Millennial cartoonist Alex Graham’s follow-up to her acclaimed graphic novel Dog Biscuits follows the residents of Henryville, Idaho and their intertwined lives—and involves demons, Jim Morrison, a cartoonist with supernatural talent, sewer rats, and much more. It’s 1974 in Henryville, Idaho. Robert hasn’t had an ordinary life. It began in a rush: flushed down a toilet by his mother and carried into the sewer by a demon. This monstrous presence stalks Robert into adulthood, haunting his dreams. Robert just wants to be like his idol, Jim Morrison: writing poetry, playing rock ‘n’ roll, chasing beautiful women. But try as he might to avoid sleep, he can never seem to escape the clutches of the demon. And it’s not just Robert: the demon soon begins haunting the entire city of Henryville. Dandelion, a young poet, falls in love with Robert and begins having confusing, terrifying romantic visions of the demon she can’t seem to shake. Gary, a cartoonist, becomes convinced that his vengeful cartoons are channeling the word of a righteous God, capable of manipulating reality in powerful and destructive ways. Robert, Dandelion, Gary, and other residents of Henryville find themselves tangled in a web of sex, drugs, rock ‘n’ roll, newspaper funnies, and demonic possession. Will the residents of Henryville find a way to escape? Was Robert and Dandelion’s romance doomed from the start? Will Robert’s band be any good? With its mix of comedy, horror, magic realism, anthropomorphism, naturalism, humor, psychedelia, and pathos, The Devil’s Grin is a remarkable work of contemporary fiction by one of comics’ most distinctive storytellers. Weaving together multiple character arcs at a brisk, deft pace, Graham juggles their secrets, desires, and insecurities in continually surprising ways, slowly introducing layers of malice that lead to an unexpected darkness. Graham’s clear yet loose cartooning perfectly unfolds every twist and turn with creative precision.
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