Grass Kings, Vol. 3

Grass Kings #12-15

by Matt Kindt, Tyler Jenkins (Illustrator), Hilary Jenkins (Colorist)

With their brotherly bond fractured at the worst possible time, the Grass Kings must find a way to mend fences before the Feds stomp out their illegal trailer park fiefdom once and for all.

The final chapter for the Grass Kings is here, as the illegal trailer park kingdom wards off attacks from the outside and within. Robert has become a manic, paranoid despot, Bruce has been exiled following the reveal of his secret partnership with the neighboring town of Cargill, and Ashur has been helpless to pick up the pieces--yet the three brothers must find a way to put their differences aside and defend the sacred land that’s been passed down through generations.

From the lauded creative team of The New York Times bestselling author Matt Kindt (Mind MGMT) and illustrator Tyler Jenkins (Peter Panzerfaust), Grass Kings Vol. 3 concludes the critically-acclaimed rural mystery series that examines the lengths man will go to protect their own.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Mystery, Fiction, Comic Book, Crime, Graphic Novels Comics

128 pages, Hardcover

First published May 10, 2017

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

After having just read Educated, Tara Westover’s story of her extremist, “off the grid” Mormon upbringing in Idaho, it was interesting to read the third and concluding volume of this series about The Grass Kingdom, another anti-government group of people living in the American West. In both stories the extremism is associated with violence. Initially, I thought this was going to be more of an exploration into this Ruby Ridge/Waco phenomenon that seems to be expanding in this country, and I guess on some level it still is, but the focus turns out to be a serial killer making some of the Kingdom's residents "disappear." A kind of war ensues between the Kingdom and a neighboring town about just who might be responsible for the killings. There's plenty of red herrings and dead-ends and possible avenues to keep you interested. I am not disappointed that this novel turns out to be a series of loner mysteries within a mystery, because Kindt is a storyteller, not a historian, nor a social critic.

The whole series is complete in 15 issues, a pretty short series considering how many characters are involved, but Kindt likes these spiraling, large-cast mysteries that appear to be spinning out of control such as Mind Mgmt and Dept H, though I seem to have a hard time putting Kindt's stories down, even as I sometimes struggle putting it all together. I've gone too long here in not saying that Tyler Jenkins' sketchy drawing and Hillary Jenkins' coloring are probably the stand-out aspects of this series, with its sketchy earth tones, trashed out trailers and broken down machinery, but their art helps make the desperate characters come alive, and helps us care for them. I like the central characters, the three brothers who are the Kings of this dystopian-like "Kingdom" that had once been named Paradise, and found them interesting, and ultimately sympathetic. I did not predict the resolution, for sure, and I like when that happens.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

And so Grass Kings comes to an ending. I can't say it was a satisfying one, but it was the one I expected. Hillary Jenkins colors did get a little better in this. She seems to be learning on the job, coloring Tyler Jenkin's sketchy pencils.

[Juho Pohjalainen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first volume had the government fighting the bunch of squatters of the Grass Kingdom; the second had them poking around into this murder mystery; the third one brings the two together at the same time. It mostly works.

I don't know about the killer, though. I knew from the start who it was, but it wasn't because of what the story hinted or clued me in - it was just my own knowledge of how these things go, the tropes. So it was at once predictable, yet not properly telegraphed. That was a bit of a disappointment.

[Ademption · Rating 3 out of 5]

Global review for the whole series. The Grass Kings is a fifteen issue limited series concerning a squatter's outpost. The small community is called the Grass Kingdom, and its inhabitants are people with troubled pasts who want to be left alone. The sheriff in the next town over does not like the citizens of the Grass Kingdom and is concerned about a potential killer in the area.

Tyler Jenkins' art and Hillary Jenkins' colouring are brilliant, autumnal standouts. Everything is wheat and reds, leaves and broken down trucks. It is always old school Bruce Springsteen chic in the Grass Kingdom. Matt Kindt's story is serviceable. I was kept guessing about the outcome. All of the individual issue covers by Kindt, Jenkins and others are full of clever misdirection and randomness that add to the purposeful confusion.

The Grass Kingdom is intricately detailed but fictionally solipsistic. How the Kingdom remained autonomous or even self-sufficient in economic and food security terms is anyone's guess. In this way, the Grass Kingdom reminded me of the titular, allegorical condo in High-Rise by J.G. Ballard. Although, I am unclear as to whether the Grass Kingdom is even allegorical. If so, what would it stand for? Secessionist movements in flyover states? Cuba? The deep south? Anything that wants to be left alone from police and the US government? I don't think it is allegorical. The Grass Kingdom may actually be more akin to Steve Zissou's boat in The Life Aquatic, just a cute little mechanism full of alienated loners, and a hunt. All to say, the art in these books is spectacular. I will seek out more of the Jenkins' work.

[Václav · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, here comes the conclusion for the Grass Kingdom (and not only his inhabitants). I had serious doubts with the second book, and Kindt lost me there (again), but unlike with the other things he somehow managed to get my attention back with this, last, book. The conclusion was very satisfying, it could be considered as a happy ending (but not everyone can be happy, I guess) with strong satisfaction for justice. Matt's stories are for me like discussion - we start usually on same notes because Matt has the talent to pick topics which draws my attention. But usually sooner than later we adrift from each other, like when two people do understand each other their point on that topic and even when they basically are on the same page, they both think they are not and the discussion gets annoying (in this case obviously for me). But in this particular case, we got back on track and found common ground. And I'm happy about that because I can finally say I enjoyed Matt Kindt's story until the end. And besides the art from Jenkinses, which is intriguing for me thanks to its lightness and watercolours and disturbing thanks to its clumsiness, I really enjoyed Grass Kings. I must say the story is actually very good, and I love that it's smart. No stupid/rash characters or decisions to move the story around. And if someone is like that, it fits the character and the story. And I'm thankful for that because this particular thing annoys me as hell everywhere (comics, movies, TV series, books...). But Matt got it quite right here.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

The artwork throughout this series has been incredible, particularly the watercoloring done by Hilary Jenkins. The story is a bit less amazing, though...

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Satisfying conclusion to a limited run.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fitting end to the series. It's always the one you least expect. Take away the recognition and it loses all meaning. Sky burial.

[OmniBen · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Zero spoiler review) 2.75/5
I was right to be worried. This is by far the weakest of the three trades. Not just because Kindt's weaknesses had well and truly worn out there welcome. Nor because this is the shortest of the arc's and still asking for the same amount of cash. But basically, all of the little foibles of this series (none of which include Jenkins' amazing art) had piled up and up, leaving me shaking my head and ruining the immersion I was able to find, or force up until this point.
I'd stated previous that this series was at its strongest when it was doing the small, character stuff. Unfortunately, Kindt had written himself into a corner with some very poor, inconsistent choices, all of which roll into a limp, pathetic mess of an ending. We get the tropey twist at the end, which was about as interesting or exciting as a cock flavoured lollypop. Seriously, if anyone found these last few issues at all worthy of Jenkin's art, or the promise that Kindt had at his fingertips at times throughout the earlier arcs. A spoiler review of this series could tear this final volume a new asshole, all of which is on Kindt. But frankly, that would be like shooting fish in a barrel. If he can't make a rural, noir with fantastic art to my liking, then there is little hope for him as far as I'm concerned. Won't be buying anything of his in the future. Especially if he thinks this is how you end a story like this. If I was ranking the art and story separately, you would be looking at a 4.5 vs a 1.5. Sadly for Jenkins, he chose to work with someone whose ambition clearly exceeds their ability. Shame that. 2.75/5


OmniBen.

[Keith Buzby · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was mediocre. There was so much talk of “what the Kingdom stands for” that really was unexplained. Other than standing outside of regular society, it was never clear why the Kingdom existed. There are, conversely, both too many characters and too few. Too few in that the Kingdom really feels like a small village that wouldn’t merit all this fuss in the real world. Too many in that we are only given brief glances at some of the potentially interesting people who inhabit the Kingdom.

The series overall had issues of brilliance within its middling overarching story. The chapter on Pike, the First Nations resident in Book Two was fantastic. The last chapter where the thin air killer is finally revealed was quite entertaining, though it had the effect of making some of the other individual chapters feel a bit like filler. The art, however, is fantastic. The watercolors are beautiful, and made me bump my overall review to a 3.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think I've ever read a comic with such a bummer ending.

We finally have the murder mystery solved and the Grass Kingdom is left alone by authorities.

Was it a satisfying ending? No. That the author was the murderer was so obvious from the first volume, I was sure they were going to go another way instead. But nope. The guy you guess at the start based off vibes was the right dude after all. And justice? No justice here, just some gruesome revenge and some poor shmuck taking the fall for murder out of guilt for cheating on his wife.

The shootout earlier in the volume was also dumb and pointless. All that shooting and not a single person in the Grass Kingdom got killed. Because then Kindt would presumable have to put some actual thought into the consequences of the narrative he's spun in this series.

The art continued to be great and was the only reason I don't feel like I wasted my time reading this series.

[Andrew Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series. This series was a blind purchase for me and based on the overall GoodReads rating, I had low expectations going in, but I have to say it was a pleasant surprise! I loved the development of the characters and story and the ending was very strong.

The art is where this series shines. Beautiful watercolors. Absolutely perfect.

This is a very underrated series; I highly recommend it!

[Magda Beret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Udany, klimatyczny komiks sensacyjno-obyczajowy o grupie ludzi żyjących po swojemu i tworzących barwną, nieco utopijną społeczność na obrzeżach miasta. Dużo akcji, wiele dramatów, czasem zbyt szybkie przejścia i "łatwe" zakończenia, ale czyta się to bardzo dobrze. Niesamowicie piękna kreska i wspaniała kolorystyka. Jeśli nie dla historii, to na pewno warto chwycić dla rysunku.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay so.... I saw it coming and had to knock a star, but otherwise I loved the art, the setting, and I love the idea behind the villain. I could read so much more about the Grass Kingdom, even if it's mundane backstory...

[Fariha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though I knew the murderer as soon as he was on page, the ending of this small town drama was still very satisfying. Especially how Robert’s story wraps up makes the maxi-series one for the memory.

[Jonathan Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like it when a book does not string out a finale because of success it makes for lazy writing. This book was a solid conclusion to the series, the ending was good. Recommended

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A satisfying conclusion to a story that spanned generations and interwove with plotlines throughout the story from start to finish.

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume 3 brings the end of the Grass Kings series. "The Thin-Air Killer" has racked up numerous kills over the years and brought endless suffering to the people of Cargill, Raven, and the Grass Kingdom. The federal government have come to the conclusion that the Thin-Air Killer is hiding out in Grass Kingsom and they know just who it is. Robert believes the feds have the wrong man and the kingdom is willing to fight to protect their own. Meanwhile Bruce has traveled to Cargill to try to identify the real identity of the killer.

Though the story has a somewhat predictable ending, I still thought it was solid and thoroughly enjoyed it. My only complaint is I wish the series was longer and fleshed out more of the side characters and town. The biggest take away from this book is the art. It is simply beautiful.

I recommend this series to any fans of Scalped or Postal.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great wrap up. There are a whole lot of characters in this series and more than a few untied ends, but that's... OK. It really is. The endings you get are worth it. And the art is SO worth it. A beautiful series that has as all the atmosphere it needs.

[47Time · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume has a brilliant ending. And brutal AF. The Grass Kingdom is a nice, quiet place, but it instantly defends itself when threatened and severely punishes the ones responsible. The serial killer is revealed and it's a stomach turner. It's definitely worth reading.

Recent events are starting to break up the townsfolk in the Grass Kingdom. It turns Robert against Bruce, it breaks up Archie and his wife, it sows more distrust in Robert's way of running the town, it makes Maria run away again. All this while Humbert calls for the FBI to investigate the Thin-Air serial killer - they bring in an army. Robert gets help from the rich veteran Barko who has been living isolated on an island. 'It's all about to hit the fan.'

Surrounded on all sides, the Grass Kingdom turnes into a war zone. The feds demand that Archie be released to them. Right as Archie wants to give up, Barko shoots down the feds' helicopter. They seem screwed, but Robert brokers a truce. The army pulls back when Archie is in their custody. He admits to burning down Jen Handel's trailer and killing Big Dan.

Bruce discovers Humbert kept some documents related to the Thin-Air investigation at home. It reveals that Humbert Sr. had a deal with the killer, one that extended to his son. The killer threatened Humbert Sr. with evidence that he killed his own wife. In turn the killer, through the murders he commited, promised to make Humbert's career and take down the Grass Kingdom.

The killer is a writer living in the Grass Kingdom, a respected individual named Hemingway who has been writing a book about the murders since the very beginning. Nobody suspected he authored the murders too and reveled in the pain they inflicted on the living. Robert catches Hemingway and prepares a fitting punishment - he destroys his book, ties him down and let's the carrion birds peck away at him, killing him slowly and painfully. Though the town is hit hard by these events, it lives on.

[Macks Milner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Turns out what I expected/hoped the three-volume series Grass Kings would be was way better than what it was and became. What I envisioned and wished for was a coming-of-age crime story, like a cross between the 2013 film Mud and the graphic novel Meadowlark, or a mystical Southern noir tale, like a cross between the first season of True Detective and the surreal show Twin Peaks, but what begins as an underwhelming murder mystery concludes in an uneventful and underwhelming finale.

Green Kings has a promising premise; the "Grass Kingdom" is a group of self-sufficient individuals on a contentious piece of land, one the neighboring town of Cargill insists is theirs. Tensions begin to emerge more when two things happen: 1) Maria, the wife of Cargill's sheriff, runs away to seek refuge in the Grass Kingdom. 2) A local serial killer is suspected to be living among those in the Grass Kingdom, causing problems between the two adjacent towns, the two titular "grass kings" (brothers Bruce and Robert), and Maria, who realizes the Grass Kingdom may not be what it seems from the outside. I like that writer Matt Kindt never says whether the "Grass Kingdom" is a cult or a secessionist camp, and his choice of watercolor artist Tyler Jenkins reminds me of the works by Jeff Lemire.

So what don't I like exactly?

Without giving much away, Grass Kings' plotting becomes more and more generic as it goes on, with its final reveal ham-fisted and lame and rushed, and it doesn't give you enough clues to solve the puzzle yourself or along with the main characters. Volume 3, unlike the first two volumes, also abandons its examination of the nature of land ownership; Volumes 1 & 2 have flashbacks spanning centuries showing fights that have been fought for the chunk of earth the narrative of Grass Kings takes place on. Volume 3 doesn't have these.

So, yeah, has some positive qualities but overall disappointing.

[Michael Emond · Rating 4 out of 5]

And so – Grass Kings comes to an end. My review for this is similar to volume 2. I would say volume 1 still was by far the best of the series and I felt really captured the idea and feeling of these folks being on their own patch of land trying to live beyond the government in their own “Kingdom”. Just a nice tale of people trying to live off the grid. These last two volumes got into the murder mystery of the Thin-Air serial killer. They were shorter – the art wasn’t as polished (although still good) – and we didn’t get the character building and interactions I loved in the first volume. Volume 1 is a classic – these last two volumes are great but not as strong.
However, we do get a solid resolution of the Thin-Air killer so that alone makes it a satisfying read.
The fight between the Grass Kingdom and the advancing FBI (who think they know who the Thin-Air killer is and want him turned over) was a bit weaker.
I would strongly recommend the complete collection of Grass Kings as a whole and I would say the first volume is a top 20 graphic novel of all time.

[Eli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really glad to see this conclude. I was not sure if it was a limited series of an ongoing and as I started this volume I found myself hoping the series would conclude well, and vitally, not overstay it’s strengths. It does end well. This volume is still not as strong as volume 1 but it is solid. The murder mystery concludes predictably. Who the killer is, became obvious by process of logical elimination. The motive is more creative and there are a couple of twists connected to how they conclude the mystery that are very clever. In the end I was grateful they did not try to make a surprise “twist” conclusion that was illogical or unearned.

Beyond the mystery the book ends well. The players end up in natural places and nothing feels forced or for the sake of the plot. The final pages also reveal a plot point that really seals the deal.

Again the are is beautiful!

[Ryan Laferney · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Grass Kings is a fifteen issue limited series concerning a squatter's outpost and the mysteries therein. The small community is called the Grass Kingdom, and its inhabitants are people with troubled pasts who want to be left alone. The sheriff in the next town over does not like the citizens of the Grass Kingdom and is concerned about a potential killer in the area, which the Grass Kingdom might be harboring.

Vol. 3 wraps up the 15 issue arc, in a satisfying if predictable manner. And while the Grass Kingdom does come under siege from the Federal Government, the real concern surround the serial killer mystery.

Tyler Jenkins' art and Hillary Jenkins' coloring are brilliant standouts. Tyler is able to highlight the gritty, pulpy type of art that this type of story needs quite nicely.

[Bryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to say, I’m a little disappointed with this one, as beautiful a book as it is. I feel like it lost focus about halfway through the story, and I had the mystery solved by issue #8. After introducing us to a dozen or so characters in the first third of the story, it became obvious that most of them were just going to be red herrings to try and misdirect us from the actual killer. It didn’t provide the emotional punch of DEPT. H or the satisfying journey of MIND MGMT.

I think I’m especially let down because the first volume was so good and so full of promise, and it is an absolutely gorgeous work. But unfortunately Kindt raised his own bar so high in his previous series that he wasn’t able to clear it in this one.

[Malcolm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not thrilled with the shooting war with "the Feds" as a plotline, or the wealthy island-dwelling survivalist who appeared briefly. But I enjoyed the flashbacks to Humbert Sr., father of the current sheriff of neighboring Cargill. And when the "Thin-Air Killer" is revealed to be the author who has been interviewing family of his victims, it made sense to me. Overall, I bought the Grass Kingdom as a hot, dusty place where some unfortunates have managed to put together something resembling life.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grass Kings ends explosively and decisively. The latter adverb is a bit more surprising since Matt Kindt has a tendency to milk his series into nonsense non-endings. Here, the killer is identified and dealt with and the Grass Kingdom's showdown with the Feds is wrapped up neatly. Honestly, it's all kind of perfunctory.

Still, Tyler and Hillary Jenkins's art is perfectly suited to the setting and Kindt's talent for storytelling shines through. Grass Kingdom is a decent little series, even if it's not terribly new or surprising.

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A town that plays by its own rules, lot more hippy than scary. There’s a killer out there, the cops in the town over hate the grass kings and the watercolors are amazingly gorgeous. This story is like an AMC show, it’s interesting and there are moments but half of it is a bore. What’s good is really good, everything else will be forgotten when you close the book.

Had to add some hate to the ending, felt really quickly finished, the twist is meh and the characters end up a little too happy what just happened.

[Rocky Sunico · Rating 4 out of 5]

And here we are - the big ending. What started as a potentially quirky look at an off-the-grid community trying to escape federal government attention ends up being a multi-generational tale of all sorts of secrets that eventually come bubbling up in one heck of a confrontation. This is a very rich and nuanced story that is both a story of a community but also a careful study of many different characters and how their lives interconnect.

Combine all this with a beautiful art style that feels close to Kindt's own own but is also distinct makes for a great reading experience.

[Andy Hickman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grass Kings, Matt Kindt etc. Vol.3
The heart-breaking, gut-wrenching, surprisingly courageous final arc of an unexpectedly redemptive murder-mystery story. ***
#12 - “It started years ago. At the end of one generation and the beginning of another.”
#13 - “We got ourselves another one. .. Copycat? Hard to say.”
#14 - “We WILL continue to fight, but I’d rather broker a peace.”
#15 - “.. when I ran into Bruce and Robert’s mother by chance. SHE planted the seed. She was the kernel of the idea.”