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lordenglishssbm's review
3.0
Grendel's first arc is fun, but it feels incomplete. I initially thought the decision to summarize the entire story up front was questionable, but it provided the necessary structure for Wagner to jump forward and back in time in the following chapters, covering Rose's early years, his rise, his dominance and, too briefly, his fall. A lot of the stories end a bit too similarly to each other, but they're almost never illustrated by the same person twice, and the *radically* different art styles provide the variety needed to make this whole thing work.
For all that, there are holes here. We spend a lot of time in Hunter Rose's head, learning what makes him tick, digging into his desires, relationships, and struggles. He's a very fleshed-out protagonist and a fun villain, but some of the development comes at the cost of other characters and the larger arc. I was eagerly awaiting, for instance, the chapter where we'd get to see first-hand Stacy's discovery that her father was Grendel and her machinations that set up the story's climax, but it never came. That might be something for the next volume (since it's about Stacy and her daughter), but I felt that it was too important to this story to exclude it. I would have preferred it to some of the stories that don't highlight a new aspect of Rose's character, and there are enough of those that I think it could have been included.
Overall, though, I enjoyed Grendel's first volume. It's a fun, bloody, mean, and very stylish crime thriller, and I do intend to read the rest of the series.
For all that, there are holes here. We spend a lot of time in Hunter Rose's head, learning what makes him tick, digging into his desires, relationships, and struggles. He's a very fleshed-out protagonist and a fun villain, but some of the development comes at the cost of other characters and the larger arc. I was eagerly awaiting, for instance, the chapter where we'd get to see first-hand Stacy's discovery that her father was Grendel and her machinations that set up the story's climax, but it never came. That might be something for the next volume (since it's about Stacy and her daughter), but I felt that it was too important to this story to exclude it. I would have preferred it to some of the stories that don't highlight a new aspect of Rose's character, and there are enough of those that I think it could have been included.
Overall, though, I enjoyed Grendel's first volume. It's a fun, bloody, mean, and very stylish crime thriller, and I do intend to read the rest of the series.
tapx100's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Grendel was one of those indie comics I heard about when I was younger, but being indie published, they were too hard to track down and I missed out on reading them back in the day, which I think worked to my favor, as I don’t think I’d have appreciated the story for what it is. Matt Wagner’s epic is an art deco-influenced crime noir extravaganza. While you’d think Grendel is the hero of the story, that’s misconstrued; Grendel only exists to push the limits of his own mind and ambitions, by whatever means possible. As Hunter Rose, he’s this world’s Bruce Wayne, but as Grendel, he’s a ruthless killer who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. The “hero” of the story, Argent, has no qualms murdering petty criminals to try to get to Grendel and stop him. It’s all very dark and atmospheric and may not be for everyone, but I found it engaging and unique.
Written entirely by Wagner with art from a veritable who’s who of comic artists, this first volume tells the entire Hunter Rose Grendel tale in chronological order.
#darkhorsecomics #mattwagner #grendel #comics #graphicnovel #book #books #bookstagram #bookreview #comicbooks #frommybookshelf #frommybookshelfblog
Written entirely by Wagner with art from a veritable who’s who of comic artists, this first volume tells the entire Hunter Rose Grendel tale in chronological order.
#darkhorsecomics #mattwagner #grendel #comics #graphicnovel #book #books #bookstagram #bookreview #comicbooks #frommybookshelf #frommybookshelfblog
koalakarakookie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
My coworker let me borrow this graphic novel. I love the art style choices that the author decided to make and the different drawing styles.I also loved the spicier scenes and the Gorier scenes. My favorite scene happens closer to the end of the book. Pages 573 through page 590ish.
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