Book Review: Grommets

Two outcast best friends navigate the Sacramento suburbs of 1984, where they find a home in skateboard culture and punk rock.

Grommets, whose title springs from skater slang for a young up-and-coming skater or surfer, is both an authentic look at ’80s skate culture (a snapshot of the generation that turned skating into a worldwide phenomenon) as well as a heartfelt coming-of-age story following two friends from troubled homes navigating their damage in an era when no one cared.

Written by Rick Remender and Brian Posehn, with art by Brett Parson and Moreno Dinisio, will be published July 8, 2025. It collects issues #1-7. Image Comics provided an early galley for review.

I was a middle-schooler in the late 70's and high-schooler in the early 80's, so this one hits squarely in my nostalgic core. Remender and Posehn, in basing the story on their own youth, capture the attitude and tones of the time very well. Anyone who is part of Gen-X will find aspects of their lives in this work. Parson's artwork is absolutely perfect, adding lots of details (like wall posters, t-shirts, iconic businesses and logos, etc.) that pull the reader right into the specific moments of this period. Dinisio's colors further excentuate the moods, day or night. I could easily see this as an animated show.

I appreciated the inclusion of the letter columns and text pieces from the individual issues as well as the alternate covers. Most collected additions should strive for the level of completeness that this one provides.