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Grendel Omnibus, Vol. 1: Hunter Rose
Matt Wagner's masterpiece celebrates its thirtieth anniversary with the first-ever comprehensive collection of the complete Grendelsaga! The first of four volumes presenting the entire series and following the chronology of the stories, this edition introduces millionaire Hunter Rose and his alter ego, the criminal mastermind Grendel!
Volume 1 reprints Grendel: Devil by the Deed; the short story collections Grendel: Black, White, & Red and Grendel: Red, White, & Black, featuring a host of legendary guest artists; and the epic Grendel: Behold the Devil.
Volume 1 reprints Grendel: Devil by the Deed; the short story collections Grendel: Black, White, & Red and Grendel: Red, White, & Black, featuring a host of legendary guest artists; and the epic Grendel: Behold the Devil.
600 pages, Paperback
First published July 25, 2012
98 people are currently reading
649 people want to read
About the author
Matt Wagner
968 books232 followersMatt Wagner is an American comic book writer and artist. In addition to his creator-owned series' Mage and Grendel, he has also worked on comics featuring The Demon and Batman as well as such titles as Sandman Mystery Theatre and Trinity, a DC Comics limited series featuring Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews
May 22, 2020
The tales of the original Grendel, Hunter Rose, have always been limited and hard to find. Matt Wagner self published the original stories in 1982 and then revised versions became backups in some of long defunct publisher, Comico's other books including Wagner's Mage: The Hero Discovered (If you haven't ever read Mage, do yourself a favor and check it out!). So while the first story Devil by the Deed was written back in the day, the other stories were written well after Wagner had moved beyond Hunter Rose. The middle third of the book are vignettes illustrated by a mixture of top creators and indie talent. The last story, Behold the Devil, is an untold tale of Hunter Rose that ultimately alludes of things to come chronologically. I personally wouldn't recommend reading it until you've read the other Grendel Omnibuses, then return to revisit this story.
Matt Wagner has created a far reaching saga with his Grendel mythos. One that I've always been enthralled by. It was one of the first independent comics to ever get its hooks into me and for that I'll always have a fondness for it.
Matt Wagner has created a far reaching saga with his Grendel mythos. One that I've always been enthralled by. It was one of the first independent comics to ever get its hooks into me and for that I'll always have a fondness for it.
July 27, 2022
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.
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.
January 17, 2013
Matt Wagner created a world for “Grendel” that is brutal, violent, tragic and sad. It’s also home to some of the best comic book stories ever created. “Grendel Omnibus Volume 1: Hunter Rose” is as close to perfect a collection as you can get, in my humble opinion. It deserves a 10 out of 10.
Commemorating the 30th Anniversary of the creation of Hunter Rose, this is a comprehensive collection of all the iconic arch-criminal’s tales, presented as chronologically as possible. (After the death of this character, the various “Grendel” comic books focused on other characters who subsequently adopted the name and identity … it’s a little hard to explain.)
It begins with “Grendel: Devil by the Deed,” which is a great summary of biopic of the title character, and then moves on to more than 40 other stories, all penned by Wagner and illustrated by various other artists. It ends with the fantastic “Grendel: Behold the Devil,” illustrated by Wagner.
These comics are as difficult to describe as they are amazingly good. On the surface, this is a noir crime-story collection, about a masked mastermind who overruns the East Coast mobs. He’s pursued by the “Argent the Wolf,” the closest this series comes to presenting a hero.
But the “Grendel” identity (both here and in Wagner’s later incarnations) is really more of an abstract force, like aggression or amorality. When you look at both Hunter Rose and his successors, you do realize that Wagner seems to be tackling nothing less than the nature of evil. (This becomes more evident in Wagner’s later “Grendel” personas.) If you enjoy these comics (as I obviously have), that’s fine. But if you empathize with the main character (I’m not even sure he’s a protagonist), you’re a goddam sociopath.
He isn’t an antihero, or even a sympathetic villain like Dr. Doom or Venom. He’s evil. He murders countless people, both innocent and guilty – all merely to provide his supergenius mind with “challenge,” to achieve “focus,” and to gain “dominance and subjugation” over every human being he encounters. If you find yourself rooting for the subject of these stories, you really ought to put the book down and see a shrink.
Nor are we often presented with many other “good” major characters. Argent, the ostensible hero, brutally slaughters even low-level criminals, with the tacit approval of a desperate and morally shaky New York City Police Department. Both Grendel and other characters opine that he isn’t much better than the villain.
Does Wagner succeed in creating a three-dimensional character? That’s hard to say. He really seems more archetypal when compared with a more complex, fully realized characters like Bruce Wayne or Peter Parker. Wagner does explain his transformation and motivations, but to me they seem incomplete. But Hunter Rose damned compelling and fascinating to follow. Wagner has a beautiful command of the English language, and I do think that Hunter Rose is the most eloquently voiced comic book character I’ve ever read.
Wagner’s (varying) style is also a little hard to describe. When I first started reading his stuff way back in the 1990’s, I tried to explain to other comic fans that his stories were “experimental.” These books were rarely similar to what you would read from DC or Marvel, or even Dark Horse. They’re written, structured and drawn in a variety of ways – often, for example, using lots if text that makes the books “prose-heavy.” You sort of have to read the books to “get it.” If you’re a serious comic book fan, it’s worth checking out Wagner’s work just to see the different kind of things he can do with the medium.
The art is unique and beautiful. I know very little about art in general, but I do think there’s an art deco influence, and Wagner’s illustrations actually kind of remind me of Walt Disney’s classic work.
All in all, this is a fantastic collection. I strongly recommend it.
Commemorating the 30th Anniversary of the creation of Hunter Rose, this is a comprehensive collection of all the iconic arch-criminal’s tales, presented as chronologically as possible. (After the death of this character, the various “Grendel” comic books focused on other characters who subsequently adopted the name and identity … it’s a little hard to explain.)
It begins with “Grendel: Devil by the Deed,” which is a great summary of biopic of the title character, and then moves on to more than 40 other stories, all penned by Wagner and illustrated by various other artists. It ends with the fantastic “Grendel: Behold the Devil,” illustrated by Wagner.
These comics are as difficult to describe as they are amazingly good. On the surface, this is a noir crime-story collection, about a masked mastermind who overruns the East Coast mobs. He’s pursued by the “Argent the Wolf,” the closest this series comes to presenting a hero.
But the “Grendel” identity (both here and in Wagner’s later incarnations) is really more of an abstract force, like aggression or amorality. When you look at both Hunter Rose and his successors, you do realize that Wagner seems to be tackling nothing less than the nature of evil. (This becomes more evident in Wagner’s later “Grendel” personas.) If you enjoy these comics (as I obviously have), that’s fine. But if you empathize with the main character (I’m not even sure he’s a protagonist), you’re a goddam sociopath.
He isn’t an antihero, or even a sympathetic villain like Dr. Doom or Venom. He’s evil. He murders countless people, both innocent and guilty – all merely to provide his supergenius mind with “challenge,” to achieve “focus,” and to gain “dominance and subjugation” over every human being he encounters. If you find yourself rooting for the subject of these stories, you really ought to put the book down and see a shrink.
Nor are we often presented with many other “good” major characters. Argent, the ostensible hero, brutally slaughters even low-level criminals, with the tacit approval of a desperate and morally shaky New York City Police Department. Both Grendel and other characters opine that he isn’t much better than the villain.
Does Wagner succeed in creating a three-dimensional character? That’s hard to say. He really seems more archetypal when compared with a more complex, fully realized characters like Bruce Wayne or Peter Parker. Wagner does explain his transformation and motivations, but to me they seem incomplete. But Hunter Rose damned compelling and fascinating to follow. Wagner has a beautiful command of the English language, and I do think that Hunter Rose is the most eloquently voiced comic book character I’ve ever read.
Wagner’s (varying) style is also a little hard to describe. When I first started reading his stuff way back in the 1990’s, I tried to explain to other comic fans that his stories were “experimental.” These books were rarely similar to what you would read from DC or Marvel, or even Dark Horse. They’re written, structured and drawn in a variety of ways – often, for example, using lots if text that makes the books “prose-heavy.” You sort of have to read the books to “get it.” If you’re a serious comic book fan, it’s worth checking out Wagner’s work just to see the different kind of things he can do with the medium.
The art is unique and beautiful. I know very little about art in general, but I do think there’s an art deco influence, and Wagner’s illustrations actually kind of remind me of Walt Disney’s classic work.
All in all, this is a fantastic collection. I strongly recommend it.
June 28, 2018
I think the Grendel comic series is probably one of the most underrated in comics. Matt Wagner has managed a truly incredible narrative that starts out as one thing and eventually ends up as something totally different.
I've read various Grendel books over the years but this is the first time I've managed to read it all in order and all at once. This volume focuses on the earlier stories with Hunter Rose. The Hunter Rose character is so interesting, think Batman as a villain. Then you have Argent the wolf, who is basically a werewolf superhero. Of course, there's yin to the yang as both characters have their faults and areas of good (even though for Grendel the good is very slight.)
If you've never read Grendel it's almost impossible to explain the entire concept in a single review, but it's a very entertaining crime/super hero/horror story which manages to mash up the genres perfectly. This is the type of book that I think all graphic novel fans should at least sample. It may not be your cup of tea, but if you do enjoy it you will probably enjoy it immensely.
The art is this series includes some Matt Wagner art as well as many shorter stories featuring some of the top artistic talents in comics.
I'm going to keep reading the omnibus series and I hope the future volumes are at least half as good as this one.
I've read various Grendel books over the years but this is the first time I've managed to read it all in order and all at once. This volume focuses on the earlier stories with Hunter Rose. The Hunter Rose character is so interesting, think Batman as a villain. Then you have Argent the wolf, who is basically a werewolf superhero. Of course, there's yin to the yang as both characters have their faults and areas of good (even though for Grendel the good is very slight.)
If you've never read Grendel it's almost impossible to explain the entire concept in a single review, but it's a very entertaining crime/super hero/horror story which manages to mash up the genres perfectly. This is the type of book that I think all graphic novel fans should at least sample. It may not be your cup of tea, but if you do enjoy it you will probably enjoy it immensely.
The art is this series includes some Matt Wagner art as well as many shorter stories featuring some of the top artistic talents in comics.
I'm going to keep reading the omnibus series and I hope the future volumes are at least half as good as this one.
January 28, 2015
I honestly didn't think I was going to enjoy "Grendel." Flipping through the first few pages, it looked, sounded, and felt too much like a Frank Miller knockoff- and I , as a rule, hate Frank Miller. The only reason I picked it up in the first olace because I saw a crossover series at my local comic book shop, pitting Grendel against The Shadow- and I, as a rule, love The Shadow.
And then, I started actually reading Grendel.
It's a slow burn of a read, but once it really gets going, it's very hard to walk away from. Very much in the same vein as "The Godfather" or "House of Cards," the main character of the piece is a criminal mastermind whom you end up rooting for....not because you are evil yourself or support their point of view, but because the character is so compelling and charismatic that you cannot help yourself. I also feel that the story is able to maintain it's freshness and exhiliration due to it being a collaborative effort as opposed to a single writer/illustrator. Even though Matt Wagner does write all the stories, it is a credit to him that he manages to sound like a different person each time. It also serves as showcase for a revolving door of illustrator who add to Grendel terrifying universe with their own particular styles. I'm not quite convinced it's a series I would collect, but it turned out to be a more enjoyable read than I first anticipated.
And then, I started actually reading Grendel.
It's a slow burn of a read, but once it really gets going, it's very hard to walk away from. Very much in the same vein as "The Godfather" or "House of Cards," the main character of the piece is a criminal mastermind whom you end up rooting for....not because you are evil yourself or support their point of view, but because the character is so compelling and charismatic that you cannot help yourself. I also feel that the story is able to maintain it's freshness and exhiliration due to it being a collaborative effort as opposed to a single writer/illustrator. Even though Matt Wagner does write all the stories, it is a credit to him that he manages to sound like a different person each time. It also serves as showcase for a revolving door of illustrator who add to Grendel terrifying universe with their own particular styles. I'm not quite convinced it's a series I would collect, but it turned out to be a more enjoyable read than I first anticipated.
September 3, 2025
A beautiful omnibus dedicated to the first incarnation of Grendel.
After the indispensable Devil by the Deed, which summarises the life of Hunter Rose, we move on to the excellent B&W&R and R&W&B series, collections of short stories often illustrated by very talented artists and partly based on elements from Devil by the Deed.
The omnibus concludes with Behold the devil, a solid urban crime novel with a slightly disappointing touch of fantasy but overall very satisfying.
In short, a very good work on the very first Grendel.
After the indispensable Devil by the Deed, which summarises the life of Hunter Rose, we move on to the excellent B&W&R and R&W&B series, collections of short stories often illustrated by very talented artists and partly based on elements from Devil by the Deed.
The omnibus concludes with Behold the devil, a solid urban crime novel with a slightly disappointing touch of fantasy but overall very satisfying.
In short, a very good work on the very first Grendel.
June 9, 2024
Me ha gustado reencontrarme con la mitad de estas historias que había leído, especialmente el relato ilustrado "Acto diabólico". El trágico resumen de la carrera de Hunter Rose como Grendel, donde queda condensada su terrible amoralidad. Aquí en una versión en blanco, negro, gris y rojo que prescinde del color de Bernie Mirault y no recuerdo quien más. También he disfrutado de las historias del primer rojo, negro y blanco, sobre todo por su excelente apartado gráfico (Jason Pearson, Chris Sprouse, Tim Sale, John Paul Leon...). Aunque a veces Wagner se relame un poco en los textos (y llega a resultar ocasionalmente ridículo), el trabajo de los ilustradores es de primera magnitud. Además acierta a no contar nada relevante de la historia de Grendel, sacando todo el partido posible a sus miserias por hacerse con el control del submundo de la Costa Este. El segundo volumen del rojo, negro y blanco, también en el tomo, secuencia cada una de esas historias como los grandes hitos de su carrera y se me ha hecho más bola, sobre todo porque la formación de dibujantes no llega a ser tan brillante. Cierra el tomo un relato criminal que vendría a ser lo que se perdió con el tiempo: uno de los tebeos de Comico con las primeras andanzas del personaje contados por un Wagner con treinta años más de rodaje (y una extensión mayor). Al final, lo peor de este primer tomo está en que frente a otros arcos que llegaron posteriormente, a excepción de Acto diabólico, el resto carece de la masa crítica necesaria para funcionar a ese nivel. Y eso puede condicionar el disfrute cuando se acumulan historietas que terminan siendo pequeñas variaciones de lo ya visto.
December 2, 2013
Devil by the Deed. I always find this comic hard to dive into because it’s so wordy. However, it’s a terrific noir story with great characters and weird twists, and the artwork underlying it all is beautiful [8/10].
Black, White & Red. These shorts start off pretty interesting, and there are some great stories throughout. "Devil's Requiem", with its focus on Jocasta is strong; while "Devil's in the Punctuation" is great for its look at Hunter's work. Both "Devil's Garden" and "Devil's Cage" are terrific for their ominous looks at Stacy. However, once you get past the more revealing stories about Hunter and Stacy's youths, the stories get a bit plodding, especially those that just show Grendel doing random criminal stuff [6/10].
Sympathy for the Devil. Huh, a Grendel "It Gets Better". Who'd have guessed!? Not terribly original in the points it hits though.
Red, White & Black. Unfortunately the whole Black, White & Red idea has gotten pretty stale by this point. Most of the stories in here are dull bits of crime. Others reiterate historical points from “Devil by the Deed”, but they don’t add much to those stories. Worse, some go totally artsy-fartsy in an attempt to generate interest. The biggest problem with these historical stories is that they don't really tell us anything new, and so they make it feel like there are no new stories of Hunter Rose. With that all said, there were a couple of stories that I liked in this series before I got thoroughly bored. "Devil's Week", with art by Matt Wagner, nicely recalls Devil by The Deed. "Chase the Devil" nicely reminds you just how evil Hunter Rose was. [4/10]
Behold the Devil. This is a good Hunter Rose story — what I'd been hoping for throughout the volume. For the first time ever, we get a continuing narrative of Hunter that shows us what his daily life looked like, how he interacted with it, and the dangers that he faced. I could have done without the reveal of the future to bookend the series, but otherwise it's a fun story with at least one surprising twist [7/10].
On the whole, I find this a troublesome volume to assess. It's certainly great to get all the Hunter Rose stories in one place, but that huge block of 8-10 page stories just doesn't read well as a whole. I took something like a month to read through them all, but it was still too much, and they weren't filling enough. The other Hunter Rose stories form a weird diptych, and it's obvious that we never get an in-depth look at most of Hunter's life. Still, there are great ideas here, so even if the omnibus it's flawed, it's worth reading.
Black, White & Red. These shorts start off pretty interesting, and there are some great stories throughout. "Devil's Requiem", with its focus on Jocasta is strong; while "Devil's in the Punctuation" is great for its look at Hunter's work. Both "Devil's Garden" and "Devil's Cage" are terrific for their ominous looks at Stacy. However, once you get past the more revealing stories about Hunter and Stacy's youths, the stories get a bit plodding, especially those that just show Grendel doing random criminal stuff [6/10].
Sympathy for the Devil. Huh, a Grendel "It Gets Better". Who'd have guessed!? Not terribly original in the points it hits though.
Red, White & Black. Unfortunately the whole Black, White & Red idea has gotten pretty stale by this point. Most of the stories in here are dull bits of crime. Others reiterate historical points from “Devil by the Deed”, but they don’t add much to those stories. Worse, some go totally artsy-fartsy in an attempt to generate interest. The biggest problem with these historical stories is that they don't really tell us anything new, and so they make it feel like there are no new stories of Hunter Rose. With that all said, there were a couple of stories that I liked in this series before I got thoroughly bored. "Devil's Week", with art by Matt Wagner, nicely recalls Devil by The Deed. "Chase the Devil" nicely reminds you just how evil Hunter Rose was. [4/10]
Behold the Devil. This is a good Hunter Rose story — what I'd been hoping for throughout the volume. For the first time ever, we get a continuing narrative of Hunter that shows us what his daily life looked like, how he interacted with it, and the dangers that he faced. I could have done without the reveal of the future to bookend the series, but otherwise it's a fun story with at least one surprising twist [7/10].
On the whole, I find this a troublesome volume to assess. It's certainly great to get all the Hunter Rose stories in one place, but that huge block of 8-10 page stories just doesn't read well as a whole. I took something like a month to read through them all, but it was still too much, and they weren't filling enough. The other Hunter Rose stories form a weird diptych, and it's obvious that we never get an in-depth look at most of Hunter's life. Still, there are great ideas here, so even if the omnibus it's flawed, it's worth reading.
October 11, 2014
This one was a true find for me, as I had no prior exposure to Grendel. Black & white stories (with a little-to-a lot of red thrown in) all revolving around the first Grendel, Hunter Rose. Most of the stories included are only 8 pages long, and told in a non-chronological order, but together they make for quite an entertaining epic.
What I like the most about this book is that, while Matt Wagner wrote all the stories, the art itself is supplied by more than 40 (Forty!) artists. Some of them I already knew and it was nice to see them doing something different than what I was used to, but a lot of them I discovered for the first time and I feel I would like to see more of their work.
The main draw of this book has to be the 172-page "Behold the Devil", the final story in the book. Here Matt Wagner supplies the art in addition to writing the story and you can tell he's really passionate about his creation.
Anyone looking for something different should seek this one out. Oh - and keep this one away from children. It's pretty grim and violent. Just saying.
What I like the most about this book is that, while Matt Wagner wrote all the stories, the art itself is supplied by more than 40 (Forty!) artists. Some of them I already knew and it was nice to see them doing something different than what I was used to, but a lot of them I discovered for the first time and I feel I would like to see more of their work.
The main draw of this book has to be the 172-page "Behold the Devil", the final story in the book. Here Matt Wagner supplies the art in addition to writing the story and you can tell he's really passionate about his creation.
Anyone looking for something different should seek this one out. Oh - and keep this one away from children. It's pretty grim and violent. Just saying.
June 1, 2023
A dark and, pretty fucked up, collection of stories by the man known as Grendel!
Grendel basically is one of those people who will not accept what life has to give. He takes what he wants, no matter who gets hurt in the process. He murders people he finds fit to be killed, usually working for a mafia family but his true love is just to hurt people. You see it more and more as the series go on and all the blank spots are filled in within the many 7-12 page stories presented here.
The second collection of short stories are a little weaker than the rest of the book but still solid enough, it's the first collection of short stories that really worked for me. Vicious in nature, showing who Grendel was but also building up the tone and overall city feel to his murder spree. Getting to know more and more about Stacey, his daughter, and her ultimate face was both interesting and sad. The wolf was a great advisory to him, even if he wasn't "Good" per say.
Overall, if like fucked up and twisted stories and great world building, this one is a great one to pick up.
Grendel basically is one of those people who will not accept what life has to give. He takes what he wants, no matter who gets hurt in the process. He murders people he finds fit to be killed, usually working for a mafia family but his true love is just to hurt people. You see it more and more as the series go on and all the blank spots are filled in within the many 7-12 page stories presented here.
The second collection of short stories are a little weaker than the rest of the book but still solid enough, it's the first collection of short stories that really worked for me. Vicious in nature, showing who Grendel was but also building up the tone and overall city feel to his murder spree. Getting to know more and more about Stacey, his daughter, and her ultimate face was both interesting and sad. The wolf was a great advisory to him, even if he wasn't "Good" per say.
Overall, if like fucked up and twisted stories and great world building, this one is a great one to pick up.
February 16, 2013
The only thing saving this is the artwork, which is phenomenally done by a ton of different artists (even wagner's is great.)
However, it all reeks of self-indulgence. First of all, using "devil" in EVERY title is kind of ridiculous. Secondly, the writing is shoddy and second-rate. There is no coherent storyline here- and if there is I don't care about it. Wagner touches on Hunter's niece, who does have an interesting side, but the rest of it revolves around grendel quickly killing mob bosses, various lackeys, whatever. It's tedious, and seeing as how each story is about 5 pages long, there is no chance to go in depth about anything.
I do enjoy the short story format but I think it is not done well here. Wagner does not possess the skills to put together amy story that doesn't seem incredibly self-indulgent - each story seems like a short bout of bloodlust masturbation.
I am super not interested in reading his other work.
However, it all reeks of self-indulgence. First of all, using "devil" in EVERY title is kind of ridiculous. Secondly, the writing is shoddy and second-rate. There is no coherent storyline here- and if there is I don't care about it. Wagner touches on Hunter's niece, who does have an interesting side, but the rest of it revolves around grendel quickly killing mob bosses, various lackeys, whatever. It's tedious, and seeing as how each story is about 5 pages long, there is no chance to go in depth about anything.
I do enjoy the short story format but I think it is not done well here. Wagner does not possess the skills to put together amy story that doesn't seem incredibly self-indulgent - each story seems like a short bout of bloodlust masturbation.
I am super not interested in reading his other work.
January 4, 2020
Una cuenta pendiente que intento saldar con estos integrales de Planeta es Grendel, el famoso personaje creado por Matt Wagner. Este tomo trae historias protagonizadas por la primera encarnación del enmascarado: Hunter Rose (gran nombre). A través de ellas conoceremos su origen y su destino, además de su visión de las cosas y las razones de sus actos.
La primera historia nos resume toda la vida de Rose hasta su muerte, y las siguientes (que fueron escritas muy a posteriori) intentan llenar esos huecos que quedaron del primer arco. En esa serie de historias, brillan una serie de dibujantes que le aportan frescura a las palabras de Wagner, por lo que las hace muy entretenidas y disfrutables.
Totalmente recomendable entonces para aquellos que quieran leer un comic adulto pero que tenga acción, emoción, aventuras y mucha sangre.
La primera historia nos resume toda la vida de Rose hasta su muerte, y las siguientes (que fueron escritas muy a posteriori) intentan llenar esos huecos que quedaron del primer arco. En esa serie de historias, brillan una serie de dibujantes que le aportan frescura a las palabras de Wagner, por lo que las hace muy entretenidas y disfrutables.
Totalmente recomendable entonces para aquellos que quieran leer un comic adulto pero que tenga acción, emoción, aventuras y mucha sangre.
May 5, 2017
I didn't really get this. A lot of overheated dialogue and a bunch of small stories with great art but lacking in continuity. For something that claimed to be the "complete" storyline of Hunter Rose, it really seemed disjointed, like there was at least one book before this that would have explained it. It read like a bunch of one shots and outtakes and not a cohesive narrative. It is was just a little too brutal for me.
October 7, 2025
I don't have much experience with comics or graphic novels. But this felt very incoherent. It's mostly Grendel being an edgelord. "Aura farming", as the youths would say. The art is phenomenal though.
I liked the "Behold the Devil" arc.
I wouldn't recommend this to anyone.
I liked the "Behold the Devil" arc.
I wouldn't recommend this to anyone.
Read
February 24, 2021I'd read the two anthologies which make up the lion's share of this collection way back in the early noughties, when I was first getting drunk on the wealth of comics London's libraries held, but back before I was quite au fait with using the Internet to get everything in order. Black, White & Red and Red, White & Black both offered prismatic glimpses of the life of a Fantomas-style master criminal, his mask one of the last comics costumes really fit to bear comparison to Superman's shield or Bruce's bat. The story was told in fragments, which might be comics proper, illustrated prose, even illustrated poetry. The line-up of guest artists was already recognisable as impressive then, and with another two decades of comics under my belt, even more of them are significant figures than I knew – Stan Sakai and Woodrow Phoenix now resonate in the way Oeming, Allred, Fegredo, Jill Thompson or David Mack already did. Granted, the passage of years hasn't always improved the experience: I think I always noticed that the need to get 'Devil' into every title of these dozens of stories left some a little forced, but I'm pretty sure I didn't giggle quite so much at 'Devil's Thrush' last time around, or start wondering whether he needed to look into changing the fabric on his outfit if he was having trouble with that. And while Wagner never made the jump to being a writer I'd follow in general – indeed, I'm fairly ambivalent even about the post-Hunter Rose Grendel material, particularly once it becomes a cyborgs versus vampires future dystopia – I never noticed quite how ripe his writing could be in some of this. Rose's dying musings on power are a particularly fascinating example, sitting right on the line between poetry, and the postings on a forum that's going to get shut down soon because of an incident. Rose is meant to be a brilliant novelist as well as a peerless combatant and a mastermind of crime and incredibly handsome – and yes, maybe there is the teensiest hint of Mary-Sue there – but the problem is that Wagner isn't quite as good a writer as Rose, and keeps having him use words that aren't entirely right, or straining for effect. Although, for all that this collection relies so heavily on guest artists, his own illustrations are brilliant too, especially his backgrounds – there are three in particular here (a cityscape, a staircase wending through the dark, a bridge in the park) which stopped me in my tracks. So despite the occasional wince, there's always at least the visuals to ensure I don't regret my youthful enthusiasm.
What I hadn't realised, though, was that these oblique glimpses of the story pretty much are the story. I'd always assumed the two three-colour anthologies took place in the margins of a core series about Rose's rise and fall, and in a sense that's true – but the original story isn't here, being suppressed for some combination of rights issues and Wagner's unhappiness with early work. Instead, we get Devil By The Deed, which is essentially a summary of events presented as an illustrated version of an in-world history book. Which...I normally enjoy fictional non-fiction, but again, this doesn't really play to Wagner's strengths, even if it does provide a spine of sorts on which to hang the shorts. Finally, at the end of the volume, there's Behold The Devil – a graphic novel-length story, told as comics! But, even this is presented as a missing incident, detailing pages torn from Rose's journal. So that's nearly 600 pages of story around the story. Which, on one level I can't help but admire the chutzpah of writing a multi-generational epic, and telling its opening act in vignettes and summaries. Yet also, I feel like somewhere out across the worlds, there's an actual, sequential Hunter Rose comic I'd love to read.
What I hadn't realised, though, was that these oblique glimpses of the story pretty much are the story. I'd always assumed the two three-colour anthologies took place in the margins of a core series about Rose's rise and fall, and in a sense that's true – but the original story isn't here, being suppressed for some combination of rights issues and Wagner's unhappiness with early work. Instead, we get Devil By The Deed, which is essentially a summary of events presented as an illustrated version of an in-world history book. Which...I normally enjoy fictional non-fiction, but again, this doesn't really play to Wagner's strengths, even if it does provide a spine of sorts on which to hang the shorts. Finally, at the end of the volume, there's Behold The Devil – a graphic novel-length story, told as comics! But, even this is presented as a missing incident, detailing pages torn from Rose's journal. So that's nearly 600 pages of story around the story. Which, on one level I can't help but admire the chutzpah of writing a multi-generational epic, and telling its opening act in vignettes and summaries. Yet also, I feel like somewhere out across the worlds, there's an actual, sequential Hunter Rose comic I'd love to read.
August 10, 2015
Grendel Omnibus volume one covers the "Hunter Rose" cycle of Grendel's run, and the story telling is interesting. Often the reader gets fragments of the characters or events but they slowly add up to the narrative that is already set up in the first Grendel tales. The artwork varies as Grendel had many artists, but the variance in technique really allows for dramatic irony and long term stories to built even if an individual story is just a pages and at first read seemingly slight. Yes, sometimes the prose is purple, and sometime the frameworks cliche, but overall this was a truly interesting comic even if some of its shock is seems sedate by contemporary standards.
June 29, 2014
Partiendo del noir más clásico, Matt Wagner acierta magistralmente al hacer de su villano Hunter Rose el vehículo para horadar la naturaleza del Mal. Crónica negra que mezcla folletín, violencia callejera y un singular triángulo de amor/odio para enganchar página tras página, dando forma a una de las grandes historietas independientes de las últimas décadas.
August 13, 2022
This book was a challenging read for me, which is not something that happens often with my consumption of graphic novels. First of all, why is the intro 45 pages with super tiny print? The intro art was fantastic, but the whole plot of the story was summed up in those pages. Certainly a weird way to kick off an omnibus, but I suppose it played out well.
With so many different artists contributing, it was initially difficult for me to pin down what the vibe was supposed to be. A gritty, dark noir, this graphic novel has some chapters that consist of pure, poetic artistry and some full of robust narratives. The rapid changing pace from chapter to chapter made it difficult to stay invested in the story, but the slow burn eventually paid off.
The second half of the book was easier to follow and had more character building. Despite a few slurs and racial stereotypes, I found myself interested in how things would play out for all the characters. The ending was unexpected and phenomenal, which left me overall satisfied with the book. Despite it’s flaws, this book covered all my personal requirements for a good story. Solid 4/5 stars.
With so many different artists contributing, it was initially difficult for me to pin down what the vibe was supposed to be. A gritty, dark noir, this graphic novel has some chapters that consist of pure, poetic artistry and some full of robust narratives. The rapid changing pace from chapter to chapter made it difficult to stay invested in the story, but the slow burn eventually paid off.
The second half of the book was easier to follow and had more character building. Despite a few slurs and racial stereotypes, I found myself interested in how things would play out for all the characters. The ending was unexpected and phenomenal, which left me overall satisfied with the book. Despite it’s flaws, this book covered all my personal requirements for a good story. Solid 4/5 stars.
May 6, 2023
I remember reading the original story when Matt Wagner introduced the crime lord/assassin/author and suave man-about-town back in the early 1980's. It was a short overview/review of the book about Grendel written by the character of the daughter of Hunter Rose's ward. Seeing on the library shelf gave me an enjoyable visit to my younger years and comic-collecting days of the past. This collects quite the number of short pieces written over the years by Wagner himself with a variety of artists illustrating them.
It's brutal. It's thought provoking. It's in black and white and (in many cases) too much red for all the blood that is spilt. There is a noir feel about many pieces - especially with the art deco structuring of the first piece along with Wagner's rather manga-like personal style. Total aside - it is interesting to see how his illustrating style had changed over the years as the first and last pieces are done by him. Then the wolf Argent - a cursed individual who is werewolf-like without the full moon aspects - brings in some supernatural aspects. Seriously though, this anti-hero of Grendel would likely be classified as a sociopath but there is still this allure. . . .
Warning: Depictions of nudity, sex along with brutal and violent murder.
2023-039
It's brutal. It's thought provoking. It's in black and white and (in many cases) too much red for all the blood that is spilt. There is a noir feel about many pieces - especially with the art deco structuring of the first piece along with Wagner's rather manga-like personal style. Total aside - it is interesting to see how his illustrating style had changed over the years as the first and last pieces are done by him. Then the wolf Argent - a cursed individual who is werewolf-like without the full moon aspects - brings in some supernatural aspects. Seriously though, this anti-hero of Grendel would likely be classified as a sociopath but there is still this allure. . . .
Warning: Depictions of nudity, sex along with brutal and violent murder.
2023-039
January 10, 2021
Es una historia bastante oscura que gira entorno a Hunter Rose, escritor de día y asesino y señor de la mafia de noche, y todos los actos y sucesos que no solo inspiran a esta persona a querer controlar el crimen organizado de una ciudad, si no que también lo llevan a su declive.
Es un libro que se compone de diferentes historias y diferentes estilos, cuyo propósito principal es introducirnos en la vida de Hunter Rose. Una lectura interesante aunque en mi opinión, falla en crear simpatía por la gran mayoría de personajes, por lo que al final realmente te deja de importar lo que les pase a todos -supongo que es el único pero que le puedo poner.
Fue mi primer acercamiento a los cómics y lo disfruté.
Es un libro que se compone de diferentes historias y diferentes estilos, cuyo propósito principal es introducirnos en la vida de Hunter Rose. Una lectura interesante aunque en mi opinión, falla en crear simpatía por la gran mayoría de personajes, por lo que al final realmente te deja de importar lo que les pase a todos -supongo que es el único pero que le puedo poner.
Fue mi primer acercamiento a los cómics y lo disfruté.
February 27, 2023
The great parts are really great, but the disjointed nature of the narrative gets in its own way.
September 5, 2023
Sono felice di aver ricevuto questo fumetto al compleanno e super felice di averlo letto... Inoltre è stata una piacevole scoperta, una storia che mi ha colpita molto e che è nelle mio corde.
May 6, 2025
Since the Beginning I had difficulty enjoying the story, the format, the character, the whole thing.
March 7, 2017
Hunter Rose is just about the only part of the Grendel saga I've ever had real investment in -- other than him, I think that Wagner's approach to a character that, over centuries, eventually becomes a societal ethos is an incredibly interesting concept, but the execution has always seemed pretty bland.
But I was pretty excited to read all the Hunter Rose stories in one place, seeing as they were originally published sporadically, and out of order, over the course of several decades. The omnibus doesn't really do much to sort out the chronology, but it's a lot easier to understand the broad strokes of Rose's character arc when it's all collected in one volume. For my money, the best Grendel story ever is still Batman/Grendel, and I understand why it couldn't be included here for publishing reasons, but there is a nice nod to it in one of the stories where Grendel shows up in bandages from wounds he earned in Gotham City.
Unfortunately, the omnibus demonstrates the limitations of the Hunter Rose character, and why he never survived as an ageless supervillain, in the grand comics tradition. Rose is simply too one-note, and his character is sort of painful to follow for pages on end. Either Wagner intends for Rose to be loathsome in his pretentiousness, or he simply doesn't know how to write a believably sophisticated character, but one way or another Rose comes off like a bad Shakespearean actor with some serious ninja skills, instead of a baddie that actually inspires fear. And Wagner's attempt at "poetry" about Grendel seems to indicate that his belief in his own writing chops, much like Rose's own hubris, may just be the result of overconfidence and a certain inability to be self-critical.
Wagner's other foible is his inability to write women as anything other than victims, tramps, hysterics, or sex objects. Again, I can't tell if the fact that we're supposed to be seeing everything through the eyes of a misogynist villain, or Wagner's own misogyny, is the bigger factor (but, oddly, the only relatively three-dimensional women I've seen in his stories are, once again, in Batman/Grendel, and even there they eventually succumb to standard tropes). No one ever accused Grendel of being a feminist screed -- it's just one more negative aspect of Wagner's writing that comes to the fore when everything's gathered together.
There is an excellent collection of artists here, and there's something novel about this collection even existing. But past the arena of novelty, I'm not sure if seeing it all gathered together actually improves Grendel -- in fact, probably the opposite.
But I was pretty excited to read all the Hunter Rose stories in one place, seeing as they were originally published sporadically, and out of order, over the course of several decades. The omnibus doesn't really do much to sort out the chronology, but it's a lot easier to understand the broad strokes of Rose's character arc when it's all collected in one volume. For my money, the best Grendel story ever is still Batman/Grendel, and I understand why it couldn't be included here for publishing reasons, but there is a nice nod to it in one of the stories where Grendel shows up in bandages from wounds he earned in Gotham City.
Unfortunately, the omnibus demonstrates the limitations of the Hunter Rose character, and why he never survived as an ageless supervillain, in the grand comics tradition. Rose is simply too one-note, and his character is sort of painful to follow for pages on end. Either Wagner intends for Rose to be loathsome in his pretentiousness, or he simply doesn't know how to write a believably sophisticated character, but one way or another Rose comes off like a bad Shakespearean actor with some serious ninja skills, instead of a baddie that actually inspires fear. And Wagner's attempt at "poetry" about Grendel seems to indicate that his belief in his own writing chops, much like Rose's own hubris, may just be the result of overconfidence and a certain inability to be self-critical.
Wagner's other foible is his inability to write women as anything other than victims, tramps, hysterics, or sex objects. Again, I can't tell if the fact that we're supposed to be seeing everything through the eyes of a misogynist villain, or Wagner's own misogyny, is the bigger factor (but, oddly, the only relatively three-dimensional women I've seen in his stories are, once again, in Batman/Grendel, and even there they eventually succumb to standard tropes). No one ever accused Grendel of being a feminist screed -- it's just one more negative aspect of Wagner's writing that comes to the fore when everything's gathered together.
There is an excellent collection of artists here, and there's something novel about this collection even existing. But past the arena of novelty, I'm not sure if seeing it all gathered together actually improves Grendel -- in fact, probably the opposite.
July 31, 2019
I thought I would really enjoy this series, and while it is very well drawn and written poetically, I found it difficult to relate to any of the characters. Grendel is this built up devil but he is also the protagonist, despite having no redeeming qualities and Argent is equally impossible to care about. Instead of showing us why Grendel is terrifying, we are repeatedly told that he is the bane of an entire U.S. coast and the writing often reads like a masturbatory fantasy with Grendel as the main subject. Another thing that makes many of the stories boring is that Hunter Rose is perfect at everything, never loses, and never even risks anything. Not only that, everything comes easy to him and he doesn't even overcome a lot of hardship to get to where he is as Grendel. He simply is the best of the best and that's that.
Another part of the stories that made it difficult to enjoy was the textual apathy for all female characters. Either they were fridged as motivation, as is the case with Jocasta Rose who is shown as this muse and has no personality outside of that, or the young Stacy who Hunter adopts and grooms from a young age. She is nothing more than a symbol of innocence and her contrived position between Grendel and Argent only seeks to cement the fact that the text really has no time for any of its female characters besides giving them a trope to play.
All the stories come down to being about how awesome and scary Grendel is and you can only read that story so many times before you start asking for proof, for a reason to care and the book is never interested in examining that. It expects the reader to already be on the Grendel hype train, and if you are, this will be a great book for you. I personally found it to be cliche and boring. A lot of its storytelling shorthands were symbols of toxic masculinity and none of these symbols are examined of questioned either. They are simply shown as the way things are, as the way the Grendel universe operates. One of the most glaring examples of this is how Hunter's grooming of Stacy is normalized as kindness when it is clearly a manipulative man keeping a child hostage and raising her to be the "perfect wife" of sorts. The only enjoyable thing about the book is that Argent and Grendel are finally brought to a climactic fight which ends with Grendel's death after his ward, Stacy finds out who he is and engineers his death. But even that isn't as satisfying as it could be because Stacy goes on to become insane, marry her therapist, be raped and murdered.
So, not really going to recommend this. Art's great to be honest, and there's an entire section which is colored using nothing but white, black and red, so there's a lot to admire in the book beside the storytelling.
Another part of the stories that made it difficult to enjoy was the textual apathy for all female characters. Either they were fridged as motivation, as is the case with Jocasta Rose who is shown as this muse and has no personality outside of that, or the young Stacy who Hunter adopts and grooms from a young age. She is nothing more than a symbol of innocence and her contrived position between Grendel and Argent only seeks to cement the fact that the text really has no time for any of its female characters besides giving them a trope to play.
All the stories come down to being about how awesome and scary Grendel is and you can only read that story so many times before you start asking for proof, for a reason to care and the book is never interested in examining that. It expects the reader to already be on the Grendel hype train, and if you are, this will be a great book for you. I personally found it to be cliche and boring. A lot of its storytelling shorthands were symbols of toxic masculinity and none of these symbols are examined of questioned either. They are simply shown as the way things are, as the way the Grendel universe operates. One of the most glaring examples of this is how Hunter's grooming of Stacy is normalized as kindness when it is clearly a manipulative man keeping a child hostage and raising her to be the "perfect wife" of sorts. The only enjoyable thing about the book is that Argent and Grendel are finally brought to a climactic fight which ends with Grendel's death after his ward, Stacy finds out who he is and engineers his death. But even that isn't as satisfying as it could be because Stacy goes on to become insane, marry her therapist, be raped and murdered.
So, not really going to recommend this. Art's great to be honest, and there's an entire section which is colored using nothing but white, black and red, so there's a lot to admire in the book beside the storytelling.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 20, 2012
One of the best collected editions I have ever read. The Grendel Omnibus tells the story of Grendel, but not in a traditional way. Instead, comics and illustrated short stories (sometimes both combined) tell the story of Hunter Rose.
A little more than half of the book is drawn by Matt Wagner. The rest feature other artists' interpretations of Grendel's story. There are some real gems here. With the exception of the badly drawn and written urban story (gangstas, please), they all add to Grendel's myth.
However, this is not the fully collected version of Matt Wagner's works. I would recommend checking out Devil and the Deed. More info can be found on the ComicVine wiki. Also, I would like to add that Grendel is not for those under 18 or those with weak stomachs. Lots of adult themes (language, sex, violence). Also has rape, prostitution, dismemberment, drug use, and the occasional werewolf.
A little more than half of the book is drawn by Matt Wagner. The rest feature other artists' interpretations of Grendel's story. There are some real gems here. With the exception of the badly drawn and written urban story (gangstas, please), they all add to Grendel's myth.
However, this is not the fully collected version of Matt Wagner's works. I would recommend checking out Devil and the Deed. More info can be found on the ComicVine wiki. Also, I would like to add that Grendel is not for those under 18 or those with weak stomachs. Lots of adult themes (language, sex, violence). Also has rape, prostitution, dismemberment, drug use, and the occasional werewolf.
May 21, 2014
Grendel is a fascinating thing in and of itself, in terms of publication over a long time, with lots of collaborators, and so on. And notoriously hard to follow. So it's very nice to finally see some reasonable collections. Unfortunately, the stories in this volume, although written over many years, get a little tedious when you read them all together. The art is beautiful throughout, and there's a ton of different artists here, but at some point I got tired of reading various versions of the same story. Or, maybe more specifically, I found myself longing for some character development. I know that character development is NOT what this series is about. But when I read 600 pages treading over the same ground repeatedly, it's a little hard not to want more. I mean, there are 400 pages of 10-page stories in here! (Of course, in real time, this was 40 stories written over a decade, or two decades, or something. Not quite the same.)
November 19, 2020
I understand that probably this compilation will be really interesting for people who has followed Grendel since his first appearance in the media.
In my case this has been the first time I read something about Grendel, and the format of this compilation has been extremely repetitive for me. The sort stories are mainly variations of the initial one, with different drawers but with basically the same approach, the same 2-3 roles, and the same conclusions. So after 4-5 variations I found it very predictable and quite boring.
Took me a big effort to finish it. Also the edition has a minuscular letter size which does not help at all on reading with comfort.
In my case this has been the first time I read something about Grendel, and the format of this compilation has been extremely repetitive for me. The sort stories are mainly variations of the initial one, with different drawers but with basically the same approach, the same 2-3 roles, and the same conclusions. So after 4-5 variations I found it very predictable and quite boring.
Took me a big effort to finish it. Also the edition has a minuscular letter size which does not help at all on reading with comfort.
July 25, 2013
I love Matt Wagner, and the early Grendel (not included herein) is fascinating. This one has its moments, like Grendel telling Argent that we decide to be fulfilled by life. But, by the end, I was exhausted. I felt the stories became repetitive and no growth was happening. Still, some great moments.
February 18, 2015
Maybe 2.5, which may be the fault of the TPB format rather than the material. While I could see these stories working as regular backup features as they originally ran, here the sheer randomness (different viewpoints, times, styles, POV characters) means there's no build, and the individual stories weren't strong enough to keep me reading.
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