Grendel Devil By The Deed Master’s Edition Page 60 By Matt Wagner Colors Brennan Wagner

Grendel Devil By The Deed Master’s Edition
Page 60
By Matt Wagner
Colors Brennan Wagner

“The Prince of Darkness is a Gentleman.” - William Shakespeare, King Lear

With Grendel: Devil By the Deed, Master’s Edition, Matt Wagner returns to Hunter Rose (AKA Grendel), the masked crime lord who captivated and terrified all of New York City, from high society to the criminal underworld.

While the original version of Devil by the Deed was 37 pages, the Master’s Edition has expanded to 120 pages. All 120 pages have been completely redrawn by Wagner, with colors by his son Brennan.

When the Master’s Edition was announced earlier this year, I made every effort—and through good luck was able—to acquire one of the 12 copies that came with an original illustration by Matt Wagner. As an original art collector and dedicated fan, I’m thrilled. This is a stunning rendition of Grendel. But then when Matt Wagner announced the original art from the Master Edition would be for sale I knew I needed to add one to my collection. This page features Wagner’s incredible style and design. It features the Devil himself unmasked with his consigliere Larry Stohler, as they are consolidating their criminal empire.

With the expanded retelling, the sophistication of Wagner’s storytelling is apparent as he seamlessly integrates elements from later tales like, Grendel: Behold the Devil, Grendel: Black, White, and Red, and Grendel: Red, White, and Black to enrich and reinforce the Grendel lore he has been building since the character’s debut in 1982’s Comico Primer #2.

I remember reading the original Dark Horse printing of Devil By the Deed for the first time as a kid, probably when I was way too young to fully comprehend or appreciate the depth and darkness of Wagner’s elegant storytelling.
It was unsettling. It made me uncomfortable. And I could not stop coming back to it.

Every time I revisit it, I get something new out of it. Hunter Rose was the first antagonist to truly captivate my attention. Attention that would be further captured by other storytelling featuring complicated leads that would typically be antagonists, such as The Godfather, Breaking Bad, and Succession,

Thank you to Matt Wagner and Brennan Wagner for this incredible story and mythology that continues to captivate my imagination with its alluring darkness.