The Devil's Grin: Volume One

The Devil's Grin #1-5

by Alex Graham

Collects The Devil's Grin parts 1-6.

Millennial cartoonist Alex Graham’s follow-up to her acclaimed graphic novel Dog Biscuits follows the residents of Henryville, Idaho and their intertwined lives—and involves demons, Jim Morrison, a cartoonist with supernatural talent, sewer rats, and much more.

It’s 1974 in Henryville, Idaho. Robert hasn’t had an ordinary life. It began in a rush: flushed down a toilet by his mother and carried into the sewer by a demon. This monstrous presence stalks Robert into adulthood, haunting his dreams. Robert just wants to be like his idol, Jim Morrison: writing poetry, playing rock ‘n’ roll, chasing beautiful women. But try as he might to avoid sleep, he can never seem to escape the clutches of the demon. And it’s not just Robert: the demon soon begins haunting the entire city of Henryville. Dandelion, a young poet, falls in love with Robert and begins having confusing, terrifying romantic visions of the demon she can’t seem to shake. Gary, a cartoonist, becomes convinced that his vengeful cartoons are channeling the word of a righteous God, capable of manipulating reality in powerful and destructive ways. Robert, Dandelion, Gary, and other residents of Henryville find themselves tangled in a web of sex, drugs, rock ‘n’ roll, newspaper funnies, and demonic possession. Will the residents of Henryville find a way to escape? Was Robert and Dandelion’s romance doomed from the start? Will Robert’s band be any good?

With its mix of comedy, horror, magic realism, anthropomorphism, naturalism, humor, psychedelia, and pathos, The Devil’s Grin is a remarkable work of contemporary fiction by one of comics’ most distinctive storytellers. Weaving together multiple character arcs at a brisk, deft pace, Graham juggles their secrets, desires, and insecurities in continually surprising ways, slowly introducing layers of malice that lead to an unexpected darkness. Graham’s clear yet loose cartooning perfectly unfolds every twist and turn with creative precision.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Comics

464 pages, Paperback

Published June 17, 2025

About the author

Alex Graham is a painter and cartoonist from Denver, Colorado, currently residing in Seattle.

Reviews

[Bill Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing work, a layered comic strip about madness, magic, romance, sex, and art. in the tradition of comix since their inception in the 60s but fresh as a wet bloodstain. Call it "demonic realism." Of the countless details I like about this unnerving work, my favorite may be the rendering of the demon in a style reminiscent of the late, great Rory Hayes. More, please.

[Ingrid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything I could dream of in a book honestly

[David Karlsson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alex Grahams ”Dog Biscuits” är en av de bästa serieromaner jag har läst de senaste åren så ett nytt verk av henne är mycket efterlängtat.

”The Devil’s Grin” är en pågående serie och denna första samlingsvolym innehåller de inledande sex kapitlen. Den kretsar kring Robert, en ganska osympatisk ung man vars liv bokstavligen börjar i kloakerna efter att hans mamma spolat ner honom i toaletten, och hans granne Dandelion som fattar intresse för honom. I samma hus bor även en serietecknare som med sitt målande tycks kunna styra verkligheten, och övernaturliga varelser besöker alla tre såväl i drömmar som i verkligheten.

Det finns en hel del likheter med ”Dog Biscuits”, inte minst i hur Graham skickligt skildrar relationer och alternerar mellan olika personers berättelser men även i hur hennes världar befolkas av både människor och antropomorfa djur.

Det är en mix av humor och realism, men sättet som magi och demoner vävs in på gör också att det ofta gränsar mot det absurda. Det är skickligt och intressant berättat i såväl text som bild och jag ser väldigt mycket fram emot fortsättningen och hur historien ska tas vidare (och frågan är om jag kan hålla mig till nästa samlingsvolym eller måste börja köpa ”lösnummer”).

[Jim Towle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my thing... I have a thing for comic books that are illustrated by artists with pride in their work. From cover to cover it appears to have been illustrated by a 13-year-old in art therapy given a black marker and told to sketch drawings of their feelings. It's clear that no effort was put into a single frame beyond drawing a basic black and white illustration. Red was sparingly added to reinforce that blood was being drawn. Comic books are about illustration. This FAILS miserably.
As for the story... Not my thing. It tracks as if the same 13-year-old victim in therapy was attempting to imitate Neil Gaiman and failing as miserably at writing a Gaimanesque story as they did at illustrating.

[Oliver Bateman · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book greatly exceeded my expectations, which were quite high given how smart "dog biscuits" was in terms of character development, pacing, etc. however, the art style has evolved significantly here: it's denser, better, there's more time involved. there's also so much going on among the various characters (all of whom are extremely well fleshed-out, without really telling you anything about them) that it could sustain 1,000+ pages...450 six-panel pages flew by.

here's my interview with alex graham. highly recommended: https://oliverbatemandoesthework.subs...

[Jonathan Hawpe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alex Graham's The Devil's Grin updates the unhinged experimentalism and raw expressiveness of 80s/90s indie comix in a Miranda July meets The Mighty Boosh kind of way. Equal parts earthy humor and psychedelic horror, this sex, drugs and rock-n-roll story has plenty of brains and heart beneath its punky, funky exterior. 8/10

[Matt Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alexis Graham delivers a sex and drug fueled hallucinatory foray into the malaise of 1970s America. Grin exposes the dark secrets of Henryville, Idaho via the story of deeply flawed characters shrouded in desire, paranoia, and occult mystery. It's a gut-punch of a phantasmagoria that unfurls in fascinatingly dark ways - very happy to see that this is only book one!

[Joseph Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

So good, has a really realised vision. The narrative of the cartoonist and the dripping angel eyes is so wild. Has a really shimmery quality too. I love all the beatnik characters hanging out in the park. Pretty intense maybe. Really liked reading this.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woah this is a bit wild. And I’m here for it. I had a weird moment where I realized this was written by a woman and I liked it more because it has very 70s alternative comic vibes so that was surprising because it’s kinda demonic crude and lusty and really twisted and weird. Fun!

[Alexia · Rating 5 out of 5]

trippy and horny and grimy and so so good. I love a story about a town where sinister things happen. Art is so grotesque and dense. if that's your kinda thing you will love it but if you can't get past ugliness you will hate it (and it's your loss)

[Seth Halleran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alex Graham is absolutely brilliant. Equal parts vile and unsettling and also deeply empathetic, funny, and earnest.

[Andrew Metadrouid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent highly detailed and expressive art with an amazing multileveled storyline! Pretty and Weird.

[Alicia Zavala · Rating 5 out of 5]

She's done it again. Need the next.

[Al Capwned · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is insanely good and it's a pity we'll need to wait for the next volume.