Comic Book Review: American McGee’s Grimm #1

Comic Book Review: American McGee’s Grimm #1
written by Dwight L. MacPherson
illustrated by Grant Bond
published by IDW Publishing
reviewed by Richard Caldwell

Created by on the move game designer American McGee, the character of Grimm is a dastardly dwarf with a continuing series of increasingly popular games. Taking familiar stories from assorted works of fiction, Grimm twists and disrupts to his own gleefully grim delight, mangling the outcomes into something far less iconic and all the more entertaining for it.

In this series, written by the well-versed MacPherson, Grimm will be wrecking his own brand of havoc on a number of familiar settings. In this issue, he challenges certain dogmas of the superhero comic. And boy, does he.

The city of Megalopolis is protected by the Freedom Friends, who easily maintain the peace by conquering the League of Super Evil at expected intervals. All are caricatures, to be sure, of more recognizable costumed figures from other marvelous national periodicals. Enter our narrator Grimm to impact upon the villains a chance at changing the status quo, and wackiness ensues.

The lush art of Bond calls to mind maybe a Ralph Steadman painting images of blockish Lego-people, a very animated effect that serves the story well. Within the world of Megalopolis, he alters his style to summon the illustrative spirit of a Kirby/Sinnott combo- giving a nod to the past just as the story itself deconstructs the genre’s cannon of frivolous repetition. The end take is one of energy and above all, personality.

While the story flows and the art is abundantly less realistic than atypical mainstream fare, this is not a book for children. There are naughty words and sublime innuendo, and indeed much of the humor is aimed at the informed geek, which is in no way a bad thing whatsoever.

All in all, a strong start to what looks like an engaging series. With talk of a possible movie down the road, I only hope Hollywood pays as much heed to the comic as to its progenitor game.
Great job, guys.

www.idwpublishing.com

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Richard Caldwell

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