To me this screams MTV. Think Bevis and Butthead, meet Daria, and add some Buffy and Beetlejuice. Becka is crushing on Kim so hard. She thinks she is the prettiest girl at Uni. But Kim has a big secret. She is a part-time Grim Reaper. She has to pay for college somehow. The conversations are on the dumb side, and quite cheesy. Seriously, a female Beavis and Butthead, but not in the great way like Daria. In their first adventure they go to reap a cat, but meet a muscled He-Man instead. A weird tale for the weird at heart.

Kim Reaper: Grim Beginnings by Sarah Graley is a graphic novel that collects the first four issues of the comic. Like most university students, Kim works a part-time job to make ends meet. Unlike most university students, Kim's job is pretty cool: she's a grim reaper, tasked with guiding souls into the afterlife. Like most university students, Becka has a super intense crush. Unlike most university students, Becka's crush is on a beautiful gothic angel that frequents the underworld. Of course, she doesn't know that.Unaware of the ghoulish drama she's about to step into, Becka finally gathers up the courage to ask Kim on a date! But when she falls into a ghostly portal and interrupts Kim at her job, she sets off a chain of events that will pit the two of them against angry cat-dads, vengeful zombies, and perhaps even the underworld itself. But if they work together, they just might make it and maybe even get a smooch in the bargain.

Kim Reaper: Grim Beginnings is a fun, fast read with cute and compelling artwork. I was already familiar with the artist's work, so the style is exactly what I was expecting. I like the combination of sweet, sassy, and strong for the lead characters. I also like the combination of humor and danger inherent in Kim's job and the complications that it involves. I would have liked a little more of the relationship side- one minute Kim does not know who Becka is and the next she is trying to impress her with haunted, sunken ships. However, the fast pace of the story and the quirky nature of it made the read enjoyable. I think most of the people that would pick this graphic novel up- based on the cover, author, or summary, will fully enjoy the read.

Totally adorkable, and reminiscent of some Slave Labour Graphics titles, WITHOUT too much violence.
Perhaps most like Death Junior? Suitable for multiple ages, and super cute.
More please

I really REALLY loved this graphic novel. Super cute graphic novel about a queer grim reaper?! GiVe me everything you got! The story starts off with Becka crushing on Kim, in their college arts class. After a meet cute involving Kim reaping the soul of the cat, the 2 girls take off on a whirlwind of quick adventures. There are other grim reapers, zombies and romance, all tied together by the wonderfully drawn art.

Kim Reaper Volume 1: Grim Beginnings is cute and complicated, a story about two college girls, one bubbly and hopeful and the other a grim reaper. And so, like college girls, they have to deal with a lot of things, like crushes and ghosts and dorm parties and zombie hordes, but they'll make it out in the end. Right?

Becka is cute and boisterous, spending her time in class staring at the back of current crush Kim's head. Dreaming of dates and hand-holding and maybe actually talking to her. But what Becka doesn't know, until she falls into a massive portal and follows her, is that Kim in a grim reaper-in-training, guiding souls to the afterlife in order to pay her rent and school fees. Becka gets it, she works part-time at a bakery, but a grim reaper? With all the death and possible danger? With the ghosts and the zombies? That might be too much for Becka. But there's still something about Kim. I liked their dynamic, their relationship. It was rocky at first, because of course it was. Both young women are opinionated and set in terms of what they like and what they don't, so I liked that it wasn't always easy-going.

The art is lots of bubbly fun with a hint of creepy, which comes from the ghosts and skulls and dead things Kim deals with. I like the differences between Becka and Kim, how it's obvious in their expressions and gestures and colour palette that Becka is the cute and fun one that's also not prepared to deal with any drama while Kim is the more serious one, determined to do her job because she actually likes it. I like the look of this comic, it makes me think of Saturday morning cartoons. With dead cats and zombies.

I do think this is the start of something fun, a cute story about two college girls and one's weird but well-paying part-time job. Who knows what will come next? More weird ghosts and hauntings? Kim and Becka going on another date? I found this fun, at times sweet and at times serious, and I'll be keeping an eye out for more.

When I saw this on Netgalley I immediately needed to get this. The blurb was exciting and I really wanted to read a graphic novel where I normally pick up manga.

The story is pretty easy to follow & the blurb says a lot what to expect but the way it was executed hooked me. Right from the start we are at Becka’s side, how she is gushing over her classmate Kim – and the reader gets a first insight of her infatuation of Kim. Kim is the cool girl, the distant, gothic girl who is wearing black clothes, ripped T-Shirts & jeans, has short purple hair with a side-cut and a mermaid tattoo on her sleeve. She is pretty remarkable and that’s what the reader sees of her. But that’s not the only thing which is surprising: Kim carries a secret which Becka is revealing. The strange journey begins.

Becka on the other hand is the total opposite of Kim – in character as well as apprearance: she is chubby, is wearing her long brown hair as two topknots at her sides (which gives her adorable similarities to Bunny/Usagi Tsukino from Sailor Moon ;)). She is also wearing shirts or shorts & has tanned skin and comes across pretty feminine and sweet. With Becka we have not just a non-skinny main character, we have a mixed racial one too which I adored. She also openly claims she is fascinated by Kim, in fact is pretty open in her feelings and later we have a few scenes with her and Kim, so the LGBTQIAP+ representation is on page & I admit it was a suprising discovery. 🙂 I was hoping for it but wasn’t sure what to expect. 🙂

The graphic novel is sequential, each chapter can be read as standalone but has an ongoing sub- plot with Kim being a Grim Reaper, one who’s job is to take the souls into afterlife – and having Becka newly on her side, having her on the sometimes slightly crazy, bizarre adventures. The way how this sub-plot is delivered was really thrilling, you really want to have volume 2 soon because you can’t wait to see what’s coming next for the two girls.

I had a joy with each chapter, there is such a vibrance in them, from totally hilarious situations, like trying to take the soul of a cat which doesn’t goes as it should and Becka and Kim have to defend themself from the obsessed cat owner to dangerous ones, when Kim and Becka are – again – in danger.
I loved the humor in the book, the over-the-top-aspects, perfectly delivered by the great art. You could totally easy follow the flow, the text was supporting the narration via pictures and the use of colors (the graphic novel is in full color) were fitting and gave the scenes the right mood.
We have a clear structure of the panels, some actions are enlarged over one panel or take the whole page, heads are zoomed in or bodies out, to give either a closer look or a view from the distance.
There are some “special” effects, like hearts in the background or sparkles when Kim and Becka are cheesy and full emotional.
The wide range of gestures and facial expressions do another great job in delivering the story as well as the on point humour. 🙂 Especially Becka has a lot of different facial expressions within the book, where Kim comes across as distant, sometimes no-nonsense like but never malice or bad. She has her flaws as well as Becka, who is maybe too passionate. Kim is having a few troubles at the beginnings with Becka and her extrovert behaviour, her gushing and enthusiastic exclamations as well as the outspoken way when it comes to her feelings. She is partly rude in the book but it comes more from confusion and insecurity to handle the situation properly.

The graphic novel was an exciting read, Kim and Becka are adorable, the novel has a few great supporting side-characters like Becka’s friend Tyler, who I wish to see in the next volume more. 🙂 The cast is altogether pretty limited and therefore you can pretty good focus on the main characters. This book gets 5 out of 5 stars. 🙂

Review copy expired before publication date. Unable to view.

Kim Reaper is cute, silly, and pretty cheesy, and when I read at the end that the artist wrote for Rick & Morty, I realized that’s exactly what it reminded me of. Unfortunately, I’m not a huge fan of Rick & Morty, so it fell a bit flat for me.

Though Becka and Kim are both college students, their language and actions read more like junior high. The art, however, fits perfectly with that younger age group. The colors were vibrant and quite cute, and I especially loved the panels with illustrated backgrounds. There’s lots of pinks, purples, and yellows, and quite possibly the cutest little ghosties I’ve ever seen. There were times that I spent so long admiring particular panels that I’d have to go back and re-read the whole page to remember what was actually going on.

I also loved the character designs for Becka and Kim, and how different they were. Becka is curvy and wears her hair in Sailor Moon buns, while Kim is more athletic and 100% goth girl. While this style of drawing isn’t my favorite, the characters’ faces are just so expressive, and that really added to the whole plot experience.

While I thought the story was interesting, I almost felt like I would get whiplash from the randomness – they go from trying to reap the soul of a dead cat, to breaking in to an amusement park, then a haunted ship, fighting off a plague of zombies (?!?!), and then breaking into hell. While I was willing to go along with the first couple stops – especially the cat hoarder! – by the time they got to the zombie plague it just felt like too much to me. I was much more interested in Becka and Kim’s relationship and how they got past the rocky start – well, yes, of course, finding out the goth girl you’ve been crushing on is a grim reaper would be a bit off-putting – and at times it felt like the zigzagging plot detracted from me learning more about them than showing me how these things would affect their relationship.

Overall, this was adorably cute and quirky, and the art was fun. While there were things I didn’t like about it, I’ll probably pick up the next comic. If you’re a Rick & Morty fan, or just looking for some silly lesfic, this will probably be right up your alley!

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Kim Reaper Vol. 1: Grim Beginnings combines the first four issues of this fun new series. Becka and Kim are both studying fine arts at university but Becka’s crush on Kim, which consists of staring dreamily at the back of her head in class, is the sum total of their interaction. Becka’s friend Tyler finally convinces her to ask Kim out so after class she follows Kim, who disappears into a portal in the corridor.

Naturally this is a job for social media so Becka gets ready to capture this moment for internet posterity but then her phone and Becka both get sucked into the portal. It turns out that Becka’s crush has a part time job to help pay her way through uni and to fund her expensive goth clothes. Kim is … 🥁 … a reaper … of animals because she hasn’t been promoted to reaping people yet. 😊

What follows is a process of the two girls getting to know each other, visiting each other’s favourites places and a few other fairly typical getting to know you scenarios, like encountering a cat hoarding gym junkie energy drink addict hulk, zombies 🧟‍♀️ 🧟‍♂️, bed cookies, ghouls, and going to hell via the employee’s entrance.

I wasn’t quite sure what I expected from this collection. I was sucked in purely based on the wonderful cover image and its implied promise of purple tones throughout. I got the purples I was looking for along with a beautiful soft colour scheme. All of the illustrations were really sweet and I was impressed that both girls actually had curves.

The stories were interesting and the budding relationship between Becka and Kim was cute, with arguments along the way before their first kiss. Aww! 😘 While the language used came across as a bit too young for the characters, I was entertained for the entire ride. The strange occurrences in the stories took me deeper into this world instead of the jarring effect I sometimes experience. I had no problem believing anything was possible in this world and I look forward to finding out what’s next for this cute new couple.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Oni Press for the opportunity to read this graphic novel.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Kim Reaper vol. 1 is super funny, with super cute characters, and great artwork. The story moves pretty fast, so it isn't boring. The romance feels a little bit like instal-love, but they are still cute together. I really really love the artwork and color schemes. Its a cute, fast read.

Kim Reaper is delightful. I enjoyed every minute of reading this graphic novel. It's quite short, a quick read, but well worth it. It's so refreshing to see a queer lady as a main character but their queer identity isn't the focus of their character. Kim is definitely that really cool goth girl in art class that you wanted to be friendz with, but never got a chance to be. Now you do.

Not my typical type of graphic novel. Though I did enjoy the story I wasn’t as thrilled about it as I initially thought I would be. The art was beautifully done but it just wasn’t really for me

Becka is your typical uni (college for us Americans) student. She's crushing hard on the cute goth girl in her art history class, and her best friend is a little tired of her shenanigans. But the problem is just that he doesn't understand how amazing Kim is! Kim IS a work of art after all.

Kim's life is a little tricky. She's balancing school and keeping afloat with her bills by reaping the souls of animals as a part-time job. She's still getting the knack for it. It may have been a little careless of her to create a wormhole with her scythe in the middle of her university's hallway, but she's still new at this. Besides, who would be crazy enough to follow her through a wormhole?

Turns out Becka is more than willing to follow her crush through a wormhole, after all, what if Kim is in danger?

Becka is unprepared for seeing the soul of a cute cat being reaped in the middle of a stranger's living room, by her crush no less.

What follows is a story full of pesky, body possessing ghouls, rage and energy drink-fueled bodybuilder cat hoarding, and an unfortunate outbreak of zombies.

Every relationship has its complications, but these girls will have to face more than the usual issues if they want things to work out.

"Kim Reaper" is a light, fun read for all that it's focus on death. There are moments of real emotion sprinkled throughout the story and those moments are relatable and heartfelt enough to keep you engaged with the characters, but most of the story is an outrageous romp through wormholes and sewer lines.

If you're looking for some quick, light fun in your life with a sweet romance, "Kim Reaper" is perfect.

Um....No. It was weird. Odd. And not in any of the ways I consider good.

I have been following Graley's Our Super Adventure comic for over a year now and was super excited to read her new solo work Kim Reaper. It was a fun romantic romp through the underworld, wrecked pirate ships, and tons of cuteness.

It was a light, funny read with a cute couple in Becka and Kim. Feel like it could totally be a YA comic and would go over very well with fans of shows like Steven Universe.

Becka has a crush on her fellow university classmate, Kim, but she finds out that Kim is actually a grimreaper.
Kim's dangerous job and nonchalant attitude is a turn off for Becka, but when the Board of Grimreapers puts a hit on Becka, the two of them team up for both of their freedoms.

Kim Reaper is a quick, fun read with colorful and energetic illustrations. Fans of Jonesy will appreciate Becka's spunkiness and the humorous banter between the characters.

Kim Reaper is an adorable graphic novel about a college baker who gets swept up in her crush's drama with her job as a grim reaper. The storyline was interesting, but I did feel there was a certain something missing. Perhaps it went a little too fast for me, or maybe it just went in a strange direction. However, the graphic novel was really easy and quick to read, and for the most part, I did enjoy it - especially the parts where Becka and Kim interact and talk to one another.

All in all, Kim Reaper was a sweet and fun graphic novel, and I'm definitely be picking up the next volume.

The story is about two girls, Kim and Becka, who are in university together. Becka has a crush on Kim, and ends up accidentally following Kim to work. Kim works part time as a grim reaper, so it becomes a very interesting day.

I was hooked from the beginning, and I could not put it down. The plot gets moving from the start, so it's not hard to get into the story. It made me laugh just a few pages inn. I also felt that the story wrapped up nicely, even though I think, and hope, that this series continue.

The art style is very pretty and girly, without being too feminine. The colours used are mostly purple, which I felt complemented the art style a lot. I think it would have been too girly if it was pink.

One of the best things about this graphic novel is how diverse it it, and how casual it felt. Both of the main characters are into females, without there ever being a discussion if they are lesbians, bisexual or other. I really liked that the author decided to not make a big deal out of it, because it shouldn't be. I felt the same way with one of the main characters, Becka, being a woman of colour and not being super skinny. It was never something that was pointed out, and it made it feel very natural.

In conclusion, this was a very good diverse graphic novel, filled with humour. If the plot seems interesting to you, then I would highly recommend picking it up.

Sarah Graley’s Kim Reaper Grim Beginnings from Oni Press hit shelves and e-books just in time for Valentines Day. Fans of Rick and Morty will recognize Graley’s work from Lil’ Poopy Superstar while others might know her from her diary comic Our Super Adventure.

Kim Reaper opens in an university art class where Becka, her roommate Tyler, and Kim are all in attendance. Becka is all about Kim, but Kim doesn’t seem to know that she is alive. It is a tale as old as time, really.

While Becka knows that Kim is a “cutie with a booty,” what she doesn’t know could be deadly. To make rent, Kim is a part-time grim reaper. Since she is a noob, she is relegated to reaping animal souls, but a job is a job!

Becka and Kim make an interesting pair. Becka has a positive outlook and knows exactly what she wants. (She is also vocal about it, which is refreshing.) Kim, on the other hand, begins as a reserved character, more concerned with her job than the people around her. When they meet and begin influencing one another, that is when I fell in love with them both, for their faults as well as their strengths.

I heartily recommend this volume for readers who enjoy a little romance and comedy with their supernatural stories. Sarah Graley obviously loves these characters and writes them in such a way that you can’t help but become invested in their lives.

*Thank you to Net Galley and Oni Press for providing me with an electronic ARC to write this review.

This book contains some interesting concepts and I love any books published by Oni Press, but this one unfortunately did not hold my attention. I really wanted to love it and the art is fantastic. Although, I have to admit the man with the million cats was hilarious and the way he was drawn made me laugh. That character was funny, and I found Kim and her friend from school to be very likeable characters.