A review by adelaidemetzger_robotprophet
Grendel Omnibus, Vol. 2: The Legacy by Diana Schutz, Bernie Mireault, Matt Wagner
3.0
I originally gave the first Grendel omnibus, Hunter Rose, a 2-ish star rating. This surprised me when I went back to read my pros and cons list review because I remember loving that book and have come to adore Hunter as a character and really treasure that omnibus as a piece of art.
But then I remembered how disturbed I was by the amount of graphic sexual content and that had a lot to do with my original final rating. I still find that content disturbing, but comparing this second omnibus to the first really makes me appreciate the first more.
The first thing I noticed was the dramatic difference in the art style. The first omnibus had more than 7 different artists including Matt Wagner himself as it spanned through the life of Hunter Rose as Grendel up until his death. This second omnibus sees only two or three different art styles as it spans issues mainly related to Hunter’s granddaughter, Chris, who is compelled to take up the mantle of Grendel after her son goes missing. While I was blown away with the eye candy of the first omnibus I wasn’t impressed with the slightly cartoony art of this second omnibus that reminded me of Batman Beyond.
Wagner wrote this collection of issues as well, so the noir-esque voice of both Chris and her insane mother (in just the first two issues) remains pretty much the same as with Hunter. I think my main problem with having trouble connecting with Chris is just the dramatic difference of her world. Much like how Batman Beyond was so different in aesthetic and setting compared to Batman: The Animated Series, Grendel: Legacy’s futuristic setting just makes it FEEL so much more different than the origin volume.
Chris vs. Hunter. It was just amazing to see the difference in WHY Chris became Grendel compared to why Hunter decided to create the persona. Hunter was an eccentric, rich child who was too smart for everyone else and was tortured by the spontaneous loss of his first and only love. As Grendel he ran the underground crime of the city playing kingpin and killed out of necessity to keep his organization running smoothly, but also out of indulgence.
Chris, on the other hand, puts on the mask when the police do nearly nothing to help find her abducted son. So she takes matters into her own hands and goes after the cannibalistic creeps who took her kid. When she realizes that her son is most likely dead, her motivations go from the need to rescue, to revenge. Of course her hate and anger quickly spiral into chaos as the persona of Grendel takes over, but she has a good reason to become Grendel in the first place. A very good, and real-world, relatable reason.
This omnibus also shows the briefly lived Grendel after Chris, but it didn’t leave as much of an impression. He just went crazy from sadness and started killing random people.
Although Grendel: Legacy hit some thought-provoking ideas, it didn’t evoke the powerful emotions that the Hunter Rose omnibus did for me. 3 solid stars. Now I shall go back and up my rating for the first omnibus.
But then I remembered how disturbed I was by the amount of graphic sexual content and that had a lot to do with my original final rating. I still find that content disturbing, but comparing this second omnibus to the first really makes me appreciate the first more.
The first thing I noticed was the dramatic difference in the art style. The first omnibus had more than 7 different artists including Matt Wagner himself as it spanned through the life of Hunter Rose as Grendel up until his death. This second omnibus sees only two or three different art styles as it spans issues mainly related to Hunter’s granddaughter, Chris, who is compelled to take up the mantle of Grendel after her son goes missing. While I was blown away with the eye candy of the first omnibus I wasn’t impressed with the slightly cartoony art of this second omnibus that reminded me of Batman Beyond.
Wagner wrote this collection of issues as well, so the noir-esque voice of both Chris and her insane mother (in just the first two issues) remains pretty much the same as with Hunter. I think my main problem with having trouble connecting with Chris is just the dramatic difference of her world. Much like how Batman Beyond was so different in aesthetic and setting compared to Batman: The Animated Series, Grendel: Legacy’s futuristic setting just makes it FEEL so much more different than the origin volume.
Chris vs. Hunter. It was just amazing to see the difference in WHY Chris became Grendel compared to why Hunter decided to create the persona. Hunter was an eccentric, rich child who was too smart for everyone else and was tortured by the spontaneous loss of his first and only love. As Grendel he ran the underground crime of the city playing kingpin and killed out of necessity to keep his organization running smoothly, but also out of indulgence.
Chris, on the other hand, puts on the mask when the police do nearly nothing to help find her abducted son. So she takes matters into her own hands and goes after the cannibalistic creeps who took her kid. When she realizes that her son is most likely dead, her motivations go from the need to rescue, to revenge. Of course her hate and anger quickly spiral into chaos as the persona of Grendel takes over, but she has a good reason to become Grendel in the first place. A very good, and real-world, relatable reason.
This omnibus also shows the briefly lived Grendel after Chris, but it didn’t leave as much of an impression. He just went crazy from sadness and started killing random people.
Although Grendel: Legacy hit some thought-provoking ideas, it didn’t evoke the powerful emotions that the Hunter Rose omnibus did for me. 3 solid stars. Now I shall go back and up my rating for the first omnibus.