Grendel #19

Albert Wiggins continues his story about Tommy Nuncio.

Nuncio is now convinced Grendel is out to get him due to his part in Grendel's scheme to embarrass Argent. He barricades himself in his apartment and slowly becomes paranoid and eventually totally nuts. At first, he takes somewhat reasonably precautions: fortifying the door, turning off the lights, being careful about getting food. Nuncio, who has always spent every night out on the town, begins to go stir-crazy. He watches TV endlessly.

He turns the fire escape into a trap. He steams open his mail, then replaces it, so it looks like he's not looking at it. He takes drugs to stay awake and to go to sleep. He stops using the sink, toilet, and shower, convinced that Grendel may send a bomb through the plumbing. He uses the bathtub for his waste, and it begins to smell horribly, but his fear is great enough for him to ignore it. This goes on for weeks.

Meanwhile, Grendel has totally forgotten about him. He is only concerned that his plan backfired, and his adopted daughter Stacy is now depressed over Argent's humiliation. He begins to think about ways to take his mind off this problem.

The situation becomes worse for Tommy. The landlord and the health inspector keep knocking on the door because of the smell. Finally Tommy can't take it any more. He spazzes out on the barricaded door with a crowbar. He feels better, and decides to chance it and go out. He east at a restaurant, but gets worried on the way back. He thinks he's being followed.

He runs in and hears a noise on the fire escape. He sets off the trap, then looks out: Grendel is hanging on, safe! Tommy runs, but Grendel pursues him effortlessly. He finally runs him to ground and kills him in a parking lot.

This comic is notable because almost all the story is told through very thin vertical panels. The top of each page has Wiggins' scrawled notes on the scene, the middle has the art, and the bottom re-writes Wiggins notes in a more finalized form. It has no ads.

This comic contains a Mage backup story, which is part four of a four-part series.

In this backup story, Kevin Matchstick manages to get control of the demonic horse, and destroys it. He checks with the girl to make sure she's ok, and walks off, leaving her unsure of what just happened. It is clear that Matchstick is far more experienced in his role as a warrior than he was at the end of The Hero Discovered.

This story is written partially in English and partially in French.