In her continuing macabre journey as a grim reaper, Jessica Harrow is still trapped in Las Vegas with fellow reapers Eddie and Marcel, where they encounter a fabulous twist on mythical Greek figures, as well as someone with the authority to get them out of their phantasmal dilemma. Jess' means of moving between the world of the living and the realm of the dead has also gone amok. When everyone becomes marked for death but no one is dying, the consequences could be catastrophic! Will Jessica find a way to return to the Afterlife and take her rightful place atop the throne? Or will Adira solidify her control, now that she's finally in possession of Death's scythe? From acclaimed writer Stephanie Phillips (Harley Quinn) and fan favorite artist Flaviano (New Mutants) comes a bold new vision of what comes after, and the nature of death itself!!
A fun supernatural soap opera about Death's daughter.
Jess needs to take over the family business after the events of the last volume. But as her origin story was a complete surprise to her, she's still very unsure that she's the right person for the job. She needs to get her shit together, though, because with no Death, no one is dying. And that's a very bad thing.
Her fellow Reaper, Marcel confesses that he's a murderer . They have a showdown with a Devil who tries to send him to Hell which leads to spoilery things happening.
Meanwhile, Jessica's mother is breaking out of prison and on her way to...something? We don't know yet, but it looks as though she's teaming up with the folks who want to see Jess dead. Dead-dead.
There's nothing AMAZING about this comic but I like the way the story just sort of bops along at a nice clip.
Volume one had its issues but was still interesting enough to have me check out volume 2. Well, I have, and probably won't be moving forward.
This volume just feels like an all around mess, with storylines trying to seem more profound than they actually are. The art is fantastic, but not enough to keep me going.
What can I say? I love the art! I love Phillips writing! I love the characters and story! It’s just so great to read about a grim reaper who doesn’t want to be one, has eclectic friends, and is getting metaphorically screwed over every time she turns around. Poor gal. I think they will need to add new characters in soon so she can have some allies, she may run short! Lol. Highly recommend this one. It’s dark, dramatic, got enough action (for me) and is absolutely gothic and gorgeous!
Great world building and character building in this volume! I was really surprised with the actual horror tone that this book took on, but I’m absolutely all about it! The art and colors are so visually appealing that it enhances the story and reading of this so much more. Looking forward to more of this in the future!
Same great art and characters I loved in the first volume. A lot of characters and lore were introduced in this volume, but it felt like it was all just setup for whatever happens next. I feel like I also would have benefitted from re-reading volume 1.
"Grim : Devils and Dust" picks up where the previous volume left off and maintains the same fast pace and vigorous story telling. In this volume, Jessica begins to confront the ramifications of death's recent demise and the possibility that she is in for a radical career change. Expect strong appearances from the supporting cast of reapers, a few teases regarding the past of Jessica's mother, the low down on Marcel's back story , a mysterious amulet, a life affirming conversation and a backdoor to hell.
When the chief purveyor of death dies, then nobody can die. Fascinating. Could be a problem, though.
GRIM v2 shows what happens when Jess Harrow and her allies try to snip the threads of misfortune and are stuck with an eternity of bitter calamity as a consequence. Death and The End, which balance all life and death, have cancelled each other out. Naturally, there's a power vacuum in the afterlife. Will the demoness Adira use the death-scythe to rule with an iron gaze? Will Jess fulfill the ultimate underdog story and turn the tables to take up her father's old post? And who the hell is Lilah, and why does she have a farewell letter indicating her daughter needs her help now more than ever? As Jess, Eddie, and Marcel contemplate their destinies as forsaken death-bringers, new problems drag them back into the fray.
Macabre themes, multiple narrative points-of-view, oneiric storytelling styles -- GRIM v2 is a good example of a comic book that requires multiple readings. The current volume exposes several different stories, all of which threaten to converge farther down the line. The book is rather opaque at the outset, but clears up the more of it one reads. In the least, the art team delivers another solid product: cryptic oranges and yellows for a scene debating the efficacy of modern religion; heavy shadows and spot-color reds to articulate the polyphonic chaos of a hospital the moment death becomes obsolete on Earth; fabulously subdued blues and purples for dream-like scenes involving the Fates, three burlesque dancers on the Vegas Strip.
Jess's anger and resentment toward her father is not a calculus of emotion that is easy to resolve. The young woman spends much of the volume diagnosing the storm of emotions she never new boiled inside of her. Jess is convinced the chaos on earth is all her fault (and it kind of is). But the truth is more complex. Adira's power-hungry nature only grows, and other, outside forces scheme for a crack at the scythe. A betrayal or two might be in the offing, and the same can be said of a surprise involving doorways to hell and a frenzied prison break somewhere unexpected.
The situation is delicate, to say the least. Jess has a lot of power. Jess has a lot of potential. And Jess has a lot of pain. Nobody really knows what's going to happen when all three variables come together.
GRIM v2 gives readers the traditional all-hope-is-lost sequence for the protagonist's heroic journey. All paths forward are muddied; allies succumb to doubt or are thrown into disarray; enemies are everywhere. Jess doesn't believe in herself, but others do. The challenge? What is it they believe she's capable of? Saving humanity? Or destroying it? Well, if Jess's mother, Lilah, has any say in the matter, things will only get thornier from here on out.
Auch dieser Band lädt mit seiner hochwertigen Aufmachung und dem tollen illustrierten Vorsatzpapier und den dicken Seiten wieder zum Lesen ein! CrossCult weiß eben, wie 🥰 Das Cover der in Flammen stehenden Protagonistin Jessica lässt bereits ihre Verzweiflung und ihren Zwiespalt vermuten, schließlich muss sie sich der schwierigen Bestimmung stellen, die ihr am Ende vom ersten Band zuteil wurde. So richtig überzeugt ist sie aber noch nicht, was sie verletzlich und somit sympathisch als unsere Heldin macht. Auch die vielen weichen und sanften Variant Cover von Justine Florentino waren eine Abwechslung zu den tollen Zeichnungen von Flaviano, auch wenn letztere mich diesmal minimal weniger begeistert haben (- sie sind dennoch schön anzusehen!).
Dieser Band ist deutlich düsterer, inhaltlich wie auch zeichnerisch und farblich. Die farbenfrohe und verspielte Koloration sowie klare farbliche Kontrastgestaltung von Rico Renzi aus Band 1 musste hier auch farblich etwas der ausweglos wirkenden Story weichen; sie ist weniger niedlich, zwar immer noch bunt, aber deutlich weniger, dafür blutiger mit einer Prise Horror zu Beginn. Inhaltlich hat die Sogwirkung leider etwas nachgelassen, es fühlt sich wie ein „Zwischenband“ an, bevor es im nächsten wieder spannender wird, da manche Personen (z. B. Jessicas Mutter) kurz eingeführt werden, wir aber noch nicht allzu viel über sie erfahren. Auch gab es keine überraschenden Plot Twists. Schade, aber solide genug, vor allem wieder zeichnerisch, um noch Potenzial in den Folgebänden zu haben!
Death is dead, and everything's going wrong! But the only person who can do something about it, Death's daughter Jessica, is nowhere to be found.
Stephanie Phillips continues to expand the world of Grim with some new characters and concepts, all growing towards something much bigger on the horizon. Jess spends a lot of this volume grumping about, so she's not the best character to follow, but her nicely fleshed out supporting cast are there to keep the action moving, while other shadowy figures in the background keep screwing things up for everyone.
As good as the story is though, the art still remains the big draw for me. The colours pop so well, even just two characters talking for pages at a time can still look lovely. Rico Renzi really knows how to get the most out of Flaviano's pencils, and it shows on every page.
Lovely art and a rapidly growing mythos keep Grim on the top of the to-read pile as one of Boom!s books to watch.
Following the ending of the last arc, I was interested to see where Phillips and Flaviano took the story. Luckily, the opening issue of this new arc keeps the quality of the previous five issues. There's a solid amount of mystery presented here, and I don't think that the direction here is as obvious as the first arc, at least not yet. The ending here is a little abrupt, but I'm still intrigued to see how this plays out in this volume. The issues in this volume lean heavily on the horror theme of the series and can feel very intense throughout the pages. This was a darker turn for this series, and I really enjoyed it. The idea presented here of nobody being able to die is an intriguing concept and I think it'll be interesting to see more of how that ties into Jessica. Plus, Flaviano's art is, once again, outstanding here and I can't state enough how much I believe he adds to the story being told.
GRIM Volume 2 (Phillips) Almost stopped after #6, and it gets gruesome in #7, but it’s worth continuing if you want to see how the arc continues … #6 – Devils & Dust – No Man’s Land. 1917. “…JUST SHOOT!” #7 – Absolution – “May you return to Him who formed you from the dust of the earth.” #8 – Into the Void – “Hard to KILL an already-dead-and-immortal being.” #9 – Sympathy for the Guardian – “She’s at the first gateway to hell.” – Annabel. “THE FIRST..? There’s more than one..?” – Eddie #10 – Life – “EASY? There’s nothing EASY about breaking into the Afterlife to steal the scythe from my literal DEMON aunt … I don’t think OTHER families have issues like this…” - Jess
Things are changing and not for the better now that Death is dead. Jess is really freaked out and resisting becoming the new Grim Reaper while Adira's all in on taking the position. Jess and her friends are on the hunt for a back door to Hell so they can normalize things. This is very much a story in transition. This story is so much better than Phillips's work for hire stuff at DC and Marvel.
The art is so flipping good. The best thing Flaviano's ever done complemented by Rico Renzi's best coloring job. Not only does the art pop, but it has a depth to it, particularly the coloring. These two are doing Eisner level stuff here.
Pretty good vol.2 Jessica is still trying to figure out what's going on with her dad (death) and you get some good story progression. Cool to see Life personified as well, cool idea. The art is really crispy and vibrant. The paper they choose and the ink make amazing panels. I was instantly thinking, dang this is some damn good color publishing, next level printing. (librarian in me). Ill grab 3 but I hope they wrap it up soon.
always feel the need to at least give a 3, simply because these are writers and artist, and they are creating. there are circumstances where i feel what is being created is recycled trash, but that's just one solitary opinion of someone who is not publishing their writing and art. So, solid C read for me but you may like it ;)
While still mostly enjoyable, it is evident that the comic is starting to lose its way, as it meanders through the plot, with too many dramatic hints and pauses that ultimately have no pay-off. I know this, having read ahead, though at the time I thought maybe it was setting up something grand. The art remains great to look at.
Some of the exposition in this volume felt forced and a little clunky. The personification of the afterlife has been done many times but this still feels original and I'm excited to keep reading.
Jessica ist immer noch mit ihren beiden Freunden Eddie und Marcel in Las Vegas gefangen. Jess Fähigkeiten zwischen der Welt der Lebenden und dem Reich der Toten zu wechseln gerät außer Kontrolle und die Menschen, die sterben, bleiben nicht tot.
Jessica will zurück ins Reich der Toten, aber wird sie wirklich den Thron einnehmen, der ihr zusteht?
Bereits der erste Band hat mich total begeistert und auch dieser zweite ist genial! Nicht nur begeistert mich die Geschichte um Jess und die Reaper, auch die genialen Zeichnungen finde ich sehr gelungen. Sehr detailreich und ein abgestimmtes Farbkonzept, welches mich überzeugt.
Die Geschichte selbst wird noch eine Nuance dunkler und blutiger. Alles mit einer Brise Horror verbunden ist die komplette Atmosphäre sehr, sehr düster. Gefällt mir ausgesprochen gut!
Jessica, aber auch Eddie und Marcel sind mir total sympathisch, vor allem Eddie hat es mir schwer angetan. Ich mag die Figuren und gerade Jess ist mit ihrer Unsicherheit, was sie wirklich will sehr sympathisch.
Für mich kann es nun gar nicht schnell genug zum nächsten Band gehen – zumal auch diese Geschichte wieder mit einem fiesen Cliffhanger endet.
Not a whole lot happens here in these 5 issues, except for Jessica continuing to deny her lineage and place as a grim reaper. Kind of setting the stage for what's next, I guess. The art's okay, but nothing too spectacular.