Stories about the Grim Reaper are plentiful. Whatever you’re looking for, probably exists. That’s what makes Grim #1 so interesting. Despite a character that’s used so much and a concept that’s used so much, the comic feels fresh and fun and one hell of a debut.
Written by Stephanie Phillips, Grim #1 focuses on Jessica Harrow. In the afterlife, she’s now a Reaper whose job it is to get souls to their destination. She’s one of many in the job, each with a unique personality and style. Unlike the others, she has no memory of how she died and how she got to where she is.
With this debut, Phillips delivers what feels like a fresh take on the concept of the Grim Reaper. The afterlife, the tone, the look, it all is interesting and new and sucks you into the world. You want to find out what’s next. What’s the next step in the process. We get to explore it all as Jessica takes her newly acquired individual to his destination. But, from there we get some twists.
There’s action. There’s a lot of solid comedy. And, there’s a mystery too. By the end, you’ll say “holy crap” and want to immediately read the next issue to find out what happens next! It’s just such a solid ride you want to go longer. Phillips infuses a sense of fun about it all, a playful tone she’s nailed in her writing of Harley Quinn.
It’s all helped by Flaviano‘s art. With color by Rico Renzi and lettering by Tom Napolitano, the look of the comic is dark but not grim and depressing. That line really helps as the comic overall is rather light and fun. If the style or colors are too dark, the comic wouldn’t come off as such and might be a slog to read. But, the team puts together a look that matches the comic perfectly. It takes us to horrific places but never feels horrible. There’s dead souls but it’s not depressing. And, when we get to the final destination, it all kind of lands with a nice punchline at how uneventful it all is. But most importantly, it has a style that feels like the fun the comic intends to be.
Grim #1 has already sold out at the distributor level and might be hard to find at shops. There’s a second printing coming in June and I fully expect that to sell out too, so hurry and don’t miss out on what is one of the best debuts of the year so far.
Story: Stephanie Phillips Art: Flaviano
Color: Rico Renzi Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy
BOOM! Studios provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: comiXology/Kindle – TFAW
Source: Graphic Policy
