Grimmiss Island: Issues #1–4

Gr 3–6—A trio of witch doctors, in an attempt to create a companion for the tempestuous volcano goddess of their small island, summon Grimmiss, a small, Spanish-speaking, skull-headed spirit seemingly powered by jalapeños. Grimmiss woos the goddess instantly, and their resulting meet-cute amorousness causes a host of geological and mystical high jinks to ensue. Illustrated with a straightforward, minimalist cartoon style, the combination of skulls, fangs, and cuteness might turn off some readers, which would be a pity. Baltazar and Franco exhibit the same rapport here that made Tiny Titans (DC Comics, 2009) transcend continuity roots and made the crowd-funded Aw Yeah Comics! (Dark Horse, 2014) so successful. Nothing here is too threatening, including versions of the devil and the Grim Reaper, as they are placed with equal weight alongside characters like a pair of talking cacti, one relentlessly pessimistic and one as happy as a clam. This combination of blithe optimism and whimsical, off-hand circumstances creates absolutely ephemeral stakes and establishes no-frills character development but still features an utterly winning narrative.