Grendel/Batman: Devil’s Masque #1 Retro Review – Tears of the Sphinx

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The tale continues in “Grendel/Batman: Devil’s Masque,” a story that originated in 1993, as both titles were jointly published by DC Comics and Comico. Matt Wagner, renowned for creating “Grendel” and “Mage,” was responsible for the scripting and artwork. Besides his work on “Sandman Mystery Theatre” and the epic “Dark Moon Rising” storyline, which included two miniseries – “Batman and the Monster Men” and its sequel, “Batman and the Mad Monk” – both set during the early days of Batman’s crime-fighting tenure. In this crossover event, both Batman and Grendel are portrayed in their most iconic manners.

In the ongoing conflict, two masked individuals wage war within the heart of Gotham City, placing its innocent citizens squarely in the line of fire. Last time around, Batman found himself pinned down when a building collapsed on his Batmobile. As he extricates himself from the wreckage, a riddle awaits him—a tactic by Grendel to mislead Batman’s detection, posing as the Riddler. Meanwhile, Commissioner Gordon and the Gotham City Police Department engage with Grendel. They had laid a trap for him in the shared residence of Rachel King and Hillie Ferrington, two women who have become the focal points of Grendel’s intrigues. In a brutal turn of events, Grendel slits the throats of several officers and sets their guns off among themselves, causing friendly fire. Gordon is the sole survivor, leading him to suspect that the Devil himself lies behind the latest string of conspiracies.

Grendel Wants A Good Bit Of Bad Fun

Batman Proves To Be A Most Cunning Adversary

Upon reaching their apartment, Rachel and Hillie find a gruesome scene of fallen police officers, unbeknownst to each other about their respective secrets. Rachel hadn’t disclosed her arrangement with the GCPD, while Hillie hadn’t revealed that Grendel was blackmailing her by kidnapping Hillie’s daughter, who she had put up for adoption at birth.

In simpler terms, Gordon uses the Bat-signal to contact Batman and shares that he had a conversation with Grendel. This means they are certain now that the Riddler isn’t part of whatever is going on. Batman investigates Grendel further at the Gotham art gallery, believing that he might be in town from New York City, causing trouble just for enjoyment.

In a deceitful manner, Hunter Rose tries to charm Hillie Ferrington not for genuine affection, but rather to persuade her to vacate their shared apartment, as it’s under surveillance by the police. Once Hillie moves out, Grendel reappears and learns that she didn’t inform Rachel King, her daughter, about their living arrangement or even of Rachel’s existence. However, Grendel has tasks for Rachel to execute, specifically concerning the art museum where she works as a curator. Grendel is deeply interested in the impending arrival of a valuable sphinx statue at the museum.

That very night, Rachel delves into the computer archives concerning art dealerships on her machine, uncovering a surprising fact: someone at WayneTech seems to be scrutinizing the same documents. The audience realizes it’s Batman, but Rachel begins to suspect that Grendel might be an employee of WayneTech. When Bruce Wayne invites Rachel out for dinner, they have a delightful time together. However, they cross paths with Hunter Rose and Hillie on their way out, who happened to dine there too. Rose secretly places more instructions from Grendel into Rachel’s coat pocket, causing her to strongly believe that Bruce Wayne himself could be the enigmatic figure known as Grendel.

At the art museum, I, following Grendel’s ingenious scheme, install two new statues symbolizing pain and anguish. From behind the curtains, Grendel observes me executing his plan, but before it fully unfolds, Batman interrupts our encounter in a thrilling fight scene worthy of every penny spent on admission. A double-page spread sans text serves as the backdrop for their intense duel, marking this as their first significant combat, while smaller panels portray subsequent sequences to convey a faster pace of events. Both Batman and Grendel face challenges with their costumes; Batman’s cape gets tangled, and Grendel’s mask ties get stuck on various structures. However, the cunning Grendel manages to escape, proving that he merely sought to toy with Batman.

Grendel Reveals The Riddle Of The Sphinx

He Always Wanted To Catch A Tiger By The Toe

The next evening, the Sphinx statue is delivered to the art museum. Following Grendel’s guidance, Rachel embeds rods containing acid into the sphinx. This causes the valuable sculpture to bleed and etch tears onto its face that mirror the mask of Grendel as a powerful statement.

Instead, let’s rephrase it in a more conversational tone: Hillie, however, finds herself confronted by Batman, who promises aid in rescuing her child upon solving Grendel’s riddle. A tense standoff unfolds on the rooftop as Grendel hands over his captive, Hillie’s daughter Clarissa. But before a trade can be made, Batman intervenes, triggering a fierce battle to disrupt their plans. As Hillie desperately shields her daughter, Grendel abducts her again. When Rachel tries to pursue Grendel with her gun, Hillie leaps onto the building’s side in search of Clarissa.

In a sequence of intricately detailed fight scenes, Batman encounters the masked villain, Grendel, and accidentally strikes Hillie on the shoulder instead of their intended target, Rachel. Tragically, Rachel receives a fatal stab wound from Grendel in the stomach. As the battle between Batman and Grendel unfolds across multiple panels, it becomes clear that Grendel’s mask conceals another mask underneath – a revelation that sheds light on his true identity. In an attempt to save a child, Clarissa, who had been precariously perched on a rooftop, Batman releases Grendel, allowing the villain to escape. Despite this, Clarissa’s life is saved, and in her final moments, Rachel may have found redemption for any past betrayals towards her job and companions.

Hunter Rose, having completed his struggle with Batman, finds himself both satisfied and troubled by the encounter; to him, Batman is like a fierce tiger, but also terrifyingly powerful. Grendel acknowledges that he’s glad Batman stepped in when he was about to harm a child. With this encounter behind him, Rose resolves to concentrate on New York City instead of Gotham and its Dark Knight. As for Batman, he closes the book on the Grendel case, acknowledging that for now, the menace still lingers in New York. Both vigilantes operate differently in their quests to maintain order: Batman does so as a detective prioritizing protection, while Grendel wields death and fear as tools to control his city as a crime lord.

The initial fusion of Batman and Grendel, termed “Grendel/Batman: Devil’s Masque,” was a harmonious blend, perhaps even reminiscent of heaven or hell, given their shared dark personas. Both characters complement each other exceptionally well in their respective realms. This distinctive read is particularly captivating for Batman enthusiasts and stands out from Wagner’s other works like “Mage,” which presents a more magical and whimsical atmosphere overall.

Both Batman and Grendel delve into darker themes, as depicted by Matt Wagner’s noir design style that accentuates the shadows and lighting in almost every panel composition. Moreover, the personalized handwritten captions, often placed with unusual angles and colors, add to the overall effect.

Matt Wagner played a significant role in a highly praised era for Will Eisner’s “The Spirit” when DC Comics owned the rights in the late 2000s. Furthermore, he successfully funded an original graphic novel on his own. Notably, Wagner has made substantial contributions to Batman throughout the years, particularly during the “Knightfall” and “No Man’s Land” storylines.

For many years, Matt Wagner persisted in creating new “Grendel” comics, despite the disappointing news that a live-action “Grendel” Netflix series – eagerly awaited by fans – was scrapped prior to filming. Later in 1997, he pitted Grendel against Batman once more in a crossover series, which chronicled the ongoing battle between the Dark Knight and the Devil that continued from their previous encounters.

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2025-06-06 19:21