Posts Tagged strange tales

Book Of The Month – April

Mesmo Delivery

Written & Illustrated by Rafael Grampá

Dark Horse

When I first got into comics, it was superheroes or nothing else. There was only one kind of shape and design for characters, and it was the classic cookie-cutter look of big muscles, tight spandex, and skimpy outfits for the girls. That’s the comics everyone is reading, and because of it they’ve been dominating the market for the past several decades. Like sheep we follow blindly into the comic stores to verify that Spider-Man still loves Mary-Jane, Batman has a Robin, and the Hulk is still smashing things. This is the only type of comic style we know, and slowly we’re all dying a little inside because of it.

First, there was bland. Then, there was Grampá.

Rafael Grampá is one of those boys from Brazil that is reinventing what we perceive as the standard comic book mold. He not only breaks this mold, he completely obliterates it. I first heard of him a few years ago from the 5 anthology he participated in with a couple other unknown artists; Becky Cloonan, Vasilis Lolos, Gabriel Bá, and Fabio Moon. Yeah, never heard of any of those chuckle-heads. A majority of you first gazed in amazement at his work with the Daredevil #500 pin-up he provided featuring an old-school red and yellow Matthew Murdock. More recently, he did the fantastic Wolverine story in the first issue of the second volume of Strange Tales, which is an absolute crime that the story wasn’t considered Eisner worthy (politics, I say! Politics!).

Enough about how amazing Grampá is, let’s talk about his first graphic novel Mesmo Delivery. Originally published by Adhouse back in 2008, it just last year started coming-out under the Dark Horse banner. And when it comes to the kind of material Dark Horse publishes, this graphic novel is a absolute shoe-in. The story is a simple one of two men, one ex-boxer and one Elvis impersonator, driving a delivery truck across the country containing some sort of mysterious cargo. Only one of them knows, and it’s his job to keep it hush-hush. After stopping in a small Podunk town for some rest and milk, the ex-boxer Rufo starts getting the attention of a group of bored locals who mean business. A fight ensues, and it doesn’t go the way you’d think it would when an ex-boxer is involved. As a matter of fact, one simple fight turns into a balls-to-the-wall bloody massacre, and ends with no evidence left behind. Well, bruises and busted knuckles aside.

It’s not fair to artists to compare their perfected personal style to others, but in a case where it’s hard to describe with words a style so randy, it’s best to compare only to give you a clear vision. Think of Grampá’s style as if you blended together the styles of Geof Darrow, Frank Quitely, Gabriel Bá, Fabio Moon, Juan Jose Ryp, and Becky Cloonan. Add a dash of Asian influence, and you’ve got yourself one beautiful mindfuck on paper.

The entire graphic novel is under 100 pages (including extras and back matter), and because of it I pine for more. It does leave it open for future stories, so if they’re currently in development I cannot wait! I want more pretty pictures ASAP!

So if you’re interested in something new that ain’t your daddy’s comic book for under $10, do yourself a favor and pick-up Mesmo Delivery today. It will certainly tickle your art taste buds.

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