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.

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One of my favorite characters in comics. My only gripe with this collection is that it's only the Dark Horse Black, White, and Red issues that are collected together. And the Devil by the Deed. After that it's great short stories a with great writing and many artists. Great stuff. ( )