Descents into madness on the hellish streets of New York City. The tragic inevitability of violence. Bitter, brutal punchlines. This is the world of Matt Wagner's Grendel, which Paul and Arlo continue to explore in this year's Four-Color Flashback series. This time, the boys dip into Grendel Omnibus: Vol. 2 - The Legacy, pp. 377-549, for "The Devil Inside," wherein happy-go-lucky San Franciscan Brian Li-Sung has become corrupted by NYC and possibly some other forces; and "Devil Tales," in which an elderly Wiggins spins two yarns of the original Grendel, Hunter Rose. Paul and Arlo discuss the change of pace from the twelve-issue Christine Spar epic to smaller, self-contained stories; the indie comix stylings of Bernie Mireault; and how Wagner continues to push the boundaries of comic book storytelling. Plus, Arlo is allergic to podcasts!

 

Next: the boys take the week off to get all patriotic for July 4th, then return with another Geek Challenge. The tables will turn, with Arlo challenging Paul to a ludicrously awful '80s movie, Miami Connection; and Paul challenging Arlo to a genuine classic, Forbidden Planet.