The Devil's Thread: Matt Wagner's Grendel

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Re: The Devil's Thread: Matt Wagner's Grendel

Post by ShadowTuga »

Hey guys, just wanted to share this bit of news, of sorts- BI Magazine is doing a creator-owned comics' special issue coming this next February, and Matt Wagner's creations get cover treatment.
Image

I might be wrong on this, but is the cover an original piece? Never saw it, iirc.

On another topic: anyone here still reading Odyssey? I know that it had a weird reschedule thing, and I have no idea when issue 5 will pop, but so far... it's a fun comic, looks good in all ways possible, but I'm just not "Loving" it, as I did with everything Grendel, minus some of the "Tales" series. Halfway through, I have yet to have a "THIS IS AMAZING" moment. Cool read, but it feels... not as good as what came before from Wagner.
I hope it does get much better.
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Re: The Devil's Thread: Matt Wagner's Grendel

Post by grendeljd »

Oh cool, I’ll have to remember to keep an eye out for that magazine! I think I saw Matt post this cover art on his Facebook page at some point earlier in the year - I think it’s a new piece he did for this magazine.

I am also not entirely enjoying Odyssey so far - it’s got a few good moments here and there (the best bits are the flashbacks to his past on earth), but I’m not really into the idea of GRENDELLL IIIIIN SPAAAAAAAAAAACE. There are clearly some moral points and/or critiques of human nature being made with each encounter, but overall it feels too odd to mix Grendel with generic space opera sci-fi.
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Re: The Devil's Thread: Matt Wagner's Grendel

Post by ShadowTuga »

There's a serious lack of WTFisms in this book, so far. I have no problems with the somehow outlandish premise, but I thought this was going to get crazy and weird as soon as they started hopping from planet to planet... There's still half to come, so, let's hope it turns out being one of those type of stories where the ending will make up for the slow start, if i'm making sense.
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Re: The Devil's Thread: Matt Wagner's Grendel

Post by grendeljd »

The Odyssey storyline is done at last, and I can’t say I was sad to see it end. Definitely not among the best Grendel stories ever published… I was literally rolling my eyes through the entire part of the story where he faced an alien overlord who was very clearly a thinly veiled, farcical stab at Donald Trump (and I’m no fan of Trump here, but it was just a painfully ham-fisted bit of writing).

Disappointed overall, but also glad to see that there is a new series already in the works on the horizon to follow it up. Hoping it’ll be a much better story!
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Re: The Devil's Thread: Matt Wagner's Grendel

Post by grendeljd »

I absolutely never thought I would be saying this, but it was just announced today that there is a Netflix tv series in the works based on Grendel!! :o :o :o

This is insane!! I hope it is a good adaptation and leads to some of the later incarnations actually seeing some screen time down the road!!
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Re: The Devil's Thread: Matt Wagner's Grendel

Post by grendeljd »

An article link to the announcement;

https://deadline.com/2021/09/netflix-or ... momZE4dSpQ
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Re: The Devil's Thread: Matt Wagner's Grendel

Post by grendeljd »

Also, time for some speculator madness to hit the series too:

https://bleedingcool.com/comics/everyon ... SAAGn17rMg
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Re: The Devil's Thread: Matt Wagner's Grendel

Post by grendeljd »

I guess I’m never gonna get a copy of that Comico Primer 1st appearance now… dang it!
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Re: The Devil's Thread: Matt Wagner's Grendel

Post by Chiclo »

Sounds like it is a good time to move some of my beater copies of that Comico Primer 1st appearance. 8-)

Of course, I won’t, though.

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Re: The Devil's Thread: Matt Wagner's Grendel

Post by geocarr »

grendeljd wrote: Tue Sep 14, 2021 8:27:38 pm I guess I’m never gonna get a copy of that Comico Primer 1st appearance now… dang it!
Me too! :!:
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Re: The Devil's Thread: Matt Wagner's Grendel

Post by JCP »

Even copies of Grendel 1 (1983) are going for crazy prices. Weren’t they on a fairly low print run?
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Re: The Devil's Thread: Matt Wagner's Grendel

Post by grendeljd »

JCP wrote: Sat Sep 18, 2021 9:58:45 pm Even copies of Grendel 1 (1983) are going for crazy prices. Weren’t they on a fairly low print run?
I’m sure they are! I don’t have the Primer or any of those early 3 Comico issues in my Grendel collection… as far as I know, those stories are essentially combined and refined for the “Devil By The Deed” one-shot story, aren’t they?

I’ve always been happy with having that to read the initial story of Hunter Rose… as a general rule, while the comic has been my absolute top favourite comic since I first discovered it while War Child was being published, I have never felt the compulsion to “collect” it or have a high grade set of the series - it has always just tickled my cerebrum enough to enjoy the story of it without feeling the usual collector compulsions that I get for lots of other stuff…
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Re: The Devil's Thread: Matt Wagner's Grendel

Post by Chiclo »

grendeljd wrote: Sun Sep 19, 2021 5:10:30 pm I’ve always been happy with having that to read the initial story of Hunter Rose… as a general rule, while the comic has been my absolute top favourite comic since I first discovered it while War Child was being published, I have never felt the compulsion to “collect” it or have a high grade set of the series - it has always just tickled my cerebrum enough to enjoy the story of it without feeling the usual collector compulsions that I get for lots of other stuff…
I don’t understand what you are saying here? Liking something and not trying to catch ‘em all?

I think that is correct about Devil by the Deed.

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Re: The Devil's Thread: Matt Wagner's Grendel

Post by grendeljd »

Chiclo wrote: Sun Sep 19, 2021 7:41:13 pm
grendeljd wrote: Sun Sep 19, 2021 5:10:30 pm I’ve always been happy with having that to read the initial story of Hunter Rose… as a general rule, while the comic has been my absolute top favourite comic since I first discovered it while War Child was being published, I have never felt the compulsion to “collect” it or have a high grade set of the series - it has always just tickled my cerebrum enough to enjoy the story of it without feeling the usual collector compulsions that I get for lots of other stuff…
I don’t understand what you are saying here? Liking something and not trying to catch ‘em all?

I think that is correct about Devil by the Deed.
Haha, I know it sounds weird right? I am a weirdo among all weirdos though… :lol:

I would like to see those early b&w issues sometime though. I have never once seen the inside of one of them. My LCS once had a copy of Primer #2 for a couple/few hundred but I just… didn’t… *want* it… haha!
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Re: The Devil's Thread: Matt Wagner's Grendel

Post by ShadowTuga »

I have been out of the loop for a while, just saw these news.

Its awesome that its happening. I think. More exposure to the comic, probably a shiny new pritnting of all the rare stuff (Omnibus, please) and MW might even start a new series or something.

That said, i don't really care for the adaptation, per se. The Witcher sounded very promising and its so bad i just don't care it exists. I dont trust Netflix to produce quality series, specially when the subject is as sophisticated as Grendel. I kinda already expect a Black and White / Good and Bad version of the story, tbh. :|

This is Great for the future of the series and its return to the shelves, but i am not hot for a Grendel tv series. Its one of the rare comics that just explores the possibilities of the medium and i dont know how its going to translate.

Its easy to make Hunter look cool on TV, though. :P
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Re: The Devil's Thread: Matt Wagner's Grendel

Post by JCP »

ShadowTuga wrote: Wed Nov 17, 2021 3:35:01 pm I have been out of the loop for a while, just saw these news.

Its awesome that its happening. I think. More exposure to the comic, probably a shiny new pritnting of all the rare stuff (Omnibus, please) and MW might even start a new series or something.

That said, i don't really care for the adaptation, per se. The Witcher sounded very promising and its so bad i just don't care it exists. I dont trust Netflix to produce quality series, specially when the subject is as sophisticated as Grendel. I kinda already expect a Black and White / Good and Bad version of the story, tbh. :|

This is Great for the future of the series and its return to the shelves, but i am not hot for a Grendel tv series. Its one of the rare comics that just explores the possibilities of the medium and i dont know how its going to translate.

Its easy to make Hunter look cool on TV, though. :P
I hear you. For every Sweet Tooth on Netflix there are dozens of terrible adaptations. I have a similar fear about Neil Gaiman’s Sandman. Anything short of spectacular will be very disappointing. Here’s hope that Netflix will do Grendel right.
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Re: The Devil's Thread: Matt Wagner's Grendel

Post by geocarr »

JCP wrote: Wed Nov 17, 2021 5:57:41 pm
ShadowTuga wrote: Wed Nov 17, 2021 3:35:01 pm I have been out of the loop for a while, just saw these news.

Its awesome that its happening. I think. More exposure to the comic, probably a shiny new pritnting of all the rare stuff (Omnibus, please) and MW might even start a new series or something.

That said, i don't really care for the adaptation, per se. The Witcher sounded very promising and its so bad i just don't care it exists. I dont trust Netflix to produce quality series, specially when the subject is as sophisticated as Grendel. I kinda already expect a Black and White / Good and Bad version of the story, tbh. :|

This is Great for the future of the series and its return to the shelves, but i am not hot for a Grendel tv series. Its one of the rare comics that just explores the possibilities of the medium and i dont know how its going to translate.

Its easy to make Hunter look cool on TV, though. :P
I hear you. For every Sweet Tooth on Netflix there are dozens of terrible adaptations. I have a similar fear about Neil Gaiman’s Sandman. Anything short of spectacular will be very disappointing. Here’s hope that Netflix will do Grendel right.
+1. I started reading Grendel with the Christine Spar series off the newsstand in the 80's and loved it. I believe I've read just about everything Grendel except the latest series.
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Re: The Devil's Thread: Matt Wagner's Grendel

Post by ShadowTuga »

Well gang, we can all hope that it is actually good, even though Netflix is now know more for their fails than actual quality. I do remember the time i was finished with Devil's Tales last story, after going through all of the main series and most of the other stuff and just thinking "this could never be adapted to screen and not suck inc omparison". Grendel is an epic tale that mixes so many genres and styles, while mantaining that identity of "i'm the most f'ed up sort-of-mainstream comic you will read with a masked protagonist on it". Something like that. :D

I have to say that i'm also slowly adopting a sort of gatekeeper ahole attitude when it comes to it: i had a huge experience reading this story from beginning to end, i was shown ways to do a book that don't rely on tricks and just said f u to the mainstream industry of funnybooks. But Grendel will stop to be this kinda "secret in the open" cult comic and will be discovered by idiots who won't get it and will *SQUEE* about it on YT or whatever. :P

This series makes 90% of the edgy comics stuff I ever read look childish and hollow, even though its not trying to be it that way. Why? Because its smart as hell and just reinvented itself with each host(S). Its literally Unpredictable. It starts with a pair of ninja cool anti-heroes and evolves into gods-know what are those incubation years issues and then its a 2 arc opera in comic book format. In the middle, there's Brian's story, which i will take to my grave as one of the best comics i ever read. Ever.

To top it up, there's War Child, which just opened the door for another set of future stories with a new Grendel that could have the staying power of the OG one. Prime's world is still the most cinema-ready of them all, amd on that how awesome would be to have an adult oriented animated adapation of Prime's story, done in Wagner's style?

This host is dumb. He forgots Devil by the deed's originality.

And lets not forget Devil By The Deed's originality.

F***.

One brilliant piece of art. Just that. I read that 5 or 6 times in a 2 week span or so. How that won't lose all of its atmosphere and uniqueness, i can not imagine. It is a very simple story, but its enhanced by the way its presented. I am 100% sure it will be the story that the show will tell , probably with the BWR stuff here and there so I guess DbtD is going to be the flashback for the entire1t season, with each episode showing how much of a bada** Hunter is.

Anyway, i came here to post a link to a new video by Chris from Comic Tropes. I love his channel, dude is super likeable and very informative on his videos. I srtrongly suggest it to anyone into comics:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0YJ2eC0n0o&t=174s
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Re: The Devil's Thread: Matt Wagner's Grendel

Post by Chiclo »

I remember the first time I read War Child, it was about 2005 and I really wanted to talk about how cool it was but none of the comic people in my orbit at the time cared about Grendel or just another overprinted Dark Horse mini series from the 90s.

On out honeymoon in 2008, we drove to New Orleans and on the way back, we attended Wizard World Dallas and Matt Wagner was a guest there. I got in line with a book for him to sign - don’t even remember which one. We were in line behind a guy who was having him sign a stack of 40 or more comics, which he did. By the time we got to him, he was about to have to leave. I told him that I really enjoyed the Grendel cycle and he asked who my favourite Grendel was. I said Orion Assante and that kind of surprised him. He said to come back later, he had a panel he had to get to, and he did a sketch of Orion Assante. We kept running into him throughout the weekend, to the point it was starting to get awkward.


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