Family Tree #1

8.1

Critic Rating

16 Reviews
7.8

User Rating

31 Reviews
Writer Jeff Lemire
Artist Phil Hester, Ryan Cody, Eric Gapstur
Cover Price $3.99

SERIES PREMIERE! When an eight-year-old girl literally begins to transform into a tree, her single mom, troubled brother, and possibly insane grandfather embark on a bizarre and heart-wrenching odyssey across the back roads of America in a desperate search for a way to cure her horrifying transformation before it's too late.
But the farther they get from home, the more forces threaten to tear the family apart as fanatical cults, mercenaries, and tabloid Paparazzi close in, determined to destroy the girl-or use her for their own ends.
A new genre-defying series written by New York Times bestselling author JEFF LEMIRE (GIDEON FALLS, A more

Reviews (16) User Reviews (31) Rate / Write A Review

CRITIC REVIEWS Back to Top

  • 9.8

    Comics Bookcase - Zack Quaintance

    Nov 12, 2019

    With a genuinely unique premise and top-tier visual storytelling, Family Tree #1 is a must-buy debut, a great start to another essential creator-owned comic in 2019. Read Full Review

  • 9.4

    Multiversity Comics - John Schaidler

    Nov 15, 2019

    Final Verdict: 9.4 Seamlessly fusing elements of slice-of-life family drama, body horror, and apocalyptic fantasy, "Family Tree" #1 meets and exceeds the hype. Easily the best book by Jeff Lemire this week. Read Full Review

  • 9.0

    But Why Tho? - Max Funkey

    Oct 30, 2019

    I did not know what to expect when I signed up to review this comic. But, as a parent, it hit me a lot harder than I anticipated. The body horror and parental dread in this comic are well implemented and I can't wait to see what happens in the next issue. I recommend this for anyone who is a fan of horror, especially that of the body-horror variety. Read Full Review

  • 9.0

    You Don't Read Comics - Jason A. Fleece

    Nov 13, 2019

    Family Tree #1 is a solid first issue, establishing the small circle of main characters and putting them in a horrific situation. The narration on the first page promises the end of the world; it will be interesting to see how the book gets from here to there. Read Full Review

  • 8.6

    Comic Watch - Lenora Pentecost

    Nov 16, 2019

    With its unique premise and stand-out art style, Family Tree begins an interesting journey that displays what lengths a family will go to keep one of their own safe. Read Full Review

  • 8.5

    Doom Rocket - Brendan Hodgdon

    Oct 03, 2019

    Family Tree is truly successful in its ability to boil down the stressors and conflicts of our age into a tangible, personal, surreal and spooky story. Lemire, Hester, Gapstur and Cody tap into a vein of emotion, with the sort of deeply relatable empathy and charming grit that charms you and unsettles you with equal ease. As the leaves continue to turn and you shift from the screams of the undead to the screams of your embittered relatives, Family Tree may be able to offer just the catharsis you're looking for. Read Full Review

  • 8.5

    The Brazen Bull - Dave Robbins

    Nov 13, 2019

    Jeff Lemire brings the dark and creepy in this story about a family struggling to make ends meet brought into what is nothing less than a global struggle. Read Full Review

  • 8.4

    Monkeys Fighting Robots - Cat Wyatt

    Nov 13, 2019

    Family Tree #1 is a dark and disturbing introduction to a unique series. One that is sure to send chills down your spine. Read Full Review

  • 8.2

    Geek'd Out - Jim Allegro

    Nov 01, 2019

    Family Tree #1 is a gripping family tale of horror, mystery, and action. Check it out on November 13. Read Full Review

  • 8.0

    ComicBook.com - Chase Magnett

    Nov 13, 2019

    This story of a young girl who grew into a tree and the subsequent collapse of society features both an exciting plot and a much more intimate portrait of how scary it is to feel alone, even as we are surrounded by others. Read Full Review

  • 7.5

    The Daily Fandom - Katie Beste

    Nov 13, 2019

    With the solid base Family Tree #1 provides in our characters, I feel ready to see where their journey takes them. My questions right now are about the pot, not about trying to understand who these people are and what they want, though certainly there is more to understand about these characters. Now that the story has roots, I look forward to seeing how the Family Tree grows. Read Full Review

  • 7.3

    Major Spoilers - Robert Mammone

    Nov 16, 2019

    What you see is what you get, and Family Tree #1 is a confident opening issue that presents puzzles and mysteries for the characters and audience to solve. One of the pleasures of reading a story like this is that the readers have a sense of what is happening, and are keenly waiting to see what the protagonists make of the horrors to come. Read Full Review

  • 7.0

    Big Comic Page - Mark Scott

    Nov 03, 2019

    The opening narrative tells of the end of the world, and Im dying to see how the coming issues unfold. Were promised shadowy mercenary groups, fanatical cults, and predatory paparazzi all chasing down eight year old Meg Hayes. If things end up being as exciting as were promised then this is going to be a new series to follow closely. Read Full Review

  • 7.0

    AIPT - Chris Coplan

    Nov 12, 2019

    In a career of telling these stories, Jeff Lemire arrives at something truly terrifying. Read Full Review

  • 7.0

    Comics: The Gathering - Jay Hill

    Nov 13, 2019

    With a story that has implications to become apocalyptic, Family Tree #1 starts off that tale with a strong base. Lemire’s family-centric storytelling lulls you in, but the promise is that horror is just around the corner. The art holds everything firmly in place with great stylistic choices by Phil Hester. The start isn’t anything groundbreaking, but the end is sure to surprise. Read Full Review

  • 7.0

    Newsarama - Kat Calamia

    Nov 14, 2019

    Family Tree #1 presents a world that is ending not because of war but because of nature, as the creative team ably balances ambiance with character study. Read Full Review

USER REVIEWS Back to Top

  • 10

    JustCrazy

    Nov 16, 2019

    Jeff Lemire = Good story telling

    + Like Comment
  • 9.0

    DippingBird

    Nov 12, 2019

    Really enjoyed this, excited to see where the series goes.

  • 9.0

    Wolf Warner

    Nov 12, 2019

    Good read. Thought it wa going farmhand route but it was different. In a good way.

  • 8.5

    Miracleman92

    Nov 29, 2020

    Interesting start and I'm always down for some good body horror.

  • 7.5

    Spacey Medicine

    Nov 16, 2019

    Kinda neat, I'm interested to see where it goes.

    + Like Comment
  • 7.0

    ohhaimark

    Nov 16, 2019

    THE GOOD: -This was a fine, but forgettable issue. -The suspense is well-done, especially before things get crazy. -Generally speaking, the script is good. -The horror elements are probably the strongest here. I think that horror is Lemire's biggest strength as a writer. -I'm mildly excited for the next issue. I'll read it, but I'm not looking forward to it as much as I want to. THE BAD: -I wasn't a big fan of the art. It was cool and stylistic at first, but later it became a pain in my ass to try to decipher what was going on because the art was so abstract. -I'm not a huge fan of the main character. Her son is far more interesting.

    + Like Comment
  • 7.0

    drackula

    Nov 16, 2019

    Jeff Lemire put ordinary family to very bizarre situation. And it works. Family is very symphatethic and i'm looking forward to continuig their story. Art is decent and ideal for this kind of really slow start of end of the world.

  • 7.0

    Psycamorean

    Nov 16, 2019

    More personable than a lot of Lemire's work. It's like Donny Cates, but not as good.

  • 6.5

    Liem Duong

    Jul 16, 2020

    Eh, it was cool. But it wasn't " amazing ". And while I might sound uptight, Jeff Lemire is writing this book. The guy who does Gideon Falls and Black Hammer and arguably thee best writer right now. It didn't want my reads to be dominated with all Jeff Lemire, but people are really hyping this book up. So I gave it the first issue, and it was good, but not Lemire good. We start off with this woman named Loretta and her two kids and their everyday lives. Through this front, Lemire subtly builds up a dark secret about how people can turn into trees. Than after this phenomenon gets more apparent, its goes buck-wild crazy. I'll give this to Lemire. He is playing with alot of " personal " elements in this book. It is centered around this more

  • 6.0

    Briton

    Nov 25, 2019

    A fairly promising story but marred by awful artwork.

  • 6.0

    W_himself

    Dec 14, 2019

    A dysfunctional, though loving family goes through some bad stuff (and grows closer). By Jeff Lemire, but it's a new series.

  • 5.0

    CaptnAmerca

    Nov 13, 2019

    Not very interesting. The lead character is pretty unlikable. The series synopsis sounds good, and Lemire has more hits than misses. This might be a miss though.

  • 9.5

    Justin Ray

    Nov 20, 2019

  • 9.0

    Geoff3P

    Nov 14, 2019

  • 9.0

    Veido

    Nov 19, 2019

  • 9.0

    tonpas1989

    Jul 07, 2020

  • 9.0

    Zach_C

    Sep 30, 2022

  • 8.5

    drwasheewashee

    Nov 20, 2019

  • 8.5

    Khan/Murdock

    Nov 24, 2019

  • 8.5

    Josecab79

    Nov 26, 2019

  • 8.5

    jmprados

    Nov 30, 2019

  • 8.0

    Phil B.

    Nov 14, 2019

  • 8.0

    Jason The Dude

    Nov 14, 2019

  • 8.0

    flodid

    Nov 23, 2019

  • 8.0

    Hellblazer

    Sep 25, 2020

  • 8.0

    Eduardo

    Nov 17, 2020

  • 7.5

    Silver Rocket

    Nov 15, 2019

  • 7.0

    truffaz

    Jun 21, 2020

  • 7.0

    Adsun22

    Feb 06, 2023

  • 6.0

    batman_forever

    Jul 21, 2022

  • 5.0

    KnM

    Apr 07, 2025

Reviews for the Week of...

February

25 24 18 11 4

January

28 21