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Grendel #2, 3, 4, 12
Grendel Omnibus Volume 2: Legacy (Second Edition)
Stories that inspired the Netflix show!
Four essential chapters in the massive Grendel story saga by Matt Wagner and collaborators Diana Schutz, Tim Sale, Arnold & Jacob Pander, and Bernie Mireault are collected, in chronological order and in a standard comics-size format for the first time!
Stacy Palumbo's fate is detailed in Devil Child, the chain of evil continues as Christine Spar takes up the next Grendel mantle in Devil's Legacy, and the nature of the Grendel entity begins to reveal itself in The Devil Inside. Finally, Wagner returns as both writer and artist for a pair of Devil Tales that look back on the career of Hunter Rose, each illustrated in a different experimental style.
Celebrate the fortieth anniversary of this dynamic comics masterpiece!
Four essential chapters in the massive Grendel story saga by Matt Wagner and collaborators Diana Schutz, Tim Sale, Arnold & Jacob Pander, and Bernie Mireault are collected, in chronological order and in a standard comics-size format for the first time!
Stacy Palumbo's fate is detailed in Devil Child, the chain of evil continues as Christine Spar takes up the next Grendel mantle in Devil's Legacy, and the nature of the Grendel entity begins to reveal itself in The Devil Inside. Finally, Wagner returns as both writer and artist for a pair of Devil Tales that look back on the career of Hunter Rose, each illustrated in a different experimental style.
Celebrate the fortieth anniversary of this dynamic comics masterpiece!
552 pages, Paperback
First published December 19, 2012
28 people are currently reading
166 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 - 30 of 51 reviews
September 18, 2025
Hunter Rose is dead and now we follow his so-called "heirs".
Reading this 2nd volume, I saw my interest dropping a little.
First, we focus on the tragic (and I do mean tragic) fate of Stacy Palumbo, Grendel's adopted daughter. This one's grim and dark and shows the terrible truth of the "legacy". Tim Sale's on the drawing board, so you get value for money
Next in line is Christine Spar, Stacy's daughter. I remember reading it in 2000 and not caring much about it. That was mainly due to the terrible art of the Pander Bros, whose ugly 80's style was already outdated at the time and still doesn't come as a great vintage 15 years later. I could forgive the total absence of storytelling, the weird hairdos (totally 80's when the action is supposed to take place some 30/40 years later) and characters as charismatic as kitchen sinks, but I just can't stand the fact that the guys just overlooked the simple concept of proportions. I mean, when you draw somebody's shoulders as wide as he is tall, you really should look for another job.
Story wasn't as bad as I remembered though, even if I wasn't too keen on the vampire stuff. Spar looks more like a mean cold bitch than a grieving mother at first (but that may explain why she acts as Grendel so easily) before giving way to some humanity towards the end.
Then comes Li-Sung, Spar's ex-lover who starts to loose it and to embrace Grendel's spirit, though you just don't really see why... Kinda boring to read (scripted notes all over), as madmen's ramblings usually are. Not very convincing, aggravated by Bernie Mireault's poor job of it.
Last but not least, two Matt Wagner's stories, going back to Hunter Rose's era. These are well written, with an astute storytelling. A much better conclusion.
Reading this 2nd volume, I saw my interest dropping a little.
First, we focus on the tragic (and I do mean tragic) fate of Stacy Palumbo, Grendel's adopted daughter. This one's grim and dark and shows the terrible truth of the "legacy". Tim Sale's on the drawing board, so you get value for money
Next in line is Christine Spar, Stacy's daughter. I remember reading it in 2000 and not caring much about it. That was mainly due to the terrible art of the Pander Bros, whose ugly 80's style was already outdated at the time and still doesn't come as a great vintage 15 years later. I could forgive the total absence of storytelling, the weird hairdos (totally 80's when the action is supposed to take place some 30/40 years later) and characters as charismatic as kitchen sinks, but I just can't stand the fact that the guys just overlooked the simple concept of proportions. I mean, when you draw somebody's shoulders as wide as he is tall, you really should look for another job.
Story wasn't as bad as I remembered though, even if I wasn't too keen on the vampire stuff. Spar looks more like a mean cold bitch than a grieving mother at first (but that may explain why she acts as Grendel so easily) before giving way to some humanity towards the end.
Then comes Li-Sung, Spar's ex-lover who starts to loose it and to embrace Grendel's spirit, though you just don't really see why... Kinda boring to read (scripted notes all over), as madmen's ramblings usually are. Not very convincing, aggravated by Bernie Mireault's poor job of it.
Last but not least, two Matt Wagner's stories, going back to Hunter Rose's era. These are well written, with an astute storytelling. A much better conclusion.
January 9, 2023
I’m now a thousand pages into Matt Wagner‘s GRENDEL and still waiting for the point when it gets good or justifies it’s almost legendary reputation.
In this volume, we have in order:
A story with multiple violent graphic rape scenes that don’t seem to serve any point bigger than justifying the next story’s main character‘s rage.
A mediocre story running almost 300 pages that was rendered almost unreadable to me by some truly terrible art (I know the Pander Brothers have their fans but I have no idea why, I’ ve known dozens of teenagers that draw prettier and are better at telling a story. What emotions are these grotesque creatures meant to convey? How can any of them stand if their shoulders are broader than they’re high? Why is everybody’s neck broken?!?).
A story that may have a point later on in the series about the third Grendel but is rather less than satisfying at this point.
A decent crime story much helped by Wagner himself returning to the art.
And a few more variations on “guy gets murdered by Grendel 1 in experimental panels” which are at times nice to look at and would be fine had not THE FIRST OMNIBUS CONSISTED OF LITTLE ELSE THAN “GUY GETS MURDERED BY GRENDEL 1 IN EXPERIMENTAL PANELS”.
So, uhm, I’m putting a lot of hope in you, Grendel Omnibus 3. Come on, we can make this work!
In this volume, we have in order:
A story with multiple violent graphic rape scenes that don’t seem to serve any point bigger than justifying the next story’s main character‘s rage.
A mediocre story running almost 300 pages that was rendered almost unreadable to me by some truly terrible art (I know the Pander Brothers have their fans but I have no idea why, I’ ve known dozens of teenagers that draw prettier and are better at telling a story. What emotions are these grotesque creatures meant to convey? How can any of them stand if their shoulders are broader than they’re high? Why is everybody’s neck broken?!?).
A story that may have a point later on in the series about the third Grendel but is rather less than satisfying at this point.
A decent crime story much helped by Wagner himself returning to the art.
And a few more variations on “guy gets murdered by Grendel 1 in experimental panels” which are at times nice to look at and would be fine had not THE FIRST OMNIBUS CONSISTED OF LITTLE ELSE THAN “GUY GETS MURDERED BY GRENDEL 1 IN EXPERIMENTAL PANELS”.
So, uhm, I’m putting a lot of hope in you, Grendel Omnibus 3. Come on, we can make this work!
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August 4, 2024Conceptually, I love Grendel. A dashing anti-Batman neo-pulp criminal mastermind figure, with one of comics' last truly great character designs, who then turns out to be only the first step in a future history which will eventually see the whole world reshaped by his malign influence - or maybe we should say its, there being a lingering ambiguity over whether Hunter Rose created the Grendel identity, or was simply its way in to the human world. But there's a parallel to that in how the Grendel story has itself made its way to our world, or not quite succeeded in doing so. In the first omnibus, I learned that the anthologies which were among my first introductions to the mythos, and which I'd taken for side-stories, were the story - well, unless you count a summary in illustrated prose. This second volume, picking up after Rose's demise, is at least a straight narrative in comics form - but dear heavens, those comics are all over the shop.
We open with Devil Child, in which creator Matt Wagner has no direct involvement. Written by Diana Schutz, and with the great Tim Sale's art ensuring an appropriately Gothic tone, it's the story of what happened to Rose's adopted daughter once he was gone, and how no longer having a crime lord for a dad wasn't the rescue you might assume. It's not a pleasant story; that's deliberate, and not done without thought, but from this distance it does recall how the early mature readers comics did seem to keep coming back to a certain set of themes in a way that can now feel a little leering. At the other end of the volume, the concluding Devil Tales was another of the first Grendel comics I read, and I still remember when I first realised that ominous mask was looming ever closer in the background of the page, one of those moments of understanding the very particular effects that can only be achieved in comics.
In between, however, we have some of the worst art I have ever seen in professional comics. To be fair, the Pander Brothers' energy on Devil's Legacy might have been fine if they'd been doing one-page strips in Deadline, but for an epic in which the first Grendel's granddaughter, Christine Spar, moves from chronicler to bearer of that legacy, shifting from journalist to vigilante, it's comically inappropriate. I suspect the story would always have been a tough sell, what with the villain being an eyeball-eating kabuki vampire, but their amateurish, eye-popping style really doesn't help. Nor does hindsight; this is a series of bad calls about a near future that's now in our past, with flying cars and bionic eyes but Letterman still on TV. I was particularly amused at the way it nearly understood that communications and viewing were going to become more mobile - but enacted this with 'phones that fly around your home, and TVs on little robot legs.
And then once that's finally over, and you're assuming the art on the next bit has to be an improvement, in falls Bernie Mireault for The Devil Inside. Who, to be fair, at least has some interesting layouts, marrying Rorschach's journal to graphic dos Passos to get across the decay and buzz of a New York that clearly never got the gentrification it did in our timeline. His figure work, alas, would disgrace an embarrassing local mural. Nor does it help that this installment - while mercifully much shorter than Legacy - has Wagner writing in a much purpler register than suits him, and a particularly shite Grendel. But at the same time, you can't exactly skip it, because this is where the notion of Grendel as a force or entity more than identity really starts to take hold.
And yes, after that we at least get Devil Tales to take the taste away. But given what I know of subsequent volumes includes the Mad Max/Lone Wolf knock-off with the Rob Liefeld-esque hench Grendel, and the bollocks where the Pope has a cyborg nose, I think this is the point where I stop trying to grasp at that elusive Grendel-ness the comics deliver so spottily.
We open with Devil Child, in which creator Matt Wagner has no direct involvement. Written by Diana Schutz, and with the great Tim Sale's art ensuring an appropriately Gothic tone, it's the story of what happened to Rose's adopted daughter once he was gone, and how no longer having a crime lord for a dad wasn't the rescue you might assume. It's not a pleasant story; that's deliberate, and not done without thought, but from this distance it does recall how the early mature readers comics did seem to keep coming back to a certain set of themes in a way that can now feel a little leering. At the other end of the volume, the concluding Devil Tales was another of the first Grendel comics I read, and I still remember when I first realised that ominous mask was looming ever closer in the background of the page, one of those moments of understanding the very particular effects that can only be achieved in comics.
In between, however, we have some of the worst art I have ever seen in professional comics. To be fair, the Pander Brothers' energy on Devil's Legacy might have been fine if they'd been doing one-page strips in Deadline, but for an epic in which the first Grendel's granddaughter, Christine Spar, moves from chronicler to bearer of that legacy, shifting from journalist to vigilante, it's comically inappropriate. I suspect the story would always have been a tough sell, what with the villain being an eyeball-eating kabuki vampire, but their amateurish, eye-popping style really doesn't help. Nor does hindsight; this is a series of bad calls about a near future that's now in our past, with flying cars and bionic eyes but Letterman still on TV. I was particularly amused at the way it nearly understood that communications and viewing were going to become more mobile - but enacted this with 'phones that fly around your home, and TVs on little robot legs.
And then once that's finally over, and you're assuming the art on the next bit has to be an improvement, in falls Bernie Mireault for The Devil Inside. Who, to be fair, at least has some interesting layouts, marrying Rorschach's journal to graphic dos Passos to get across the decay and buzz of a New York that clearly never got the gentrification it did in our timeline. His figure work, alas, would disgrace an embarrassing local mural. Nor does it help that this installment - while mercifully much shorter than Legacy - has Wagner writing in a much purpler register than suits him, and a particularly shite Grendel. But at the same time, you can't exactly skip it, because this is where the notion of Grendel as a force or entity more than identity really starts to take hold.
And yes, after that we at least get Devil Tales to take the taste away. But given what I know of subsequent volumes includes the Mad Max/Lone Wolf knock-off with the Rob Liefeld-esque hench Grendel, and the bollocks where the Pope has a cyborg nose, I think this is the point where I stop trying to grasp at that elusive Grendel-ness the comics deliver so spottily.
October 8, 2024
The first two segments are really good. I really enjoyed the first one, despite how dark it got and fucked up for Hunter Roses daughter. But the second story, the Legacy was also great, even if a bit longwinded. After that the stories become less interesting, but still solid, but feel like side stuff more than anything. Overall not as strong as the first collection but still very enjoyable.
June 15, 2020
El tomo empieza con la mejor historia que he leído hasta ahora del personaje: nos cuenta el terrible destino de la hija adoptiva de Grendel; el guión es impresionante y el dibujo de Tim Sale le da el toque necesario para que redondee la excelencia.
De ahí para adelante es todo cuesta abajo. La siguiente historia es la más larga del tomo, y si bien el guión no es del todo malo, el espantoso dibujo le saca todo interés; muy cartoon para lo que pide la historia, pero además con exageraciones anatómicas y problemas de coherencia entre viñetas.
Después de eso viene alguna historia corta más que se deja leer, pero no llega ni cerca a lo mostrado al principio. Incluso con una disposición de página que me resultó molesta para seguir lo que se quería contar.
En definitiva, recomiendo su lectura solo para los que quedaron cebados con el tomo anterior; a los que no les convenció, sigan con otra cosa.
De ahí para adelante es todo cuesta abajo. La siguiente historia es la más larga del tomo, y si bien el guión no es del todo malo, el espantoso dibujo le saca todo interés; muy cartoon para lo que pide la historia, pero además con exageraciones anatómicas y problemas de coherencia entre viñetas.
Después de eso viene alguna historia corta más que se deja leer, pero no llega ni cerca a lo mostrado al principio. Incluso con una disposición de página que me resultó molesta para seguir lo que se quería contar.
En definitiva, recomiendo su lectura solo para los que quedaron cebados con el tomo anterior; a los que no les convenció, sigan con otra cosa.
August 7, 2013
Grendel is a series of experiments in comic storytelling, and like all experiments, some fail and some succeed. Sometimes the writing/art is subtle and brilliant; other times, it is in-your-face and annoying or just dull. The subject matter in the second volume simply isn't as compelling as in the "Hunter Rose" arc, but it's still worth a read for Grendel fans since the chronological collection of stories helps to fill in a lot of continuity gaps. Just don't pick this up as your first Grendel book and wonder what the heck is going on...
July 8, 2018
I didn't find this volume nearly as strong as the first. This on focuses mostly on Christine Spar, the child of Stacy Palumbo who was Grendel's adopted daughter. The two best series, Devil's Child and Devil's Legacy are pretty solid, especially Devil's Child. Devil's Legacy takes up most of the volume and while I enjoyed it, I thought it dragged some and could have been shorter and more powerful.
The other stories in this volume brought things down for me as they were very dense and presented in an experimental style which I just don't have the patience to sift through so I skimmed some of the latter stories in this collection.
Still a good read but not up to the high bar set by volume one. Moving on to Volume Three, and very curious to see where things go from here.
The other stories in this volume brought things down for me as they were very dense and presented in an experimental style which I just don't have the patience to sift through so I skimmed some of the latter stories in this collection.
Still a good read but not up to the high bar set by volume one. Moving on to Volume Three, and very curious to see where things go from here.
January 9, 2014
Devil Child. What a horrible story! Bitter, angry, and totally unpleasant. I was shocked when I saw it wasn't written and drawn by Wagner, because it all feels perfect and fits right into the narrative [8/10].
Devil’s Legacy. This isn’t as strong of a piece of writing as “Devil Child”, but it’s nonetheless 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].
The Devil Inside. This is an interesting comic because on the one hand it suggests a descent into madness and on the other it posits the fact that Grendel could be some sort of demonic idea. However, it’s also almost unreadable with its teeny notebook pages, its constant dull-life dialogue, and its Grendel thoughts [5/10].
Devil Tracks. Another very experimental story, but this one is much more readable (though dense!). It’s an interesting mystery comic, even if the use of Grendel is extremely minor [7+/10].
Devil Eyes. This is a good story that has again been marred by the experimental nature of the comic's design, which is unfortunately too much like The Devil Inside. [5/10]
Overall, the Christine Spar story is the heart of this volume and well-worth reading. After that the quality varies a lot due to too much experimentation.
Devil’s Legacy. This isn’t as strong of a piece of writing as “Devil Child”, but it’s nonetheless 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].
The Devil Inside. This is an interesting comic because on the one hand it suggests a descent into madness and on the other it posits the fact that Grendel could be some sort of demonic idea. However, it’s also almost unreadable with its teeny notebook pages, its constant dull-life dialogue, and its Grendel thoughts [5/10].
Devil Tracks. Another very experimental story, but this one is much more readable (though dense!). It’s an interesting mystery comic, even if the use of Grendel is extremely minor [7+/10].
Devil Eyes. This is a good story that has again been marred by the experimental nature of the comic's design, which is unfortunately too much like The Devil Inside. [5/10]
Overall, the Christine Spar story is the heart of this volume and well-worth reading. After that the quality varies a lot due to too much experimentation.
August 13, 2015
Wagner's Grendel during the Christine Spar and Li Sung phases, both set in the future as imagined from the 1980s as well as the Grendel Tales, featuring Lt. Wiggins recounting Hunter Rose stories from the point of view of other characters, and a later story about Stacy's fate. This cycle begins to explore the way mask becomes aggression itself, and the demonic power of the revenge animates its use. The Spar and Sung cycles are more conventionally told, and some of the noir elements of both Wagner's early and later revisions of Hunter Rose is lost. That said, the story telling is strong after one adjusts to the eternal 1980s future as the backdrop. Admittedly, the conclusion to the Spar cycle seems rushed and the Sung cycle seems a little forced, but both set up some elements of the Grendel to come. The Stacy story at the beginning is mostly heart-breaking but does fill in the gaps between Hunter Rose and Spar. This is very good, but not as good as Wagner's Hunter Rose arcs given the more traditional comic book narrative employed in the main two arcs, and while the two other cycles are interesting and return to form, they are somewhat tangential to the larger story of Grendel.
December 13, 2021
I'm giving up on this about 200 pages in. I thought that the first omnibus was okay. Not awful, but not great, but it had some cool ideas and I wanted to see how it progressed. The first two issues of this were excellent, but then everything after that has been kind of a pain to read. It is simultaneously overwritten and lacking in depth, making for a pretty boring read, which I think is what this just comes down to. It should be more enjoyable than it is.
April 24, 2019
I originally gave the first Grendel omnibus, Hunter Rose, a 2-ish star rating. This surprised me when I went back to read my pros and cons list review because I remember loving that book and have come to adore Hunter as a character and really treasure that omnibus as a piece of art.
But then I remembered how disturbed I was by the amount of graphic sexual content and that had a lot to do with my original final rating. I still find that content disturbing, but comparing this second omnibus to the first really makes me appreciate the first more.
The first thing I noticed was the dramatic difference in the art style. The first omnibus had more than 7 different artists including Matt Wagner himself as it spanned through the life of Hunter Rose as Grendel up until his death. This second omnibus sees only two or three different art styles as it spans issues mainly related to Hunter’s granddaughter, Chris, who is compelled to take up the mantle of Grendel after her son goes missing. While I was blown away with the eye candy of the first omnibus I wasn’t impressed with the slightly cartoony art of this second omnibus that reminded me of Batman Beyond.
Wagner wrote this collection of issues as well, so the noir-esque voice of both Chris and her insane mother (in just the first two issues) remains pretty much the same as with Hunter. I think my main problem with having trouble connecting with Chris is just the dramatic difference of her world. Much like how Batman Beyond was so different in aesthetic and setting compared to Batman: The Animated Series, Grendel: Legacy’s futuristic setting just makes it FEEL so much more different than the origin volume.
Chris vs. Hunter. It was just amazing to see the difference in WHY Chris became Grendel compared to why Hunter decided to create the persona. Hunter was an eccentric, rich child who was too smart for everyone else and was tortured by the spontaneous loss of his first and only love. As Grendel he ran the underground crime of the city playing kingpin and killed out of necessity to keep his organization running smoothly, but also out of indulgence.
Chris, on the other hand, puts on the mask when the police do nearly nothing to help find her abducted son. So she takes matters into her own hands and goes after the cannibalistic creeps who took her kid. When she realizes that her son is most likely dead, her motivations go from the need to rescue, to revenge. Of course her hate and anger quickly spiral into chaos as the persona of Grendel takes over, but she has a good reason to become Grendel in the first place. A very good, and real-world, relatable reason.
This omnibus also shows the briefly lived Grendel after Chris, but it didn’t leave as much of an impression. He just went crazy from sadness and started killing random people.
Although Grendel: Legacy hit some thought-provoking ideas, it didn’t evoke the powerful emotions that the Hunter Rose omnibus did for me. 3 solid stars. Now I shall go back and up my rating for the first omnibus.
But then I remembered how disturbed I was by the amount of graphic sexual content and that had a lot to do with my original final rating. I still find that content disturbing, but comparing this second omnibus to the first really makes me appreciate the first more.
The first thing I noticed was the dramatic difference in the art style. The first omnibus had more than 7 different artists including Matt Wagner himself as it spanned through the life of Hunter Rose as Grendel up until his death. This second omnibus sees only two or three different art styles as it spans issues mainly related to Hunter’s granddaughter, Chris, who is compelled to take up the mantle of Grendel after her son goes missing. While I was blown away with the eye candy of the first omnibus I wasn’t impressed with the slightly cartoony art of this second omnibus that reminded me of Batman Beyond.
Wagner wrote this collection of issues as well, so the noir-esque voice of both Chris and her insane mother (in just the first two issues) remains pretty much the same as with Hunter. I think my main problem with having trouble connecting with Chris is just the dramatic difference of her world. Much like how Batman Beyond was so different in aesthetic and setting compared to Batman: The Animated Series, Grendel: Legacy’s futuristic setting just makes it FEEL so much more different than the origin volume.
Chris vs. Hunter. It was just amazing to see the difference in WHY Chris became Grendel compared to why Hunter decided to create the persona. Hunter was an eccentric, rich child who was too smart for everyone else and was tortured by the spontaneous loss of his first and only love. As Grendel he ran the underground crime of the city playing kingpin and killed out of necessity to keep his organization running smoothly, but also out of indulgence.
Chris, on the other hand, puts on the mask when the police do nearly nothing to help find her abducted son. So she takes matters into her own hands and goes after the cannibalistic creeps who took her kid. When she realizes that her son is most likely dead, her motivations go from the need to rescue, to revenge. Of course her hate and anger quickly spiral into chaos as the persona of Grendel takes over, but she has a good reason to become Grendel in the first place. A very good, and real-world, relatable reason.
This omnibus also shows the briefly lived Grendel after Chris, but it didn’t leave as much of an impression. He just went crazy from sadness and started killing random people.
Although Grendel: Legacy hit some thought-provoking ideas, it didn’t evoke the powerful emotions that the Hunter Rose omnibus did for me. 3 solid stars. Now I shall go back and up my rating for the first omnibus.
March 15, 2024
La verdad es que si continuo esta recopilación será por completismo de pura cabezonería. Porque confiaba en que tras el arco argumental de Hunter Ross y la promesa de contar con más "avatares" de esta letal figura enmascarada asociado a lo diabólico, me iba a interesar más esta gran obra de Matt Wagner... Pero la verdad es que la llegada de la 1º heredera directa de Grendel aunque a priori me parecía refrescante pronto se me descubrió como otro quiero y no puedo esperpéntico y sin duda solapado a los malos vicios de la época... Comentando previamente lo que de verdad destaco de este volumen que es el arquito que abre el recopilatorio. Donde volvemos a tener a la trágica protegida de Hunter de la que terminaremos de rellenar los huecos de su terrible biografía tras vencer al Diablo pero no librarse de su "marca". Ilustrada con ese arte de Tim Sale tirando al intimismo y realidad gris en la que el personaje se termina enclaustrando, estas páginas sí que indagan en algo más (muy duro y explícito, ojo). Pero queda en evidencia cuando tenemos a esta prometedora Christine Spar acudiendo al legado de Grendel para tomar cartas en el asunto con una desgracia familiar. Este gran punto de partida pronto pierde interés y fuerza cuando la amenaza resulta tan sobrenaturalmente ridícula y el fatal destino apenas repercute en el personaje de otra forma que no sea con dolor impostado. Porque Christine Spar se muestra en todo momento como un personaje más caracterizado por su aspecto y su figura a modo de reclamo para lectores masculinos. Más que un personaje con gran entidad. A lo que se le añade ese esperpéntico contexto "futurista" 90" que afea aún más los diseños de la época de los personajes. En el penúltimo arco argumental se da un fugaz intento más propositivo con el precipitado aspirante a Grendel arquero... Pero se siente algo más puramente de tránsito. Los últimos capítulos suponen un epílogo hiper plomizo que no aportan nada más que no sepamos al anterior volumen.
El estilo verborreíco y rimbombante de la narrativa de Wagner sigue haciendo flaco favor a un contenido tan hueco de estas historias que, la verdad, sí que me sorprende que hayan constituido un gran ciclo argumental de décadas de historia editorial. Me quepa la esperanza que en los volúmenes restantes, al avanzar en el tiempo de las publicaciones quizás compruebe una mejor evolución de estilo. Al igual que el hecho de que aparecerán más personajes que asuman el Legado de Grendel con quienes pueda implicarme mejor.
El estilo verborreíco y rimbombante de la narrativa de Wagner sigue haciendo flaco favor a un contenido tan hueco de estas historias que, la verdad, sí que me sorprende que hayan constituido un gran ciclo argumental de décadas de historia editorial. Me quepa la esperanza que en los volúmenes restantes, al avanzar en el tiempo de las publicaciones quizás compruebe una mejor evolución de estilo. Al igual que el hecho de que aparecerán más personajes que asuman el Legado de Grendel con quienes pueda implicarme mejor.
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April 24, 2023I loved the first omnibus. It quickly became one of my favourite books and Grendel one of the most intriguing comic book characters.
But sadly this volume didn’t do it for me. There is still a lot to like, Wagner is a great writer and takes a lot of creative risks in attempts to elevate the medium of comics but Christine was not as interesting as Hunter Rose and it was difficult to take her seriously as Grendel all because she’s done some karate classes.
The art also didn’t work for me. There are some strong, vibrant panels throughout but the expressions felt wooden.
The Devil Inside was probably the highlight for me, it was an interesting story with amazing, gritty art by Bernie Mireault. My favourite part of Devil in the Deed is this idea of Grendel almost being a disease that is spread and destroys all who come near it. This is expanded upon brilliantly in The Devil Inside.
The opening is a devastating read and Stacy’s fate is brutal and depressing, but it stays in line with the curse of Grendel.
Still a good comic and worth the read for sure but doesn’t live up to Vol 1 though that is a tough ask
But sadly this volume didn’t do it for me. There is still a lot to like, Wagner is a great writer and takes a lot of creative risks in attempts to elevate the medium of comics but Christine was not as interesting as Hunter Rose and it was difficult to take her seriously as Grendel all because she’s done some karate classes.
The art also didn’t work for me. There are some strong, vibrant panels throughout but the expressions felt wooden.
The Devil Inside was probably the highlight for me, it was an interesting story with amazing, gritty art by Bernie Mireault. My favourite part of Devil in the Deed is this idea of Grendel almost being a disease that is spread and destroys all who come near it. This is expanded upon brilliantly in The Devil Inside.
The opening is a devastating read and Stacy’s fate is brutal and depressing, but it stays in line with the curse of Grendel.
Still a good comic and worth the read for sure but doesn’t live up to Vol 1 though that is a tough ask
March 31, 2018
Four stories of Grendel: Devil Child, Devil's Legacy, The Devil Inside, and Devil Tales. Grendel has become more of an evil spirt, infecting the lives of those who inherit even a portion of Hunter Rose's legacy, and these stories are a mixed bag. Devil Child is the disturbing tale of Stacy Palumbo, Rose's adopted daughter ruined by Grendel and Argents battles and her tragic life leading to the birth of Christine Spar. Devil's Legacy is Spar's story, and my original introduction to the character. When her child is kidnapped she take on the identity of Grendel and descending into darker and darker places until the end with erratic art resembling a Patrick Nagel print in a Max Headrom Future. The Devil Inside is a good concept, Grendel driving Spar's lover into madness, but the art and layout drag this story down. Finally, Devil Tales, stories told by Wiggins, the cop who helped bring down Grendel's 2 & 3, about hunter Rose, written and drawn by Wagner that make this volume end on a high note.
October 28, 2023
Less experimental than the first one, with the tradeoff that it also has fewer holes in the narrative. Christine Spar's story is just more complete than Hunter Rose's, though I miss the wildly varying art styles, and the art is a downgrade more generally.
Still, I found plenty to like here, and I even think I might like this one more than the first. I just appreciate the tragedy more, and while Rose's story could get a bit repetitive (more so in how it's told) Christine's does a good job going through a few different emotional beats and then caps it off with the ending it deserves. I'm not a fan of the shorter stories that follow it, however.
Still, I found plenty to like here, and I even think I might like this one more than the first. I just appreciate the tragedy more, and while Rose's story could get a bit repetitive (more so in how it's told) Christine's does a good job going through a few different emotional beats and then caps it off with the ending it deserves. I'm not a fan of the shorter stories that follow it, however.
July 7, 2024
This volume wraps up the story of the original Grendel, Hunter Rose (including one story on the sad fate of his adopted daughter, Stacy, written by Diana Schutz) and carries on the identity through the next generation: Stacy's daughter, Christine Spar. Spar isn't as charismatic as the (annoying) Hunter Rose, and her story includes some supernatural elements at center stage which we don't usually see in Rose's tales; I almost wonder if it wouldn't have been more appealing told about an unrelated character. Still, it's worth reading. The volume ends with a pair of tales flashing back to Rose, draw by Matt Wagner in some experimental styles, and are a treat to read.
July 19, 2021
This one was a bit harder to read, if only because it had its monotonous moments during Ms. Spar's time as Grendel while hunting vampire Ibuki.
The Polk story was my favorite, wish Polk and Grendel had a non-bloody interaction. The Tommy Nuncio story a cool backstory of the before and after of the famous Argent ball fall. Li Sung was a sad tale to read, but not unbelievable or bad cliche. It made sense and/or can be relatable.
Overall, this is definitely a Grendel volume you must not skip (much less any of the volumes, to get the very whole story).
Enjoy :)
The Polk story was my favorite, wish Polk and Grendel had a non-bloody interaction. The Tommy Nuncio story a cool backstory of the before and after of the famous Argent ball fall. Li Sung was a sad tale to read, but not unbelievable or bad cliche. It made sense and/or can be relatable.
Overall, this is definitely a Grendel volume you must not skip (much less any of the volumes, to get the very whole story).
Enjoy :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 4, 2020
Ah, empezamos con una maravillosa historia de la hija de Grendel, con un monton de traumas emocionales, locura, violación, dibujado magistralmente por Tim Sale, y se acaba esa hostoria y se va todo a la $#%&/()=, ya que aparece el equipo artistico de Arnold y Jacob Pander y Bernie Mireault, lo cual , es terrible, un arte hecho con los pies, te da cosa verlo, eso me daño toda la historia, que de por si, no es lo mejor que dio Matt Wagner.
March 16, 2018
I absolutely loved the first omnibus and was looking forward to the next volume. Regrettably, I was disappointed. The segments illustrated by Wagner & Tim Sale were good, but the Cristine Spar plotline was way too long and poorly illustrated. While I will give the next volume, I am not optimistic .
November 7, 2022
After the first volume of Grendel I was all “this is truly like no other story and I’m here for it” so then I pre ordered this new edition of volume two at the ol comic book shop and then it arrived and then I read it and I did not like it at all even a little bit. Ok just a little bit, for the second story. But only that.
February 10, 2024
Some interesting incarnations of my favorite arch-fiend, Grendel. Not as compelling as Wagner's Hunter Rose stories, though. I'm very interested to see what the next omnibus is all about. I covet the Comico Primer #2, the villain's first appearance. That's an expensive magazine. Now I'm waiting to see who this 'Orion' is, the titular character of omnibus number three.
October 25, 2024
Yeah he tardat bastant a llegir-me això però és més que res perquè no es especialment bo. El volum de Grendel d'abans era super interessant, la forma com jugava amb el propi format del còmic era genial. Aquest és...meh.
December 20, 2025
I enjoyed both the art and writing of the first story. It felt psychologically genuine. Maybe that's why the second part was so disappointing: ugly and boring. In part three I liked the competing voices. The last story bored me, again. I'm sorry, but how can you make this material drag so slowly?
January 5, 2019
Tim Sale and Matt Wagner draw some ok pictures. The other folks, not so much. And when the pictures are that bad, who cares about the story?
February 3, 2019
Shoulder pads and psychosis.
September 28, 2019
Not much of a fan of the Pander Brothers art, but that said, the rest was phenomenal.
December 30, 2019
I would say about a 3.5. I liked the extended first story, but the follow-ups left me a little cold.
January 14, 2020
Read for TLP
July 1, 2022
There are a few cool ideas here but the art was horrible and overall it just disappointed
October 23, 2023
Wagner expands the Grendel mythos into the future, and I thoroughly enjoy the results. So much more thoughtful and intriguing that simple crime/noir comics.
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