Jim Reaper
When I said I’d post a review of Jim Reaper about a week or so ago I hadn’t done any research into the comic. I’d read it, and made some assumptions about it, but most of those seem to have been in error.
I picked up my copy of Jim Reaper: Week One at Wizard World this year from the Silent Devil table. Silly me, I thought they were promoting their new comics. I was wrong. Jim Reaper was done during the summer of 2006 and published by Silent Devil that fall. From the looks of things Jim spawned the other comic I got at the Silent Devil table, Lil Hellions, also from 2006.
The page format for Week One looks like it was a daily, or weekly, strip that had been collected into the book. It was my firm hope to link to Dwight MacPherson’s webpage, but as the comic is really quite defunct, that doesn’t appear to be an option (if you know of a web address, please let me know.) My assumption is that these comics were written with the idea that they would be seen with some time in between, and thus the reptition of the same joke (Jim peeing himself) would help create a cohesive whole. In print with them following seconds after one another the joke gets a little bit old, until we get to the part with the portal, and then all of that set-up makes the reader feel a little like they are party to an inside joke.
The art feels very inspired by the Animaniacs, all of the characters are very rounded and cute, even when covered feces. I also have a sneaking suspicion that had the Animaniacs writers and artists been told to make something a little offensive they might have hit upon Jim Reaper. The situations in the story are surreal and absurd. The premise is Death needs his chicken nephew to take over the business while he is on vacation. And, now that I think of it Jim looks a little like a chicken, his hair makes a bit of a comb. I wonder if that was on purpose?
The art is cute and the story is cartoon mayhem with lots of poop and pee jokes. If that’s your cup of tea, then this is quite a worthwhile find. If not, you will certainly be disappointed.
