Grim Leaper #1 - Review

Every now and then, I read a comic book that absolutely nails it. Every aspect of the book just works perfectly, forming a stack of stapled-together pages of pure nirvana. Grim Leaper #1, the first issue in a new ongoing Image series from writer Kurtis J. Wiebe and artist Aluisio C. Santos, is one of those books.

Grim Leaper follows a crude man named Lou with a sizable desire to get laid, who obtains a curse that makes him reincarnate as someone else every time he dies. Humorously, and interestingly, he dies quite a bit, which makes him a deadly person to be around. But that's not even fully setting up the direction this book seems to be going. This is a love story, as the cover of the comic advertises - He meets a lovely lady named Ella, a girl with the same curse as him, but for what seems to be a shorter amount of time.

It's fantastic, because it reeks of style and personality, and nails pacing with fluid story-telling. The narration from Lou's perspective is entirely informal and very fun. The dialogue is equally good, spitting immature-yet-mature humor every chance it gets. I absolutely love Ella's line after she learns that Lou has the same curse as her: "Fuck me."

The imagery is equally stylized and entertaining. Santos nails coloring and gives the characters a unique, quirky look, delivering pictures that pop off of the pages. A particular full-page, satisfying scribble of a tire smashing a man's head clear off of his body is an accurate representation of the creative visuals of this comic.

I have no complaints. This book is perfect. It oozes with personality and doesn't waste a second on you, with jokes that work every time, drawings that never fail to please, and a distinct style and personality that is going to force my hand into my wallet every time this book comes out. Grim Leaper #1 absolutely nails it.

***

There is also a cute, enjoyable back-up from Joey Esposito of IGN included here, entitled "Drive Time Commute." It's nothing to write home about, but it's a sweet tale of a man and a woman enamored by the glimpses they catch of each other in their day-to-day, boring schedules. The fitting artwork is easy on the eyes, and the script is well-written.