Grim, Vol. 1: Don't Fear The Reaper

Grim

by Stephanie Phillips, Flaviano (Illustrator), Rico Renzi (Colorist)

Jessica Harrow is dead… but her journey has only just begun. Discover the world of the afterlife, where Jessica has been recruited as a Reaper, tasked with ferrying countless souls to their final destination.

But unlike the rest of the Reapers, Jess has no memory of what killed her and put her into this position. In order to unravel the mystery of her own demise, she'll have to solve an even bigger one – where is the actual Grim Reaper?

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fantasy, Horror, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction, Supernatural

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 25, 2023

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Grim Reaper stories.



Jessica is one of many Reapers responsible for ferrying souls to the underworld. The main difference between her and her Grim friends is that she has no memory of her death.
Ooooh. Bet she has a secret origin!
Spoiler alert: she does.



This isn't so much a horror story as it is a supernatural soap opera, but I dug it enough to download the next volume almost immediately.
Recommended.

[Jim Ef · Rating 3 out of 5]

6.8/10
This starts with a very strong first issue. Jessica appears in front of someone who just had an accident. She informs him that he just died and that she is a reaper who is assigned to bring him to the final destination.
After that we focus on Jessica. There is a mystery to her past, as she is the only one who doesn't remember anything about her death. The story progresses and we learn more about her.
There isn't much wrong here, but i would actually prefer to see a bit more of Jessica at work. I think that would give more emotion to the book.
Flaviano's art is fabulous. His panels on that first issue feel very cinematic.

[Mel (Epic Reading) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cover art has been amazing for this series! Between Flaviano (interior illustrator and cover artist) and the powerhouse that is Jenny Frison; there is a very specific feel to Grim and it works!
Our leading lady is a reaper, as are many other dead humans, but she is a bit different and no one knows why. As the first 5 issues (collected in this volume) bring us through part of her story we also learn what the ‘rules’ of reaping are; and get treated to cool looking scythes that are kind of like a lightsaber meets a light beam from Tron!
Definitely intrigued and glad I’ve got the next two volumes to move to immediately!

[Chantaal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great stylish artwork and a decent story, though not without its tropey faults. Definitely checking out volume 2, though. I'm intrigued.

Love the character design, Flaviano rarely fails.

[Mohan Vemulapalli · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Grim" is a well written and imaginative tale about "Reapers" who do all of Death's leg work in the afterlife. The artwork and story line are reminiscent but not derivative of Neil Gaiman's "Death" and "Sandman" books. Expect a strong protagonist with a mysterious past, lots of paranormal bureaucracy, a dynastic struggle for death's throne, a villain scarier then death and a trip to Las Vegas under trying circumstances.

[Adam Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cover quote for this book advertises it "for fans of The Many Deaths Of Laila Starr and Something Is Killing The Children." While I think that's an accurate rundown of who this book's audience could be, it's also risky because those are two excellent recent series involving death, each of them with innovative ideas and tight writing. This is a mediocre, paint by numbers, horror adjacent book with forgettable characters, the final issue in this collection explains the mystery from the first few issues but I just didn't care. The surprise reveal was boring, the kind of twist I'd expect from an intro level creative writing story in college.

If you are a fan of Many Deaths Of Laila Starr, Something Is Killing The Children, or anything like Neil Gaimain's Sandman, then you could check this out. It may resonate more with you then it did with me.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard being a reaper these days.

We start with our lead, Jessica Harrow, as she reaps souls and brings them to the afterlife when they die. At first it seems like a simple task, but as we get further into the world, we realize she can't remember HOW she died. All the other reapers can but not her. And when she learns the truth, it might be too late to stop what's coming.

Overall fun, a bit heartwarming at points, and super cool. Watching Jessica and her friends undercover the truth, only for a certain somebody to be related, and stop the big bag, and we find out this is only the start of the tale is great. The art is also fantastic, with some excellent designs.

Overall a nice sleeper hit, good stuff! 4 out of 5.

[Lexi · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

This was too funny. 😂😂😂. On to Volume #2…

[Bec · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute must-read for readers with a dark and spooky heart. While not traditional horror, with elements of humour and intrigue, Grim is chock-full of dark and gritty, but gorgeous illustrations with a stunning colour palette. It follows the story of Jessica Harrow. She is dead. She is also now a reaper. But unlike other reapers, she has no idea how she died.

With a couple of perfect side-kick-esque friends, this story pulls from traditional elements of death and grim reapers to create a brand-new story with stunning characters, an intriguing plotline and a contemporary setting. Things are not how they are supposed to be and Jessica doesn't understand why her memory, but no one else's, is lacking. The first volume is fast-paced and will hook you into what is no doubt going to be a great ongoing story. And the end of the volume will without a doubt have you in for the long haul.

→ trigger warnings: death, car accident, memory loss, fantasy violence, alcohol consumption

Note: Review copy received from BOOM! Studios. This does not impact opinions within this review.

becandbooks.com ‧ the storygraph ‧ trigger warning database ‧ more links

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had some parts where it stumbled a little, but overall I liked this.

Individual issue reviews: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5

Total review score: 3.35

[Skye Noelle]

This was so much fun! Interesting plot, great characters, and phenomenal artwork. I can't wait to see where this series goes.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jessica Harrow is a Reaper, responsible for helping the recently dead realize their death and then take them to the afterlife. On one of her many routine missions, Jessica suddenly crosses into the world of the living and interacts with people who are alive! This leads Jessica and her two friends, Marcel and Eddie, to start investigating what could be different and why she has this power that only one other reaper has ever had: the big guy himself, Death.

The first few pages of this story drew me in with the lyrics from "Don't Fear the Reaper" by Blue Öyster Cult because I thought it was cheeky to use in a book that was clearly going to be about death. But the appeal of this story isn't just in its use of pop culture. Jessica is beautifully drawn and a bit of an ingénue despite her job being fairly dark, but her supporting cast of friends truly make this story. Marcel and Eddie, Jessica's two reaper friends, add a lot of color commentary, and Eddie in particular is hard not to love. He's fashioned himself after an 80's hair-metal musician, and he shares a lot of characteristics with David Bowie. This is a pretty fast-paced book that may have some predictable moments to it, but all can be forgiven because readers will still want to be on this journey with Jess and her friends. This would be a fun read for someone looking for something slightly dark, but full of mystery and 80s music.

The art for this series is absolutely amazing. Flaviano and Renzi's skills really compliment one another. Each panel has an incredibly amount of detail, and the coloring from Renzi brings all of those wonderful illustrations to life. The covers have been amazing, and some of that art will undoubtedly be part of the paperback collection.

The book is a little dark and has a lot of cultural references. There is some smoking and alcohol consumption as well. This would be better for older readers.

Sara's Rating: 10/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12

[Micko · Rating 4 out of 5]

An action-packed and well-paced vol. 1 makes for a pretty strong start, but the characters are still a bit underdeveloped so far.

[Bekka · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little bit predictable, but I loved the mythology of this, and the storyline was great fun!
TW for blood, death, lots of talk of afterlife, murder, child abandonment, violence

[Debora Santo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfectly dynamic story in a beautifully dark color scheme

Jessica is one of Death's assistants who carries souls to the afterlife, but she's the only one who doesn't remember her death. She's determined to find out the truth, no matter what, and why it is hidden from her - and that's where this story starts.

I love how action-packed this story is within a neon-bright palette that stands out against the black. I enjoy it when a good graphic novel idea is creatively brought to life in diverse panel layouts, leading the pace through well-drawn series or action scenes that stir up all your emotions.

There were a few minor issues I noticed: some of the characters were a bit underdeveloped and it leaned onto some pretty well-known tropes, but the good visuals sufficiently made up for these things, I'd say.

This is a 4/5 star read for me, I loved it albeit the abovementioned negatives. I will be looking forward to the continuation of this story.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly good, with a well-written storyline, GRIM is the story of an underworld battle that boils over to life on Earth.

[Yuiko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it

[Vanna Book-Mage · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh this was good! Can’t wait for volume 2.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick lunchtime read. Cool concept and character, beautiful art, though a wee bit predictable so far. It held my interest enough lol

[Xroldx · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the first comic book with Death as the main character but this one has some nice surprises and enough humor.

[Lizzy DeMarco · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great concept. Love it so far.

[Dallas Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great set up and story here! Provides a twist that I didn't see coming that perfectly fit together and was set up the whole time!

[Zachariah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for a Grim Reaper tale

[caught_in_fairytales · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zeichnungen
Die tollen Zeichnungen von Flaviano und die farbenfrohe Koloration von Rico Renzi konnten mich sofort begeistert! Hier wurde wahrlich mit bunten Farben und klaren Kontrasten gespielt. Jeder Ort, jede Szene hat eine andere Farbgebung, wobei sie immer von Rot durchzogen waren. Die Umsetzung des Flusses Styx fand ich auch toll: Im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes ein gewaltiges rotes „Meer“ aus Seelen. Ein typisches Farbschema war zudem lila/blau und gelb. Einige Hauptfiguren könnten für meinen Geschmack zwar etwas grober und weniger süß gezeichnet sein, aber das ist nur meine Meinung (vielleicht liegt es daran, dass ich in letzter Zeit viel Lemire gelesen habe 😆).

Fazit
Bei der qualitativ hochwertigen Aufmachung des Comics hat es total Spaß gemacht, direkt mit der Geschichte loszulegen 🥰
Bei dem Thema und Cover hatte ich zwar einen etwas düstereren Comic erwartet, aber das hat der Geschichte keinen Abbruch getan, im Gegenteil: So können sie auch Jugendliche lesen.
Die Plotidee fand ich super, vor allem der Anfang des Comics hat mir hier gefallen: Wie Jessica auf einen eben Verstorbenen trifft und ihn über den Fluss Styx ins Jenseits geleitet. Die Auflösung von Plot Twists kam mir nur manchmal etwas zu schnell, womit keine hohe Spannung aufgebaut bzw. lange gehalten werden konnte; und die Charaktere waren dadurch - zumindest nach dem einen Band - noch nicht tief genug, um richtig mitzufiebern.

[RatGrrrl · Rating 4 out of 5]

After falling so unbelievably hard for Something Is Killing The Children and getting an ARC for volume 3 of this, I absolutely had to check this out and I wasn't disappointed.

A really interesting and aesthetically impressive take on death and the afterlife, an intriguing mystery, a fun cast of characters, and a decent sense of humour.

This hasn't absolutely knocked my socks off, but I am having a thoroughly good time and look forward to reading more!

[Patricia Q · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jessica Harrow is the only grim reaper not to remember her death. She also has some abilities other grim reapers don't have. The story gets larger as it moves along but I think I've said enough so that you can experience it yourself. Flaviano and Rico Renzi make this book look terrific. I think it's the best art of Flaviano's career. Ditto with Renzi. I'm looking forward to the rest of the story.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

The life of a reaper is not a charmed one. Death is an eternal business, with no beginning and no end, and with no rest for the wearisome minds who snare and ferry the dead to the afterworld. Also, it sure doesn't help that human souls are petty, disconsolate, and prone to bitter violence that bleeds them dry. In GRIM v1, a proficient reaper by the name of Jessica Harrow breaks the invisible tripwire safeguarding the breathing and the departed. By accident, of course. And in doing so invokes myriad entropic mayhem and supernatural occultic misgivings. Again, the life of a reaper is not a charmed one.

Jess isn't immune to the problems associated with her duty. When she ferries the dead, they bombard her annoying questions about the afterworld (which, as it turns out, is a labyrinthine bureaucracy). When she smacks an unwilling soul on the side of the head, they complain they never got a fair shot at life (which is obvious, since nobody does). But it's more complicated than that: Jess is the only reaper who doesn't know how she died; Jess traverses the realms of life and death like no one else should; and Jess has a sinking feeling that the sly demoness in charge of the afterworld, Adira, is hiding something from her.

GRIM v1 is the perfect comic book for readers who adore dark mythos with a twist, and who adore authors who rely on character agency to propel a story forward. It's also the perfect comic book for readers allured by the precariousness of uncertainty, a book that never falls into the trap of promising more than it is capable of delivering. This is not a book about killing random people, invoking an eternal war for its own sake, and reveling in the gore in between. GRIM v1 is about Jess's insecurity, her search for her past, and how she relies on her close friends to help her define her future.

The concept and designs for this book are exquisite. Skull motifs are used sparingly but effectively (e.g., when Jess is pissed, her face contorts into a skull). Assorted demonology and demon iconography is localized (e.g., the afterworld is rife with rivers and lakes of lost souls; scythes are stylized but not to the point of excess). And the setting design is clever and fun (e.g., the afterworld's filing system ranges from old bank-style pneumatic tubes to a digital messaging board).

The character designs are slick, diverse, and carry just the right amount of familiarity to goad readers into wishing they had more to consume than they do. Jess's friends include Eddie, an 80s hair-band rocker, and Marcel, a handsome 19th Century Frenchman. Other characters include Annabel, a fit rockabilly gal, and Vincenzo, Adira's right-hand man, whose Elizabethan-style garb is truly delightful.

And the coloring is fantastic. With each passing fight, Jess encounters a sinewy mixture of muddled maroons and bawdy dark reds. With each lurid gaze into the past, readers encounter a seductive cascade of blues, light and dark, paired with a hungry and fathomless spectrum of purple that leaves little room for error.

GRIM v1 boasts impressionable characters, great visual design, and a story that deepens the intrigue with each issue. Jess's past is essential to understanding her future. But the demoness Adira has other plans. More problematic? Those plans may well include a cryptic entity-smothering creature called The End that can smash or devour anything in its path. Is it worth suffering so much destruction just to restore an outdated concept of cosmic balance?

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following Stephanie Phillips from her great Harley Quinn run seemed like it was a good idea, and Grim is definitely the kind of story I was expecting from her.

Our main character is Jessica Harrow, a Reaper of souls - but of course, she's no ordinary Reaper. As she investigates the nature of her own death, secrets about her parentage and the nature of the afterlife itself come under scrutiny, and she upends the natural order of things, for better or worse.

Phillips' world is fun, and a good variation on themes and characters we've seen in many other types of media. We've all seen Death before, somehow or another, and yet this still feels like a fresh take, which isn't easy to achieve.

On the art side we have Flaviano, who, coupled with Rico Renzi's neon-drenched colours, is doing the best work of his career thus far. I'd have read Grim for the beautiful artwork alone, to be honest.

Grim is another one of those books you'd expect to be Image titles rather than Boom!; it's a little darker, a little grittier, and a hell of a lot of fun. More, please.

[Dair · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art does the heavy lifting on this title. The story is interesting but not entirely compelling. Overall worth reading, especially of you like Flaviano’s art.