Grendel: Black, White, and Red
The Devil may care about your soul, but Grendel doesn't. In the slick,  grim, and powerful collectionGrendel: Black, White, & Red, the possessed  superhuman develops from prodigy to criminal mastermind through a loosely linked  series of short stories using the skills of two dozen illustrators. Though the  styles vary widely from scratchy to realistic, the theme of using only black and  red ink unites them visually and gives rise to abundant creepiness. The  brutality of the protagonist is unrelenting. Though the reader may gain some  insight into the nature of violence and obsession, even seasoned veterans of  media mayhem will find new twists herein. The rare moments of near-humanity  become all the more poignant in the sea of red. Defenders of comic book artistry  needn't look farther than Matt Wagner'sGrendel.--Rob Lightner