Grendel: War Child (Dark Horse Comics)

Grendel War Child: Chapter One:
Grendel: War Child #1
(Dark Horse)
Writer: Patrick McEown
Cover Artist: Simon Bisley
Penciller: Patrick McEown
Inker: Matt Wagner
Letterer: Kurt Hathaway
Colorist: Bernie Mireault

Summary:
Ten-year-old Jupiter Niklos Assante, heir to the throne of the Grendel-Khan, is stolen from the retreat in which his rapacious stepmother has hidden him away from the rightful reins of power. The child is worth a hefty ransom, but there seems to be more than money on the mind of his kidnapper -- who is none other than Grendel!

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Grendel War Child: Chapter Two:
Grendel: War Child #2
(Dark Horse)
Writer: Patrick McEown
Cover Artist: Simon Bisley
Penciller: Patrick McEown
Inker: Matt Wagner
Letterer: Kurt Hathaway
Colorist: Bernie Mireault, Kathryn Delaney

Summary:
Grendel and his charge, the young Jupiter Assante, continue to make their way across the barren and dangerous wasteland that is America. En route, they're beset by zombies, gang warriors, and killing machines -- and if they survive these, can even the devil himself make it through New York City alive? Meanwhile, Laurel Kennedy has problems of her own as she unearths an insidious plot known only as Project Athena, fostered by her now-dead husband, the former Grendel-Khan.

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Grendel War Child: Chapter Three:
Grendel: War Child #3
(Dark Horse)
Writer: Matt Wagner
Cover Artist: Simon Bisley
Penciller: Patrick McEown
Inker: Matt Wagner, Monty Sheldon
Letterer: Kurt Hathaway
Colorist: Bernie Mireault, Kathryn Delaney

Summary:
The chase is still on for young Jupiter Assante, heir to the throne of the Grendel-Khan, and his abductor, the mysterious masked figure -- who, we now learn, may even have been sent by the Khan himself! This issue finds the pair stealing through the Louisiana swamps, only to land on the doorstep of an old witch! It would seem the ancient crone is more foe than friend, however, when news of Jupiter's death travels back to his stepmother, Laurel Kennedy.

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Grendel War Child: Chapter Four:
Grendel: War Child #4
(Dark Horse)
Writer: Matt Wagner
Cover Artist: Simon Bisley
Penciller: Patrick McEown
Inker: Matt Wagner, Monty Sheldon
Letterer: Kurt Hathaway
Colorist: Bernie Mireault, Kathryn Delaney

Summary:
While Laurel Kennedy announces the death of Orion's heir to a shocked world, setting off a political explosion in the process, Jupiter Assante and his captor, the mysterious Grendel figure, have in fact set sail for Africa. Problem is, they've hitched a ride aboard a freighter about to be attacked by a band of vicious pirates, out for plunder and blood. It's swashbuckling action like you've never seen before, as young Jupiter finds himself quite literally caught between the "Devil and the Deep Blue Sea"!

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Grendel War Child: Chapter Five:
Grendel: War Child #5
(Dark Horse)
Writer: Matt Wagner
Cover Artist: Matt Wagner
Penciller: Patrick McEown
Inker: Matt Wagner, Monty Sheldon
Letterer: Kurt Hathaway
Colorist: Bernie Mireault, Kathryn Delaney

Summary:
Is the young heir Jupiter Assante really dead? That's the official word to the world at large, while in fact Grendel arrives with Jupiter in Africa. There they encounter tainted river water and some not-so-friendly natives. While the politics heat up stateside, Grendel goes mano a mano against King Kong's double! It's another exciting chapter in this final Grendel saga as we journey to Africa with the "Devil on the Veldt"!

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Grendel War Child: Chapter Six:
Grendel: War Child #6
(Dark Horse)
Writer: Matt Wagner
Cover Artist: Matt Wagner
Penciller: Patrick McEown
Inker: Matt Wagner, Monty Sheldon
Letterer: Kurt Hathaway
Colorist: Bernie Mireault, Kathryn Delaney

Summary:
Even as Laurel Kennedy and Heath preside over the official mourning of the heir to the Khan, young Jupiter Assante and his captor are indeed alive and, well... on the run. Beneath a strangely deserted and overgrown castle, Grendel and Jupiter are set upon by a group of mutated casualties of the nuclear winter, a group carrying a decided grudge against manipulators of modern technology. A mysterious band of soldiers arrives in time to add another surprising twist to the story. For our heroes, it's a case of out of the frying pan and into the fires of the "Devil in Hell"!

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Grendel War Child: Chapter Seven:
Grendel: War Child #7
(Dark Horse)
Writer: Matt Wagner
Cover Artist: Matt Wagner
Penciller: Patrick McEown
Inker: Matt Wagner, Monty Sheldon
Letterer: Kurt Hathaway
Colorist: Bernie Mireault, Kathryn Delaney

Summary:
While Grendel is held captive by a mysterious band of rebels, Jupiter is left to his own devices -- only to be kidnapped again... this time, by a horde of vampires! Meanwhile, Jupiter's stepsister plots her own escape from the political clutches of her mother, the reigning Dowager-Khan. And in this issue, the secret of Grendel is finally revealed!

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Grendel War Child: Chapter Eight:
Grendel: War Child #8
(Dark Horse)
Writer: Matt Wagner
Cover Artist: Matt Wagner
Penciller: Patrick McEown, Ken Henderson
Inker: Matt Wagner, Monty Sheldon
Letterer: Kurt Hathaway
Colorist: Bernie Mireault, Kathryn Delaney

Summary:
It's the "Devil in Pursuit" as young Jupiter's been kidnapped. Grendel and the rebels follow the trail across the frozen wastes, with the red devils hot on their heels. This issue not only features the return of a fabled Grendel nemesis but also includes a cameo appearance by "Milk" of Evan Dorkin's Milk & Cheese. It just gets weirder.

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Grendel War Child: Chapter Nine:
Grendel: War Child #9
(Dark Horse)
Writer: Matt Wagner
Cover Artist: Matt Wagner
Penciller: Patrick McEown, Ken Henderson
Inker: Matt Wagner, Monty Sheldon
Letterer: Kurt Hathaway
Colorist: Bernie Mireault, Kathryn Delaney

Summary:
Grendel and the rebels stage an attack on the vampire hordes, but will they get there in time to save young Jupiter, who is about to be fed to his father's ancient nemesis? In the meantime, Susan and Crystal finally meet their match!

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Grendel War Child: Chapter Ten:
Grendel: War Child #10
(Dark Horse)
Writer: Matt Wagner
Cover Artist: Matt Wagner
Penciller: Patrick McEown, Ken Henderson
Inker: Matt Wagner, Monty Sheldon
Letterer: Kurt Hathaway
Colorist: Bernie Mireault, Kathryn Delaney
Genre: Action/Adventure, Horror, Science-Fiction

Summary:
This is the big one: a story so powerful, Matt Wagner had to double the issue size just to tell it! In this special 48-page issue, we learn the final fate of Jupiter and Grendel-Prime, as Jupiter is reunited with his sister and together they take on the corrupt government headed by their mother. Wagner not only writes, pencils, and inks this final issue, he also provides a spectacular wraparound cover painting.

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Grendel: War Child Collected Editions

The Grendel War Child series was Initially intended to be the first "Grendel Tales" back in the Comico days, but alas it was not to be. Here are the various available War Child compilations.


Grendel War Child TPB
1st Edition (1993)

^{Grendel is one of comics' most provocative characters. From the beginning, Matt Wagner's stories have won critical and popular acclaim. This long-awaited continuation of the storyline picks up several years after the events of Grendel #40 and the death of Orion Assante. Ten-year-old Jupiter Niklos Assante, heir to the throne of the Grendel-Khan, is kidnapped from the retreat in which his rapacious stepmother has hidden him, away from his rightful power. The child is worth a hefty ransom, but there seems to be more than money on the mind of his kidnapper -- who is none other than Grendel!}


Grendel War Child TPB
New 2nd Edition (2002)

^{Back in print after most of a decade, Matt Wagner's Eisner Award-winning tale of the post-holocaust Grendel-ruled planet in ruins remains vital and entertaining. The Grendel-Khan, Orion Assante, is dead, leaving his only son as heir, a political pawn for the Khan's widow. The passing of the Khan, the military ruler of the earth, left the world warrior society in fragments, the once-controlled planet shattered into rival clans and apocalyptic zombies. But the Khan left a paladin behind to protect his only son from political ping-pong, a half-man, half-machine weapon of ultimate destruction: Grendel-Prime! Upon kidnapping the rightful heir from his mother's "protection," Prime begins a high-speed chase, ending the lives of many and ultimately deciding the fate of the tattered world. As it did when first printed, Grendel: War Child features dynamic pencils by Patrick McEown and dynamic colors by Bernie Mireault. Additionally, this new printing will feature a brand new painted cover by Grendel creator Wagner himself. Vivat Grendel!}


Grendel War Child Hardcover
Limited Edition of 1000
Signed and Numbered


Grendel War Child Hardcover #1, #2 & #3 (France)