Grendel Cycle

This book is incredibly useful for people who are new to Grendel. The name Grendel and how it works is confusing as it's set across thousands of years and several characters use the name, for both good and evil purposes. This book shows you exactly where each character comes into play, and how they relate to the other characters of the Grendel universe. It's very useful, particularly since the books that are published don't have a suggested reading order for newcomers (volume 1, 2, etc). If you have any questions about what to read, or who relates to who, this is the book to buy. The only drawback is that the material in Grendel: Black, White, & Red and Grendel: Red, White, and Black are not covered by this book, but that doesn't detract from its usefulness.

The Grendel Cycle is the perfect reference for new Grendel readers. In addition to an all-new painted "Grendel A-Z" story by creator Matt Wagner, the Grendel Cycle provides a recap of every Grendel story from Devil by the Deed all the way through War Child. Each Grendel chapter is given a prose summary surrounded by artwork from the related issues, and is accompanied by new artwork by Matt Wagner, Tim Sale and others. With so many different stories, the Grendel saga is not an easy one for new readers. I started with the Batman/Grendel crossover and went on to read War Child, which are two wildly different stories. The Grendel Cycle allows readers to get a better idea of how the Grendel saga plays out. It is a must-have for new readers, and makes a nice addition to the long-time fan's bookshelf as well.