Nov. '86 - Grendel # 2

I'm a big fan of Matt Wagner's work. He wrote what is my favourite comic series, Sandman Mystery Theatre. A piece of his original art from Batman/Grendel is hanging on the wall in front of me. I have a tattoo of Batman on my arm that is based on a Wagner drawing of the character. So when I saw the first 10 issues of Grendel at a comic show last year on sale as a set, I was quick to pick them up. I had bought the first two when they came out originally in 1986 but never saw any issues after that.

This series started out focusing on Christine Spar as the newest Grendel. I don't have a lot of the later issues but I know it changes in focus later on. I've only read the first two issues so far and they have been great. Matt Wagner didn't do the art in these first issues. It was done by the Pander Brothers who were very stylish. I remember when I was reading these issues back in '86, how different it was from the normal DC/Marvel fare.

Spar's son has been kidnapped by a Kabuki actor. She realizes many boys have been kidnapped by him but she doesn't know why. The actor, Tujiro XIV, was very strange. When she breaks into his hotel room and finds a briefcase full of eyeballs, we begin to wonder how strange. Definitely different from Batman!