Timala Elliott
Timala Elliott
Grim #2
BOOM! Studios
Written by Stephanie Phillips
Art by Flaviano
Colors by Rico Renzi
Letters by Tom Napolitano
The Rundown: After a suspension, Jessica and her friends enact a plan to retrieve valuable information.
In the opener a loving couple attends a Day of the Dead celebration in Mexico City when a deadly event occurs. Elsewhere, Jess and her fellow Grim reapers discuss an unexpected incident that took place during their time in the mortal world. Later, Jess reaches out to Adira to learn about her past, but soon discovers she is being suspended from her duties as a reaper. Afterwards Jess, Marcel, and Eddie break into the records room in an attempt to recover sensitive information. Once their Jess retrieves a document that triggers something surprising. Finally, in the Epilogue, someone mysterious makes an appearance in an undisclosed location.
The Story: The second chapter in this saga adds a new layer of mystery to Jess’s unusual afterlife. Phillips does an excellent job combining humor, horror, and classic rock lyrics in this perfectly crafted tale. I really enjoyed both the relationship and world building aspects presented. Jess’s friendship with Marcel and Eddie is fun and relatable, whereas her relationship with Adira is intriguing. I’m curious how each character will ultimately affect Jess’s journey and whether or not their history is in someway intertwined. Then, there is the jaw dropping cliff-hanger ending and epilogue. The content given is filled with promise and I look forward to finding out what happens in the next episode.
The Art: I really like the artwork in this issue. It has a modern quality with bold coloring and linework that emphasizes both character and environment. This chapter also does an excellent job with tonal shifts that expertly flow between settings in an emotionally connective manner. I would also like to point out the brilliant lettering that captured the musical influences spread throughout the story. All in all, I really appreciated this well-crafted entry in the series.
