Xmas Eve(n)? Xmas Odd!

7

The holiday is upon us...

...and hopefully my brain will be back with more words later.

page art by Bernie Mireault, Ty Templeton, Steve Rude & Al Williamson, and Matt Smigiel for Comico Christmas Special, DCU Holiday Bash and Boo! Holiday Special (1988, 1998, 1999, 2014)

Yes, My Child, It Was A Galla Event...

One of the many great things that came out of the '80s comic expansion was Matt Wagner and his two big concept books - Grendel and Mage. I was one of them geeks buying everything published in those days, and Comico Primer #2 had this odd little strip from this new kid that somehow managed to convey the polish and subtle craftsmanship that would come with time and experience in those first raw, but confident, pages of his moody comic. His artwork on Grendel was so well suited to the black and white that it didn't seem like a limitation as it did in so many books. and the writing conveyed a sense of a greater world waiting to be revealed from the very beginning.

While Mage was a very personal title that only Matt could create, Grendel was a concept that he allowed to grow beyond him, to terrific effect at times. The ever changing creative teams suited the nature of the ever evolving character/concept, and they often pushed both expectations and limits. When Matt chose to follow his elegantly clean work with artists like the Pander Brothers and Bernie Mireault, the change was jarring - to great effect. The dramatic shift in visuals reflected the story, and made it almost brutally obvious that things had indeed changed, and were going to continue to do so. Each time, the shift was drastic enough to make the viewer unsure if this was a good thing, then won us over after every forced change to our expectations.

I have to admit, i've fallen behind and have yet to view the more recent incarnations of Grendel. While dwelling upon the need to catch up, i thought i'd mention a fabulous book on the subject from ten eleven years ago:

If you've tragically missed this intermittent title over the last 35 years, this is a fine way to get a feel of the many excellent artists who have contributed to the mythos. Old fan or new discoverer, the book is a beautiful collection, with text covering the evolution of Grendel  while offering artwork showing both behind the scenes production work and full page reproductions of gorgeous finished works.

The book runs over 200 pages, but we're only going to tease 13 of them here.
Eddie would have wanted it that way.

pages from The Art Of Matt Wagner's Grendel (2007)