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Grendel #2
Grendel: Devil's Legacy
The mind of a vigilante murderer is complex, wrought with anger and blood; it echoes through time in ancestral screams for revenge. And the cycle of death that comes from such a spirit is often endless and tragic. Such is the story of Christine Spar, adopted granddaughter of the terribly notorious, yet rich and graceful Hunter Rose, a.k.a. the original Grendel. It's the near future, and Spar takes her son, Anson, to see a kabuki show, not knowing what tragedy lies ahead. The mysterious leader of the troupe cuts a terrifying figure, cat-like and dangerous, with an odd fixation for Spar and her son. Soon Anson disappears, and Spar takes up the mantle of Grendel. So the cycle begins. Written by Grendel creator Matt Wagner, illustrated by the talented Pander Brothers, and colored by Jeromy Cox.
328 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
82 people want to read
About the author
Matt Wagner
967 books231 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 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 17, 2009
Powerful, sexy, eerie, dark, quirky, unexpected. This is how film noir graphic novels should be done. The heroine (heroine/villain?) is wonderful, and the Grendel backstory is compelling. Read this. Film this. Now.
May 5, 2019
Although Matt Wagner’s vision and mystique of Grendel is a landmark in graphic storytelling, I felt that this collection of the first ongoing series falls short of the mark. The setting of a 2005 with flying cars and levitating phones seems laughable even by 1993 standards, as does the 1988 clothes and hair styles worn by people of the future. Christine Spar makes for a powerful and deeply conflicted character, and yet the longer she continues on her streak of vengeance, the less it makes sense and the more she is portrayed simply as an angry bitch. The art is inconsistent, flowing from masterful to pathetic, and paling in comparison to Wagner’s cover work. Maybe I’m nitpicking, or just let down by my own expectations, but I will read more Grendel in the future.
December 30, 2018
Christine Spar takes on the visage of Grendel to avenge her son's kidnapping (and possibly death) by Kabuki artist Tujiro.
Grendel is a character/series I've intended to read for years. The artwork is beautiful though there were times when heads and bodies were drawn in a way that pulled me out of the story. I didn't like Christine, but I could understand her fear and rage at the loss of her son. The story arc was disturbing and depressing - a walk through what being a vigilante could do to a human mind. Based on some quick reads of the remainder of the Grendel books, this is a common theme. I didn't like this one enough to continue down that dark road.
Grendel is a character/series I've intended to read for years. The artwork is beautiful though there were times when heads and bodies were drawn in a way that pulled me out of the story. I didn't like Christine, but I could understand her fear and rage at the loss of her son. The story arc was disturbing and depressing - a walk through what being a vigilante could do to a human mind. Based on some quick reads of the remainder of the Grendel books, this is a common theme. I didn't like this one enough to continue down that dark road.
October 1, 2024
Really enjoyed this.
Basically we have Christine Spar, Hunter Roses Granddaughter. And let's just say, tragedy is still high in their lives. As she takes her son to a show, and then soon after realizes her son might never come home together. In this tale Spar is born into the role of Grendel and being forced to be as vicious and cunning as her grandfather. It's a tale of loss, revenge, and murder but it works on almost every level. I will say the loop and pacing are a bit off, feeling like a much longer series than needed at times but 80% of the time it worked and was great.
A 4 out of 5.
Basically we have Christine Spar, Hunter Roses Granddaughter. And let's just say, tragedy is still high in their lives. As she takes her son to a show, and then soon after realizes her son might never come home together. In this tale Spar is born into the role of Grendel and being forced to be as vicious and cunning as her grandfather. It's a tale of loss, revenge, and murder but it works on almost every level. I will say the loop and pacing are a bit off, feeling like a much longer series than needed at times but 80% of the time it worked and was great.
A 4 out of 5.
March 16, 2013
Though this may not be the best storyline in Matt Wagner's GRENDEL epic, this book remains to be my favorite standalone graphic novel of all time.
The story follows Christine Spar, daughter of Stacy Palumbo who was raised by Hunter Rose - the first Grendel. She has just written a best-selling novel, "Devil By The Deed" that chronicles the life and death of Hunter Rose and Grendel. After her son is kidnapped, Christine snaps mentally and goes on a crusade to first find her son, and then enact revenge on the person who kidnapped him. Along the way, she dons the mask of Hunter Rose's Grendel character and assumes the mantle of this devilish persona.
As time goes by, and the outlook of finding her son alive seems more grim, Christine spirals deeper and deeper into the character of Grendel. She soon captures the attention of Argent, the werewolf arch-enemy of Hunter Rose who eventually killed him and ended up crippled himself in the process. Argent now wants this "new" Grendel brought to him, and to find her he uses her own friends for information against her.
Now almost totally mad, Christine puts an end to the reign of terror caused by her son's kidnapper and sets her eyes on putting an end to Argent - the one task that Hunter Rose started as Grendel almost 30 years before, but never finished. Will she succeed or will Argent claim the life of yet another Grendel? The answer may surprise you.
Matt Wagner's story is flawless, and this book is just the beginning of a truly epic story, with DEVIL BY THE DEED acting as a prelude for everything to come. Matt Wagner is a comics genius. GRENDEL was a comic book that was originally published in the 1980's, but still is far more intelligent and holds more weight than most of the comics being published today. GRENDEL was years ahead of it's time, and Matt Wagner held no limits to what he would do with the characters he created within the pages of his books.
The Pander Bros.' artwork is amazing, and this volume features totally remastered color which makes their artwork shine even more.
The story follows Christine Spar, daughter of Stacy Palumbo who was raised by Hunter Rose - the first Grendel. She has just written a best-selling novel, "Devil By The Deed" that chronicles the life and death of Hunter Rose and Grendel. After her son is kidnapped, Christine snaps mentally and goes on a crusade to first find her son, and then enact revenge on the person who kidnapped him. Along the way, she dons the mask of Hunter Rose's Grendel character and assumes the mantle of this devilish persona.
As time goes by, and the outlook of finding her son alive seems more grim, Christine spirals deeper and deeper into the character of Grendel. She soon captures the attention of Argent, the werewolf arch-enemy of Hunter Rose who eventually killed him and ended up crippled himself in the process. Argent now wants this "new" Grendel brought to him, and to find her he uses her own friends for information against her.
Now almost totally mad, Christine puts an end to the reign of terror caused by her son's kidnapper and sets her eyes on putting an end to Argent - the one task that Hunter Rose started as Grendel almost 30 years before, but never finished. Will she succeed or will Argent claim the life of yet another Grendel? The answer may surprise you.
Matt Wagner's story is flawless, and this book is just the beginning of a truly epic story, with DEVIL BY THE DEED acting as a prelude for everything to come. Matt Wagner is a comics genius. GRENDEL was a comic book that was originally published in the 1980's, but still is far more intelligent and holds more weight than most of the comics being published today. GRENDEL was years ahead of it's time, and Matt Wagner held no limits to what he would do with the characters he created within the pages of his books.
The Pander Bros.' artwork is amazing, and this volume features totally remastered color which makes their artwork shine even more.
March 5, 2022
Woah, this book is the classic story of self destructive vengefulness but with vampires, werewolves and really a cool eighties futurist aesthetic. This book is super dark and reading it before bed has given me very weird nightmares, but the story is captivating and the main character, Chris, is so complex and layered and loving and hateful and angry and protective and just so interesting to follow. I love being inside her mind. I would absolutely recommend this novel to anyone looking for some high fashion and gory violence.
September 1, 2020
What a slog. I hated the Pander Brothers art. Story seemed to stretch out a few issues too long.
Christine's journal entries were really annoying.
Its creative and interesting but is there a supernatural element? How did she turn into a ninja? Hunter Rose is rich so he can travel and train, ta-da, superhero.
Christine's journal entries were really annoying.
Its creative and interesting but is there a supernatural element? How did she turn into a ninja? Hunter Rose is rich so he can travel and train, ta-da, superhero.
January 30, 2023
A clever mix of supernatural and SF ideas, somewhat languorous reading by today's standards, little helped by the repetitive confrontation/retreat scenes of the hero and villain, but layered and dense stuff (though lots of loose plot threads—some, however, picked up in later volumes—are a niggle), with striking art from the Pander brothers, which really comes alive when they ink themselves.
February 8, 2016
Since ejecting Shatter: The Revolutionary Graphic Novel from my library for its general crapness, this book now holds the position of Most 1980s Comic on my bookshelves, but not for long. See, I've given myself an ultimatum via Goodreads: 2 stars or lower, and out it goes. I have too damn many books to keep bad ones.
Devil's Legacy is (I think) the first Grendel collection after the graphic novel Grendel: Devil by the Deed, and it tells the tale of that book's fictitious authour Christine Spar and how she inherits the Grendel mantle. It's hard for me to tell what is wrong with this book, but then I may not be the best person to judge: I don't tend to like superhero books, and this is -- in spite of its pretensions -- a superhero book at heart. All the earmarks are there, right down to the hackneyed writing and utterly unbelievable characters.
Beyond the story and the writing, the art is not doing this book any favours. Committed by the Pander Brothers with inks (most often) from Jay Geldhof and eye-ravaging colours by Tom Vincent, the whole thing frequently comes off as a bad copy of Nagel in sequential form. For the time this was published, it probably fit right in with most of the graphics world, but now the style, design and characters all date the book horribly.
Grendel seems to have never rested in the decades since its creation, but at no point has the character or its countless progeny really engaged me. For completists of the character (or of Matt Wagner ), this is a necessity. For the curious, it is at least a way to wile away the time. For me, it's just no good and my bookshelves can be put to better use.
Devil's Legacy is (I think) the first Grendel collection after the graphic novel Grendel: Devil by the Deed, and it tells the tale of that book's fictitious authour Christine Spar and how she inherits the Grendel mantle. It's hard for me to tell what is wrong with this book, but then I may not be the best person to judge: I don't tend to like superhero books, and this is -- in spite of its pretensions -- a superhero book at heart. All the earmarks are there, right down to the hackneyed writing and utterly unbelievable characters.
Beyond the story and the writing, the art is not doing this book any favours. Committed by the Pander Brothers with inks (most often) from Jay Geldhof and eye-ravaging colours by Tom Vincent, the whole thing frequently comes off as a bad copy of Nagel in sequential form. For the time this was published, it probably fit right in with most of the graphics world, but now the style, design and characters all date the book horribly.
Grendel seems to have never rested in the decades since its creation, but at no point has the character or its countless progeny really engaged me. For completists of the character (or of Matt Wagner ), this is a necessity. For the curious, it is at least a way to wile away the time. For me, it's just no good and my bookshelves can be put to better use.
November 8, 2012
Grendel: Devil's Legacy TPB
Fathered by rape and suicide, the daughter of Stacy Palumbo and reluctant heir of a bloody mantle, Christine Spar is a study in seething rage. The author of the definitive account of Grendel's life, Spar is living the life of a minor celebrity, but that's all about to change. The very subject which propelled her to success is about to drag her into a dark pit of despair and anger. Soon Spar's life of metropolitan leisure will be eclipsed by that which sleeps within her, the bitter blade of Grendel and the desire for brutal balance: an eye for an eye, a death for a death. Along the way, she will find tragic love, take many lives, suffer a badly battered body, and take on the old foe of her adoptive grandfather, Hunter Rose. This book features dramatic, ahead-of-its-time art by the Pander Brothers and refreshed colors with a palette of many emotions by Jeromy Cox. Extras include a gallery of Wagner's brilliant painted covers for the series.
Fathered by rape and suicide, the daughter of Stacy Palumbo and reluctant heir of a bloody mantle, Christine Spar is a study in seething rage. The author of the definitive account of Grendel's life, Spar is living the life of a minor celebrity, but that's all about to change. The very subject which propelled her to success is about to drag her into a dark pit of despair and anger. Soon Spar's life of metropolitan leisure will be eclipsed by that which sleeps within her, the bitter blade of Grendel and the desire for brutal balance: an eye for an eye, a death for a death. Along the way, she will find tragic love, take many lives, suffer a badly battered body, and take on the old foe of her adoptive grandfather, Hunter Rose. This book features dramatic, ahead-of-its-time art by the Pander Brothers and refreshed colors with a palette of many emotions by Jeromy Cox. Extras include a gallery of Wagner's brilliant painted covers for the series.
June 9, 2025
This series made a huge impression on me when it was first released 30+ years ago. At the time, there was a trend among independent comic companies and creators to push the limits beyond what had been seen in the big 2 mainstream publishers. Much of that limit pushing resulted in not-so-good stories with extra violence and nudity thrown in. Grendel: Devils Legacy is better than many of its contemporaries in that respect. It has a solid plot and good characters, and the "adult" elements don't feel forced. The Pander Bros. art style is definitely of its time, kind of "Blade Runner meets Patrick Nagel." It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I still get nostalgic for it.
I don't know if it rates a full 5 stars, but a solid 4.5.
I don't know if it rates a full 5 stars, but a solid 4.5.
March 6, 2012
At the time it was first published in monthly form by Comico, this was an amazing comic. Illustrated by the Pander Bros. with a special coloring technique that made the images pop off the page, the outside-the-box art of the comic was ferociously innovative. Issue #9, which was almost entirely without text, except for the first and last panels, will be forever in my memory.
Later Dark Horse versions were printed from digital scans and have some unfortunate pixelation of the images.
Later Dark Horse versions were printed from digital scans and have some unfortunate pixelation of the images.
October 1, 2021
Matt Wagner and the Pander Bros. give us the successor to Hunter Rose in Christine Spar.
Yet another tale of violence and obsession and how it destroys the woman who wears the mask.
The vampire is a frightening opponent, Christine’s loss is heart-wrentching, and the resolution is solid.
Continued development for Argent the Wolf, and set-up for the Silverback limited series.
Yet another tale of violence and obsession and how it destroys the woman who wears the mask.
The vampire is a frightening opponent, Christine’s loss is heart-wrentching, and the resolution is solid.
Continued development for Argent the Wolf, and set-up for the Silverback limited series.
August 10, 2014
Devil’s Legacy. A great continuation of the story from “Devil By The Deed”. For the first time ever, we see a new Grendel, and we can really feel for her reasons for picking up the mask. The result is a strongly emotional story full of great characters [8/10].
July 21, 2007
The mantle has been passed to Christine Spar, Hunter Rose's granddaughter...
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews