Freaks Of The Heartland [Paperback]

Steve Niles (Author), Greg Ruth (Author)

Book Description

Under the weathered skies of America's heartland, and in the wounded hearts of every family in one tiny rural town, a terrible secret has been kept for too many years. Now, a young boy named Trevor must try to keep his younger brother Will from falling victim to the worst fears of a troubled town that can't begin to understand the tragic secret that binds its families together. Some folks would call Trevor's brother a monster. But to Trevor, Will is just another kid trapped in a dark reality he can't comprehend. When the situation moves from bad to worse, and their father threatens to do away with Will, Trevor learns that they're not alone - that "freak" children were born to other families in Gristlewood Valley. Against all odds, and with nothing but love for his brother in his heart, Trevor is going to do whatever he can to get the freak children out of harm's way, if it's not already too late.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Niles, a prolific writer of all shades of horror script, grisly to guffaw inducing, for several comics publishers, here offers an underdeveloped variation on John Wyndham's sf classic The Midwich Cuckoos (1957), in which mutant children are born simultaneously to a community's women, and it compounds failing to explain the basic situation with dialogue written in Beverly Hillbillies patois. All Niles gives artist Ruth to work with is an escape-and-chase scenario as one boy, after preventing Dad from shooting his monstrous brother, rounds up the other mutants and leads them in an attempted breakout from their home valley. Fortunately, Ruth rises to and exceeds the occasion. Working in pen and ink and watercolor, and limiting his palette to black, white, and sepia that he expressively alters with varying admixtures of yellow and red, Ruth creates one knockout panel after another. The night settings of many scenes allow Rembrandtesque lighting effects that Ruth exploits in tandem with the narrow range of color to deepen characterizations beyond anything Niles has written. A triumph of presentation over (lack of) substance. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Paperback: 170 pages
• Publisher: Dark Horse (July 19, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593070292
• ISBN-13: 978-1593070298
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,125,138 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing; could have been so much better, May 21, 2007

By 

N. Durham "Big Evil" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Freaks Of The Heartland (Paperback)

Steve Niles is today's first name for horror comics, first gaining popularity some time ago with his first 30 Days of Night series. Since then, Niles has churned out many works for various companies, all of which ranging from solid to disappointing. Freaks of the Heartland is no different, as it features a teriffic premise and fantastic artwork, but ultimately fails in it's delivery. The story follows a small town community that finds it's women all giving birth to deformed or freakish children. Soon enough, all the children attempt to run away, with dire results (naturally). Niles doesn't offer anything fresh here, or even try to come up with any sort of inventiveness to the proceedings. The sad part is, the story is ripe to be played around with to make it something really memorable, but once again, Niles just delivers an average story, only this time around it's filled with stereotypical hillbilly talk. The only saving grace of Freaks of the Heartland? Greg Ruth's spectacular artwork is a sight to behold, with his innovative techniques and stark contrasts making for something really special. Ruth's art is the only reason to give Freaks of the Heartland a look, it's just a shame that such fantastic work got wasted on a mediocre story.

3.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully drawn--Story Lacking, July 9, 2009

By 

J. Decker "frivilous amazonian" (UT) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Freaks Of The Heartland (Paperback)

The title of my review mostly says it all. The images in this graphic novel are breathtaking at times. Gorgeous and impossible simultaneously. I'm glad I bought it for that reason alone.

That said, the story is lacking. It doesn't really seem to go anywhere. Or, it does, but it ends right when you'd think it should be beginning. The concept is interesting and it had potential to pull something great out of such an artistically drawn hat. Unfortunately, it doesn't excel as well as one might hope.

But if you like pretty pictures, then go for it. I promise you won't be disappointed.

3.0 out of 5 stars Great build up....., August 19, 2008

By 

J. W. Pierce - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Freaks Of The Heartland (Paperback)

....and then the ending is rushed without any explanation as to why the "freaks" came to be or what really happens after the most lack luster conclusion to a stories i have read. The art and 2/3 of the story are 4 star quality.