Very, very sleepy

So instead of napping like normal, I went to a friends house-warming. It was fun. Saw people. Ate burgers. Watched the roommate suck at playing the new Megaman. Fun. But it means I'm now at work and very, very sleepy...

But anyways, a question came up. Friends asked the normal, "What have you been up to?" type questions. I never ask these. Because my answers suck. Working, sleeping, working. And they ask what I do to keep my sanity. Which of course is nothing. I go out once a week for comics and to see my moms. But I think that my answer of "Dream of the day I go o'er the land, washing it all away in a tide of blood and fire and murder." shows that I'm just fine...

The Torchbearer

My barely started Hackmaster short story...

Sunday Trade: Grendel Tales

Matt Wagner's Grendel Tales: Four Devils, One Hell written by James Robinson, art by Teddy H. Kristiansen

I'm not very familiar with Matt Wagner's Grendel comics. They're some kind of quasi-religious order of killers in some vaguely cyberpunk world. They all have some kind of mask and/or tattoo of their distinctive mask/symbol. And they had a cross-company crossover with Batman once. Which is why the my ownership of this book has to be some kind of weird impulse buy. I mean yes, it is written by James Robinson (The Golden Age, Starman, Leave it to Chance) one of my favorite comics' writers. But I honestly never even NOTICED that that until fairly recently. YEARS after I'd bought the book. Which honestly doesn't say much for my powers of observation...

Anyway this book follows several plot lines. One about a Southern gentleman and gambler (who is a Grendel), a mad yet deadly vampire hunting ex-accountant (who is a Grendel), a young woman who is an rare art curator (and a Grendel) and a private dick (who isn't a Grendel) looking into the murder of a client. All four character's arcs intersect in New Orleans. A city run by the most corrupt, debased and decadent clan of Grendels. But hey, what else is new in the Big Easy. Anyway the tale ends up involving secret heirs to the throne of the Grendels, voodoo priestesses and vampires...

Its all amazingly cool, even if I have no idea what half of it is supposed to mean. Its a fine mix of horror and noir all masterfully drawn by Kristiansen...