Created by Geremy George
I’ve always said that the best part of indie comics is the unique perspective and the different looks readers get, not just from cape and cowl type superheroes, but also from real world scenarios and character perspectives. Character perspective can go a long way, but it’s not limited to person or persons, characters can be anything that evokes emotion from the reader and what George does with New Grit City is position the dialog and art to become a character itself and immerse the reader in a futuristic Sci-Fi world of advanced technology and the political process behind implementing said technology.
Just for a little background; George is my LCS (local comic shop) owner and operator, so needless to say I’m already slightly bias in the fact that I see George every Wednesday and bombard him with pull list requests and back issue digs to fill my collections. I divulge this information for a few reasons; first I don’t want to seem un-journalistic in my coverage, but most importantly I feel like this needs to be said because the book is set in my hometown of Tacoma Washington, where we both live, and the fact that the book is set in my hometown makes it a read that is close to my heart. George’s writing style is very fine tuned and surprisingly on par with what I imagined was a city council meeting. Upon further chatting George shared with me some of his writing prep that actually involved listening to and watching city council meetings on PBS, or whatever channel they happen to be on, and incorporating the style of speech into his writing. His hard work in prep more than paid off, his writing made me feel like I was sitting in on a massively important meeting that held the future of our city and the citizen’s well being in their hands. The book starts off opening the floor for discussion on “Tacoma Regional Public Rejuvenation Program” a pilot program that has little egg shaped “mobile autonomous full-body medical diagnostic and treatment patrol units.” In other words, self sufficient healing pods that roam the city helping the sick. George’s idea is a refreshingly smaller scale Sci-Fi idea that starts on the streets of the city instead of in the stars and even though it means a lot to me being set in my hometown, there is no town that doesn’t desperately need for the services of a rejuvenation program. George’s writing is intricate and nuanced as he paints this vivid picture of a city that wants and welcomes rejuvenation.
Another part of this book that hits me in the feels is the fact that it’s almost like candid snapshots of my city; the good, the bad, and the ugly. George is candid with beautiful landscapes and picturesque scenes of downtown buildings, but he doesn’t shy away from intravenous drug users and alcoholics that live on the streets. Every page is a wonderful blast of beauty, or an eye opening social commentary, and sometimes both. The art is in black and white but because of the almost silhouette style I feel like readers will get the same blast of emotion I get while reading because George does a magnificent job at making Tacoma look like any city in the world that just wants to be better and do right by their most vulnerable citizens.
