Grass Kings #1 –
Boom! Studios
Written by Matt Kindt
Art by Tyler Jenkins
Letters by Jim Campbell
Think about what it would be like to live “off the grid.” It almost seems unimaginable, almost to the point of being anxiety inducing, in this modern world that we live in. Still, it’s possible that some people feel like they don’t have much of a choice. When three brothers decide to start their own community, with their own rules and their chosen members, you could consider it paradise or consider it voluntary isolation. This latest offering from Boom! Studios, direct from the mind of Matt Kindt, tells their story and much more.
This book starts out with the history of the land that the community rests on. It’s important to pay close attention to these first few pages, because I feel like it leads to a significant plot point later on in the book, so don’t discard it once you get to the meat of the story. Once that passes, a lot of this issue centers around one of the brothers, Archie, who picks up someone who has snuck into their community. This is mainly a vessel for telling the reader how the town operates, introducing us to some of the characters therein and how things operate within their borders. There is also a lot of talk about another brother, Robert, who seems to be the leader of the community. What we don’t find out until near the end of the issue is that Robert has some serious baggage, and I will not spoil what that is. The conclusion of this first issue, if you paid attention to the beginning, is a nice callback (in my opinion) and could lead to something very unexpected in future issues.
When it comes to world building, Matt Kindt is really one of the top guys you want. He not only knows how to build, but he knows how to put each piece in the exact right place that it belongs. The pacing in the book is done so well, and brings all the players to the forefront without dragging things on and making it feel uninteresting. Even though it’s hard to believe that something like this could be happening now, there is such a realism to what Kindt has given us and it’s intriguing to consider what it would be like if a place like this did exist and how they would be viewed by outsiders. There is also a good deal of mystery here, from a couple of different angles, but we get just enough to wonder if these two elements may be connected. Then you enter Tyler Jenkins, who I still love for his work on Snow Blind with Ollie Masters, and you realize how perfect the choice is right off the bat. Jenkins gives this raw and rustic look to this story that just works so well with Kindt’s writing. He also has a way of depicting raw emotion that really takes a story to that next level. I was pretty convinced this book would be a winner when I saw the creative team. Now that I’ve read the first issue, this will definitely be one of the first books I read as each subsequent issue is released.
This book starts out with the history of the land that the community rests on. It’s important to pay close attention to these first few pages, because I feel like it leads to a significant plot point later on in the book, so don’t discard it once you get to the meat of the story. Once that passes, a lot of this issue centers around one of the brothers, Archie, who picks up someone who has snuck into their community. This is mainly a vessel for telling the reader how the town operates, introducing us to some of the characters therein and how things operate within their borders. There is also a lot of talk about another brother, Robert, who seems to be the leader of the community. What we don’t find out until near the end of the issue is that Robert has some serious baggage, and I will not spoil what that is. The conclusion of this first issue, if you paid attention to the beginning, is a nice callback (in my opinion) and could lead to something very unexpected in future issues.
When it comes to world building, Matt Kindt is really one of the top guys you want. He not only knows how to build, but he knows how to put each piece in the exact right place that it belongs. The pacing in the book is done so well, and brings all the players to the forefront without dragging things on and making it feel uninteresting. Even though it’s hard to believe that something like this could be happening now, there is such a realism to what Kindt has given us and it’s intriguing to consider what it would be like if a place like this did exist and how they would be viewed by outsiders. There is also a good deal of mystery here, from a couple of different angles, but we get just enough to wonder if these two elements may be connected. Then you enter Tyler Jenkins, who I still love for his work on Snow Blind with Ollie Masters, and you realize how perfect the choice is right off the bat. Jenkins gives this raw and rustic look to this story that just works so well with Kindt’s writing. He also has a way of depicting raw emotion that really takes a story to that next level. I was pretty convinced this book would be a winner when I saw the creative team. Now that I’ve read the first issue, this will definitely be one of the first books I read as each subsequent issue is released.
RATING: PULL / BUY
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