Comics Review: Grimm, Killjoys, and BPRD Vampire Revisited

I read something recently about how new series get reviewed, but there generally isn't follow up. The more I thought about that the more surprising it was, because often with comic books there is so much exposition in the first issue that you really don't know how it will come out.

That's why I decided to revisit these three series that I wrote about in June. Of course, two of them were limited runs, but those two are finished now, which is one good reason for returning. Also, reading my original post, I can see that a lot of my optimism was based on trust in the creators, which is interesting, and we can look at how that trust works out. If you are not reading a one-off, there will be expectations.

Most of this will be about the things I didn't expect, and maybe could not have expected, and whether or not that ends up being a good thing.

BPRD Vampire (Dark Horse Comics): Story by Mike Mignola, Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon, with art by Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon, colors by Dave Stewart, and letters by Clem Robins.

When I last wrote about the series, I had just finished reading issue 3 of 5, and it was a turning point where the was this jolt of realizing that I did not know where it was going at all. You might think that would cause a reset where whatever happened would not throw me, but I was still totally thrown by the conclusion.

It's not that it didn't make sense. Actually, re-reading everything last night, the ending of the first issue kind of predicts it all. Anders wants to kill the vampires, and he will do that beyond his wildest hopes, but there's still no way you could have seen the bear coming.

BPRD Vampire is chilling, and it is a complete story in five issues, yet it is also part of a much larger story, connecting to other issues of BPRD, and to mythology and history, so with roots sinking deep and tentacles reaching out.

Grimm (Dynamite Comics): Plot by Jim Kouf and David Greenwalt, script by Marc Gaffen and Kyle McVey, art by José Malaga, colors by Thiago Dal Bello, and letters by Marshall Dillon.

This is the series that is actually continuing, and yet I am not continuing with it, which is disappointing. There were two things that I thought were handled well from the first issue. One is that they got through the world-building exposition with a nice balance of information without being too repetitious. Also, I thought the introduction of Maya would be good as it would allow the comic to do its own thing without having too much conflict with the show.

I think there was sort of a shift where someone picking up the series now without being familiar with the show might face some confusion, but that is not the problem. It's more that the comic is just too typical. Once the initial storyline of the coins wrapped up, things lost steam, with some fairly perfunctory monster of the week cases.

I gave up after issue 8, which ironically was the best, focusing completely on an episode from Aunt Marie's past. There is a really rich world here. The books in the trailer give a long history of Grimms and Wesen, so there is a lot that could be explored without being hampered by worries about contradicting the show.

That being said, the books still struggle with typical comic book problems. Here's a female; she better dress sexy. Even Kelly ends up in ball gowns, with the cliched skeevy villain making her try them on. It feels very stereotypical, which prevents it from living up to the show, which I still adore.

All of which may just be one way of saying that I still think it should have gone through Dark Horse.

The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (Dark Horse Comics): Script by Gerard Way and Shaun Simon, Art by Becky Cloonan, Colors by Dan Jackson, and Letters by Nate Piekos of Blambot. 

The biggest overthrow of expectations here happened with the conclusion, which came surprisingly easily. Everything was set for an epic showdown with a lot of deaths, and that is not how it happened at all.

It feels like it should feel too easy, but it doesn't, and I have puzzled over that. Korse and Val have, from different side, killed many people. Korse has seen some loss and suffering, so that he can drive off into an unknown future is one thing. With Val, it could be even less satisfying; he can just say he's sorry and walk away?

But you do a see a weigh one him, first in a close-up of his face, and then farther away as he is surrounded by many, from both sides, just as newly free, all of whom have done horrible things with varying degrees of knowledge, and who aren't going to be done thinking about it or adjusting to it that quickly. What would we all do if we were suddenly free? So I think one reason it ended up being satisfying is that it felt realistic. It could go down like that.

The other thing, though, is the girls' arc. She learned to understand herself and the world around her, and actively chose what she was going to do about it, and it was a higher choice than a lot of easier ones.

And it ended on a sweet surprise that you wouldn't have dared hoped for, but that still makes me tear up.