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]