Matt Wagner's Grendel

[Trallis]

Hey fellas.. i was just browsing this weeks releases and noticed the Grendel Omnibus. I've honestly never heard of Grendel, but it sounds cool from the write up i've read, and the Omnibus is amazingly cheap for 600 pages. Plus the character on the cover looks damn cool.

Can anyone tell me if this comic is worth it? I'm also worried about the low price. Can anyone vouch for the quality of Dark Horse's Omnibuses?

[Alton]

Hey fellas.. i was just browsing this weeks releases and noticed the Grendel Omnibus. I've honestly never heard of Grendel, but it sounds cool from the write up i've read, and the Omnibus is amazingly cheap for 600 pages. Plus the character on the cover looks damn cool.

Can anyone tell me if this comic is worth it? I'm also worried about the low price. Can anyone vouch for the quality of Dark Horse's Omnibuses?

This along with Vol.1 I believe is a reconfiguration of what Dark Horse may have had in smaller trades a few years back.I wasn't able to follow all of Grendel back in the day but always wanted to catch up.I have the Nexus Omni 1 on order and I'll be able to comment on DH Omnibus Quality when I finally get it.One caveat with DH is when I finally got Doctor Solar Vol.1 Gold Key era in trade it was on standard comic book paper which surprized me considering the original 49.95 price on the hardcovers.The Grendel's are still a bargain at any rate and hell it's Wagner.Check out Image for Wagners Mage character as well.

[4saken1]

Grendel: Devil by the Deed in it's over-sized GN format (the comic version is too small to properly enjoy) is one of my all-time favorite comics. This Omnibus collects pretty much all the stories surrounding the original Grendel character Hunter Rose (including Devil by the Deed) and are by far the best of the entire series - mainly because they are both written and drawn by Matt Wagner.

[4saken1]

Check out Image for Wagners Mage character as well.

The Image series is actually a follow-up to the series 'Mage: The Hero Discovered' by Comico.

[Alton]

The Image series is actually a follow-up to the series 'Mage: The Hero Discovered' by Comico.

Thanks for the clarification.So Image Mage Omni isn't the complete Mage collected or at least a start?

[dupont2005]

It's a pretty good series. I've only read a few of them but I'm getting the omnibus. It won't be what you're expecting I think. It wasn't what I was expecting, but it's pretty good.

[Alton]

It's a pretty good series. I've only read a few of them but I'm getting the omnibus. It won't be what you're expecting I think. It wasn't what I was expecting, but it's pretty good.

Thanks again I'll still pick it up then although I have heard on earlier posts( maybe you?) that it wasn't as good as Hero Discovered,but that will have to wait until No Man's Land (new Edition) and Grendel Vol.1..So many books so little time.

[dupont2005]

I haven't read any Mage so I don't know

[FanboyStranger]

One of my favorite series of all time. I recommend it without qualification.

[transvestitegod]

I just ordered a few trades from my local library. Looking forward to eating them up soon.

[Alton]

I haven't read any Mage so I don't know

Sorry I thought you were talking about Mage not Grendel.Glad to hear Grendel's good.

[Trallis]

One of my favorite series of all time. I recommend it without qualification.

you're the only guy who seems to feel strongly about this one. what's it about?

[Expletive Deleted]

It's pretty variable. It's very rarely bad, but it's all over the place depending on Wagner's collaborators. Some of the recent stuff, revisiting some of the older characters, has seemed a little pointless to me. "Black, White, and Red" has some great art, but it never rises to the level of Wagner's better Hunter Rose stuff, like "Devil by the Deed," "Devil Tracks," "Devil Eyes," and the first Batman/Grendel crossover.

That said, the main run from "Devil by the Deed" through "War Child" is truly excellent. There's only one storyline that I'd say really goes below good, and that's more the art than anything (the Pander Brothers aren't my favorites). And if you can find the first Batman/Grendel, with Hunter Rose, it's definitely worth it.

[Sentinel Supreme]

It's pretty variable. It's very rarely bad, but it's all over the place depending on Wagner's collaborators. Some of the recent stuff, revisiting some of the older characters, has seemed a little pointless to me. "Black, White, and Red" has some great art, but it never rises to the level of Wagner's better Hunter Rose stuff, like "Devil by the Deed," "Devil Tracks," "Devil Eyes," and the first Batman/Grendel crossover.

That said, the main run from "Devil by the Deed" through "War Child" is truly excellent. There's only one storyline that I'd say really goes below good, and that's more the art than anything (the Pander Brothers aren't my favorites). And if you can find the first Batman/Grendel, with Hunter Rose, it's definitely worth it.

I'll mostly agree here and say that Devil by the Deed is one of my favorite graphic novels of all time. Hunter Rose is THE definitive Grendel, but like a musician with a 20 year career, if you find that you really enjoy Grendel I think you'll enjoy seeing where all the twists and turns of the story go. As a series, it is very unconventional and Grendel goes from being a character (Hunter Rose) to a legacy and an idea. It's a very interesting series overall and if you don't mind some offbeat and somewhat dated art styles as the series moves through the 90s, I think you'll find a lot to like. Definitely pick up the first omnibus though if you're interested, or just buy Devil by the Deed. My oversized hardcover version has an introduction by Alan Moore.

[jetter_cheeze]

I was hooked when I read the first Grendel/Batman crossover. I've read everything Grendel and am looking forward to this omnibus since it will have the black, white, and red artwork that will be interesting to see done to the entire series.

While the art did switch it up with each main story, I always found Grendel to be experimenting with different ways to tell a story and where to take characters. It really shows Wagner cutting his teach in the medium and the great strides of success that he had.