Grommets concludes in a bittersweet manner as Rick must sadly leave his punk skater buddies and potential interest Samra behind in Sacramento while his dad moves his family to Phoenix quicker than he anticipated. Writers Rick Remender and Brian Posehn and artists Brett Parson and Moreno Dinisio capture the happy/sad feeling of one last epic time with good friends before moving far away, and it’s cool to see the leaps and bounds that Rick and Brian have taken in improving their skating abilities although they are treated as town pariahs after the unfortunate events of the previous issue’s party. Grommets #7 nails what made this series so relatable and engaging with commentary on punk culture, a healthy sense of ACAB, and lots of messy teenage feelings.
Brett Parson’s art that is full of detail without sacrificing motion or storytelling is pure chef’s kiss in Grommets #7. Each panel is like a story in miniature. For example, I love seeing Rick’s friends’ reaction to him fumbling Samra, and there’s a real fluidity to the skating scenes in this issue compared to the unsteady bursts of pain and blood earlier in the series. The speed lines and letterer Russ Wooton’s sound effects add to the authenticity of the story, and you can almost smell the sweat coming down Rick and family’s faces when they move to the “dry heat” of Phoenix towards the end of the story. Also, as a comics/classic punk geek, Brett Parson gets all the band logos correct, and it’s interesting to see the correlation between the band’s image and sound and the characters’ personality. Of course, the Misfits fan pulls the jock’s still-beating heart out of his chest in an early fantasy sequence. To top things off, Dinisio keeps his color palette at a happy medium between photorealism and a Saturday morning cartoon while throwing in some fun flourishes like pink for Rick’s first kiss and a fade to black to finish things off.
In addition to the usual fun banter between Rick and Brian, Grommets #7 explores some interesting themes like police corruption and gatekeeping in subcultures. After the aforementioned fantasy sequence, the Sacramento County PD gaslight and blame the violent actions at the party on Rick, Brian, and their friends instead of the violent, rapey football players. Remender and Posehn’s dialogue for the cops is infuriating and all-too realistic even with Rick’s straight-laced father appearing with the boys and arguing their case, especially the bullet holes on his vehicle. The interaction shows the need for alternative spaces for folks to be and express themselves without fear of reprisal from authorities or the “majority”. However, in Grommets #7’s coda, they turn this dynamic on its head when the skaters in Phoenix don’t accept Rick and Brian (Oh yeah, he ends up moving to Phoenix too aka can you say possible sequel hook?) even though Rick is wearing a Black Flag T-shirt while Black Flag is playing. It wasn’t as big in the 1980s as it is today, but there are definitely folks in punk spaces who want to capitalize monetarily on the music and aesthetic for fame and fortune. However, these are just a couple of kids trying to fit in and looking for connections even if that involves a “skate or die” type of situation.
Grommets #7 is a beautifully rendered conclusion to Rick Remender, Brian Posehn, and Brett Parson’s scrappy coming of age story about being a skate punk in the 1980s. I could spend 70 more issues watching these crazy kids grow up, find new bands, learn new skate tricks, and getting into wild, retro-tinged shenanigans together. The letterhack who compared this book to Freaks and Geeks is absolutely true, and this is a comic whose collected edition I’ll definitely recommend to my fellow Jorts Fest attendees.
Story: Rick Remender and Brian Posehn Art: Brett Parson
Colors: Moreno Dinisio Letters: Rus Wooton
Story: 8.5 Art: 9.2 Overall: 8.9 Recommendation: Buy
Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle
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