About Heroes

Penciller: John K. Snyder & Tim Sale
Inkers: Jay Geldhof & Bernie Mireault
Colorist: Jeremy Cox
Publisher: Dark Horse

Matt Wagner has gotten some recognition over the years for his mainstream DC books like Sandman Mystery Theater and Trinity (not the current ongoing series). I have been a fan of his since the 80’s, but I have to be completely honest before you read this review. I have never read a single issue of Grendel. I remember seeing the comics by Comico in the 80s and always liking Grendel’s costume. I was a huge fan of Mage and I even recall that there were some Grendel back-up stories in the Mage comics, but I never bothered to read them. So lucky for you and I that Dark Horse has been reprinting the old Comico stories in comic format and TPB format with new colors since 2000. The original stories were printed in Grendel # 23-33 and then reprinted in a 10 issue miniseries with a prologue (issue 23/0) drawn by Tim Sale.

It is the year is 2512 and several centuries have passed since the mask of Grendel has been worn, and in that time humanity's survived a third World War, the fall of Western Civilization, and the rise of an all-powerful Catholic Church state. America has been separated into a number of corporate systems dominated by that church. The new Vatican seems to be in the mountains of Colorado and fanatically controlled by Pope Innocent XLII. There are two men that make a stand against the church’s corruption. Orion Assante is a corporate auditor and aristocrat determined to expose the pope for who and what he really is. The second is a mysterious madman wearing the all-too-familiar face of Grendel. This time around the man behind the mask is a factory worker named Eppy Thacher who is driven by his belief that God hates him and his addiction to the drug Grendel. Innocent turns out to be the vampire Tujiro and hires Pellon Cross head of the mercenary group known as Confederacy Of Police (COP) to help establish a second inquisition and take care of Grendel. This was all part of his plot to develop a new weapon to block out the sun. In the end Assante leads a private army to destroy this weapon, Cross (now a vampire) leads an army of vampire/cops against the Vatican, and Grendel and Tujiro fight to the death.

I really didn’t know what to think when I read the prologue. The narrative focuses on the tribulations of Cardinal Emmett Fairbanks, whose domain is Laserus, apparently the LA metropolitan area in this future. I was completely lost between issues zero and one. It wasn’t until I read the entire trade that I could appreciate it’s effective foreshadowing. It was the satirical content and Tim Sale’s art that drove me to keep reading. Coming into this book with no previous knowledge of Grendel was kind of tough. I was left in the dark with much of the complexities involving politics and religion. For example the lead character (well, one of the three) Eppy, has a problem with stealing, murdering, and starting riots. It’s very uncommon for a protagonist to have this sort of moral relativism. Half way through the book I got completely lost. I have read tons of books on the corruption of religion and politics, but the dialogue was heavy and drawn at times. But, damn am I glad I stuck with this book to the end, because the payoff was intense and massive.

I found Eppy’s dialogue quite funny. I really got the sense that this Grendel was unique, because the more and more I kept getting closer to the end, I could tell he was losing it. Assante’s inner monologue reminded me of those old Slam Bradley or Dick Tracey strips. For a story that was this dark, I figured they would have gone with another artist. When I first saw Snyder’s work, I didn’t think it was going to work. However, the more I kept reading; the more his exaggerated anatomy grew on me. His depiction of this ruined future really set the stage for the story to move along. His artwork is definitely built on clarity and color and reminded me of Keith Giffen’s work on Trencher. Unfortunately it does feel a little dated and at times, it’s hard to follow those fight scenes. Jeremy Cox’ coloring is completely stunning and make Snyder’s art brighter and more distinctive. Even though he makes the characters brighter, that dark tone manages to pop up. I’m not sure if Grendel’s tale is one huge saga spanning different centuries, but I can tell you that this particular book works well as a stand -alone story. For my first introduction to the Grendel universe this book keeps me intrigued and wanting more. As complex a story and dialogue heavy as this book is, after a first reading I was content with the entire story. I suggest any fans of Criminal, Berserk, 100 Bullets, Zen, Mage, or just people that appreciate a good solid story to pick this up. B+