Family Tree Vol. 1: Sapling
Jeff Lemire, writer; Phil Hester, Eric Gapstur, Ryan Cody, artists
Image Comics, 2020
A new series co-created by writer Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth, Descender) and artist Phil Hester (Swamp Thing, Green Arrow) is bound to be worth a look. It begins with eight year old Meg gradually transforming into a tree, a bizarre occurrence that her whole family understandably finds difficult to believe. On the way to the hospital they are attacked by what looks like a strange cult: their estranged grandfather steps in to save them.
Things only get stranger from there. The family story was that their father abandoned them. But grandfather was there to witness his transformation into a tree, and tried to protect him from the group known as the Arborists. He takes them to a doctor in New York's Chinatown, attempting to help, but accidentally attracts an Arborist unit. His attempt to protect them fails, but the family escapes with Meg. She has been in some sort of mystical contact with her father in a transcendent tree (a bit reminiscent of the Green in Swamp Thing).
So in only four issues the story is rich with possibilities. There is a realm of people who have turned into trees; their human protectors; and the Arborists, who are trying to stop the transformation (for reasons unknown, for now). More questions than answers, by far. Hester and the rest of the art team provide a distinctive look: a bit cartoony, but bold and dynamic. I look forward to seeing where it goes.
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