Customer Reviews

Grendel Tales: Devil in Our Midst

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These Grendel Tales stories, which are not written by Grendel creator Matt Wagner, are always hit and miss. Some are exceptional (Grendel Tales: Four Devils, One Hell), others less so (The Devil's Hammer). Grendel Tales: The Devil in Our Midst is somewhere in between.

Steven Seagle (Sandman: Mystery Theater) is the writer for this limited series, which finds a lone Grendel washed up on the shores of Antarctica, where a team of workers is coordinating the disposal of some seriously toxic waste. As soon as the Grendel, who is wracked with guilt and wants to die (but not by his own hand) is taken in, crew members start becoming violently ill (and just plain violent). The story is very reminiscent of The Thing [Blu-ray], and has action and mystery in equal measure, with a surprising amount of character development.

Artwork on this arc was by Paul Grist. This was my first exposure to Grist's simple, quirky, and very effective style, and immediately after reading it I sought out his creator-owned detective series Kane, which is also well worth reading.

I'd give The Devil in Our Midst an overall rating of 3.5 stars. It's not one of the great Grendel stories, but it's a better than average one, and a fun (in a bloody, no one here gets out alive kind of way), action-oriented story with some very compelling artwork.

If you liked Grendel Warchild or even just GrendelPrime you will most likely find this a good story. It brings a bit more on what a grendels life is like. Some typical comic book stuff but as for the best part of the grendel series the human interactions are what make this series so memorable. Not all good but bringing home the gray of many situations. Personally I have yet to find a grendel story I didn't like but have read it since it first came out in monthly bits and stops. Enjoy.