Grimm Fairy Tales #101- 125 (2014-2016)
This long-running independent series from Zenescope involves characters drawn from a variety of fictional worlds, including Wonderland, Oz, Neverland, and Myst, but adapted, sometimes jarringly, into much darker and more violent personalities. Issue 101, with the story credited to the team of Joe Brusha, Ralph Tedesco, and Pat Shand (with writing credits going to Shand) and art by Andrea Meloni, starts a new storyline as a number of the established characters have started up a school, Arcane Acre, where they can train knights for their ongoing battles against various evils. Among the initial four recruits is Wulf, later identified as Beowulf, seen in this incarnation as a young man in his late teens. Wulf soon gets himself into trouble, first by stealing a magic lantern from Aladdin (another new recruit) and unleashing the genie, and is then sent off to attend the Abraxis Academy in Oz. The character Wiglaf, also a student at Abraxis and in this incarnation a feline/human being, is introduced at the conclusion of issue 108, quickly forming a friendship with Beowulf just in time for a cutaway of a dark image of Grendel heading towards the castle in the list panel. Unferth is introduced in issue 109 as a troll-ish Dean at Abraxis, who tells Wulf that he has been working there since Scyld Scefing's time and setting up the opportunity for make a pun about "good kinging." The inevitable assault by Grendel then occurs, followed by his defeat and the introduction of Grendel's mother, who attacks in issue 110 and moves the fight to Arcane Acre. She is followed by Beowulf and Wiglaf, and is apparently killed following a battle with Beowulf. Beowulf and Wiglaf then remain at the school as recurring characters. Wulf is killed in battle with a kraken in issue 124 and Wiglaf barely escapes death with the help of a magic kiss in issue 125, the final issue of the series.
The series is fairly interesting and the art, which switches between artists frequently, maintains a sense of darkness that matches the mood of the stories. While creating a Beowulf and crew for an audience that likely has little academic knowledge of them, there are numerous nods to the original source, such as Grendel and the mere and the underwater battle with the mother, as well as a scene where Grendel calls out "Hweat" (a misinterpretation or a variation of hwaet?) as he runs injured from his battle.
This long-running independent series from Zenescope involves characters drawn from a variety of fictional worlds, including Wonderland, Oz, Neverland, and Myst, but adapted, sometimes jarringly, into much darker and more violent personalities. Issue 101, with the story credited to the team of Joe Brusha, Ralph Tedesco, and Pat Shand (with writing credits going to Shand) and art by Andrea Meloni, starts a new storyline as a number of the established characters have started up a school, Arcane Acre, where they can train knights for their ongoing battles against various evils. Among the initial four recruits is Wulf, later identified as Beowulf, seen in this incarnation as a young man in his late teens. Wulf soon gets himself into trouble, first by stealing a magic lantern from Aladdin (another new recruit) and unleashing the genie, and is then sent off to attend the Abraxis Academy in Oz. The character Wiglaf, also a student at Abraxis and in this incarnation a feline/human being, is introduced at the conclusion of issue 108, quickly forming a friendship with Beowulf just in time for a cutaway of a dark image of Grendel heading towards the castle in the list panel. Unferth is introduced in issue 109 as a troll-ish Dean at Abraxis, who tells Wulf that he has been working there since Scyld Scefing's time and setting up the opportunity for make a pun about "good kinging." The inevitable assault by Grendel then occurs, followed by his defeat and the introduction of Grendel's mother, who attacks in issue 110 and moves the fight to Arcane Acre. She is followed by Beowulf and Wiglaf, and is apparently killed following a battle with Beowulf. Beowulf and Wiglaf then remain at the school as recurring characters. Wulf is killed in battle with a kraken in issue 124 and Wiglaf barely escapes death with the help of a magic kiss in issue 125, the final issue of the series.
The series is fairly interesting and the art, which switches between artists frequently, maintains a sense of darkness that matches the mood of the stories. While creating a Beowulf and crew for an audience that likely has little academic knowledge of them, there are numerous nods to the original source, such as Grendel and the mere and the underwater battle with the mother, as well as a scene where Grendel calls out "Hweat" (a misinterpretation or a variation of hwaet?) as he runs injured from his battle.