Grendel/Batman, Mage

Forgot this in my review of Grendel vs Shadow:

Why is he holding that wine?  Does he plan to drink it?

Grendel/Batman I 1-2

A perfect combination of intricate plot (but neither too complex or boring), gorgeous art, and characterization of the four main narrators.  Matt Wagner is giving off major Dave Mazzucchelli vibes with his drawing in a great way.  

The best Grendel has ever looked.

Beautiful choreography.

Classic Mazzucchelli.

To me, this is the pinnacle of Matt Wagner’s skills as an artist.  This is just a hair below Pure Joy, but it’s super close.  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Really good

Mage: Hero Discovered 1-15

Mage: Hero Defined 1-15

Mage: Hero Denied 0-15

Maybe it’s the journey, because the destinations are a let down for all three of these series.  And it’s always the same thing: The big bad has a crew of henchmen.  They start off super powerful, then get weakened as Kevin Matchstick gets closer.  Eventually, the crew’s defeated and the final battle between big bad and Matchstick is horribly anticlimactic.  It’s all so unsatisfying.

But the journey isn’t all that interesting either;  Matchstick fights a bunch of nasties with his friends, rarely ever finding himself in any real danger.  There’s also a bunch of whining about the hero’s journey that feels like a waste of space.  This is by far the weaker of Matt Wagner’s two creations.  It’s not even close.  

The art is the saving grace, and the only reason the rating’s as high as it is.  

Oh, and the number of typos is disgraceful.  

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Fine    

That’s it for Misc box 9!

Box summary

Time spent reading: 23 hours 9 minutes

Issues read: 170

Issues cut: 4

Highlights (Good or better): Grendel: Devil by the Deed, Grendel: Devil Child, Grendel 16-17, 34-40, Grendel: Four Devils One Hell, Grendel: Devil May Care, Grendel: Devil’s Choices, Grendel: Devils and Deaths, Grendel/Batman I

Project Summary:

Time spent reading: 35 days, 15 hours, 21 minutes

Issues read: 7405

Issues cut: 860