved following Jeff Lemire’s career. From the pretty-much Canadian Classic, Essex County, to the ups and downs of superheroics, and to now see him settling into a terrific groove of independent comics feels like a win all-around.

My wife got me this first collection for Christmas and though I just got around to it, I really enjoyed it. The art style is Mignola-esque, the writing sharp, and the story’s hook is compelling. I’m excited to see what this ends up looking like in the coming collections. Good stuff!

[Dexter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Einer meiner aktuellen Lieblingsautoren und einer meiner Lieblingszeichner aus den ersten 2000er Jahren, von dem ich dann sehr sehr lange nichts mehr gesehen habe, tun sich zusammen, um eine sehr verrückte Geschichte zu erzählen. Wenn ich wetten müsste, würde ich sagen, dass dieses sehr besondere Drama irgendwann in Form einer Serie sogar den Sprung auf den Bildschirm schafft.

[Estibaliz · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5?

I'm really on the fence about this one. There's some promising elements there, specially regarding that 'talking hand', but the storytelling so far feels quite rushed (probably because there's a lot of running around) and like a bit of a muddle.

That ending potentially killing (not pun intended) the aforementioned promise didn't help for me either, lol.

I'm probably still giving it a try with the next volume, but the rest is undecided as of now.

[Stephanie (aka WW) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whoa. The reader gets thrown into the violence and action in this series with barely an introduction. Neither the artwork nor the story is my favorite.