Book Review: Journal 3

Ah, Journal 3. One of the biggest mysteries of Gravity Falls was who wrote the Journals. Now we all know who it was and with the show ending, the Journal has been brought to life and will be available 7/26/2016 wherever books are sold with a suggested retail price of $19.99. However, if you are attending SDCC this weekend, you have a chance to get the Journal a few days early. Lucky you!

The first thing you’ll notice is it’s size. This thing is hefty. Approximately 8" x 10" and 2 LBs, this is no cheap cash-in. Alex and the group at Disney had the right idea to put a dust jacket on the book containing all the things books need to sell, like UPC codes, company logos, reviews, etc. This dust jacket can be taken off and it reveals a pretty sweet poster on the back.

Once you take of the jacket, you see a beautifully untouched Journal. The gold accents are glossy so they shine in the light and the damaged areas are matte so you can feel the changes as you handle the book. Inside, the pages feel akin to parchment, unlike the Curse of the Time Pirates’ Treasure’s smooth pages. There’s also a gold ribbon to save your place in the book. It’s no monocle on a chain, but it works just fine.

The Journal starts with familiar pages like the June 18th passage followed by Flying Eyeballs, Gnomes, etc. The difference between what we’ve seen in the show and what we now hold in our hand, is that every passage is now legible. You can read about all these oddities in full. The pages seen in the show make up only a fraction of whats in this Journal and it doesn’t contain every page we’ve ever seen, specifically those seen in Journals 1 and 2. While one could dream this means the other two may eventually get a full release, it’s probably not likely. However, Alex and his crew filled this book with almost 300 pages full of information, with many of those pages created just for this book. This is a final loving tribute to the show and it definitely shows.

Reading through the book is like reading an actual journal. Time progresses linearly. Ford recounts his times in Gravity Falls, sometimes flashing back to his past, then continues up until the point where he buries the Journal. From here, Dipper takes over, with the occasional page by Mabel, and we get a full recount of their adventures in Gravity Falls. Almost every episode appears as an entry in chronological order. Once Ford reappears from the portal, it switches back to his perspective and his entries as he catalogs his return to our dimension before recounting his 30 year journey on the other side, Weirdmageddon, and it’s aftermath.

The book answers several questions fans may have (what happened to Blendin, why are the Journals still intact, who stole the capers, etc) and I’m sure will cause several more to be asked as people ponder over all the information within. On several pages, you’ll also notice some familiar symbols that have been decoded in the past as well as newer ones yet to be deciphered. Are you, and the internet, up to the challenge?

So to sum up. If you are a fan of Gravity Falls, this is an absolute no brainer. Just like Guide was a necessity during it’s release, this is the single most important item you could have as a fan. The lore inside, the attention to detal, and a reasonable price make it a must buy for every single person out there.

This is TheMysteryofGravityFalls, signing off.

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