To say that it's a hostile comics market for new companies right now is kind of like saying Iraq might not be the best place for a quiet vacation right at the moment. It's a brutal market out there, but there are a few things a new company can do to hedge their bets, including presenting something in full color, with beautiful artwork, and starting off really strong. The Grimoire, one of two initial offerings from Speakeasy Comics, hits two of these three requirements. The book is undeniably beautiful to look at, and actually features a pretty interesting premise, but Caisse sort of drops the reader dead into the middle of the story without explanation, and it's a little bit off-putting. Fortunately, while I feel that Caisse could have done a better job of making the book welcoming, he doesn't let down in terms of making it exciting, and there are a lot of intriguing ideas in this book, enough to at least gain the book a second look.
I'm usually kind of a fan of in media res storytelling, a good pulp serial tradition where you start things off in the middle of the action and then go back and explain why it's all happening. Unfortunately, if done wrong, it can result in a somewhat inaccessible read, and to some extent, that's what Caisse has here. He starts off well, with a girl sorcerer on the run from her (apparently evil) mother, using a magical book to summon help. Great action stuff, and Djief's designs for the child's mystical bodyguard and raccoon friend are really nice, but the flashback to how we got to this place doesn't go back far enough. We get that Amandine, the lead character, has a wicked mother and a vanished father, and that she is conversant with magic, but we don't really get the whys of the whole thing. It's not a crippling flaw, but I kept wondering what the rules were, whether Amandine has known about magic all her life or she just figured it out, and I think the story would have been stronger if Caisse had gone back a little further and shown us Amandine's normal life before throwing it into chaos in this issue.
In fairness, though, while I was a bit distracted wondering just how normal all of these things were to Amandine, Caisse and Djief very effectively communicate the strangeness and wonder of it to the reader. The spooky, dangerous feeling as the hounds close in on Amandine, the power and strength of Louis Bigsky and the cute "write bad think good" note from Chai all draw the reader in. In addition, there are some good small moments, like Amandine using her cellphone to take a picture of her first summoned creature or the contradictory joy that Amandine's mother takes in her escape. There's a lot of promise in this book, and much of it is delivered upon in this first issue.
Where Speakeasy has gone right, both in their other title Atomika and in Grimoire, is in providing beautiful, distinctive artwork. Djief and colorist Kness serve up artwork that has imaginatively designed creatures and magical technology (love the plane in the first panel) in a style that calls to mind the anime cel look of folks as varied as Joshua (NYX) Middleton and Jack (Lions, Tigers and Bears) Lawrence. There's an innocence and fun in Amandine's face that makes this book a light, breezy read even when mortal danger is involved, and other important characteristics, like Bigsky's wisdom and strength, come through in the visuals as well.
The Grimoire isn't a perfect launch, as it could have explored its world a little more fully for its new audience, but it is a fairly strong launch with a lot of potential. The beautiful artwork will draw you in, and the interesting premise and likable protagonists will keep your attention. And the promise of a raccoon flying a magic carpet in Las Vegas, teased as being part of the second issue, will definitely get me to come back for more even if nothing else was going to. 7/10
