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El Gallinero Gros posted:Is Grendel any good? It's been around forever, but that isn't always an indicator of quality... Grendel is so many different things, so it's hard to make a single recommendation. Grendel Omnibus Volume 1 would be a fantastic purchase if you are interested in pulpy, tragic crime stories where the protagonist is the villain. Hunter Rose is a slick, dashing master criminal who slowly takes over the East Coast underworld by striking fear in the hearts of criminals... and pretty much everyone else. He isn't all bad (he adopts a young girl), but he isn't great either (he is a shittier guardian than Bruce Wayne). His arch-enemy is a gross, scary, violent werewolf who occasionally helps the police, but doesn't hesitate to murder criminals, so Matt Wagner creates an interesting dichotomy between the "cool" villain protagonist and the upsetting, unsettling "hero" antagonist. The first story, Devil By the Deed, is the life story of Hunter Rose, retold as a prose story with beautiful Art Deco-inspired framing sequences, rather than a traditional comic book with sequential art in panels. After Devil By the Deed in the mid-'80s, Wagner wrote eight oversized issues full of short stories that fill in the blanks in Hunter Rose's life, each done by different artists with red as the only color in addition to black and white. Those stories from the late '90s and early '00s are very cool, and they flesh out the character you only get a vague idea of in Devil By the Deed. Two of the best Hunter Rose stories are not included in Grendel Omnibus Volume 1: Batman/Grendel (with Hunter Rose taking on Bruce Wayne early in both men's careers) and Grendel vs. The Shadow. Wagner wrote and drew both of these, and they are excellent. But Grendel is a legacy that lasts far beyond Hunter Rose's criminal career. Omnibus Volume 2 tells the story of the next two Grendels, also written by Wagner, with extremely '80s art by the Pander Brothers. These may not be for everyone due to the dated style of the artwork, but it's nothing like standard Marvel or DC art from the '80s -- more like what you might see in fashion ads and commercial illustration. Grendel Volume 3 is extremely erratic and experimental, so I wouldn't recommend it unless you are on board with everything else already. It brings us into a far-flung future where Grendel has become more of an idea, and that idea means AGGRESSION. Ultimately, the spirit of Grendel conquers the Earth, with Grendel clans and a Grendel Khan above all. But if you like post-apocalyptic sci-fi, especially like stuff from Heavy Metal/Metal Hurlant, you might like Grendel Volume 4. The longest and best story, Grendel: War Child, is about the cyborg paladin Grendel Prime, protecting a young boy by traveling across the dangerous, toxic Earth and encountering all kinds of natural and man-made traps and attacks. It has kind of a Terminator 2 feel with the Terminator's protective relationship with young John Connor, if it was set in a hellish future instead of 1991 Los Angeles. You might be able to find an older printing of the Grendel: War Child TPB if you don't want to spring for Omnibus Volume 4, since I don't care for either of the other stories in that volume (a long prose novel by Greg Rucka with illustrations by Wagner, and Wagner's Grendel: Devil Quest, which I thought was mean-spirited and unpleasant to read). And in the second Batman/Grendel miniseries, Grendel Prime travels back in time to retrieve Hunter Rose's skull from a museum in Gotham City and causes all kinds of collateral damage. That one has more of a Terminator 1 feel, with Batman in the Kyle Reese role standing up to this powerful, violent machine from the future. Then the more recent Grendel Odyssey miniseries was about Grendel Prime exploring deep space, trying to find habitable planets to save humanity. It continues the Heavy Metal sort of tone, and thankfully is a lot more like War Child (fun) than Devil Quest (not fun). In the '90s, Dark Horse also published several Grendel Tales miniseries by creators other than Wagner, but those were usually about ancillary characters. I read a few back in the early '00s, but the only one I liked was Grendel Tales: Four Devils, One Hell, kind of a post-apocalyptic Western about four very different future Grendels (including a cool gambler/dandy-type character named Calhoun). James Robinson, of Starman/Golden Age fame, wrote that one. I hope that helps. I don't love every single Grendel-related series, but I like the vast majority of it, and I have so much respect for Matt Wagner as a creator. He's a lovely guy, too. I just met him for the second time at a recent convention, and he was kind enough to sketch some cool remarques in the books I brought him to sign. Big Bad Voodoo Lou fucked around with this message at 07:04 on Feb 19, 2024 |
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Feb 19, 2024 00:09
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| # ? Apr 19, 2024 03:45 |
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I’m trying to buy some omnibus/tradeback collections for my niece (9yo) who is just starting to get into comics/graphic novels. Personally, I loved Spider-Man/hulk/ghost rider/xmen, when I was a kid (late 80s/early 90s), as I remember the runs had (relatively) good artwork and exciting storylines while still tackling social issues like corporate greed, racism, depression/social isolation, etc, but I’m worried I might be looking through rose-colored glasses and/or ignoring better work out there. Not trying to only look at superhero stuff, either, I just haven’t really kept up with graphic novels since I was much younger so I don’t really know what’s out there. Any ideas/suggestions?
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Mar 1, 2024 21:30
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There’s so many graphic novels for kids nowadays. For her age, maybe Baby Sitter’s Little Sister? The stuff by Raina Telgermeier (Teeth, Guts, Drama, etc) is good too. Hooky and Amulet are popular fantasy series for kids, Wings of Fire, too, although those are originally prose, similar to Baby Sitters’ Club. There’s the Warriors series, too, although, again, those are primarily prose. In manga, there’s the Pokémon comics and just so many different comics about cats. I’d recommend Chi’s Sweet Home, for one. Witch Hat Atelier is technically for adults but is extremely kid-friendly. Super hero stuff I know less about. Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, maybe?
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Mar 1, 2024 21:59
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Just looking at stuff I bought my nieces around that age: Bone The OZ books Lumberjanes Cleopatra Princeless Tea Dragon Lumberjanes WWAC recently put up a gift guide and I saved some things for future gifts. https://womenwriteaboutcomics.com/2024/01/favorite-2023-comics-young-readers/
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Mar 1, 2024 22:57
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Great suggestions! Thanks so much both of y’all! I’ll keep checking back for more, but those will at least get me started E. Seriously, thanks so much! I ended up getting more than I expected and stuff that is much better (and more age appropriate) than what I was browsing! For the curious Bandette v1 Lumberjanes v1 Chi’s v1 Smiles/Sisters/Guts Picture Day Things in the Basement Brother Tadger fucked around with this message at 06:02 on Mar 2, 2024 |
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Mar 1, 2024 23:06
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Bad Machinery is pretty good. It's about kids a little bit older than that, but I think kids generally like reading about kids a little bit older. If you think she might be lgbtq+ (sometimes you can tell early) Claremont's X-Men is a good way for her to figure it out early, but I'd probably wait until she was double digits in age at least.
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Mar 1, 2024 23:55
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Are any of the Crow comics other than the original any good?
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Apr 10, 2024 23:07
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Brother Tadger posted:Great suggestions! Thanks so much both of y’all! I’ll keep checking back for more, but those will at least get me started She might like Dungeon Critters by Natalie Riess and Sara Goetter
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Apr 11, 2024 19:03
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| # ? Apr 19, 2024 03:45 |
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How is Saucer Country?
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Apr 15, 2024 23:08
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