Anyone that grew up in the 2000s watching Disney XD has seen or, at the very least, heard of Gravity Falls. The animated series aired from 2012–16 and gained worldwide praise for its intriguing story, loveable characters, and impeccable animation that was ahead of its time. After the release of the new graphic novel, The Book of Bill, many fans’ childhoods were reanimated and the show’s enormous fan base became lively once again.
Gravity Falls is a show that mainly highlights the pains of growing up. It follows the adventures of Dipper and Mabel, 12-year-old twins that spend the summer with their Great Uncle (or “Grunkle”) Stanley in a small, wooded Oregon town. What makes the series unique is its mysterious, supernatural and dark fantasy twists. The show takes a turn when Dipper discovers a journal explaining the strange paranormal and mythological things that exist in Gravity Falls. He and Mabel navigate the town’s weirdness throughout the series, encountering several creatures and going up against a few dangerous foes, including a crazy, and quite creepy, triangular demon named Bill Cipher. During the finale of the show, all the characters come together to save the town from Bill’s version of Armageddon: “Weirdmaggedon.”
Many aspects of the series, notably its humor, are what makes it so enjoyable to both kids and adults alike. The hidden codes, easter eggs and foreshadowing that were embedded into the show encouraged its viewers to solve mysteries, which is what brought fans together and created such a tight-knit community. Two of the biggest mysteries were theorized extensively, even by a number of well-known influencers, yet still surprised everyone by the end of the show. These answers included (spoilers ahead); the author of the iconic journals turning out to be Grunkle Stan’s twin brother, Stanford, and Bill Cipher’s plans to rule the world. However, plenty of questions still remained following the series’ end.
On July 23, 2024, creator of Gravity Falls, Alex Hirsch, released The Book of Bill. The graphic novel focuses on Bill Cipher, the most beloved villain in the series, and includes numerous codes and secrets. It was adult-rated by Disney due to its dark content, language, and mature humor. The Gravity Falls fandom emerged amidst the book’s release, and the presence of fans online boomed, seemingly overnight. Everyone came together to discuss the new content, decipher codes, theorize, and solve mysteries for the first time in years. Not only did they love the book for its both stunning and bone-chilling artwork by a variety of talented artists, but also its crucial additions to the Gravity Falls universe. The Book of Bill reveals everything from Bill Cipher’s sad and twisted backstory to Dipper’s internet history and Bill’s dating tips. The book also includes a URL which directs readers to a website where codes can be inputted to receive even more pieces of Gravity Falls lore.
The fandom was pleasantly shocked by the newfound Gravity Falls content and the internet was once again blessed with lots of fanart, memes, animatics, and much more. The whole experience since the book’s release has been deemed nostalgic by most fans. It would not have been surprising if Alex Hirsch had purposefully waited this long to release the book, as most fans are likely adults now. Even though Hirsch has stated in the past that there would not be any more Gravity Falls content following season two, fans are now speculating that there may possibly be a prequel or spinoff in the near future. Either way, the success of The Book of Bill has proved that the story holds a very special place in a lot of people’s hearts.
