The Devil’s Grin: Book One

A decades-old deal with the devil creates drama for the denizens of Henryville, Idaho, in this mesmerizing, funny-scary opus from Eisner-nominated cartoonist Graham (Dog Biscuits). In 1948, Harriet, a painter, tells a mysterious voice that she’ll do anything for success, then subsequently gives birth to a strange fetus she names Robert before flushing him down the toilet. Flash forward to 1974: Robert is now a strapping young man working in construction and dabbling in poetry. Though he’s a major Casanova, he’s drawn to Dandelion, a lovely but insecure woman who works in a nursing home. The evil that spawned Robert relentlessly haunts them, however; at one point, a satanic emissary disguised as a salesgirl tells Dandelion, “The puppet master is weaving curses into the fabric of both of your lives.” Meanwhile, Gary, a black cartoonist, suspects that his comics are foretelling the strange events unfolding in Henryville. Graham’s style harkens back to gritty underground comics from the 1960s and ’70s, with lightly anthropomorphic characters, droll humor, an anything-might-happen atmosphere, lots of genuinely scary scenes, and plenty of sex. This packs a singular punch. (June)