Originally published at Comic Book Resources.com on Wed, May 30th, 2012 at 11:44AM (PDT)
Grim Leaper” #1 is a hilarious and surprisingly gory romantic comedy. After dying one too many times, a troubled young man is on the clock to find a meaningful purpose in life.
Whenever Lou Collins dies, he suddenly wakes up in a stranger’s body. Sometimes, he comes back to life as a handsome, muscular man named Blake. Never in control, the next body he leaps into is an overweight and balding Paul Daniels. Even after cheating death so many times, Lou is absolutely scared of how he is going to die. He has to suffer a gruesome demise, usually with his head being chopped off. Resurrecting from the dead is a painfully intense experience.
If you enjoyed “Green Wake” and “Peter Panzerfaust,” you will not be disappointed with Kurtis J. Wiebe’s stellar writing. While keeping the pace moving, Wiebe never deviates from the protagonist’s first person narration, which dives into Lou’s mind, letting the readers understand where he is coming from. After dying and resurrecting, Lou is just wasting his time and his potential. He wanders aimlessly around with no purpose. He has made nothing of himself, which is why he can be lazy as Paul and have meaningless one-night stands through Blake.
Artist Aluísio C. Santos definitely keeps the reader’s eyes glued to the pages with his bright colors. Through close-ups and medium shots, Santos captures a lonely guy grasping at straws, trying to find a connection with someone. Santos then shocks readers with these well-drawn and intense horrific sequences. Santos does this once in a splash page, and the next in slow motion. This is the type of imagery aimed to provoke a response.
“Grim Leaper” #1 is a different kind of romantic comedy where people end up being decapitated. Lou Collins hasn’t made the most out of life, even after cheating death thirteen times. Lou has no intention of living a meaningful life until he meets Ella. Now that he has a reason to stay alive, death is always lurking around the corner. Kicking off to a great start, eager readers should not miss out on this four-part miniseries. You definitely want to stick around for Wiebe’s great writing, and Santos’ colorful artwork in “Grim Leaper.”
