Griff Gristle: The Endless Voyage – Review
After 18 months pondering the fate of our grumpy eponymous hero, Griff Gristle is back with a splash. Not just a gentle stepped-in-a-puddle splash, I’m talking Fred-Dukes-does-a-cannonball type splash. Picking up in the immediate aftermath of The Siren’s Song (aka #2) our hero Griff and sidekicks Justine and Rich are in over their heads. Do let me know if the water-related puns/jokes get a bit much. I won’t stop, but it’d be good to know.
Now stick on your favourite mysticism playlist and let’s do this.
Who on earth is Griff Gristle?
So for the uninitiated out there, allow me to catch you up briefly. Griff Gristle is the protagonist of a series of comics from those adventurous Madius Comics lads. Written by Rob Jones and Mike Sambrook and illustrated by the frankly brilliant Rory Donald, these comics tell of a sea-faring, occult expert with a mysterious past and a rather sketchy looking present. Think John Constantine if he swapped the trenchcoat for a cosy cable knit sweater and the Silk Cut for a pipe. We learn early on that Griff lost his wife, and partner in battling the occult, Betty, although she never seems to be too far from our hero. That has sent him into somewhat of a whiskey soaked malaise, but his friends are there to drag him out of it and back into the fight.
The Endless Voyage
The latest issue in the series ramps up the intensity and delivers answers to some of the more pervasive mysteries from the previous two. Not least of which is a bit more detail on Griff’s murky past and just how it connects to the Big Bad of the series.
Madius themselves describe this third issue as “the end of the beginning” as it wraps up their initial arc and presages what’s to come. The story itself is tight, even in this double sized issue there isn’t any flim-flam or waffle. There’s too much story to get through. They bring together threads from the previous two issues and their epilogues and weave them into a taut narrative filled with revelations.
Those among you who pay close attention to the details in each issue will definitely get pay off in this issue as familiar faces and themes reappear and are given their rightful place in the story. Now the initial arc is complete, the major players on each side have been established and I cannot wait to see where Griff and friends take us next.
Once more the narrative is served to perfection by Rory’s art. Seriously, look at this!
There’s a definite hint of Mignola in Donald’s style, but with enough uniqueness to be entirely his. A lot of that comes from his colour choices. Each of the issues has had a different colour palette which fits that particular tale, but also carries through the series. I mentioned the little details before. Things like the spines of the books on the shelf in Here Be Monsters, or the label on the whiskey bottle in this story. That attention to detail from Rory elevates this story and gives so much more to the reader.
And you know it isn’t Madius without…. TENTACLES
The Kickstarter
So Griff Gristle: The Endless Voyage is currently funding over on Kickstarter. These guys are solid pros now when it comes to kickstarting. They know what they are doing so you’ve got nothing to fear. There are plenty of options available, including previous issues if you are new to the world of Griff (seriously? Where have you BEEN?) and LOTS of bonus goodies. I am sitting here in my Siren’s Song t-shirt that I got from backing issue 2, and can vouch for its comfiness, if such validation is required. They have also found a way for those who wish to add on to their pledges to do so, pricing various extras individually.
They are currently sitting at around 110% funded, with 17 days to go. So you know what that means… STRETCH GOALS! Rob has muttered about their inevitability like the mad titan that he is, so don’t delay. Get on board now and who knows what extra booty you might be able to plunder!
All images used with kind permission from Madius Comics.
