From: [j--s--n] at [crocker.com] (Jeremy B. Holstein) Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.alternative,rec.arts.comics.misc Subject: Gredel FAQ 2.1 (Part 2) Date: 25 Sep 1995 22:56:52 GMT [CONTINUED FROM PART 1] Part 5: Eppy Thatcher THE CHURCH OF LIVING DECEPTION Another period of darkness had settled over the globe. Following WWIII there came the great migrations, as the world of men slowly divided itself into continents by race. In the face of all this social upheaval, the Christian church once again re-emerged as a powerful force in people's lives. Dominant but fractured, the Church eventually also split into racial factions across the earth. This period came to a peak under the American papacy of Innocent XLII. The latest in a long line of despotic popes, Innocent was a media darling, a talented manipulator of overwhelming charisma. Invoking antiquated laws of civic funding, Pope Innocent had for years been financially pursuing the continued growth of an immense tower in Denver, at the pinnacle of which sat Vatican Ouest. this outright purging of the public welfare soon aroused the enmity of a civic-minded aristocrat, Orion Assante, the son of a excommunicated family. Taking the matter before America's central Board of Directors, Orion succeeded in being appointed head of a regulatory panel known as the Tower Commission. Knowing full well the immense uphill struggle he had accepted, even Orion had no way of guessing how twisted this adventure would soon prove to be. As he settled down with his sisters/lovers to view the televised ceremonies for the beginning of Lent, Orion was truly shocked to see the devil himself walk the earth once again. THE DISCIPLE OF HISTORIC MADNESS As Innocent XLII began accepting the congregational tithes, the ceiling of St. Elvis Cathedral exploded, and a ragged, spindly Grendel figure dropped onto the altar of the church. There, in front of millions of viewers, this unknown devil callously killed several worshippers before stealing the flying collection platter and dumping the offerings into the throngs of the faithful, swarming through the streets surrounding the Tower. What followed were a series of terrorist attacks, each more random and bizarre than the last. This mysterious Grendel was effectively wearing away at the public faith, and the man at the head of that trust was furious. Innocent turned to the mercenary police squads of COP for assistance by striking an unholy deal with their jaded leader, Pellon Cross. Thus, while Orion continued to attack the Church in a legal sense, Grendel proved to be the greater thorn in Innocent's side. Still, the grand Easter mass was approaching, and for this, Innocent turned to his lackey Pellon Cross with an even greater request. THE PROPHET OF TOTAL DESTRUCTION Innocent, it was soon revealed, was actually building a very special gun high in the upper recesses of the Tower's central spire -- a weapon for which the final component was the forbidden element plutonium. Personally challenged by this ultimate act of thievery, Pellon Cross succeeded in securing the necessary material -- but at the cost of his very life. After delivering the nuclear core to his master, Pellon discovered the fateful truth behind the papal robes: that Innocent XLII was, in fact, centuries-old vampire Tujiro XIV -- and his gun, a device meant to eradicate the sun! Meanwhile, Orion's own activities had in turn driven him into self-imposed exile and had cost the lives of his treasured sisters as well. His path eventually led him to the discovery of this latest Grendel's true identity: an idiot/savant and societal victim name Eppy Thatcher. It was while trying to confront this maniacal rebel that Orion encountered the confused and newly vampire Pellon Cross. Finally realizing the immensity of the situation, Orion led a mercenary armada in a desperate attack against the Tower, as the Easter sun broke over the Rocky Mountains. As the day's ceremony progressed, several forces converged on the Tower: Orion and his troops; Pellon and steadily swelling army of vampires; and Grendel himself, seeking personal battle with a persistent and ancient foe. The resultant battle was a catastrophic, with Orion's forces just barely managing to dynamite the Tower as the deadly Sun-Gun was being ignited. The monster/pope was incinerated by the full force of the blast, which then carved a path of destruction across the face of the city. Grendel, also caught by the powerful beam, blazed out of sight in a trail of twisted glory. As Orion surveyed the carnage from his air-cruiser, a grim realization came to this man who had tried for so long to fight by the rules: there are no rules but the ones we make for ourselves. Orion could not see the many vampire survivors far below, crawling from the wreckage to follow their leader Pellon off into the twilight. Part 6: Orion Assante A RACIAL PLAGUE Following the collapse of Vatical Tower there came a period of grand upheaval in America. Not only was Chrisianity being abandoned by the masses, but now there was an ancient and largely unknown plague to contend with. In the confusion following the Sun-Gun catastrophy, Orion Assante emerged as a tireless leader in the crusade to stem the tides of vampirism. As a result of this relentless pogrom, the vampires went underground in the resort system of VEGAS. Eventually they were contained in one of the massive casinos, which soon became a high-security prision known as Grendel's Palace. A SOCIETAL ICON Shortly after his political rise to the top, Orion finally consummated his long-standing relationship with Sherri Caniff. It was on one of her many missions of foreighn diplomacy that Sherri met the Australian psychic, Manny McDoon. Manny soon joined Orion's core group of advisors, his secret abilities often giving his master the edge necessary to ensure victory in most political arenas. Orion's ultimate goal was a solitary global government, and through the use of his "Orion's Sword" military fraternity, he soon managed to unite the entire western hemisphere under his increasingly imperial rule. Fearing both competition from Great Japan as well as rumors concerning redeveloped nuclear technology, Orion sought to extend his influence into the eastern half of the world as well. A turning point was reached when a seemingly independent group of terrorists kidnapped Sherri Caniff. With rughless efficiency, Orion managed to rescue his mate as well as utterly destroy her captors. The message to the world was clear: Orion Assante would stop at nothing to achive his goals. Only later did he learn that the espionage was really masterminded by Great Japan. It as during this time that Orion's growing legions of troops began to refer to themselves as Grendels (this stemmed from an older nickname for Orion due to his role in the collapse of the Church: "Grendel - the scourge of God"). A GLOBAL EMPIRE Worldwide unity was neither an easy nor inevitable goal. With various forces opposing his efforts, Orion battled fiercely over the next decade to secure the beginnings of his world empire. As war between the east andwest became imminent, Orion found himself besieged on all sides. He zealously struggled to maintain control of the ground already gained. It was during this period of incalculable stress that Sherri Caniff lost her life to cancer. Bereft at his loss and disgusted with public life, Orion seemingly abandoned his goals and went into seclusion along with the semiretired Manny. Finally, Orion found the source of his meditative cure. He convinced Manny to use the last of his mental powers to help the troubled leader locate the person who had once embodied the madness Orion felt consuming him now - Eppy Thatcher. Returning to public life, Orion again took up the helm of leadership as war with Japan was just beginning. With the development of improved solar superconductors, he was able to ensure victory at last with the creation of the incredible Sun Disc. This flying device sooned proved the the ultimate weapon as it leveled a path of solar destruction across the Japanese archipelago. As his last enemies sank into the sea, Orion declared himself ruler of the globe and assumed the mantle of the first Grendel-Khan. Unfortunately, with all his battles now won, the fight seemed suddenly to go out of Orion. He lay down a code of ethics for his worldwide legions of troops, but otherwise left the daily tasks of ruling to a battery of aides. In a vain effort to produce an heir to his lonely throne, he eventually married on of his young assistants, Laurel Kennedy. The union proved to be fruitless and, finally, Orion made only two further contributions to world politics in his waning years. The first was to reinstate the long dormant pogroms against all vampires. soon driving them and their sacred-cow leader, Pellon Cross, into exile. The other was to miraculously fulfill the purpose of his unhappy marriage by both carrying and the bearing an heir, himself, from a surgically-constructed male womb. Leaving the government in the hands of his wife, Orion went into selcusion to raise his son and died quietly in his sleep on October 17, 2588. Part 7: GRENDEL PRIME A HEIR DEPARTED The rightful heir, Orion's only son Jupiter, was cloistered away in an underground military complex deep in the Dakota Black Hills. His political captivity was engineered by his stepmother, then presiding regent Laurel Assente, whose power-driven schemes make a prisoner of her own daughter Crystal, as well. In a flurry of mysterious circumstances, Jupiter is abducted by a solitary Grendel. Easily bypassing the most sophisticated security the assailant left a long and bloody trail as he sped across the continent with his precious hostage. Laurel frantically attempts to recover the boy before news of the kidnapping became public. With the help of her intelligence minister, Heath, she futily attempted to reaquire the heir from the Grendel known as Grendel Prime. To prevent further damage to her tenuous position, her daughter Crystal is placed under a higher level of security under personal guard of a Grendel named Susan. Laurel becomes more and more obsessed with outwitting this Grendel, only to find her every effort thwarted. In her frustration she slowly drives herself mad with power, and the treacherous Heath is able to seize power through deception. A TREACHEROUS JOURNEY Grendel Prime and Jupiter Assante go through a long series of treacherous journeys to avoid capture. They encounter Grendel troops, Mutants, Witches, Pirates, Gorillas and (of course) Vampires, who are all dispatched quite handily by Grendel Prime. Eventually they are captured by a group of Rebels who recognize Laurel and Heath's perversion of Orion's dream and are fighting to restore honor to the throne. Grendel Prime reveals he is a cyborg hand picked by Orion to safeguard his son away from those who would seek him harm. After a brutal assault by the Kahn's troops, this group of rebels fade away with Grendel Prime and Jupiter into the mountains where they are not seen again for ten years. A DAUGHTER'S LONELINESS Meanwhile Crystal has formed a close relationship with her guard Sarah. As the two become closer Sarah's loyalties shift away from the Kahn and the Crystal herself. Eventually the two become lovers, and at Crystal's request Sarah spirits her out of the military compound and away from her mother's influence. The two escape and go into hiding, not to be seen again for the next ten years. TO BE CONCLUDED ------------------------------------------------------------------- 04: In what comics has Grendel appeared? ANSWER: Grendel has appeared in various titles, in various formats. Primarily the book was published by Comico until 1989 when bad blood and bankruptcy forced the title's hiatus. Grendel has now been revived with Dark Horse, and has enjoyed a healthy relationship since. (see question 09 for details). PRIMARY CANON BOOKS MAGE 6-14 - Each issue featured a four page Grendel back up. GRENDEL (color) 1-40 GRENDEL WAR CHILD 1-10 GRENDEL DEVIL'S QUEST (Grendel Tales backup series by Wagner) OTHER GRENDEL BOOKS GRENDEL (Black and White) 1-3 - One of the first wave of Comico's publishing empire, the book was canceled with the third issue. But readers liked the story line, so Wagner brought the character back as a back-up series for Mage. The contents of these books are summed up in the first four pages of Devil by the Deed. The third issue ends with Stacy's kidnapping ("Stacy! She's gone!"). The art style in these issues is very derivative of Japanese anime. Wagner claims to be very embarrassed by these books (and the Comico Primer) and has sworn to never reprint the stories. Trivia: The slogan used to promote the book was "Grendel : Evil never looked so good. In chilling black and white." Note: Some price guides insist that there was a forth issue, but I have been unable to verify the existence of the forth. Most price guides list only three. GRENDEL: DEVIL'S VAGARY - a 16 page book with art by Dean Motter. Black and White w/ Red. This book was included with a Comico promotional item (The Comico Collection), which also included a Grendel slipcase. To date it has not been reprinted. GRENDEL: DEVIL BY THE DEED - Reprints the Mage backup series. The Comico edition features Matt Wagner color. The Dark Horse edition is recolored by Bernie Mirault. GRENDEL: DEVIL'S LEGACY - Reprints Grendel # 1-12. This series won several awards (Which ones? Help!) GRENDEL: THE DEVIL INSIDE - Reprints Grendel #13-15. GRENDEL TALES - The flip side to Grendel #40, this was intended as a preview for a series which never reached fruition (see 09). This is also the second of the non-Wagner Grendels. The proposed series has since been reworked and published by Dark Horse. BATMAN/GRENDEL- A two issue series featuring Hunter Rose and Bruce Wayne locked in battle over Gotham City. Issued jointly by DC and Comico, this book was delayed some two and half years due to Comico's bankuptcy. GRENDEL CLASSICS #1 and 2 - Reprints Grendel #16 - 19, w/out Mage backup. New coloring by Bernie Mireault. GRENDEL APPEARANCES COMICO PRIMER 2 - A 9 page story. This is considered to be the first appearance of Grendel, although a picture of the character did appear in the first issue. This is also Wagner's first published art. A1 BOOK 4 - A 10 page story featuring Wiggins, from Devil's Legacy and Devil Inside. This was intended as a preview of the original Comico Grendel Tales, a series which never reached fruition (see 09). This is also the first non-Wagner Grendel to appear in print. SILVERBACK 3 - Grendel appears for two panels, with art by Bill Loebs. This series chronicled the story of Argent, Grendel's Nemesis in Devil by the Deed and Devil's Legacy. Series also includes excerpts from Wagner's unpublished Grendel novel. [CONTINUED IN PART 3]