Gideon Falls #27 Review: A Perfect Ending to a Mind-Boggling Tale

The end of Gideon Falls has arrived. Nearly three years after the Eisner-winning comic first hit shelves, it closes up shop in a monstrous finale over four times the size of a regular issue. Throughout its run, Gideon Falls has served as a genre-bending thriller, dipping its toes in everything from sci-fi to mystery, to full-on horror. No matter the route writer Jeff Lemire and artist Andrea Sorrentino chose to take the book, a misty shroud follows, enveloping the title in mystery and suspense. Now that Gideon Falls #27 has hit comic shelves across the world, the book ends just as it should—cloaked in an enigmatic veil that leaves just a bit still to be desired.

The initial prospects of Gideon Falls are something we've seen time and time before, the sleepy little town suddenly becomes a beacon for mayhem and the supernatural. Luckily for those reading this comic book, that thought was quickly subverted, thrown out the window in the title's opening pages.

What unfurls over the course of 27 issues comprising hundreds of pages is an incredible mystery that may go down as Lemire's magnum opus. Though a bit confusing at times, the writer manages to skirt the line of redundancy and bewilderment. Yet, the plot never crumbles under the incredible weight Lemire places on it. He pulls back at just the right time to iron things out, resulting in something that pushes the boundaries with never going overboard. Readers have seen similar processes in his other books and titles; Gideon Falls is unmistakably Lemire.

In fact, his cadence is a match made in heaven with the work of Sorrentino, as the duo creates mind-boggling visuals that pair perfectly with the tale at hand.

In the digital age, it's easy to say Gideon Falls is a better story to binge-read, just chugging through the entirety of the title in a single afternoon. The heavy mystery involved doesn't necessarily play well in its standard "floppy" form but naturally, that helps grow the mystifying aura up to heights rarely seen in comics. It's the indie comics equivalent of event programming—if this ever found its way to television, Gideon Falls is a story built for endless dissection and analysis. There's enough left on the cutting room floor for readers to maintain their own interpretation.

It's only fitting for Gideon Falls to end exactly like this. Some may not like the closing pages they don't wrap things up nice and neat, at least not when compared to the majority of series available today. Then again, Gideon Falls isn't like any other title available at your local comic shop; far from it, in fact. In the world of comics, they say showing is better than telling—and that's the creed this series lives by in its finale. The only thing is that "showing" here involves psychedelic, reality-warping artwork leaving readers guessing which way is up or down. But again, that's the only way Gideon Falls could end.

Gideon Falls #27 is a nearly perfect finale to the story that's been introduced and examined for the past three years. While it seems partially empty, it ends exactly as it should—surrounded in a shroud of mystery, leaving you wanting just a little bit more.

Published by Image Comics

On December 23, 2020

Written by Jeff Lemire

Art by Andrea Sorrentino

Colors by Dave Stewart

Letters by Steve Wands

Cover by Andrea Sorrentino