Review by Frank Plowright

Grim is Stephanie Phillips taking a look at the ages-old trade of grim reaping, collecting the souls of the recently dead and accompanying them to the underworld. As people are dying all the time, it requires a whole platoon of Reapers clothed in variations of red and black, and the focus is on Jenna Harrow. She stands alone among the Reapers for being the only one who can’t remember how she died, and is aware of being fobbed off by the bureaucratic hierarchy running the process. That process is complicated by Death themselves being missing somewhere.

There are series where a few mysteries are introduced at the start, and the author provides no revelations until somewhere near the end. That’s definitively not the approach taken by Phillips. She’s confident she has an engaging cast and a situation able to intrigue even with much explained, so almost all the questions asked at the start are answered during the opening five chapters.

Also so important is the adaptability of artist Flaviano. As Grim moves forward there are a fair amount of locations to process, both fantasy and reality oriented, involving past and present and assorted genres. They’re all convincingly supplied, in detail when necessary. Also worth noting is that Flaviano’s people are visually distinct. There’s no mistaking one for another. Rico Renzi’s thoughtful colouring adds much, and when the narrative definitely drifts into horror he’s generous with red.

Once the first flush of discovery and revelation has passed Grim drifts for a little, although Phillips keeps moving the plot forward and continues to introduce new cast members. It’s welcome that this hardcover combines three paperbacks (Don’t Fear the Reaper, Devils & Dust and Lust For Life) as instead of a book of two halves it encompasses Grim again having a sense of purpose. By then Jenna’s origin has been revealed, answering questions about her lack of memory, Death has been located, and the different personalities making the cast so interesting have been further fleshed out. Several mythological beings appear, Phillips uses an idea that’s head-slappingly obvious, but only once she’s introduced it, and she has interesting takes on several death-related subjects, not least Hell’s original purpose.

Grim starts with a mission, and that mission keeps expanding and moving into different areas, and it’s gradually apparent that Phillips has constructed an environment able to encompass any type of story, which is the narrative holy grail. That will become even more apparent when Book Two is published, although that’s presumably a couple of years away. This is a quality series constantly introducing thought-provoking ideas, so if you like the look of Flaviano’s art and you have the money, this is the format of choice.