Grendel Omnibus, Vol. 1: Hunter Rose by Matt WagnerMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Grendel Omnibus, Vol. 1 collects Grendel: Devil by the Deed, Grendel: Black, White, and Red, Grendel: Red, White, and Black, and Grendel: Behold the Devil.
There's a Grendel Netflix series a-brewin' so I pre-ordered this untold months ago. Even though I read Grendel: Behold the Devil earlier in the year, I went ahead and read it again.
All the stories in this book are written by Matt Wagner. Matt providers the art for Devil by the Deed and Behold the Devil and a handful of the shorts. Grendel: Black, White, and Red, and Grendel: Red, White, and Black feature an all-star team of artists.
This is a gorgeous book and there aren't many like it out there. The art is all done in black, red, and gray tones, making for a striking presentation.
Devil by the Deed is a retelling of the Comico Grendel run featuring Hunter Rose. I'm told Matt is embarrassed by the Comico run's art, since he was using a manga-influenced style rather than the style he was using on Mage at the same time. Anyway, it's good stuff, although much wordier than I'd like for a comic.
The short stories by other artists in Grendel: Black, White, and Red, and Grendel: Red, White, and Black were my favorite part of the collection, each one giving a different glimpses of Hunter Rose, aka the first Grendel THAT WE KNOW OF. Behold the Devil is an exquisite book depicting Grendel going about his day to day business while a reporter tries to uncover his identity and something else is stalking him.
I enjoyed this quite a bit. It's not a masterpiece but it's a beautiful book and very well written. I've read most of this material before but still enjoyed the hell out of it. I find Grendel simultaneously cool and revolting, making for a well rounded anti-hero. I like how Matt Wagner never lets you forget that Grendel is a ruthless, murderous bastard no matter how charming he may seem.
Five out of five sword canes. Read it now so you can lord it over the people who discover Grendel through the Netflix series.
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