“Grim” Ending With Issue #25: Interview with Stephanie Phillips
It’s time to say goodbye to our favorite grim reapers.
This past week at San Diego Comic-Con, Grim writer Stephanie Phillips announced that the fan-favorite dark supernatural series published by BOOM! Studios will end with issue #25 this October. This announcement was made on Friday the 25th during the Spotlight on Stephanie Phillips Panel, moderated by editor Will Dennis (Vertigo and DC Comics, DSTLRY).
The creator-owned series, which follows a group of grim reapers, debuted in May of 2022. The creative team consists of writer Stephanie Phillips (Harley Quinn, Spider-Gwen, Phoenix), artist Flaviano (New Mutants, Black Widow, Low Road West), colorist Rico Renzi (Spider-Gwen, Batgirls, Once Upon a Time at the End of the World), and letterer Tom Napolitano (Batman: Last Night on Earth, Wonder Woman: Evolution, We Have Demons).
Dripping in outstanding lore, Grim focuses on an original sin apocalypse that will change the fate of the world of Grim forever, with an emphasis on character development and exploration. Flaviano’s character designs coupled with Renzi’s colors transports readers to this captivating world full of so much mythology.
Jessica Harrow is dead. But her journey has only just begun! Discover the world of the afterlife, where Jessica has been recruited as a Reaper, tasked with ferrying countless souls to their final destination. But unlike the rest of the Reapers, she has no memory of what killed her and put her into this predicament. In order to unravel the mystery of her own demise, she’ll have to solve an even bigger one – where is the actual GRIM REAPER?
New to the series? Pick up the first volume at comic shops, book stores, and libraries!
Here at The DeMonster, I had the opportunity and honor to metaphorically sit down with Stephanie Phillips and talk about Grim. How bittersweet it is to say goodbye to one of my favorite BOOM! Studios series, but I couldn’t be more impressed and proud of the creative team and the amazing story that they have created over these past few years!
With the triumphant 25 issue series now coming to an end, how does it feel to have told the story of Grim for three years?
I don't think the feeling has fully hit me yet. We've been working on the story for so long and we've been through so much with the characters and story. A lot of creator-owned books don't get this kind of longevity, so I'm really thankful that we've had this opportunity for the book to grow and for the amazing readers we've had sticking with us.
Will the door be closed completely, or is there room for more stories within the Grim universe?
I think issue 25 will definitely answer this question. But, like I said on my panel when I made this announcement, this is just the end of Grim comic books…*wink*
Where did the idea for Grim come from?
I really like unreliable narrators and I liked the idea of telling a story from the POV of a dead character. We also somehow got ahold of the name Grim and really liked the combination and built the world of the reapers up around Jessica.
Have you always planned for 25 issues of the series?
We always knew what the ending would be but the plans changed slightly when Penguin came into the picture. Honestly, that's just the reality of working with publishers and a sale happening in the middle of our run . Plans have to change but everyone worked with us to ensure we were happy with the new plans. We were still able to do everything we wanted with the ending and I think the 25 issues really is the best length once I look back at the overall scope of the story.
What was it like telling the story of Jessica Harrow and bringing this supernatural world to life with this incredible creative team?
I couldn't ask for a better team. Tom has been doing some of the coolest and most innovative lettering in comics. Flaviano has built one of the most visually interesting worlds I have ever seen in a comic and, of course, Rico has really helped bring that to life with coloring. How'd I get so lucky??
With so much mythology and lore throughout the series, what was it like creating the Grim mythos? Did you do a lot of research? What were some of your inspirations?
We took a lot of inspiration from classical mythology and religion. We wanted to blend a lot of that together and pick interesting elements from all over the world and all over history. I think both Flaviano and I did a lot of research while building this world, but it is an interesting thing to be the person designing that world and just be able to change and create things we need within the story. It's not like working in a pre-fixed X-Men universe or something. The designers are us. We can do what we want and need, which is both daunting and exciting.
What was your proudest aspect of doing Grim? Maybe a favorite character, issue, or plot point?
The best part of Grim is the team, really. Making comics is always great, but substantially better when you get to do it with people you truly care about. I didn't know Flaviano before working on this series, and I now feel honored to call him a friend. One of the best moments was going to Naples, Italy to celebrate the Italian release of Grim with Flaviano and our Italian publisher. I got to sign with Flaviano and watch him draw, and he would translate for me so we could have conversations with our Italian readers. It was such an incredible experience that I'll never forget.
What can you tease about the finale?
Each issue has a song attributed to it. The last issue song is "Lloyd, I'm ready to be heartbroken," It's a song by Camera Obscura that is referencing another song called "Are you ready to be heartbroken?" by Lloyd Cole. The intention is that we're kind of ending in a circular way - or, like a round in music. This last issue is a response to the entire series. We are all ready to be heartbroken, Lloyd.
What would you like people to take away from reading Grim?
That Life is an asshole. And that the creators behind the series had a hell of a time putting together a story that meditates on death the best we can... while not yet having experienced it ourselves (that I know of? Would be wild to learn Tom is a ghost!).
What creator-owned projects are you working on now that fans of the series can check out after Grim’s final issue this October?
Endeavour issue 1 comes out in October from DSTLRY and I'd love it if readers want to join us for that voyage. 7 kids are trapped on a historic recreation of an old sailing ship and things do NOT go well for them. If you like Lord of the Flies and other survival horror... you might dig this one!
Check out Grim issue #25 in comic shops this October! Congratulations to this incredible creative team for wrapping up an amazing series that has touched the hearts of people all around the world. Follow Stephanie Phillips on Tiktok and Instagram at @snapcracklesteph. Stay up to date with all things comics at @SamiDeMonster on all socials, and make sure to subscribe to The DeMonster here on Substack!