Grendel: Devil By the Deed

Written by: Matt Wagner

Art by : Matt Wagner

Grendel: Devil By the Deed is one of my favorite comics, so I decided to start today by reading it. It's the story of a man and a monster both trying to gain the love of a little girl and control of New York City. It's a story of hidden agendas, a wolf, and a horrible betrayal. It is beautiful. Now I say that for many reasons. The art is stunning; it has an art deco feel to it that dominates the entire book.

To read this is like reading an illustrated novel. The whole story is told in caption boxes; there isn't a single word bubble. The story is about two cursed men: Argent, who's curse is ancient and has physically turned him into a monster and Hunter Rose, whose curse is more modern and best described as ennui. You see Rose excels at everything, so much to the point he dons a mask and the name Grendel to take over all organized crime in New York. And this is where he runs afoul of Argent, the wolf-man-cop who hunts him relentlessly.

I could go on and on about this story, but that isn't the point of this entry. The point is to tell people who have never read this book to go find a copy and read it. If you have read it, dust your copy off and give it a read. It's still just as good. It is a seminal work in sequential art and is often overlooked.

There is a whole lot more of Grendel to come and this is where the story all begins.

If you want to pick this up, buy it here.

Spoiler (highlight to read):

Hunter is betrayed by his young ward, Stacy, after she learns he killed her uncle. Hunter is then lured into a roof top battle with Argent. Argent ends up paralyzed and Hunter loses his life.