On a recent trip I was able to visit a comic shop, and find a rare jewel to add to my comic book library: Rafael Grampa’s Mesmo Delivery. I had reviewed Grampa’s work some time ago on Giggaheim’s Podcast Episode 41, and fell in love with the Wolverine story he wrote and illustrated. His work had an energetic detail that reminded me serious tattoo art that had wound up illustrating the gory and sad life that had become Wolverine. So when I found a trade paperback of Grampa’s, I snatched it up, and never put it down.
Simply put, Mesmo Delivery is about two men who are en route to deliver the content of a tractor and trailer. When they stop in a local greasy spoon diner, a fight breaks out. Any more details, and it would spoil the book. The story is a simple one, but takes some twists and turns. The driver is a boxer. He’s a huge, stocky man who obviously is more brawn than brains. Next to him is a lanky grease-ball who loves Elvis. Not too much to get attached to, but when the driver is assaulted, the book spins out of control, and it is a fantastic ride.
Rafael Grampa’s art is fantastic, and I didn’t want to spend the entire review throwing around terms like “kinetic”, “frantic”, “clean”, “earthy”, or “wild”. The art within the pages is all those things, but I didn’t want to sling the same terms at you, otherwise, why read this?
His art is a mixture of cartooning, illustration, woodcut printing, and industrial tattooing. It’s as if Steamboat Willie-era Mickey Mouse walked out on a pregnant Minnie Mouse, got a job loading trucks, and tattooed a pulsing, infected body part on his arm. That’s what it “feels” like to me. It’s similar to a raw twist on an art-form, but it certainly has the energy, detail and exaggerated features that lend itself to this violent story. Besides the style, Grampa also chooses layouts and angles to tell the story in a way that lures your eyes, and guides you through the book. After a few pages, you can taste cigarette smoke, feel hot dusts settle on the back of your sweaty neck, and your heart will race for the next crazy moment to happen. Rafael lures you in, and never lets go until the last page says: The End.
Justice League #2 • Batman Arkham City • DARPA Recycling
