Grass Kings Vol. 1

Product Information

This is one of those comics where it's difficult to talk about without spoiling it, which I won't do. So, just trust my word when I say this comic is great. Boom! Studios began publishing Grass Kings as a comic book series in 2017. The saga was collected and reprinted last year in three hardcover editions.The synopsis of Grass Kings :“A rural mystery series that follows Robert Pike as he creates a separatist society among the island homesteads of Alaska to insulate himself against the loss of his murdered daughter. With help from the fellow outcasts and misfits that join him, Robert will grow an off-the-grid community into his ideal civilization. But as his kingdom grows, so does the list of adversaries that threaten to tear down what he’s created. Only with the help of his family can Robert hold the demons within, and without, at bay.” Funny how it goes - I was given recommendations (through goodreads) from Brian Vaughan and Fiona Staples (creators of the outstanding comic series Saga) of what to read while waiting for the next Saga collection to come out. I read Brian's first (Ice Cream Man) and I hated it with a fiery loathing. Then I read Fiona's recommendation (Grass Kings) and loved it with a fiery passion. Where do you begin in trying to write a review for THE most incredible business & people in the industry?

I was right to be worried. This is by far the weakest of the three trades. Not just because Kindt's weaknesses had well and truly worn out there welcome. Nor because this is the shortest of the arc's and still asking for the same amount of cash. But basically, all of the little foibles of this series (none of which include Jenkins' amazing art) had piled up and up, leaving me shaking my head and ruining the immersion I was able to find, or force up until this point. The first six issues of the series center on both repairing Robert’s break from the community and resolving the Kingdom’s boiling point with Cargill’s Sheriff Humbert. The catalyst for both events is a young woman who emerges from the lake. In his grief and inebriation, Robert initially confuses her for his daughter before taking her in as a surrogate. Upon the woman, Maria, is revealed to have ties to Cargill, the long-coming conflict comes to head. Though Robert regains his ties to the Kingdom and some sense of his former leadership, his rejoining is a means to protecting his symbolic daughter. During the fifth issue’s climactic fight against the Cargill Police, Robert leads the town in resistance while narrating his daughter’s favorite bedtime story. There are moments of outright brutality that aren't for the faint of heart, and the comic goes to some dark places. The Thin-Air Killer is an interesting figure for sure, and this person's motivation, calculation, and actions are nothing short of chilling.One of the things the solicitation does get right is its comparison to shows like True Detective; both have that slow burn drama with underlying tension and mystery. Here though, Kindt and Jenkins bring us a book about the strength of identity (especially when that becomes all you have to live for,) the importance of family, and the consequences of loss. In future issues further themes will undoubtedly be explored, but throw in centuries of story development, an entire town’s worth of engaging, complex characters and a final few scenes that tease the mystery yet to come, wrap that all in stunning artwork, and “Grass Kings” #1 is a hell of a strong debut issue. Asking someone to spot you for an asinine amount of time- This happened to me once. This asshole asked for a spot, I said sure, and then it turned out he was doing this thing where he loaded up a barbell from empty to 8 10 lb. plates on each side, 20 lbs at a time. So he had 8 steps going up, 8 coming down. 16 sets. This took goddamn forever. That dude is gone-zo.

Matt Kindt ( Pistolwhip) weaves a dystopian tale surrounding the land called The Grass Kingdom. Its violent history comes up time and time again with bitter batters spilling generations of blood into the land these societal outsiders call home. Robert, the eldest of the three brothers, holds the symbolic throne of king, however his past has plunged him into a nightmare of regret and alcoholism as he torments over the disappearance of his daughter. His rage is further ignited at the neighboring town's sheriff, who dismissed her case as an accidental drowning. This feud finally reaches its boiling point when the problematic sheriff's wife escapes to the Grass Kingdom and is taken in and hidden away by Robert himself. You should really trim your lawn at least once a week during the main growing season (twice if it is growing rapidly), although if it is extremely dry, you can reduce this. Trimming your lawns every two weeks should be adequate during the spring and autumn seasons. Unless the weather in Kings Lynn is very mild and your turf has carried on growing, mowing should not be necessary during the winter time, and only then using a high-cut setting on the odd occasion. You should never mow grass when it's frosty or wet, as this can damage the grass and compress the soil underneath. Current comics are filled with a lot of quality horror books. Cullen Bunn’s own Harrow County may be the very best. Nearly all of them are from indie titles as most of the big two attempts have not quite hit the mark. Cullen Bunn recently attempted to unleash monsters earlier this year but the series felt like it was weighed down by editorial decisions. That becomes even more evident when Bunn gets a series like The Unsound that allows him to flex his horror story muscle. Grass Kings is an American modern murder-mystery, borrowing elements of fantasy and the Old West to tell the story about three brothers and the dissident slice of land they call home. As an Eisner nominee for 2018's Best New Series, this release from Boom Studios is a tempting trade to add to your collection, especially if you're already fans of Jason Aaron's Scalped or Brian Wood's Briggs Land.

Solid continuation of the series doesn’t present many surprises in a good way. The drama deepens with the characters we know rather then having big twists. It’s very much in keeping with the tone of the book. With the deepening of events come, revelations that show all is not idyllic in the Grass Kingdom.