Grendel: War Child

By Matt Wagner

I read my copy from the Vol. 4 Prime, but decided I'd refrain, and stick to the main course. Grendel Prime tells the young boy, Jupiter Assante to make sure his safety belt is fastened well, as he speeds along on the bike with sidecar. A woman, the dowager regent-Khan screams at Heath regarding the trio of bodies lying along the corridor, he supplying someone had been helped to escape. The dowager's teen daughter comes in sleepily confused, she downplaying the gore and sending her back to bed.

She then is off to lead soldiers on the hunt for the young heir to become Grendel-Khan. As long as the boy returns unharmed, the enemy could be returned in any condition. GP is momentarily stopped, but fights the soldiers with a lightsaber. The woman plans on leaving her daughter in the secluded mtn environment to go to Denver.

Meanwhile, GP is hiding with the boy in a cave, the dowager learning of the direction they seemed to be heading, and plan to head them off. GP does get temporarily stalled by some locals, but they don't get off easy, GP heading toward NY. GP is shot at whilst driving, so he stops and keeps the boy in the bike as he walks over to handle the rebel city dwellers. Meanwhile, the dowager is being told of the viable options GP could be aiming for, and she places the appropriate # of squadrons to meet him as she shuts down a call from her daughter.

GP is in the center of the hometown boys riding around him, he starting by handling a fool with a chain. From there on, he pretty much picks them off 1 at a time, using their own weapons, as well as his own, then rides off with the boy again. As the woman takes a bath, she calls back her daughter who blows her off, GP now having made it to NY. Her daughter looks pissed and is told there isn't an update on her step-bro, as GP is again stopped and told of a toll, but this time does as told, swimming through the rancid-looking water, then driving onward.

The woman learns from Heath of the Grendel-Khan's journals having been sifted, they learning of Project Athena. GP then encounters a zombie, it cognizant enough to ask for death, which is provided, GP then falling to where more are walking toward him. Jupiter watches on as GP lightsaber's the shit out of them, the woman learning their whereabouts and thinking they were done, now. GP shuts Jupiter in again, but reassures their journey would go fine, if not a bit tough.

They get through the pit with minor issue, fortunately the machines unable to follow. Next, GP is water skiing with the boy, killing frogs with the bumper as they go. The dowager is informed they're in LA, and update on G-K's journals included info on they now thinking GP had been trained by Khan to protect JA, so if GP had the same tech as the sun disc, he'd be near impossible to stop, the dowager not looking pleased. Meanwhile, the boy needlessly endangers himself out of boredom, falling into the swamp and a bunch of alligators popping up, GP's fight including weapon shots, so quickly moves them along.

Heath updates of they pretty much having GP, but the dowager not holding her breath. Next the dowager plans to have it out with her daughter over the phone. GP is lurking around in the swamp water dealing with the soldier as the dowager's daughter has her guard say she's busy, but the guard doesn't play, and hands her the phone. GP locates a cabin and is welcomed by the scraggly wrinkled heap at the hearth, she offering a trade as the daughter is reassured by the dowager of JA being handled.

The witch disrobes and the boy pees in a bowl, she cutting some hair from his head, and cutting her hand for blood, among other ingredients, then drinks it, she stating which way they should continue, their way now safe. The proof's in the puddin' when GP is met by the soldiers and is protected by magic. The witch is told the boy and GP had been killed in a large blast, nothing left, she quite pissed, and GP and the boy make it to a ship. The ship is soon confronted by pirates as the dowager delivers the news of the death of JA, she preparing to speak with the national officials.

GP chats with the cap, who shares of they not really being up for a fight, GP confiding a plan, but would need to claim the lives of 4 of his men in the process, he ofc shocked and not onboard. When the daughter hears the news, she doesn't believe it, for always having had a strong sense of her step-bro, despite her ma actually thinking he died. The cap entertains GP's plan, but must be the 1 to choose which men should die. The pirates come aboard to the freshly killed bodies, JA hidden in a room below as GP begins slicing the crew down.

GP and JA soon are driving away in a sidecar style boat, they next heading for Africa. Chapter 5 is on the Veldt, GP landing them on the beach and carrying J to a stream as the dowager shuts down the dignitary of Switzerland when talking of tourism, she complaining to Heath as he looks at a package. Garbage is thrown about by the mini-bomb, and GP has a weird dream, waking in a large house with Abu, a warrior leader from the local clan. He chares of the worldwide news on J being dead, then advises where he could get J properly disguised. Heath is still on top of it though, being updated when he and J leave the town.

The daughter calls her ma about the real reason her ma wouldn't let her go to J's funeral, which has her ma hanging up on her. GP is currently dealing with more African warriors after thinking he'd made it passed the difficult spots. GP has 1 more fight with a gorilla before driving off with J again. GP makes it to a ruins, and as he searches for water, the boy is lured away by a shadowed figure playing a game of race. J follows until the creature shows its fanged mouth, GP catching up and helping J deal with the icky monster.

The dowager's daughter trains in takedowns, then goes in the sauna with her bodyguard, telling about her empathic bond with Jupiter. Meanwhile, GP deals with more hooded figures, they then having to track their bike, going back underground, and J getting a gun in case of danger. They reach a ranty zombie fella with others, GP taking care of the 1's in the room as J taps 1 next to him. When the dowager hears of the rumors of J surviving, she orders for Heath to handle it.

The zombie fella tells of wanting J to join them, and kill GP, so he takes him out, a big fight breaking out with soldiers coming up, so GP guides J a different way out. Unfortunately, they don't make it far, before GP is knocked out. When Gp comes to, his captors had stripped and chained him, they saying they were against the dowager Khan, GP stating his role, and how the man was going against Orion I. Meanwhile, the dowager was setting up her daughter to marry and continue the Khans, she making an example of a man who mentioned the J rumor.

When her daughter hears of it, she has a fit and her guard calms her down by making out with her, the girl now learning her name was Susan (so dumb). As GP shows the group a recording of Orion tell of making GP for his son's protection, Susan properly fucks the girl, she pleading to be helped out of the compound. J is captured by vamps, so GP has his group of captors rebuild him and charge him up, they sharing what they knew about the vamps, as they fought the soldiers invading. Susan and the girl make an escape to a vehicle and succeed, GP also biffing off by vehicle.

J is transported to a snowy desert, the group stopping to feed him, but J lashes out. Susan and her gf stop at a dive diner, the daughter dressed with a moostosh, but still getting overpowered by a trio of fellas ready for a gang rape in the b/r. Heath finally gives the dowager-Khan update on her daughter missing, so she has all the guards on-duty at the time kill themselves. As GP goes after J with the group, J's captors are barely keeping him healthy, stopping once to let him warm up by a fire when his lips were going blue, then lock him in a room with a bed once reaching their destination, but hogtying him the whole trip.

GP has a run in with nearly dead zombies again, before continuing focus in pursuit of J. The boy next meets his captor, in a fairly R-rated room. As GP handles waves of zombies, the dowager is 3rd degree burning a sous chef for not making her din din the way she liked. J is chatted to by the leader opposing his po whilst Susan coaches Crystal, dowager's daughter how to shoot a pistol. Heath learns the boy had gone beyond their grasp, but they'd keep tabs as always.

GP gets a good charge up from a large box in the basement, he helping the group implement an escape plan. Meanwhile, Susan and Crystal chat about whether dowager actually was trying to follow them or face J actually surviving. Heath gets dowager to agree to a sabbatical which'd be described more favorably to the press. J is again tied upside down, they planning on sacrificing him to a fat nekkid dude with some wiring coming out his head.

GP reaches him, using his glo sword on his face, J getting caught by the leader. Susan tracks a stalker and brings him to Crystal as she's bathing in the river. J kicks the leader and it allows GP to reclaim him as his group readies to destroy the place. The man at first is thought to be an idiot out of the woods, but upon chatting with him, tells of being a former political analyst.

He offers to host them at his home, so they agree to go off with him. Heath delivers the news of the dowager's time away to the nation, he now leader by proxy, J 1st speaking to keep moving forward, since they didn't know how true the news was. 10 years later, J is still riding with GP and group, Heath'd remained in proxy power which led to much dissension among the people. J rides off with their group, meeting up against some troublemakers, but then further on are met by Crystal, J's step sis.

The group's plan was to go further on, but J had to visit with his only fam. Later when they'd split up, Heath knew Susan had reached the city, and makes surveillance even tighter. J and C get inside the hidden facility, and see the state of her bed-ridden ma. Crystal is meant to understand her ma's side when J pulls out a holo-message from his pop, calling her out to being a manipulative bish.

As Heath gives another news covered speech, GP interrupts, and as Heath's soldiers attempt to attack, GP gets to a beam, and is able to fire it into space, destroying what looks like a satellite and allows J able to speak to the country. He recites his heirdom and his step-ma for some reason corroborates his story, he next taking his place as ruler. The outlook seems better than it had for his pop, and Crystal marries within the political party of her bro, but the marriage not lasting 10 years. Susan serves as security, but retires for the quiet woods life.

The dowager receives a worldwide broadcasted torture to death in the desert to warn any rebel clans. Since GP's work was done, he bids J a fond farewell, and rides off into the distance. It's an exciting political journey, which is mostly saved by the gore art. Some decent violent scenes and story, I've had my fill of Grendel, though. Onward to what people say is a better story than Grendel: Lone Wolf and Cub.