Between overzealous security guards, angry rednecks, and crushes, the life of a skater in the ‘80s ain’t easy.  Your Major Spoilers review of Grommets #2 from Image Comics, awaits!

GROMMETS #2

Writers: Rick Remender and Brian Posehn
Artist: Brett Parson
Colorist: Moreno Dinisio
Letterer: Rus Wooton
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: June 26th, 2024

Previously in Grommets: Brian and Rick have quickly become best friends, bonding over skating, video games, and Taco Bell.  They spend their days causing a little chaos, all while avoiding what happens at home.

ENTER THE JENS

Grommets #2 opens with Rick waking up, narrowly avoiding his parents and their Jane Fonda workout tape, skating by the sights and sounds of his neighborhood, then finally meeting up with his friend Brian.  They make a pit stop at Taco Bell, where Brian sneakily tries to get a job application.  Outside, the two try some new tricks when a trio of girls known as “The Jens” appears.  Brian gives Rick the history of the trio, especially Jen 2, who he has a crush on.  The duo tries to get the girls to come hang out with them and after a little playful ribbing, they agree to let Brian and Rick come skate with them.  The group goes to a parking garage and races down to the bottom, where they come face-to-face with an angry security guard.  A quick swing of Jen 2’s skateboard puts him down though and the group skates off, where they run into their next obstacle.

LEANING HARD INTO FANTASY

While the first issue of this series definitely went out of its way to remind the reader that it takes place in the ‘80s, Grommets #2 doubles down on this in a big way.  The first few pages are packed to the brim with references, some of which work, but a lot of them are forced and gratuitous.  After that though things smooth out and we get an entertaining little adventure filled with teenage shenanigans, some not-so-PC dialog, and some clever hints at some darker stuff lingering in the peripherals.  Now, while the previous issue had a little bit of exaggeration and reality-skewing moments, this one dives very much into unrealistic territory.  Moments like the interaction with the security guard and then with the guys in the truck afterward, go beyond simple hyperbole and feel more akin to wish fulfillment, which doesn’t fully jive with the down-on-their-luck outcast archetype Brian and Rick have been given so far.  That’s not to say it isn’t a fun read, it’s just losing some of its grounding, which made the first issue so unique.

MISSING SOME OF THE FUN

Not to keep comparing Grommets #2 to the first issue of this series, but there’s a noticeable change in the approach to design, tone, and layout between the two.  While this comic is still brightly colored with expressive characters that have visual uniqueness, things here are laid out pretty straightforward, while the first issue had moments that broke away from reality in order to make a more impactful story beat.  This makes this issue feel less playful and lacking charm.  On the flip side, this issue manages to capture the speed of skating, as well as somehow being able to translate skateboard tricks via a static medium far better than the first issue, so it’s a bit of give and take.

BOTTOM LINE: A LITTLE DOWNGRADE, BUT STILL QUALITY

Grommets #2 takes an already engaging story of two young kids’ friendship and starts to layer on depth and complexity both directly and indirectly.  It’s fun seeing the hijinks and trouble that Brian and Rick get into, and the addition of The Jens is a welcome change that looks like it could add even more interesting moments to this series.  This issue isn’t as tonally sound as I would have liked to have seen and some moments go out of their way to make it hard to relate to the main characters.  Also, we get it, it’s the ‘80s we don’t need five pages reminding us of that.  3.5 out of 5 stars.

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Grommets #2

70%

70%

Skate or Die

Grommets #2 continues the suburban adventures of Rick and Brian in some fun ways while managing to add new wrinkles to the mix. Some things don’t work as well as they should though and the constant reminders about what time period we’re in gets obstructive.

• Writing

  6
• Art

  7
• Coloring

  8
• User Ratings (0 Votes)
  0