By Jacob Cordas — Family Tree still can’t seem to figure out how to pay off its narrative mysteries. The previous issue suffered harshly from its over reliance on obfuscating the puzzles at play. Family Tree #8 does nothing to fix that problem outside of not leaning so hard on the convention as the last issue did. This issue thankfully only has one occurrence of a character claiming that everything is about to be explained (spoiler - it isn’t). 

It’s a shame that this book keeps going to that well because everything else about it works so well. 

The action set pieces in this issue are excellent. The chase and shootout with the grandfather are exciting and dynamic. The art is savage in these moments balancing the graphicness with an audience’s imagination. It makes each gunshot feel so much more than a gunshot normally does. You can feel the impact on both a kinetic level and a personal one. 

A phenomenal sequence near the end pays off some of the action-horror stylings that the series has been playing with since the beginning. It is a satisfying visual resolution that leaves you horrified. 

Internally, the issue is well written. Jeff Lemire is an amazing writer and his ability to make sure every character gets a moment is impressive. Character development is always methodically happening. The world is always evolving. He knows how to pace the story as well to make that end sequence pay off narratively just as well as it does artistically. 

But here we are eight issues in and I still struggle with what is actually happening. It’s a unique issue to have considering the story is nonlinear so I do have a semblance of where the world is going. But the pay off to the mysteries keeps getting avoided and I can’t really understand why. 

There are multiple places where you could easily add a hint of context to help frame what is happening a little bit better. Right now it is a family story that ties into a plant apocalypse (maybe?) but any of the details about that are muddled and grey. The way the last issue kept teasing the answer* made me hope this issue would pay it off at least slightly. 

Maybe that is just me applying standards to a story that doesn’t have interest in those same standards. Maybe in the long term Family Tree is trying to push more into the realm of Twin Peaks, where mysteries are secondary to the symbolism of the mystery. I doubt it though. It keeps playing with conventions that make it clear answers are imminent and then avoiding giving any answers. Without some semblance of pay off for the set up, it is starting to feel like the worst kind of waiting game. 

And maybe I’m crazy, but serialized storytelling shouldn’t be just waiting to find out if any of this means something. 

*It features the actual line “I’m going to tell you everything.” It does not actually tell you anything.

Overall: Family Tree #8 is a solid issue that continues to avoid providing any answers. 7.0/10

REVIEW: Family Tree #8

Family Tree #8
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artists: Eric Gapstur, Phil Hester, Ryan Cody 
Publisher: Image
Cost: $3.99
While Meg tries to explain her transformation, Grandpa Judd makes his last stand against the Arborists!
Release Date: August 26, 2020
Buy It Digitally: Family Tree #8

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My name is Jacob Cordas (@jacweasel) and I am not qualified to write this.