Kim Reaper Vol. 1: Grim Beginnings

by Sarah Graley

Overview

2018 Chicago Public Library Best Books of the Year - Teen Graphic Novels

Part-time grim reaper. Full-time cutie! Like most university students, Kim works a part-time job to make ends meet. Unlike most university students, Kim's job is pretty cool: she's a grim reaper, tasked with guiding souls into the afterlife.

Like most university students, Becka has a super intense crush. Unlike most university students, Becka's crush is on a beautiful gothic angel that frequents the underworld. Of course, she doesn't know that.

Unaware of the ghoulish drama she's about to step into, Becka finally gathers up the courage to ask Kim on a date! But when she falls into a ghostly portal and interrupts Kim at her job, she sets off a chain of events that will pit the two of them against angry cat-dads, vengeful zombies, and perhaps even the underworld itself. But if they work together, they just might make it... and maybe even get a smooch in the bargain.

Don't miss the sequel, Kim Reaper: Vampire Island !

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781620104552
Publisher:	Oni Press
Publication date:	03/13/2018
Series:	Kim Reaper , #1
Pages:	112
Sales rank:	961,257
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	13 - 16 Years

About the Author

Sarah Graley is a comic writer and artist based in the UK. She’s been drawing Our Super Adventure and posting it online since 2012, and is also the author of the ever-spooky Kim Reaper, and the Rick and Morty: Lil’ Poopy Superstar miniseries.

Editorial Reviews

01/01/2018
After working up the courage to invite her crush Kim to the pub for a drink, university student Becka follows her into a portal, where she discovers that Kim’s goth look isn’t an act: Kim works as a part-time grim reaper, collecting the souls of animals and, eventually, humans. Becka accompanies Kim on a few missions, but she isn’t entirely comfortable with Kim’s career choice, creating a potential roadblock in their relationship. With plenty of hijinks (an amped-up bodybuilder with an army of cats, ghoul-possessed pirate treasure, a plague of zombies) and banter (“Your noodley arms pack such a punch,” gushes Becka at one point), the story has no shortage of entertaining moments. But they play second fiddle to its focus on how one goes about setting boundaries in relationships, especially in the face of trying to make a living. Graley uses a dark, purplish palette to create an atmosphere of otherworldly adventure without resorting to a full-on goth-culture black motif. Her chunky drawing style resists over-sexualizing the girls’ budding romance, and the steady stream of jokes keeps her story’s more intense emotional moments from getting too dire or serious. Ages 13–up. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

"In Sarah Graley’s delightful new series, Death is not only a beautiful goth undergrad, she’s also the object of her classmate Becka’s massive crush. Becka’s infatuation, captured so wonderfully by Graley’s expressive cartooning style, takes the two on a chaotic journey, ranging from university romantic travails to hellish underworld portals. Now’s the perfect time to jump on board with this cute new series."

Entertainment Weekly

"Sarah Graley makes awesome comics starring amazing, strong, queer women, including herself."

Upworthy

Pure adorableness. There’s just no better way to describe this comic.

BookRiot

"[...] Kim Reaper fits right in with books like Jonesy and Coady and the Creepies, as badass young women with supernatural powers figure things out as they go."

Paste Magazine

"Stylish and sweet, Kim Reaper is sure to leave you in giggles!"

Sarah Andersen

02/01/2018
Gr 7 Up—Graley presents an adorable story of friendship and budding romance—and an underworld of vengeful grim reapers. College student Becka has a crush on Kim, a classmate in an art course, but Kim doesn't even know Becka exists. When Becka accidentally follows Kim through a magical portal, she discovers that Kim works as a part-time grim reaper, helping souls make their way into the afterlife. It soon becomes evident that Kim returns Becka's feelings, but Becka isn't sure she approves of Kim's dangerous profession. While the plot features plenty of ghostly close calls, the tone is more funny than frightening. Featuring soft, curved lines and plenty of visual humor, the cute artwork keeps the mood lighthearted. VERDICT An excellent addition to libraries seeking graphic novels, especially those looking for hi-lo titles for teens interested in paranormal romance.—Emily Butler, Deerfield Academy, MA

School Library Journal

2017-10-30
Two girls attending university crush on each other and fight supernatural creatures in this charming graphic novel for teens.Uni student Becka has a thing for goth girls. Brown-haired, brown-skinned, curvy, and femme, she works in a bakery and spends her art-history class daydreaming about her classmate Kim: "a 100% cutie with a booty." Kim is pale with a purple bob and cat's-eye eyeliner. When Becka finally works up the nerve to ask Kim out, she follows her out of class—and accidentally stumbles through a pink portal surrounded by skulls and swirling purple ghosts. Kim, casually carrying a portal-creating scythe, is on her way to reap the soul of a cat, her current assignment in her new job as a part-time grim reaper (to pay her way through uni). Becka's arrival disrupts the process, sending them on a whirlwind adventure-turned-date to save Kim's job and get home safely. Zombies, ghouls, and skeletal reapers all make appearances, but Graley's humorous dialogue and cute cartoon illustrations (featuring Gravity Falls-esque oversized eyes and bubble-gum colors) keep things light.An appealing mixture of 95 percent humor and 5 percent horror perfect for fans of John Allison's graphic-novel series Giant Days and the web series Carmilla. (Graphic fantasy. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews