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The Grot: The Story of the Swamp City Grifters
"Anyone willing to get filthy can also get rich." In this dystopian swamp city, two brothers find that opportunity and exploitation lurk around every corner. But who's smarter: the hordes of people rushing to move in, or the equal horde desperate to leave?
Penn and Lipton Wise have set out to Falter City to make their fortune. It's the future, obviously, and things are pretty grim. The Australian landscape is traumatized. Plague is rampant. Machines only work as well as the poor sod pedaling them. Things are hotter and wetter than they used to be, giving the whole place the vibe of a sweaty armpit.
Lippy and Penn are hoping to set up shop in this grimy boom-town, but they've got to stay frosty, because it's teeming with hustlers, swindlers, and scoundrels. It's the sort of place where a lucky moron could make an outrageous fortune in an afternoon and lose it all before bedtime. The sort of place where two enterprising teenagers could really make something of themselves. Or so they say.
In his follow-up to the critically acclaimed Blue, Pat Grant confirms his reputation as "the Australian Mark Twain" (Craig Thompson, author of Blankets and Habibi) with a page-turning graphic novel about economic inequality, desperation, and the gambler's addiction to hope even in the worst of times.
Penn and Lipton Wise have set out to Falter City to make their fortune. It's the future, obviously, and things are pretty grim. The Australian landscape is traumatized. Plague is rampant. Machines only work as well as the poor sod pedaling them. Things are hotter and wetter than they used to be, giving the whole place the vibe of a sweaty armpit.
Lippy and Penn are hoping to set up shop in this grimy boom-town, but they've got to stay frosty, because it's teeming with hustlers, swindlers, and scoundrels. It's the sort of place where a lucky moron could make an outrageous fortune in an afternoon and lose it all before bedtime. The sort of place where two enterprising teenagers could really make something of themselves. Or so they say.
In his follow-up to the critically acclaimed Blue, Pat Grant confirms his reputation as "the Australian Mark Twain" (Craig Thompson, author of Blankets and Habibi) with a page-turning graphic novel about economic inequality, desperation, and the gambler's addiction to hope even in the worst of times.
200 pages, Paperback
First published May 19, 2020
4 people are currently reading
141 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
July 23, 2020
A phenomenally fun and disgusting book. With a clever and timely premise. The story is an engrossing ride, and the art is just incredible.
March 18, 2021
What an interesting little weird post-apocalyptic story. "The Grot: The Story of Swamp City Grifters" tells of a future gold rush except the gold is swamp slug. Our protagonists are two brothers and their mother who are going North to open up a (you guessed it) yogurt store for said prospectors. What follows is a mix of Mad Max meets The Sting meets meets The Road. And somehow with all that heartbreak and sadness in there, the book is also hilarious. I hope we get another volume of these two because the ending certainly suggests it. High recommend.
June 15, 2020
Reading it, it may be a little slight-seeming, but this graphic novel evocation of hard labour in the swamps of Falter City may look scuzzy and dirty, but is still quite cleverly entertaining in the finish.
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October 28, 2025
This book was nasty. It was intentionally nasty (as evidenced by the title, too) and the art and the plot delivered, both of which were very corporeal and gross. The story itself follows two brothers and their mom as they move to Falter City, a place where many people try to get rich in this post-apocalyptic world. The family that moves has a yogurt business, with yogurt and fermented goods being a potential hot commodity in a place like Falter City, where a plague is ripping through its streets.
The book is interesting in its contrast between the brothers. One brother, Lipton, is closer to the mom and more responsible in business, while the other, Penn, is mischievous and doesn't seem to care much for the rest of his family or their successes. When they get to Falter City, each boy chooses a guide - Lipton chooses an old man, while Penn chooses a young girl. Together, they go on alternate sides of long cons: while Lipton gets conned out of the family money, Penn learns about how the people of Falter City con the rich families who come to increase their wealth. Before Penn can save his brother from the con, Lipton has already lost the family fortune. On top of that, their mom also dies of a plague, leaving them in a precarious position in Falter City: broke and without a place to be. The book shows the precarity of money in Falter City, with its main message being that just as easily as you can get rich quick in a place like Falter City, you can also lose all of your money by those who understand how it runs -- and who control the wealth within. The book is a kind of warning, as well as an example of what might be, in a world that's ravaged by disease and other ills. Yet The Grot is also about sibling relationships, specifically what it's like to be a younger sibling: both Penn and his guide (who's the younger sister to a con artist) struggle to find their place as supporting characters in their siblings stories, and their dynamic together is a compelling part of the book. As a whole, The Grot is a gross, beautiful, and strange read, but ultimately an interesting one and one I'd recommend to others!
The book is interesting in its contrast between the brothers. One brother, Lipton, is closer to the mom and more responsible in business, while the other, Penn, is mischievous and doesn't seem to care much for the rest of his family or their successes. When they get to Falter City, each boy chooses a guide - Lipton chooses an old man, while Penn chooses a young girl. Together, they go on alternate sides of long cons: while Lipton gets conned out of the family money, Penn learns about how the people of Falter City con the rich families who come to increase their wealth. Before Penn can save his brother from the con, Lipton has already lost the family fortune. On top of that, their mom also dies of a plague, leaving them in a precarious position in Falter City: broke and without a place to be. The book shows the precarity of money in Falter City, with its main message being that just as easily as you can get rich quick in a place like Falter City, you can also lose all of your money by those who understand how it runs -- and who control the wealth within. The book is a kind of warning, as well as an example of what might be, in a world that's ravaged by disease and other ills. Yet The Grot is also about sibling relationships, specifically what it's like to be a younger sibling: both Penn and his guide (who's the younger sister to a con artist) struggle to find their place as supporting characters in their siblings stories, and their dynamic together is a compelling part of the book. As a whole, The Grot is a gross, beautiful, and strange read, but ultimately an interesting one and one I'd recommend to others!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2022
Nothing brings out the cruelty of characters like a story of a prospecting town and the people who get taken there.
What works in The Grot is that we don't spend a shitload of time setting up the fictional world, which is usually kind of a boring, overdone process in a lot of books if you ask me. It gives us just enough, but the main thrust of everything would work in the real world.
Whenever a story explains too much, I feel like the characters in Jurassic Park. Remember that part where they're on the ride that explains how dinosaurs were made, and they break the ride and get off because they're like, "Let's see these fuckin' dinosaurs already"? That's how I feel in most books. I want to break something and then see the dinosaurs. Doesn't have to be in that order, but I'd like to do those two things.
Nothing kills my reader stiffy like listening to the history of a bunch of made-up nonsense. Or the science behind something that is scientific up to a point, then takes a hard left into fiction. Like...I don't need to know how warp speed works in Star Trek. Just tell me that it works, we're good. As long as you don't plan on solving problems by going really fast, that's not important, and Star Trek rarely solves problems by going really fast.
I could never get through Dune because I'm like, "I give very few fucks, and even fewer of them flying, and I can't give any kind of fuck, flying or otherwise, about the history of where a sword came from."
What works in The Grot is that we don't spend a shitload of time setting up the fictional world, which is usually kind of a boring, overdone process in a lot of books if you ask me. It gives us just enough, but the main thrust of everything would work in the real world.
Whenever a story explains too much, I feel like the characters in Jurassic Park. Remember that part where they're on the ride that explains how dinosaurs were made, and they break the ride and get off because they're like, "Let's see these fuckin' dinosaurs already"? That's how I feel in most books. I want to break something and then see the dinosaurs. Doesn't have to be in that order, but I'd like to do those two things.
Nothing kills my reader stiffy like listening to the history of a bunch of made-up nonsense. Or the science behind something that is scientific up to a point, then takes a hard left into fiction. Like...I don't need to know how warp speed works in Star Trek. Just tell me that it works, we're good. As long as you don't plan on solving problems by going really fast, that's not important, and Star Trek rarely solves problems by going really fast.
I could never get through Dune because I'm like, "I give very few fucks, and even fewer of them flying, and I can't give any kind of fuck, flying or otherwise, about the history of where a sword came from."
September 8, 2020
3.5 stars
Set in a grotty, damp post-climate change Australia where inequality is rampant and everyone seems to have a scheme to rise out of the masses and muck. The art is well done in a whimsical cartoony watercolor style that helps lighten the story’s misanthropic procession of opportunists and conmen, but it took me a while to become invested in anyone in this generally unpleasant squalor. Apparently this is the first in an eventual series of stories; I’ll keep an eye out for whatever this sketchy crew gets themselves into next.
Set in a grotty, damp post-climate change Australia where inequality is rampant and everyone seems to have a scheme to rise out of the masses and muck. The art is well done in a whimsical cartoony watercolor style that helps lighten the story’s misanthropic procession of opportunists and conmen, but it took me a while to become invested in anyone in this generally unpleasant squalor. Apparently this is the first in an eventual series of stories; I’ll keep an eye out for whatever this sketchy crew gets themselves into next.
December 12, 2020
If I didn't read so much ya and also graphic novels I think I would have enjoyed this a lot more. Though the art is great the story was a little too trope heavy for me to knock this one up to 4 stars.
February 22, 2021
A really fun Aussie graphic novel. Mad Max meets The Simpsons.
I'm sure this is just the beginning of further adventures in a series.
Look forward to seeing what happens next.
I'm sure this is just the beginning of further adventures in a series.
Look forward to seeing what happens next.
March 3, 2022
great commentary on the environment and material possession/what money is actually worth. Stunning art.
August 1, 2020
Pat Grant’s debut graphic novel, “Blue,” was a distinctly Australian spin on Stephen King’s “The Body,” which was famously made into the film “Stand By Me.” It was moody and weird and kinda gruesome and it announced to the comics world a brand new talent. But even with such an auspicious debut, I don’t think anyone could’ve guessed how much Grant’s latest project, the ongoing series “The Grot,” collected here as “The Grot: The Story Of The Swamp City Grifters,” would represent such a huge leap forward. This book is a stunner in every way.
“The Grot” takes place in a devastated world - why? cataclysmic event? climate change? who knows? - where the land is hotter, wetter, and grimier than ever. Money is virtually worthless, algae is outrageously valuable, and everyone is looking for a con or an angle in order to survive. Rising from the mire is Falter City, a beacon for those who want to make their fortune, like Lippy and Penn, two mismatched brothers who envision parlaying their family yogurt business into a thriving enterprise. “The Grot” asks if these small-timers are cut out for the mean streets of Falter City and, man, this book has a good time answering that question. First off, nothing looks like “The Grot.” Grant has always had a very unique style, a sludgy cartoonishness that is both appealingly animated and mildly appalling, but his art here is drop dead gorgeous; you know, in a dirty sort of way. The citizens of Falter City are all dusty, hunchbacked, rash-y caricatures, jam-packed into claustrophobic hyper-detailed alleys and marketplaces; it doesn’t get much prettier outside the city limits, however, as Grant renders the surrounding area as a series of scummy bogs and overgrown swamps. But I loved it! His muted colors are so lush and everything has a grubby charm. Grant’s story is mesmerizingly twisty, full of devious plots and backstabbing swindles, which keep the reader constantly on their toes. I never knew what to expect from one page to the next. I’m so happy to know that this is an on-going series because “The Grot” - even though the environment itself is desolate - seems like fertile ground for plenty more yucky stories.
Immersive world-building, fun characters, and a pervasive sarcastic sense of humor make “The Grot: The Story Of The Swamp City Grifters” a must read. Just know that, after you read it, you’re gonna feel an overwhelming need to wash your hands. I’m sure Pat Grant wouldn’t have it any other way.
“The Grot” takes place in a devastated world - why? cataclysmic event? climate change? who knows? - where the land is hotter, wetter, and grimier than ever. Money is virtually worthless, algae is outrageously valuable, and everyone is looking for a con or an angle in order to survive. Rising from the mire is Falter City, a beacon for those who want to make their fortune, like Lippy and Penn, two mismatched brothers who envision parlaying their family yogurt business into a thriving enterprise. “The Grot” asks if these small-timers are cut out for the mean streets of Falter City and, man, this book has a good time answering that question. First off, nothing looks like “The Grot.” Grant has always had a very unique style, a sludgy cartoonishness that is both appealingly animated and mildly appalling, but his art here is drop dead gorgeous; you know, in a dirty sort of way. The citizens of Falter City are all dusty, hunchbacked, rash-y caricatures, jam-packed into claustrophobic hyper-detailed alleys and marketplaces; it doesn’t get much prettier outside the city limits, however, as Grant renders the surrounding area as a series of scummy bogs and overgrown swamps. But I loved it! His muted colors are so lush and everything has a grubby charm. Grant’s story is mesmerizingly twisty, full of devious plots and backstabbing swindles, which keep the reader constantly on their toes. I never knew what to expect from one page to the next. I’m so happy to know that this is an on-going series because “The Grot” - even though the environment itself is desolate - seems like fertile ground for plenty more yucky stories.
Immersive world-building, fun characters, and a pervasive sarcastic sense of humor make “The Grot: The Story Of The Swamp City Grifters” a must read. Just know that, after you read it, you’re gonna feel an overwhelming need to wash your hands. I’m sure Pat Grant wouldn’t have it any other way.
September 21, 2020
Gloriously grotty, this is Pat Grant's greatest work yet. A foetid story of a mouldy post-collapse future Australia where everything is rotting and everyone is looking out only for themselves - because if they don't, they won't last long.
And look out, because there's more than one long con going on in this tale.
Great characters, beautifully grotesque art and colouring, this is quite the story for our pandemically altered times. Don't sleep on it, because we need to get to read the next chapters!
And look out, because there's more than one long con going on in this tale.
Great characters, beautifully grotesque art and colouring, this is quite the story for our pandemically altered times. Don't sleep on it, because we need to get to read the next chapters!
July 24, 2020
Saya membaca Grot dan mau tidak mau terpikat sampai akhir. Setiap babak terasa mencekam, meskipun disampaikan dengan santai.
Saya sangat menikmati artworknya , terasa tulus, seperti melihat karya aslinya di kertas gambarnya.
Panel dan storytellingnya kaya. Ada saat pacing yang detail, rapat. Ada bagian yang disampaikan dengan bagian-bagian silent dan yang saya suka: gaya infografis!
Sangat mendambakan karya Pat berikutnya!
Saya sangat menikmati artworknya , terasa tulus, seperti melihat karya aslinya di kertas gambarnya.
Panel dan storytellingnya kaya. Ada saat pacing yang detail, rapat. Ada bagian yang disampaikan dengan bagian-bagian silent dan yang saya suka: gaya infografis!
Sangat mendambakan karya Pat berikutnya!
September 10, 2020
SO GOOD. So Australian! I can't wait to see more of this Mad Max landscape of algae prospectors and grifters. Here's our future.
March 13, 2021
An icky and imaginative descent into a world like no other.
Everything about this graphic novel is so scummy and yet so striking and stylistic. The art is perfect for the story. It's utterly unique and you can therefore feel an individual behind the art, which is always cool to see in comics. There's some really fantastic ideas presented in this insalubrious, post-apocalyptic Australian world, including medicinal yogurt and algae prospectors. Everything is bizarre but beautifully realized.
The colors are grubby, the characters are grubbier, and the machinations of (almost) all the characters are totally wretched but I was happy to be sucked into this swampland and terrible cityscape with them.
I did not like the cockfights that were held, or chook fights, as the characters called it (don't think I've ever heard the word "chook" before, so just looked it up, and yes, it's an Aussie term I'm unfamiliar with living in the U.S.). Humans forcing animals to fight one another, and drugging them to boot (as they do in this comic) is cruel and disgusting, and just because your world is cruel and disgusting does not mean you have to drag animals into it too.
While most of the characters are depraved, sleazy and self-serving, I did like the 13-year-old who acted as a guide of sorts to the two brothers - I was at least rooting for her. She had this indomitable shine about her, and I look forward to seeing what Pat Grant will do with this character in the next volume.
So the thing that's been gnawing at me is this: what in the world is this comic even about? A rumination on the vicissitudes of fortune and misfortune? A condemnation of the hoarding and concentration of wealth? An examination of a future in which climate change has torn apart our world and, consequently, human morals? A sordid portrait of human greed and selfishness? I'm not sure. Maybe it's simply a thrilling ride into a gross and gritty world of swamps and scumbags. But I do know that this comic is poking and lurking around in my brain and I just can't seem to knock it out. It's stuck to me like swamp muck, and in this case, that's a good thing.
Everything about this graphic novel is so scummy and yet so striking and stylistic. The art is perfect for the story. It's utterly unique and you can therefore feel an individual behind the art, which is always cool to see in comics. There's some really fantastic ideas presented in this insalubrious, post-apocalyptic Australian world, including medicinal yogurt and algae prospectors. Everything is bizarre but beautifully realized.
The colors are grubby, the characters are grubbier, and the machinations of (almost) all the characters are totally wretched but I was happy to be sucked into this swampland and terrible cityscape with them.
I did not like the cockfights that were held, or chook fights, as the characters called it (don't think I've ever heard the word "chook" before, so just looked it up, and yes, it's an Aussie term I'm unfamiliar with living in the U.S.). Humans forcing animals to fight one another, and drugging them to boot (as they do in this comic) is cruel and disgusting, and just because your world is cruel and disgusting does not mean you have to drag animals into it too.
While most of the characters are depraved, sleazy and self-serving, I did like the 13-year-old who acted as a guide of sorts to the two brothers - I was at least rooting for her. She had this indomitable shine about her, and I look forward to seeing what Pat Grant will do with this character in the next volume.
So the thing that's been gnawing at me is this: what in the world is this comic even about? A rumination on the vicissitudes of fortune and misfortune? A condemnation of the hoarding and concentration of wealth? An examination of a future in which climate change has torn apart our world and, consequently, human morals? A sordid portrait of human greed and selfishness? I'm not sure. Maybe it's simply a thrilling ride into a gross and gritty world of swamps and scumbags. But I do know that this comic is poking and lurking around in my brain and I just can't seem to knock it out. It's stuck to me like swamp muck, and in this case, that's a good thing.
June 30, 2020
3.5 stars, rounding up. I am not a fan of graphic novels or comic books really, so my ratings of such books are always a little unfair. That said, I think my rating here is mostly based on the book itself.
The world was interesting even if it's not explained at all. I think if I hadn't read a description of the book and world before reading the book I would not have understood the world at all. I don't know if that is typical for comic books or not but it's not a good thing in my opinion.
The art is good, but it is not at all to my taste being quite gross and, well, yeah just gross. While the world would be understandably gross, I am not sure why every character needs to be super ugly. No less realistic than books that have only beautiful characters I suppose. But still, not my thing.
And sadly the story was also not really my taste being mostly about business and crime. And yeah I get that the book is not meant to be saying these are good things, and it certainly doesn't glorify any of it - indeed it does well at showing the horrible side of capitalism - still it's just not a topic I like in my fiction.
So, I don't like comic books much, I wasn't a fan of the art style, and the story wasn't my taste. But I can recognise that it's a good story and the art is well done so I am trying to be fair with my rating. I certainly did not hate it.
I am actually a bit interested in what happens next. All I could think was that the boys make a perfect pair, if they just worked together doing what they do best, they could have possibly prevented some of what happened. So will they learn from their experience? But then the epilogue happened and that was awesome. That was what I was wanting from this story. So it ended on a high note for me.
The world was interesting even if it's not explained at all. I think if I hadn't read a description of the book and world before reading the book I would not have understood the world at all. I don't know if that is typical for comic books or not but it's not a good thing in my opinion.
The art is good, but it is not at all to my taste being quite gross and, well, yeah just gross. While the world would be understandably gross, I am not sure why every character needs to be super ugly. No less realistic than books that have only beautiful characters I suppose. But still, not my thing.
And sadly the story was also not really my taste being mostly about business and crime. And yeah I get that the book is not meant to be saying these are good things, and it certainly doesn't glorify any of it - indeed it does well at showing the horrible side of capitalism - still it's just not a topic I like in my fiction.
So, I don't like comic books much, I wasn't a fan of the art style, and the story wasn't my taste. But I can recognise that it's a good story and the art is well done so I am trying to be fair with my rating. I certainly did not hate it.
I am actually a bit interested in what happens next. All I could think was that the boys make a perfect pair, if they just worked together doing what they do best, they could have possibly prevented some of what happened. So will they learn from their experience? But then the epilogue happened and that was awesome. That was what I was wanting from this story. So it ended on a high note for me.
July 24, 2020
A gross, funny and clever book about a bunch of opportunistic grifters looking to get rich quick in a frontier town.
Pat depicts a hilariously disgusting vision of the future, we're well past peak fossil fuels and into the grimy realities of everything being people powered. Pedal cars, pedal boats, all industrial tooling has gone to the wayside. BUT a new replacement is on the horizon in the form of bright green algae that's driving migration like the craziest gold rush ever.
The characters are all scoundrels, and the plots and schemes fit in the great tradition of con/heist stories. With plenty of crosses, double crosses and more. Behind all of this is an incredible vision of what our world could be if we don't sort out a sustainable energies future.
Highly recommended for anyone who's a fan of Deadwood, stories of con-artists or post-industrial fiction.
Pat depicts a hilariously disgusting vision of the future, we're well past peak fossil fuels and into the grimy realities of everything being people powered. Pedal cars, pedal boats, all industrial tooling has gone to the wayside. BUT a new replacement is on the horizon in the form of bright green algae that's driving migration like the craziest gold rush ever.
The characters are all scoundrels, and the plots and schemes fit in the great tradition of con/heist stories. With plenty of crosses, double crosses and more. Behind all of this is an incredible vision of what our world could be if we don't sort out a sustainable energies future.
Highly recommended for anyone who's a fan of Deadwood, stories of con-artists or post-industrial fiction.
February 2, 2021
The drawing style is crude and eerie, making you feel like everyone is evil somehow (which, to be fair, is on point with the theme). The story is reminiscent of how I always pictured a gold-mining town to be way back in the day. Everyone is out for themselves and trying hit pay-dirt any and all ways possible. This book follows two brothers who pick up their lives and head to the big town to try and make their small fortune bigger. They quickly realize that getting rich is never easy, and they sure have their work cut out for them. I found the main characters endearing but naive, and I repeatedly became anxious watching them get set up into cons. The drawing style and dirty look to it all didn’t help, making me get a bit stressed out for them as I quickly finished the book. I’m sure that this was exactly what the authors were going for.
February 6, 2021
Art⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ World building and the grotesque tone to the art are top notch as expected from Grant. He makes squalor seem delightful, but unfortunately we don’t get as many of the stylised, psychedelic landscapes like in Blue. Full palette colouring was a treat, but I’m not convinced it necessarily improved things here.
Story⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ While the society in ruins, the art of the con, and family saga premises and themes are intriguing, it still manages to squelch on its potential nuance, and the clever plot twists although appreciated didn’t quite hook me. I hated the fat phobia name calling.
All in all though, I still want to see where this series will go and still think Pat Grant is legendary!
Story⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ While the society in ruins, the art of the con, and family saga premises and themes are intriguing, it still manages to squelch on its potential nuance, and the clever plot twists although appreciated didn’t quite hook me. I hated the fat phobia name calling.
All in all though, I still want to see where this series will go and still think Pat Grant is legendary!
July 23, 2020
The Grot is outstanding. Such an entertaining read, so much fun, the characters are so disgusting at times, reminding me a LOT of Dead Wood with Australian vernacular. Great pacing, timing, is Pat a screen-writer? He should write for television. There are also some absolute WOW moments with the art - there is a full page spread of Falter city coming out of the mist which stopped me in my tracks. What a world-builder is this guy so I hope that there are more in an ongoing series in this future dystopian universe.
July 24, 2020
It's such a good read, bringing together the best of adventure-dystopia fiction (think Mad Max but with more rags and junk-bicycle-chariots than petrol and BDSM wear) and global stories of migration and the metropolis. There's lots of fun historical echoes of gold rush, depression, and mass human movement, and the kind of lawlessness, chaos and despair, but also ingenuity, warmth and possibility that go with it. Kind of distressingly prescient given it's themes of plague and environmental collapse, but somehow still a really fun, escapist read.
July 26, 2020
The Grot presents a vision of the future that is filthy, inventive and utterly engrossing. Every page is chock full of fantastic detail and texture (made even more tangible with Fionn McCabe’s skillful colouring), which draws you in and keeps you there in much the same way as the oozing swamp in which the story is set. The characters are a very believable and compelling bunch, with wonderfully natural and often entertaining dialogue, and it is an absolute pleasure to follow them through The Grot’s labyrinthine, desperate, ad hoc world that is at once alien and unnervingly familiar.
July 26, 2020
I'm not a big reader of fiction, and even less so of graphic stuff, but a few friends were talking about this and recommended it so I gave it a go. Very happy I did. I like a bit of gambling and reading about grifters, scammers and con artists, so it was a treat. Funny world, great and gross characters, and a story that I quickly got sucked into. You don't need to be a big comic nerd to like this book, so give it a go if you want to try something different.
June 19, 2023
In Falter City, two brothers embark on a venture to establish a yogurt business. However, the setting is far from ideal as the city is plagued with villains, deceivers, and con artists, and there's even a possibility of an epidemic. Despite these challenges, it serves as a promising beginning to the series. The artwork is both appealing and gross. I would suggest this to readers who enjoy gritty escapades that lack the typical heroic characters.
July 23, 2020
Compelling world building, unique visual style, amazing colouring work and compelling characters. The Grot makes you love and care for the scuzzy and free-wheeling duo of Lippy and Penn even as it drop kicks the brothers into the self-serving worst of post-apocalyptic anarcho-capitalism. A delight. Fingers crossed we get to spend more time getting dirty in this imaginative world.
July 24, 2020
Given the state of the world and the direction in which it is heading, Grant’s graphic novel is eerily relevant and thought-invoking. The story is relatable yet unique and the characters are awesome. The subtleties and clever details in the artwork are the gift that keeps on giving and truly need to be seen to be appreciated.
August 27, 2020
Whoa, this really surprised me! The art was so crazy ugly but I warmed up to it. Reminds me of Mad Magazine artist Tom Bunk. Creative writing, shuffling layout styles repeatedly, and having a weird sense of humor, these all built on each other.
Very satisfied with wild twist at the end.
But the epilogue was SO dark and jarring. Yikes. Can't wait to read more!
Very satisfied with wild twist at the end.
But the epilogue was SO dark and jarring. Yikes. Can't wait to read more!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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January 22, 2021Adore Pat Grant's art style. Was genuinely bummed once I finished this, after I had the realisation that I probably won't be able to read the sequel for another 4 years or so. The world and characters are incredibly compelling, and it really does feel like things are just getting started.
Man, there's some gorgeous stuff in this book. Can not wait to read more.
Man, there's some gorgeous stuff in this book. Can not wait to read more.
February 25, 2021
Fantastic graphic novel about two marks and some grifters in a setting that reminded me of Mad Max combined with a Gold Rush town in the old West. Most of the story is devoted to the setup and pay off of a couple of grifts. This only seems to be the first chapter in a series, and I eagerly await more.
March 9, 2021
As much as I enjoyed Blue, this is in another league. Even if slightly predictable, the plot is no longer heavy handed, is very funny and sets the tone for the series. Pat Grant's unique art suits this near future desolate Australia like a glove. Excellent beginning for this new series, can't wait for number 2.
May 4, 2021
Aussie futuristic dystopia where people head out to the Grot in search of their fortune in the swamps and mire around Falter city. Deep earthy tones for graphics, somewhat british aussie in character, and a plot that has a yoghurt-making family go to Falter City to make the big bucks in a future thick with grime and no electricity but plenty of scheming.
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