Matt Wagner's Grendel omnibus

An absolutely beautiful piece of art. It's dark, it's bloody, it's dark, but it's also one of the oldest tales out there, one that is presented in an interesting way and which has a lot to say about the seductive, but ultimately destructive, power of anger and aggression.

The stories in this collection are all well-written, but the real star is the artwork. Wagner managed to collaborate with some of the greatest artists in the medium, and allow them to tell stories that not only allow them to display their unique talents, but to tell stories that are interesting beyond that, and which all still feel like uniquely Grendel stories. Wagner and his collaborators use not only sequential art, but also prose and poetry to explore the unique possibilities of the comic page, and it felt like a pleasure to get to read along with that exploration.