Ever wondered what would happen if a zany teen romance and The Craft got put in a blender? “Kim Reaper” is what happens. A new comic by Sarah Graley and Crank!, “Kim Reaper” is the story of Becka and her crush on Kim. The only problem? Kim is a part time Grim Reaper!
Read on below to find out why you should be reading this delightful comic in our full spoiler free review!
Written, Illustrated & Coloured by Sarah GraleyCover by Sarah Graley
Lettered by Crank!
Like most university students, Kim works a part-time job to make ends meet. UNLIKE most university students, Kim’s job is pretty dang cool: she’s a grim reaper, tasked with guiding souls into the afterlife. Like most university students, Becka has a super intense unrequited crush. UNLIKE most university students, Becka’s crush is on a beautiful gothic angel that frequents the underworld. Of course, she doesn’t know that. Unaware of the ghoulish drama she’s about to step into, Becka finally gathers up the courage to ask Kim on a date! But when she falls into a ghostly portal and interrupts Kim at her job, she sets off a chain of events that will pit the two of them against angry cat-dads, vengeful zombies, and perhaps even the underworld itself. But if they work together, they just might make it… and maybe even get a kiss in the bargain.
The first thing you need to know about “Kim Reaper” #1 is that it is a goddamned delight. This is a comic that wants nothing more than for you to have a good time while reading it, reminding you of the pleasure of simple stories like wanting to score a date with your crush who just some happens to be a part time Grim Reaper. It’s refreshing to see a comic take such a small, intimate approach to storytelling that doesn’t revolve around some hard-drinking asshole with pent up demons surrounded by death. Okay, so it is technically all about death, but in a very comedic sense. With a market flooded with mature, grim and gritty stories that want to be the next big Image hit, “Kim Reaper” stands out by simply wanting to have a good time.
That being said, it’s impressive to see the craft that went into “Kim Reaper.” Sarah Graley is credited as the writer, illustrator and colourist while Crank! is credited as the letterer. To see a comic that is the distilled form of, for all intents and purposes, one person’s creative vision is such a breath of fresh air, especially when it comes in the form of a zany, wickedly fun comic. While I wouldn’t say that “Kim Reaper” is necessarily an all ages comic (at least, not for small children), it does capture that same sense of cartoonishness that leads adults to love things like Steven Universe and Adventure Time. The characters, in both the writing and the artwork, are exaggerated to the point of being cartoons with reactions so over the top that their proportions and expressions deform for effect.
What this does mean, though, is that “Kim Reaper” #1 has a pretty breakneck pace. From the first page, Graley hits the ground running and really doesn’t let up until the very last page. The jokes are non-stop and the over-the-top reactions get grander and grander. For those not expecting something so cartoon-y it might be a bit much, but if you go into “Kim Reaper” #1 with the same mindset you would when you sit down to binge Steven Universe then you’ll likely love it.
Graley’s ideas ramp up, page by page, getting zanier and zanier and one of the real joys of “Kim Reaper” is how she crafts character reactions through the dialogue and through facial expressions. Perhaps the funniest beat in the comic, to me, comes in the form of two panels after Becka sees Kim’s deathly portal for the first time. In the first panel, she stares wide eyed with a very neutral expression before yelling for everyone to come see the weird portal in the second panel. It’s a small beat, but it shows a relatable character underneath all the goofs and that’s what makes “Kim Reaper” work just so darn well.
Continued belowThis isn’t the kind of story that overloads itself trying to be funny. There’s a genuine story built on relatable characters and motivations underneath all the goofs that Graley never loses sight of. It’s the driving thrust behind all the goofs as Becka simply wants to ask Kim out on a date and gets caught up in her other life as a Grim Reaper. It’s also incredibly refreshing to have a comic about a burgeoning queer relationship that doesn’t draw attention to itself. This isn’t a PR stunt to earn anyone any brownie points for having character diversity. This is a comic where one character has a crush on another who moonlights as Grim Leaper and they’re both women. This level on nonchalance about queer stories shouldn’t feel so monumentally refreshing, but it is because it feels so genuinely told by Graley.
It’s not just that Graley’s writing is fantastic either as her artwork is just as great. Graley showcases herself as an all around talent with “Kim Reaper” with writing, lineart and colours that all compliment one another to tell a wonderful story. With an art style that feels simple and cartoon-y, Graley compliments her writing with exaggerated character expressions and body language that emphasise the humour. There’s a meticulous amount of craft to “Kim Reaper” which is impressive for such an unassuming comic. Everything about it feels so effortless, so off the cuff and hilarious that to think it was the work of largely a single person is infinitely impressive.
“Kim Reaper” #1 is a fantastic debut that marries off-the-wall zaniness and comedy with a genuine, burgeoning love story in a mix that belies Sarah Graley’s talents as a cartoonist. It’s a comic that feels effortless in it’s storytelling so much that it might slip under some peoples’ radars, but this is a must read. When we talk about normalising queer relationships in comic book storytelling, “Kim Reaper” is exactly the kind of comic we mean. This is an important comic not just because of that, but because it will hopefully showcase the talents of Sarah Graley to even more people.
Final Verdict: 8.9 – A genuinely funny debut issue from an immensely talented creator. Do not miss this issue.
