I just read the John Ostrander/Tim Truman Grimjack revival series from last year (Yeah, I'm pretty far behind on my reading!). This mini-series is in trade form now. You can go find it by going to an AmWANzan link and doing a search on "Grimjack."

Here's the cover of the trade:



Now, with that out of the way-

I have a complete collection of the old Grimjack series (including the graphic novel, STARSLAYER back-ups and the two MUNDEN'S BAR one-shots.). It was my favorite First Comics series. Grimjack was a tough guy private eye who lived in Cynosure, a city that intersected with many different dimensions. The old comic could be surprisingly addictive.

KILLER INSTINCT, the new mini-series, is amazingly accessible to new readers. It's actually a prequel to the older series, and reading it requires no prior knowledge of the character at all. Nonetheless, it still manages to be a treat for old fans. Ostrander deliberately left gaps in Grimjack's past, and the series fills in a lot of them without looking like a "flashback" issue. If new readers looked at the old back issues, they'd probably be shocked to discover that the events in the new mini-series were vaguely referenced but never previously covered! Ostrander has always been one of my favorite writers, and it amazes me how well he pulls off stuff like this.

That said - it is tough to revive a series that's been dormant for fifteen years. I loved the original series, and I enjoyed this mini, but part of me mentally relegated Grimjack to a specific time period long ago. It's good to see him back, but it's kind of odd, too. Regardless, I'm definitely up for another mini-series, once Ostrander and Truman finish one.

Meanwhile, anyone who's curious about Grimjack, might want to consider picking up the KILLER INSTINCT trade. It really is a pretty good place to check out the series and see what it's about.

Excellent mini. If you liked Grim Jack in the 80s, this is like stepping in a time machine. The guys haven’t lost a step.

Im an Ostrander fan..Grimjack is the one series of his ive never checked out...Thanks for the review Bob..ill be picking this up soon.

Is it just me, or does Grim Jack in his beret resemble that famous portrait of Richard III?

P.S. Since Grimjack's real name is John Gaunt (John of Gaunt?), it's possible his creator had the Wars of the Roses in the back of his mind...

Cool!

I think you'll like it, John. It seems like something that would be right up your alley.





Yes.

In one of the very earliest GRIMJACK letter columns (Heck, it might even be in the first issue, but I'd have to check), Ostrander notes that he picked the name "John Gaunt" from one of Shakespeare's histories. I don't know if the beret was inspired by that portrait, though.