Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Replacing references to Hunter Rose as the one and only Grendel - he\'s just the first and the final story about him is specifically about how he isn\'t uniquely important
Changed line(s) 38 (click to see context) from:
* BadassNormal: Grendel has no powers, nothing except fighting skills and an [[ExoticWeaponSupremacy electrified fork-sword-thing]], but he regularly battles Argent the Wolf, who has superhuman strength and ''claws''.
to:
* BadassNormal: Grendel Hunter Rose has no powers, nothing except fighting skills and an [[ExoticWeaponSupremacy electrified fork-sword-thing]], but he regularly battles Argent the Wolf, who has superhuman strength and ''claws''.
Changed line(s) 49 (click to see context) from:
* TheChessmaster: How Grendel was able to take over the entirety of New York's mobs within a month
to:
* TheChessmaster: How Grendel Hunter Rose was able to take over the entirety of New York's mobs within a month
Changed line(s) 65 (click to see context) from:
* GentlemanThief: Grendel seems like this ''until he stabs you in the eyes.''
to:
* GentlemanThief: Grendel Hunter Rose seems like this ''until '''until he ups and stabs you some innocent bystander in the eyes.'''''
Changed line(s) 73 (click to see context) from:
* KnowledgeBroker: Larry Stohler acts as Grendel's informant in high society and spy on the mob.
to:
* KnowledgeBroker: Larry Stohler acts as Grendel's Hunter Rose's informant in high society and spy on the mob.
Changed line(s) 107 (click to see context) from:
* SecretKeeper: Aside from serving as TheConsigliere, Larry Stohler also knows of Grendel's secret identity, having figured it out himself. [[spoiler:He chooses to take the secret to his grave]].
to:
* SecretKeeper: Aside from serving as TheConsigliere, Larry Stohler also knows of Grendel's Hunter Rose's secret identity, having figured it out himself. [[spoiler:He chooses to take the secret to his grave]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Christine Spar's period as Grendel.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 77 (click to see context) from:
* LikesOlderWomen: His first lover was Jocasta Rose. She was '''36'''. He was '''14'''.
to:
* LikesOlderWomen: His Hunter's first lover was Jocasta Rose. She was '''36'''. He was '''14'''. Repeated on a slightly less cradle-robbing scale with Christine Spar, who is Grendel at the time, and Brian Li Sung, who will become Grendel after her death.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
* BullyingADragon: The whole second half of the Christine Spar story is a two-way version of this - both Christine on one hand and Argent and Wiggins on the other just can't stop provoking each other.
* MutualKill: [[spoiler:Christine Spar and Argent]].
Changed line(s) 107 (click to see context) from:
* ShootTheShaggyDog: a huge chunk of ''Behold the Devil'' was about Lucas Ottoman interviewing people about Grendel and eventually coming to realize that he was Hunter Rose. Of course, the readers know nobody knew who Grendel was until ''after'' his death, but it's still shocking when [[spoiler:Grendel nonchalantly slits his throat and sets him on fire]]. More than that, Lucas's girlfriend, Detective Liz Sparks [[spoiler:loses an eye, six fingers, and is burned over forty percent of her body, and a large number of completely innocent bystanders are killed when the building burns down]]. Wagner really doesn't want you to like Hunter Rose any more.
to:
* ShootTheShaggyDog: a ShootTheShaggyDog:
** A huge chunk of ''Behold the Devil'' was about Lucas Ottoman interviewing people about Grendel and eventually coming to realize that he was Hunter Rose. Of course, the readers know nobody knew who Grendel was until ''after'' his death, but it's still shocking when [[spoiler:Grendel nonchalantly slits his throat and sets him on fire]]. More than that, Lucas's girlfriend, Detective Liz Sparks [[spoiler:loses an eye, six fingers, and is burned over forty percent of her body, and a large number of completely innocent bystanders are killed when the building burns down]]. Wagner really doesn't want you to like Hunter Rose anymore.more.
** Also, Christine Spar's quest for revenge on Tujiro for killing her son leads to her death, Argent's, and those of a good deal of third-parties some of whom might have been innocent, as well as indirectly to the death of Brian Li Sung, but completely fails in its main objective.
** A huge chunk of ''Behold the Devil'' was about Lucas Ottoman interviewing people about Grendel and eventually coming to realize that he was Hunter Rose. Of course, the readers know nobody knew who Grendel was until ''after'' his death, but it's still shocking when [[spoiler:Grendel nonchalantly slits his throat and sets him on fire]]. More than that, Lucas's girlfriend, Detective Liz Sparks [[spoiler:loses an eye, six fingers, and is burned over forty percent of her body, and a large number of completely innocent bystanders are killed when the building burns down]]. Wagner really doesn't want you to like Hunter Rose any
** Also, Christine Spar's quest for revenge on Tujiro for killing her son leads to her death, Argent's, and those of a good deal of third-parties some of whom might have been innocent, as well as indirectly to the death of Brian Li Sung, but completely fails in its main objective.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* SwordCane: Hunter Rose's "fork on a stick" can collapse into a cane for disguise purposes.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: Many of the Hunter Rose stories are in black and white with red highlights. Usually for blood.
Changed line(s) 106 (click to see context) from:
* ShootTheShaggyDog: a huge chunk of ''Behold the Devil'' was about Lucas Ottoman interviewing people about Grendel and eventually coming to realize that he was Hunter Rose. Of course, the readers know nobody knew who Grendel was until ''after'' his death, but it's still shocking when [[spoiler:Grendel nonchalantly slits his throat and sets him on fire]]. More than that, Lucas's girlfriend, Detective Liz Sparks [[spoiler:loses an eye, six fingers, and is burned over forty percent of her body]]. Wagner really doesn't want you to like Hunter Rose any more.
to:
* ShootTheShaggyDog: a huge chunk of ''Behold the Devil'' was about Lucas Ottoman interviewing people about Grendel and eventually coming to realize that he was Hunter Rose. Of course, the readers know nobody knew who Grendel was until ''after'' his death, but it's still shocking when [[spoiler:Grendel nonchalantly slits his throat and sets him on fire]]. More than that, Lucas's girlfriend, Detective Liz Sparks [[spoiler:loses an eye, six fingers, and is burned over forty percent of her body]].body, and a large number of completely innocent bystanders are killed when the building burns down]]. Wagner really doesn't want you to like Hunter Rose any more.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* SecretKeeper: Aside from serving as TheConsigliere, Larry Stohler also knows of Grendel's secret identity, having figured it out himself. [[spoiler:He chooses to take the secret to his grave]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 22 (click to see context) from:
** Christine Spar: NominalHero / Tragic Hero
to:
** Christine Spar: NominalHero / Tragic HeroTragicHero
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 24 (click to see context) from:
** Eppy Thatcher: CrazyAwesome PragmaticHero with hints of HeroicComedicSociopath
to:
** Eppy Thatcher: CrazyAwesome PowerBornOfMadness PragmaticHero with hints of HeroicComedicSociopath
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 19 (click to see context) from:
* AntiHero: Christine Spar, who adopts the Grendel persona to avenge her son's death. Argent could also count.
to:
* AntiHero: Many of the central characters count as different forms:
** Hunter Rose: ByronicHero, if you're being charitable.
** Argent: GoodIsNotNice to NinetiesAntiHero, depending on the story.
** ChristineSpar, who adopts the Grendel persona to avenge her son's death. Argent could also count.Spar: NominalHero / Tragic Hero
** Brian Li Sung: ClassicalAntiHero
** Eppy Thatcher: CrazyAwesome PragmaticHero with hints of HeroicComedicSociopath
** Orion Assante: KnightTemplar PragmaticHero
** Hunter Rose: ByronicHero, if you're being charitable.
** Argent: GoodIsNotNice to NinetiesAntiHero, depending on the story.
** Christine
** Brian Li Sung: ClassicalAntiHero
** Eppy Thatcher: CrazyAwesome PragmaticHero with hints of HeroicComedicSociopath
** Orion Assante: KnightTemplar PragmaticHero
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 4,7 (click to see context) from:
Grendel is a comic book series created by Matt Wagner. The titular character first appeared in the anthology title ''"Comico Primer''" #2 (1982). He held his own short-lived black and white series (1983-1984), and also appeared as back-up strip in ''"Mage''" (1984-1986). Before launched in an original full-color series, lasting from 1986 to 1990. Various mini-series featuring Grendel regurarly appeared through the [[TheNineties 1990s]]. Reprints and some new material have continued appearing in the 21st century.
The subject matter concerns one Hunter Rose, who is a bestselling author, a sophisticated gentleman who attends high class parties. He's also Grendel, a ruthlessly efficient assassin who slowly takes over ''all'' the mobs in New York City. Matt Wagner's stories of Grendel are [[FilmNoir noir]] tales, black and white and red only. They are not only tales of a criminal mastermind, but a study in aggression.
The subject matter concerns one Hunter Rose, who is a bestselling author, a sophisticated gentleman who attends high class parties. He's also Grendel, a ruthlessly efficient assassin who slowly takes over ''all'' the mobs in New York City. Matt Wagner's stories of Grendel are [[FilmNoir noir]] tales, black and white and red only. They are not only tales of a criminal mastermind, but a study in aggression.
to:
Grendel is a comic book series created by Matt Wagner. The titular character first appeared in the anthology title ''"Comico Primer''" #2 (1982). He held his own short-lived black and white series (1983-1984), and also appeared as back-up strip in ''"Mage''" (1984-1986). Before launched in an original full-color series, lasting from 1986 to 1990. Various mini-series featuring Grendel regurarly regularly appeared through the [[TheNineties 1990s]]. Reprints and some new material have continued appearing in the 21st century.
The initial subject matter concerns one Hunter Rose, who is a bestselling author, a sophisticated gentleman who attends high class parties. He's also Grendel, a ruthlessly efficient assassin who slowly takes over ''all'' the mobs in New York City. Matt Wagner's stories of Grendel are [[FilmNoir noir]] tales, black and white and red only. They are not only tales of a criminal mastermind, but a study in aggression.
The initial subject matter concerns one Hunter Rose, who is a bestselling author, a sophisticated gentleman who attends high class parties. He's also Grendel, a ruthlessly efficient assassin who slowly takes over ''all'' the mobs in New York City. Matt Wagner's stories of Grendel are [[FilmNoir noir]] tales, black and white and red only. They are not only tales of a criminal mastermind, but a study in aggression.
Changed line(s) 10,11 (click to see context) from:
However, this is not the end of the story; the series proper is set in the near future after the conclusion of ''Devil by the Deed'', featuring Stacy's daughter, author Christine Spar. There are even stories in the far future, where Grendel has become something of a religious figure.
to:
However, this is not the end of the story; the series proper is set in the near future after the conclusion of ''Devil by the Deed'', initially featuring Stacy's daughter, author daughter Christine Spar. There are even stories The story then continues in the far future, where the concept of Grendel has become something eventually becomes [[spoiler:the basis of a religious figure.
world civilisation]].
Changed line(s) 77 (click to see context) from:
* MundaneFantastic: Grendel is a completely normal man who takes over the New York mob. His archenemy is a werewolf.
to:
* MundaneFantastic: Grendel Hunter Rose is a completely normal man who takes over the New York mob. His archenemy is a werewolf.
Changed line(s) 93 (click to see context) from:
* {{Retcon}}: Matt Wagner's attitude towards Hunter Rose changed over time. Initially, ''Devil by the Deed'' contained hints of Rose being a NobleDemon (specifically relating to his pseudo-paternal concern for Stacy). But every time Wagner went back to that character, he made him more and more evil - to the point where his affection for Stacy was attributed to the never-before-mentioned fact that [[{{Squick}} she reminded him of his dead lover Jocasta.]]
to:
* {{Retcon}}: Matt Wagner's attitude towards Hunter Rose changed over time. Initially, ''Devil by the Deed'' contained hints of Rose being a NobleDemon (specifically relating to his pseudo-paternal concern for Stacy). But every time Wagner went back to that character, he made him more and more evil - to the point where his affection for Stacy was attributed to the never-before-mentioned fact that [[{{Squick}} she reminded him of his dead lover Jocasta.]]]] The later stories also did the same to Argent: originally he is a relatively noble vigilante, but the subsequent stories have him killing relatively innocent people in his obsession to get Grendel, and one even suggests that he might be under the influence of the Grendel entity himself.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: The majority of stories, and individual chapters of longer stories, have a title using the word "devil". Subverted in one of the Hunter Rose stories told in flashback by Wiggins, where he tries and fails to come up with a title in this format and rejects it as Christine Spar's tic.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 82,83 (click to see context) from:
* OurVampiresAreDifferent
* OurWerewolvesAreDifferent
* OurWerewolvesAreDifferent
to:
* OurVampiresAreDifferent
OurVampiresAreDifferent: The "rules" of vampirism in the series are closer to those in the original ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'' than many later elaborations.
*OurWerewolvesAreDifferentOurWerewolvesAreDifferent: Argent is a permanent, immortal, WolfMan who doesn't shift. (How he got that way is a case of MultipleChoicePast: he was originally a Native American but one story has him cursed by his tribe for being gay, another suggests that he deliberately brought it on himself through being a WellIntentionedExtremist.)
*
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
* AteHisGun: [[spoiler:Larry Stohler, when the cops come to arrest him for his involvement in Hunter Rose's crimes]].
* CampGay: Larry Stohler, by much innuendo.
Changed line(s) 62 (click to see context) from:
* KnightTemplar: All of the Orion's Sword Grendels who hold true to the code qualify to some extent, but Grendel-Prime lives and breathes this.
to:
* KnightTemplar: All of the Orion's Sword Grendels who hold true to the code qualify to some extent, but Grendel-Prime lives and breathes this. Also Argent and Wiggins.
* KnowledgeBroker: Larry Stohler acts as Grendel's informant in high society and spy on the mob.
* KnowledgeBroker: Larry Stohler acts as Grendel's informant in high society and spy on the mob.
Added DiffLines:
* ATrueStoryInMyUniverse: Many Hunter Rose stories include excerpts from, or outright are, publications by Christine Spar or Wiggins.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 95 (click to see context) from:
* ShootTheShaggyDog: a huge chunk of ''Behold the Devil'' was about Lucas Ottoman interviewing people about Grendel and eventually coming to realize that he was Hunter Rose. Of course, the readers know nobody knew who Grendel was until ''after'' his death, but it's still shocking when [[spoiler:Grendel nonchalantly slits his throat and sets him on fire]]. More than that, Lucas's girlfriend, Detective Liz Sparks [[spoiler:loses an eye, six fingers, and is burned over forty percent of her body]]. Wagner really doesn't want you to like Hunter Rose.
to:
* ShootTheShaggyDog: a huge chunk of ''Behold the Devil'' was about Lucas Ottoman interviewing people about Grendel and eventually coming to realize that he was Hunter Rose. Of course, the readers know nobody knew who Grendel was until ''after'' his death, but it's still shocking when [[spoiler:Grendel nonchalantly slits his throat and sets him on fire]]. More than that, Lucas's girlfriend, Detective Liz Sparks [[spoiler:loses an eye, six fingers, and is burned over forty percent of her body]]. Wagner really doesn't want you to like Hunter Rose.Rose any more.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 95 (click to see context) from:
* ShootTheShaggyDog: a huge chunk of ''Behold the Devil'' was about Lucas Ottoman interviewing people about Grendel and eventually coming to realize that he was Hunter Rose. Of course, the readers know nobody knew who Grendel was until ''after'' his death, but it's still shocking when [[spoiler:Grendel nonchalantly slits his throat and sets him on fire]]. More than that, Lucas's girlfriend, Detective Liz Sparks [[spoiler:loses an eye, six fingers, and is burned over forty percent of her body]]. Wagner really doesn't want you to like Grendel.
to:
* ShootTheShaggyDog: a huge chunk of ''Behold the Devil'' was about Lucas Ottoman interviewing people about Grendel and eventually coming to realize that he was Hunter Rose. Of course, the readers know nobody knew who Grendel was until ''after'' his death, but it's still shocking when [[spoiler:Grendel nonchalantly slits his throat and sets him on fire]]. More than that, Lucas's girlfriend, Detective Liz Sparks [[spoiler:loses an eye, six fingers, and is burned over forty percent of her body]]. Wagner really doesn't want you to like Grendel.Hunter Rose.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 16 (click to see context) from:
* TheAce: Hunter Rose, an Olympic-level fencer, best-selling novelist, millionaire socialite, master assassin and ruler of the largest criminal empire in North America. Only two other individuals are shown to be able to match him on an intellectual or physical level. One is Argent, an unaging, SuperStrong werewolf, the other (via crossover) is Franchise/{{Batman}}.
to:
* TheAce: Hunter Rose, an Olympic-level fencer, best-selling novelist, millionaire socialite, master assassin and ruler of the largest criminal empire in North America. Only two other individuals are shown to be able to match him on an intellectual or physical level. One is Argent, an unaging, SuperStrong [[SuperStrength Super Strong]] werewolf, the other (via crossover) is Franchise/{{Batman}}.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 50 (click to see context) from:
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Hunter Rose is against the idea of harming children and as such stopped child prostitution as part of his role as mob boss. He also withdraws from [[{{Batman}} Gotham]] when he endangers the life of a child he was trying to hold ransom.
to:
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Hunter Rose is against the idea of harming children and as such stopped child prostitution as part of his role as mob boss. He also withdraws from [[{{Batman}} [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Gotham]] when he endangers the life of a child he was trying to hold ransom.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 16 (click to see context) from:
* TheAce: Hunter Rose, an Olympic-level fencer, best-selling novelist, millionaire socialite, master assassin and ruler of the largest criminal empire in North America. Only two other individuals are shown to be able to match him on an intellectual or physical level. One is Argent, an unaging, SuperStrong werewolf, the other (via way of crossover) is Franchise/{{Batman}}.
to:
* TheAce: Hunter Rose, an Olympic-level fencer, best-selling novelist, millionaire socialite, master assassin and ruler of the largest criminal empire in North America. Only two other individuals are shown to be able to match him on an intellectual or physical level. One is Argent, an unaging, SuperStrong werewolf, the other (via way of crossover) is Franchise/{{Batman}}.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 16 (click to see context) from:
* TheAce: Hunter Rose, an Olympic-level fencer, best-selling novelist, millionaire socialite, master assassin and ruler of the largest criminal empire in North America. Only two other individuals are shown to be able to match him on an intellectual or physical level. One is Argent, an unaging, SuperStrong werewolf, the other (via way of crossover) is ComicBook/Batman.
to:
* TheAce: Hunter Rose, an Olympic-level fencer, best-selling novelist, millionaire socialite, master assassin and ruler of the largest criminal empire in North America. Only two other individuals are shown to be able to match him on an intellectual or physical level. One is Argent, an unaging, SuperStrong werewolf, the other (via way of crossover) is ComicBook/Batman.Franchise/{{Batman}}.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 16 (click to see context) from:
* TheAce: Hunter Rose, an Olympic-level fencer, best-selling novelist, millionaire socialite, master assassin and ruler of the largest criminal empire in North America. Only two other individuals are shown to be able to match him on an intellectual or physical level. One is Argent, an unaging, SuperStrong werewolf, the other (via way of crossover) is Comic/Batman.
to:
* TheAce: Hunter Rose, an Olympic-level fencer, best-selling novelist, millionaire socialite, master assassin and ruler of the largest criminal empire in North America. Only two other individuals are shown to be able to match him on an intellectual or physical level. One is Argent, an unaging, SuperStrong werewolf, the other (via way of crossover) is Comic/Batman.ComicBook/Batman.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 16 (click to see context) from:
* TheAce: Hunter Rose, an Olympic-level fencer, best-selling novelist, millionaire socialite, master assassin and ruler of the largest criminal empire in North America. Only two other individuals are shown to be able to match him on an intellectual or physical level. One is Argent, an unaging, SuperStrong werewolf, the other (via way of crossover) is Main/Batman.
to:
* TheAce: Hunter Rose, an Olympic-level fencer, best-selling novelist, millionaire socialite, master assassin and ruler of the largest criminal empire in North America. Only two other individuals are shown to be able to match him on an intellectual or physical level. One is Argent, an unaging, SuperStrong werewolf, the other (via way of crossover) is Main/Batman.Comic/Batman.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 16 (click to see context) from:
* TheAce: Hunter Rose, an Olympic-level fencer, best-selling novelist, millionaire socialite, master assassin and ruler of the largest criminal empire in North America. Only two other individuals are shown to be able to match him on an intellectual or physical level. One is Argent, an unaging, SuperStrong werewolf, the other (via way of crossover) is BatMan.
to:
* TheAce: Hunter Rose, an Olympic-level fencer, best-selling novelist, millionaire socialite, master assassin and ruler of the largest criminal empire in North America. Only two other individuals are shown to be able to match him on an intellectual or physical level. One is Argent, an unaging, SuperStrong werewolf, the other (via way of crossover) is BatMan.Main/Batman.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 16 (click to see context) from:
* TheAce: Hunter Rose, an Olympic-level fencer, best-selling novelist, millionaire socialite, master assassin and ruler of the largest criminal empire in North America. Only two other individuals are shown to be able to match him on an intellectual or physical level. One is Argent, an unaging, SuperStrong Werewolf, the other (via way of crossover) is BatMan.
to:
* TheAce: Hunter Rose, an Olympic-level fencer, best-selling novelist, millionaire socialite, master assassin and ruler of the largest criminal empire in North America. Only two other individuals are shown to be able to match him on an intellectual or physical level. One is Argent, an unaging, SuperStrong Werewolf, werewolf, the other (via way of crossover) is BatMan.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* TheAce: Hunter Rose, an Olympic-level fencer, best-selling novelist, millionaire socialite, master assassin and ruler of the largest criminal empire in North America. Only two other individuals are shown to be able to match him on an intellectual or physical level. One is Argent, an unaging, SuperStrong Werewolf, the other (via way of crossover) is BatMan.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* NinetyPercentOfYourBrain: Implied to be the source of Hunter Rose's exceptional physical and mental abilities- his autopsy suggests the he may have had "some advanced genetic mutation, resulting in much higher usage of our almost limitless mental capacities".
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Badass Abnormal has been renamed to Empowered Badass Normal. Make sure you check out the new page and its definition before adding the trope.
Changed line(s) 31 (click to see context) from:
** Most later Grendels also qualify, though Grendel Prime is a BadassAbnormal, and Brian Li Sung is an IneffectualSympatheticVillain.
to:
** Most later Grendels also qualify, though Grendel Prime is a BadassAbnormal, an EmpoweredBadassNormal, and Brian Li Sung is an IneffectualSympatheticVillain.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 12 (click to see context) from:
'''Spoilers Ahoy!''
to:
'''Spoilers Ahoy!''Ahoy!'''
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 6,15 (click to see context) from:
The subject matter? Hunter Rose is a bestselling author, a sophisticated gentleman who attends high class parties. He's also Grendel, a ruthlessly efficient assassin who slowly takes over ''all'' the mobs in New York City. Matt Wagner's stories of Grendel are [[FilmNoir noir]] tales, black and white and red only. They are not only tales of a criminal mastermind, but a study in aggression.
'''Warning: there are spoilers in the rest of this article'''
Two other important characters in the Grendel series is Stacy Palumbo, a young girl whom Hunter adopts after he kills her father, and Argent the Wolf, a cursed werewolf who works with the police to stop Grendel. At the end of the first Grendel story, ''Devil by the Deed'', Stacy, who has found out Hunter is Grendel, manipulates both Grendel and Argent to fight on a rooftop, where Grendel dies.
This is only one of the few series where the story can continue after the main character's death. There are stories set in the near future, with Stacy Palumbo's daughter, Christine Spar, who wrote a book about Grendel, and even stories in the far, far future, where Grendel has become something of a religion.
Has nothing to do with Literature/{{Beowulf}}.
'''Warning: there are spoilers in the rest of this article'''
Two other important characters in the Grendel series is Stacy Palumbo, a young girl whom Hunter adopts after he kills her father, and Argent the Wolf, a cursed werewolf who works with the police to stop Grendel. At the end of the first Grendel story, ''Devil by the Deed'', Stacy, who has found out Hunter is Grendel, manipulates both Grendel and Argent to fight on a rooftop, where Grendel dies.
This is only one of the few series where the story can continue after the main character's death. There are stories set in the near future, with Stacy Palumbo's daughter, Christine Spar, who wrote a book about Grendel, and even stories in the far, far future, where Grendel has become something of a religion.
Has nothing to do with Literature/{{Beowulf}}.
to:
The subject matter? matter concerns one Hunter Rose Rose, who is a bestselling author, a sophisticated gentleman who attends high class parties. He's also Grendel, a ruthlessly efficient assassin who slowly takes over ''all'' the mobs in New York City. Matt Wagner's stories of Grendel are [[FilmNoir noir]] tales, black and white and red only. They are not only tales of a criminal mastermind, but a study in aggression.
'''Warning: there are spoilers in Along the rest of this article'''
Twothe way, Grendel comes across two other important characters in the Grendel series is characters: Stacy Palumbo, a young girl whom Hunter adopts after he kills her father, and Argent the Wolf, a cursed werewolf who works with the police to stop Grendel. At the end of the first Grendel story, ''Devil by the Deed'', Stacy, who has found out Hunter is Grendel, manipulates both Grendel and Argent to fight on a rooftop, where [[spoiler:where Grendel dies.
Thisdies]].
However, this isonly one not the end of the few story; the series where the story can continue after the main character's death. There are stories proper is set in the near future, with Stacy Palumbo's future after the conclusion of ''Devil by the Deed'', featuring Stacy's daughter, author Christine Spar, who wrote a book about Grendel, and Spar. There are even stories in the far, far future, where Grendel has become something of a religion.
Has nothing to do with Literature/{{Beowulf}}.
religious figure.
'''Spoilers Ahoy!''
Two
This
However, this is
Has nothing to do with Literature/{{Beowulf}}.
'''Spoilers Ahoy!''
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/grendel-2006_1069.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Meet the face of aggression.]]
Grendel is a comic book series created by Matt Wagner. The titular character first appeared in the anthology title ''"Comico Primer''" #2 (1982). He held his own short-lived black and white series (1983-1984), and also appeared as back-up strip in ''"Mage''" (1984-1986). Before launched in an original full-color series, lasting from 1986 to 1990. Various mini-series featuring Grendel regurarly appeared through the [[TheNineties 1990s]]. Reprints and some new material have continued appearing in the 21st century.
The subject matter? Hunter Rose is a bestselling author, a sophisticated gentleman who attends high class parties. He's also Grendel, a ruthlessly efficient assassin who slowly takes over ''all'' the mobs in New York City. Matt Wagner's stories of Grendel are [[FilmNoir noir]] tales, black and white and red only. They are not only tales of a criminal mastermind, but a study in aggression.
'''Warning: there are spoilers in the rest of this article'''
Two other important characters in the Grendel series is Stacy Palumbo, a young girl whom Hunter adopts after he kills her father, and Argent the Wolf, a cursed werewolf who works with the police to stop Grendel. At the end of the first Grendel story, ''Devil by the Deed'', Stacy, who has found out Hunter is Grendel, manipulates both Grendel and Argent to fight on a rooftop, where Grendel dies.
This is only one of the few series where the story can continue after the main character's death. There are stories set in the near future, with Stacy Palumbo's daughter, Christine Spar, who wrote a book about Grendel, and even stories in the far, far future, where Grendel has become something of a religion.
Has nothing to do with Literature/{{Beowulf}}.
----
!!This series provides examples of:
* ActionMom: Christine Spar.
* AfterTheEnd: The ''War Child'' continuity clearly takes place in a post-apocalyptic world. Most of the Middle Eastern OPEC states are now an abandoned wasteland, and Europe is shown to consist largely of bombed-out ruins.
* AntiHero: Christine Spar, who adopts the Grendel persona to avenge her son's death. Argent could also count.
* AntiVillain: Hunter Rose was an early attempt at this in comics. While clearly a VillainProtagonist, he's also explicitly shown to have [[EvenEvilHasStandards a strict]] [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil moral code]], and deeply cares for both his lover and for his adoptive daughter. His rival, Argent, is shown as a savage killer whom even the police fear.
** The third Grendel, Brian Li Sung, is a more straightforward example. Shattered by his lover's death, his desire to understand what happened to her, combined with his desperate poverty and his returning alcoholism, makes him feel [[DemonicPossession possessed by Grendel]] and driven to commit horrible acts. [[spoiler: He's arguably a subversion, as he succeeds in resisting the most violent instincts, leading to RedemptionEqualsDeath.]]
** Orion and Jupiter Assante, and Grendel Prime are arguably the [[TropeCodifier Trope Codifiers]] in comics. All three characters commit horrible acts, but the former two appear to do so for TheGreaterGood, while Prime himself is very much an EvenEvilHasStandards character.
* AnythingThatMoves: Crystal Kennedy.
** Her grandfather's pretty close, too.
* ArchEnemy: Argent is Grendel's archenemy
* AscendedExtra: Brian Li Sung, Captain Wiggins, Susan Veraghen
* TheAtoner: Susan Veraghen, in ''Grendel: Past Prime.'' It was her clan that was on guard duty the night [[spoiler:Jupiter Assante was assassinated]]; as a result, everyone except her commits ritual suicide, and she herself goes on a worldwide pilgrimage to locate the missing Grendel-Prime.
** Brian Li Sung is an unusual case in that he's TheAtoner for actions he hasn't committed yet, and desperately tries to avoid.
* AxCrazy: Eppy Thatcher, when he really gets going
* BadassCreed: The Oath of Obedience in the Assante continuity.
* BadassNormal: Grendel has no powers, nothing except fighting skills and an [[ExoticWeaponSupremacy electrified fork-sword-thing]], but he regularly battles Argent the Wolf, who has superhuman strength and ''claws''.
** Most later Grendels also qualify, though Grendel Prime is a BadassAbnormal, and Brian Li Sung is an IneffectualSympatheticVillain.
* BigBadassWolf: Argent the Wolf
* BladeOnAStick: Hunter Rose's 'fork', a weapon also favored by Christine Spar and Eppy Thatcher
* BreakTheCutie: What happens to Stacy, beginning with Hunter's death and ending with her husband/therapist raping her and killing himself.
* BrotherSisterIncest: Orion Assante, [[{{Twincest}} with twins]], even.
* ButchLesbian: Susan Veraghen.
** BuryYourGays: Susan's lovers did not often have long lifespans, and if that wasn't bad enough...
** HideYourLesbians: Crystal Kennedy essentially has Susan exiled to the Dakota compound so she can take up with a new (male) love interest.
* TheChessmaster: How Grendel was able to take over the entirety of New York's mobs within a month
** How Orion Assante takes over the world. He's less effective against vampires, however.
** How Abner Heath and Laurel Kennedy plot to take over the Khanate as Jupiter's regents. It doesn't turn out so well.
* CreepyChild: Stacy Palumbo, especially given that she's the cause of Hunter Rose's death.
* CyberPunk: What the Grendel stories eventually become.
* {{Cyborg}}: A few characters have cybernetic implants, such as Captain Wiggins' artificial eye. CyberneticsEatYourSoul comes into play more than once. Taken UpToEleven with Grendel-Prime, who is a full-body conversion ''powered by sunlight.''
* DeathSeeker: It's probably easier to list characters that ''don't'' have at least overtones of this.
* DemonicPossession: Occasionally discussed as part of taking on the Grendel identity.
* DistantFinale: By the end of this far future we see [[spoiler: Grendal has in his very basic essence and concept, '''taken over the world'''.]]
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness / CharacterizationMarchesOn: The black-and-white stories that introduced the character portray him as something between Don Corleone and an amoral Spider-Man. Matt Wagner once mentioned that Hunter Rose gets a little more evil every time he writes about him.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Hunter Rose is against the idea of harming children and as such stopped child prostitution as part of his role as mob boss. He also withdraws from [[{{Batman}} Gotham]] when he endangers the life of a child he was trying to hold ransom.
** Also holds true with the Forx gang of Grendels, who burn crude oil instead of using it, and definitely true of the post-Assante Grendels, who take sharp issue with nuclear weapons.
* {{Flanderization}}: In ''Devil by the Deed'', Matt Wagner takes great pains to balance out Hunter Rose's criminal activities with his compassion towards Stacy; later works revisiting this particular character turns him into an unrepentant killer and implies that Hunter believes Stacy is the reincarnation of his dead lover Jocasta. Wagner has admitted he is less fond of Hunter Rose today.
* ForegoneConclusion: Hunter Rose will die on the roof of the Broadway Masonic Temple following a battle with Argent. The very first page of the very first issue, back in 1983, starts with both characters there.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: Hunter Rose was once a boy by the name of [[EmbarrasingFirstName Eddie]] from the suburbs gifted with superhuman intelligence.
* FunWithAcronyms: The '''C'''onfederacy '''O'''f '''P'''olice in the Eppy Thatcher/Orion Assante arc.
* GentlemanThief: Grendel seems like this ''until he stabs you in the eyes.''
* HeroAntagonist: Argent the Wolf, an AntiHero example who's determined to take down Hunter Rose.
** Captain Wiggins is another example.
* IntercontinuityCrossover: ''Batman/Grendel''
** Especially notable in that not only are both crossovers canon for Grendel, the sequel comic serves as a major plot point in Grendel Prime's life.
* KarmaHoudini: Tujiro. [[spoiler: Until he gets what he deserves centuries later.]]
* KnightTemplar: All of the Orion's Sword Grendels who hold true to the code qualify to some extent, but Grendel-Prime lives and breathes this.
* LaserBlade: Grendel-Prime's weapon of choice.
* LegacyCharacter: Hunter Rose to Christine Spar to Brian Li Sung, then a centuries-long gap until Eppy Thatcher. Orion Assante inherits the title from Eppy, and while his son Jupiter eventually becomes Grendel-Khan, the true heir of the Grendel identity at that point becomes Grendel Prime.
** Hunter Rose sees himself and Stacy as this.
* LikesOlderWomen: His first lover was Jocasta Rose. She was '''36'''. He was '''14'''.
* LivingLieDetector: Captain Wiggins' cybernetic eye lets him read biopatterns.
* LostSuperweapon: The sun-disc from the ''War Child'' series. [[spoiler:The missing component to make the thing work is Grendel-Prime himself.]]
** Also Hunter Rose's skull.
*** Averted in that the skull doesn't ''do'' anything - it's just part of Grendel Prime's attempt to understand the legacy of Grendel.
* MadnessMontage: Eppy Thatcher gets these every so often.
* MoralityPet: Stacy Palumbo to Hunter Rose and Argent, which ends up becoming the downfall of Rose and the spiral towards insanity for Stacy.
* MundaneFantastic: Grendel is a completely normal man who takes over the New York mob. His archenemy is a werewolf.
** Orion Assante's essentially a well-meaning but slightly perverted bureaucrat. He also takes over the world in a dictatorship, despite being unquestionably the least militant lead Grendel in the series.
* NoNameGiven: While all Grendels aspire to this in service to the Khan, Grendel-Prime has utterly abandoned his former life.
* OldShame: The Comico black-and-white miniseries, as well as the character's ''introduction in Comico Primer #2.''
** To an extent, Wagner feels this of his original concept of even Devil By the Deed, what with the line about [[TrueArtIsAngsty Grendel being the spirit of society's mediocrity.]]
* OurVampiresAreDifferent
* OurWerewolvesAreDifferent
* PlotRelevantAgeUp: Jupiter Assante in ''Grendel: War Child.''
** Also his father in Devil's Reign.
* PsychoSerum: The Grendel drug that is the source of Eppy Thatcher's abilities and madness.
** Vampires eventually succumb to this in the blood of The First.
* RapeAsDrama: Stacy Palumbo was raped by her husband (and psychiatrist) on their wedding night. He promptly committed suicide, while she remained catatonic for the rest of her life. This produced her one and only daughter, who would grow up to become Christina Spar and the new Grendel.
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: Devil Child, featuring Stacy and bridging between Devil By the Deed and Devil's Legacy. Spoilers for real life trauma: [[spoiler: Stacy was raped by a man she trusted. The second issue's letter column reveals that the writer based Stacy's reaction to this event on personal experience.]]
* ReligionOfEvil: In the far future, [[spoiler:the Catholic Church]]
** Much less-spoileriffic: the various Grendel cults, as well as the vampire cult.
* {{Retcon}}: Matt Wagner's attitude towards Hunter Rose changed over time. Initially, ''Devil by the Deed'' contained hints of Rose being a NobleDemon (specifically relating to his pseudo-paternal concern for Stacy). But every time Wagner went back to that character, he made him more and more evil - to the point where his affection for Stacy was attributed to the never-before-mentioned fact that [[{{Squick}} she reminded him of his dead lover Jocasta.]]
* RetiredBadass: Argent, in ''Devil's Legacy''.
* {{Samurai}}: Orion Assante's Grendel army in later series has major overtones of this, right down to the [[{{Seppuku}} ritual suicides]] and the [[KatanasAreJustBetter standard-issue katanas.]]
** Grendel Tales back covers feature a motif of the symbols of individual Grendel clans. One of them is clearly based on [[IconicLogo Japanese mon]].
* ScrewedByTheNetwork: The title saw a delay of several years due to the bankruptcy of its original publisher (Comico). During the interim, Comico's owners tried to claim Grendel as a company asset and prevent Wagner from taking the character elsewhere. This also held up Dark Horse reprints of the Comico issues, which eventually went through without further complications.
* SharedUniverse: The "Grendel Tales" spinoffs, taking place after the Grendel ideal's ascent to world domination, and involving characters who aren't actual avatars of Grendel.
* ShootTheShaggyDog: a huge chunk of ''Behold the Devil'' was about Lucas Ottoman interviewing people about Grendel and eventually coming to realize that he was Hunter Rose. Of course, the readers know nobody knew who Grendel was until ''after'' his death, but it's still shocking when [[spoiler:Grendel nonchalantly slits his throat and sets him on fire]]. More than that, Lucas's girlfriend, Detective Liz Sparks [[spoiler:loses an eye, six fingers, and is burned over forty percent of her body]]. Wagner really doesn't want you to like Grendel.
* SkunkStripe: Hunter Rose and Christine Spar. In one case, it leads to the former being recognized by someone from the same small-town suburbs that he was born in. [[HeKnowsTooMuch His fate is a given]].
* StraightGay: [[spoiler: Argent was cast out of his tribe and cursed to his current form for being this. Jupiter Assante also qualifies.]]
* SuperSoldier: The Paladin/Grendel-Prime
* TropesAreNotBad: The entire point of War Child, which plays with dozens of post-apocalypse tropes at once.
* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: ''Grendel: Devil's Legacy'' about Christine Spar, Stacy Palumbo's daughter
** Given that cybernetics and similar leaps in technology are available, [[{{Zeerust}} the 80s fashion is still overwhelming.]] Despite coming later, The Devil Inside fits this trope better, as only Wiggins' cybernetic eye gets much showcase.
* VillainProtagonist
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Hunter Rose is an uppercrust bestselling author, as is Christine Spar. Tujiro is a respected Kabuki performer and [[spoiler:centuries later, Pope.]]
** To say nothing of the Khans themselves.
* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: Lots, including Captain Wiggins, Brian Li Sung, Laurel Kennedy and Abner Heath.
** Implied to be the source of Grendel "possession", though this may just be Orion Assante's madness talking.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Susan Veraghen, whose natural hair color is bright green. In ''Past Prime,'' she states that all the Veraghens had been genetically modified for green hair and pale skin several generations previous, and comments that "one of my great-great-grandmothers must have liked the look."
----
<<|ComicBooks|>>
[[caption-width-right:350:Meet the face of aggression.]]
Grendel is a comic book series created by Matt Wagner. The titular character first appeared in the anthology title ''"Comico Primer''" #2 (1982). He held his own short-lived black and white series (1983-1984), and also appeared as back-up strip in ''"Mage''" (1984-1986). Before launched in an original full-color series, lasting from 1986 to 1990. Various mini-series featuring Grendel regurarly appeared through the [[TheNineties 1990s]]. Reprints and some new material have continued appearing in the 21st century.
The subject matter? Hunter Rose is a bestselling author, a sophisticated gentleman who attends high class parties. He's also Grendel, a ruthlessly efficient assassin who slowly takes over ''all'' the mobs in New York City. Matt Wagner's stories of Grendel are [[FilmNoir noir]] tales, black and white and red only. They are not only tales of a criminal mastermind, but a study in aggression.
'''Warning: there are spoilers in the rest of this article'''
Two other important characters in the Grendel series is Stacy Palumbo, a young girl whom Hunter adopts after he kills her father, and Argent the Wolf, a cursed werewolf who works with the police to stop Grendel. At the end of the first Grendel story, ''Devil by the Deed'', Stacy, who has found out Hunter is Grendel, manipulates both Grendel and Argent to fight on a rooftop, where Grendel dies.
This is only one of the few series where the story can continue after the main character's death. There are stories set in the near future, with Stacy Palumbo's daughter, Christine Spar, who wrote a book about Grendel, and even stories in the far, far future, where Grendel has become something of a religion.
Has nothing to do with Literature/{{Beowulf}}.
----
!!This series provides examples of:
* ActionMom: Christine Spar.
* AfterTheEnd: The ''War Child'' continuity clearly takes place in a post-apocalyptic world. Most of the Middle Eastern OPEC states are now an abandoned wasteland, and Europe is shown to consist largely of bombed-out ruins.
* AntiHero: Christine Spar, who adopts the Grendel persona to avenge her son's death. Argent could also count.
* AntiVillain: Hunter Rose was an early attempt at this in comics. While clearly a VillainProtagonist, he's also explicitly shown to have [[EvenEvilHasStandards a strict]] [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil moral code]], and deeply cares for both his lover and for his adoptive daughter. His rival, Argent, is shown as a savage killer whom even the police fear.
** The third Grendel, Brian Li Sung, is a more straightforward example. Shattered by his lover's death, his desire to understand what happened to her, combined with his desperate poverty and his returning alcoholism, makes him feel [[DemonicPossession possessed by Grendel]] and driven to commit horrible acts. [[spoiler: He's arguably a subversion, as he succeeds in resisting the most violent instincts, leading to RedemptionEqualsDeath.]]
** Orion and Jupiter Assante, and Grendel Prime are arguably the [[TropeCodifier Trope Codifiers]] in comics. All three characters commit horrible acts, but the former two appear to do so for TheGreaterGood, while Prime himself is very much an EvenEvilHasStandards character.
* AnythingThatMoves: Crystal Kennedy.
** Her grandfather's pretty close, too.
* ArchEnemy: Argent is Grendel's archenemy
* AscendedExtra: Brian Li Sung, Captain Wiggins, Susan Veraghen
* TheAtoner: Susan Veraghen, in ''Grendel: Past Prime.'' It was her clan that was on guard duty the night [[spoiler:Jupiter Assante was assassinated]]; as a result, everyone except her commits ritual suicide, and she herself goes on a worldwide pilgrimage to locate the missing Grendel-Prime.
** Brian Li Sung is an unusual case in that he's TheAtoner for actions he hasn't committed yet, and desperately tries to avoid.
* AxCrazy: Eppy Thatcher, when he really gets going
* BadassCreed: The Oath of Obedience in the Assante continuity.
* BadassNormal: Grendel has no powers, nothing except fighting skills and an [[ExoticWeaponSupremacy electrified fork-sword-thing]], but he regularly battles Argent the Wolf, who has superhuman strength and ''claws''.
** Most later Grendels also qualify, though Grendel Prime is a BadassAbnormal, and Brian Li Sung is an IneffectualSympatheticVillain.
* BigBadassWolf: Argent the Wolf
* BladeOnAStick: Hunter Rose's 'fork', a weapon also favored by Christine Spar and Eppy Thatcher
* BreakTheCutie: What happens to Stacy, beginning with Hunter's death and ending with her husband/therapist raping her and killing himself.
* BrotherSisterIncest: Orion Assante, [[{{Twincest}} with twins]], even.
* ButchLesbian: Susan Veraghen.
** BuryYourGays: Susan's lovers did not often have long lifespans, and if that wasn't bad enough...
** HideYourLesbians: Crystal Kennedy essentially has Susan exiled to the Dakota compound so she can take up with a new (male) love interest.
* TheChessmaster: How Grendel was able to take over the entirety of New York's mobs within a month
** How Orion Assante takes over the world. He's less effective against vampires, however.
** How Abner Heath and Laurel Kennedy plot to take over the Khanate as Jupiter's regents. It doesn't turn out so well.
* CreepyChild: Stacy Palumbo, especially given that she's the cause of Hunter Rose's death.
* CyberPunk: What the Grendel stories eventually become.
* {{Cyborg}}: A few characters have cybernetic implants, such as Captain Wiggins' artificial eye. CyberneticsEatYourSoul comes into play more than once. Taken UpToEleven with Grendel-Prime, who is a full-body conversion ''powered by sunlight.''
* DeathSeeker: It's probably easier to list characters that ''don't'' have at least overtones of this.
* DemonicPossession: Occasionally discussed as part of taking on the Grendel identity.
* DistantFinale: By the end of this far future we see [[spoiler: Grendal has in his very basic essence and concept, '''taken over the world'''.]]
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness / CharacterizationMarchesOn: The black-and-white stories that introduced the character portray him as something between Don Corleone and an amoral Spider-Man. Matt Wagner once mentioned that Hunter Rose gets a little more evil every time he writes about him.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Hunter Rose is against the idea of harming children and as such stopped child prostitution as part of his role as mob boss. He also withdraws from [[{{Batman}} Gotham]] when he endangers the life of a child he was trying to hold ransom.
** Also holds true with the Forx gang of Grendels, who burn crude oil instead of using it, and definitely true of the post-Assante Grendels, who take sharp issue with nuclear weapons.
* {{Flanderization}}: In ''Devil by the Deed'', Matt Wagner takes great pains to balance out Hunter Rose's criminal activities with his compassion towards Stacy; later works revisiting this particular character turns him into an unrepentant killer and implies that Hunter believes Stacy is the reincarnation of his dead lover Jocasta. Wagner has admitted he is less fond of Hunter Rose today.
* ForegoneConclusion: Hunter Rose will die on the roof of the Broadway Masonic Temple following a battle with Argent. The very first page of the very first issue, back in 1983, starts with both characters there.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: Hunter Rose was once a boy by the name of [[EmbarrasingFirstName Eddie]] from the suburbs gifted with superhuman intelligence.
* FunWithAcronyms: The '''C'''onfederacy '''O'''f '''P'''olice in the Eppy Thatcher/Orion Assante arc.
* GentlemanThief: Grendel seems like this ''until he stabs you in the eyes.''
* HeroAntagonist: Argent the Wolf, an AntiHero example who's determined to take down Hunter Rose.
** Captain Wiggins is another example.
* IntercontinuityCrossover: ''Batman/Grendel''
** Especially notable in that not only are both crossovers canon for Grendel, the sequel comic serves as a major plot point in Grendel Prime's life.
* KarmaHoudini: Tujiro. [[spoiler: Until he gets what he deserves centuries later.]]
* KnightTemplar: All of the Orion's Sword Grendels who hold true to the code qualify to some extent, but Grendel-Prime lives and breathes this.
* LaserBlade: Grendel-Prime's weapon of choice.
* LegacyCharacter: Hunter Rose to Christine Spar to Brian Li Sung, then a centuries-long gap until Eppy Thatcher. Orion Assante inherits the title from Eppy, and while his son Jupiter eventually becomes Grendel-Khan, the true heir of the Grendel identity at that point becomes Grendel Prime.
** Hunter Rose sees himself and Stacy as this.
* LikesOlderWomen: His first lover was Jocasta Rose. She was '''36'''. He was '''14'''.
* LivingLieDetector: Captain Wiggins' cybernetic eye lets him read biopatterns.
* LostSuperweapon: The sun-disc from the ''War Child'' series. [[spoiler:The missing component to make the thing work is Grendel-Prime himself.]]
** Also Hunter Rose's skull.
*** Averted in that the skull doesn't ''do'' anything - it's just part of Grendel Prime's attempt to understand the legacy of Grendel.
* MadnessMontage: Eppy Thatcher gets these every so often.
* MoralityPet: Stacy Palumbo to Hunter Rose and Argent, which ends up becoming the downfall of Rose and the spiral towards insanity for Stacy.
* MundaneFantastic: Grendel is a completely normal man who takes over the New York mob. His archenemy is a werewolf.
** Orion Assante's essentially a well-meaning but slightly perverted bureaucrat. He also takes over the world in a dictatorship, despite being unquestionably the least militant lead Grendel in the series.
* NoNameGiven: While all Grendels aspire to this in service to the Khan, Grendel-Prime has utterly abandoned his former life.
* OldShame: The Comico black-and-white miniseries, as well as the character's ''introduction in Comico Primer #2.''
** To an extent, Wagner feels this of his original concept of even Devil By the Deed, what with the line about [[TrueArtIsAngsty Grendel being the spirit of society's mediocrity.]]
* OurVampiresAreDifferent
* OurWerewolvesAreDifferent
* PlotRelevantAgeUp: Jupiter Assante in ''Grendel: War Child.''
** Also his father in Devil's Reign.
* PsychoSerum: The Grendel drug that is the source of Eppy Thatcher's abilities and madness.
** Vampires eventually succumb to this in the blood of The First.
* RapeAsDrama: Stacy Palumbo was raped by her husband (and psychiatrist) on their wedding night. He promptly committed suicide, while she remained catatonic for the rest of her life. This produced her one and only daughter, who would grow up to become Christina Spar and the new Grendel.
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: Devil Child, featuring Stacy and bridging between Devil By the Deed and Devil's Legacy. Spoilers for real life trauma: [[spoiler: Stacy was raped by a man she trusted. The second issue's letter column reveals that the writer based Stacy's reaction to this event on personal experience.]]
* ReligionOfEvil: In the far future, [[spoiler:the Catholic Church]]
** Much less-spoileriffic: the various Grendel cults, as well as the vampire cult.
* {{Retcon}}: Matt Wagner's attitude towards Hunter Rose changed over time. Initially, ''Devil by the Deed'' contained hints of Rose being a NobleDemon (specifically relating to his pseudo-paternal concern for Stacy). But every time Wagner went back to that character, he made him more and more evil - to the point where his affection for Stacy was attributed to the never-before-mentioned fact that [[{{Squick}} she reminded him of his dead lover Jocasta.]]
* RetiredBadass: Argent, in ''Devil's Legacy''.
* {{Samurai}}: Orion Assante's Grendel army in later series has major overtones of this, right down to the [[{{Seppuku}} ritual suicides]] and the [[KatanasAreJustBetter standard-issue katanas.]]
** Grendel Tales back covers feature a motif of the symbols of individual Grendel clans. One of them is clearly based on [[IconicLogo Japanese mon]].
* ScrewedByTheNetwork: The title saw a delay of several years due to the bankruptcy of its original publisher (Comico). During the interim, Comico's owners tried to claim Grendel as a company asset and prevent Wagner from taking the character elsewhere. This also held up Dark Horse reprints of the Comico issues, which eventually went through without further complications.
* SharedUniverse: The "Grendel Tales" spinoffs, taking place after the Grendel ideal's ascent to world domination, and involving characters who aren't actual avatars of Grendel.
* ShootTheShaggyDog: a huge chunk of ''Behold the Devil'' was about Lucas Ottoman interviewing people about Grendel and eventually coming to realize that he was Hunter Rose. Of course, the readers know nobody knew who Grendel was until ''after'' his death, but it's still shocking when [[spoiler:Grendel nonchalantly slits his throat and sets him on fire]]. More than that, Lucas's girlfriend, Detective Liz Sparks [[spoiler:loses an eye, six fingers, and is burned over forty percent of her body]]. Wagner really doesn't want you to like Grendel.
* SkunkStripe: Hunter Rose and Christine Spar. In one case, it leads to the former being recognized by someone from the same small-town suburbs that he was born in. [[HeKnowsTooMuch His fate is a given]].
* StraightGay: [[spoiler: Argent was cast out of his tribe and cursed to his current form for being this. Jupiter Assante also qualifies.]]
* SuperSoldier: The Paladin/Grendel-Prime
* TropesAreNotBad: The entire point of War Child, which plays with dozens of post-apocalypse tropes at once.
* TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: ''Grendel: Devil's Legacy'' about Christine Spar, Stacy Palumbo's daughter
** Given that cybernetics and similar leaps in technology are available, [[{{Zeerust}} the 80s fashion is still overwhelming.]] Despite coming later, The Devil Inside fits this trope better, as only Wiggins' cybernetic eye gets much showcase.
* VillainProtagonist
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Hunter Rose is an uppercrust bestselling author, as is Christine Spar. Tujiro is a respected Kabuki performer and [[spoiler:centuries later, Pope.]]
** To say nothing of the Khans themselves.
* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: Lots, including Captain Wiggins, Brian Li Sung, Laurel Kennedy and Abner Heath.
** Implied to be the source of Grendel "possession", though this may just be Orion Assante's madness talking.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Susan Veraghen, whose natural hair color is bright green. In ''Past Prime,'' she states that all the Veraghens had been genetically modified for green hair and pale skin several generations previous, and comments that "one of my great-great-grandmothers must have liked the look."
----
<<|ComicBooks|>>
