Grendel

Grendel: Devil Child 1-2

So dark, the life of Stacy Palumbo is a tragedy from start to finish.  Her rape is particularly horrifying, and difficult to read.  Tim Sale’s art is a perfect match for Diana Schutz’s heart-aching script.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Good

Grendel: Behold the Devil 0-8

Surprisingly mediocre for a Matt Wagner written/pencilled comic, especially one starring Hunter Rose.  The introduction of the demon sprite thing and Grendel’s vision of the future takes things a step too far.  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Fine

Grendel: Black, White, and Red 1-4

Grendel Red, White, and Black 1-2

Did Batman: Black and White start the whole anthology using only a few colors trend?  These issues, all written by Matt Wagner, have a hit rate of about one good story per issue.  Not a good batting average, though the hits that do happen go for extra bases.  (Tim Sale’s lawyer story in issue 1, David Mack’s in issue 2, the editor story in issue 3, and Jason Martin’s art in issue 4 of BWR)  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Fine

Grendel 1-12

Blech.  So much doesn’t work for this story.  I like how it builds on Christine Spar, ‘author’ of the original Grendel tale.  I get how her son’s kidnapping and murder would drive her over the edge and turn her into Grendel.  But she drops her vendetta against Tujiro without even killing him.  Then, when she gets back home, a little police harassment is enough to set her off against Argent.  The irrationality annoys me greatly.

Even worse is the abysmal artwork by the Pander Brothers.  Was Comico that hard up for competent artists?  It’s really so bad.  

The one bit of Pander Brothers art that I like.

Wagner, of course, draws an amazing Christine Spar.

There’s a story in here that’s actually pretty good.  But it doesn’t need to be stretched out over 12 issues, and it really needs a better artist.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Didn’t suck

Grendel 13-15

At least the motivation for Brian Li Sung makes a little more sense.  Wagner, artist Bernie Mireault, and letterer Bob Pinaha do a good job of conveying how New York City and the people in his life slowly drive him crazy.  I also like how Brian’s Grendel is completely incompetent.  It’s a neat contrast to the hyper-capable Hunter Rose.  

Despite that, though, I didn’t really enjoy my time reading this.  Reading about people slowly going insane with little to show for it (for both Christine and Brian) feels pointless.  I don’t get anything out of it from an entertainment point of view.  

Just some ad art that I really like.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Fine

Grendel 16-17

This is what I’m talking about - Peak Wagner art/story.  This detective story is told in a 20-panel grid on each page, only breaking from the format for dramatic punctuation.

The first time Wagner breaks the grid.

I skip a few pages, but Grendel's head gets bigger and bigger...

...over the course of six pages...

...until he makes his grand entrance...

...in dramatic fashion.  His costume is so clean and wonderful.

It’s gorgeously done, and the mystery is well told in a clear, compelling manner.  I’ve read this story numerous times, and it never gets old.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Really good

Grendel 18-19

The story of Tommy Nuncio, a character mentioned in two panels of Devil by the Deed.  It’s drawn like a comic with notes for the artist along the top, an interesting experiment that unfortunately slows reading down to a crawl.  As with the previous story, Wagner adheres to a strict panel layout throughout that maximizes the claustrophobia that Nuncio’s experiencing.  

Tall, thin, compressed panels.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

Grendel 20-23

A mess of an arc that shows how the spirit of Grendel has passed through 400 years of human history, or something like that.  It’s incomprehensible, a slog to read, and completely unfun.  I'd cut it if I wasn't keeping the series intact.

So far, this original Grendel series is exactly as I remember it - Not that good except for the previous four Wagner issues and the final spectacular arc with Orion Assante (the only ones I read over and over.)

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: No

Rating: Disliked