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zare_i's review against another edition
4.0
Koshchei and Hellboy meet in a pub in Hell and Koshchei starts telling his life story to Hellboy.
No, it ain't beginning of the joke, this is how this story actually starts.
Koshchei starts from the very beginning and we witness his raise as a warrior, betrayals that brought him into contact with supernatural, first with the ancient dragon and then Baba Yaga, trickster that manages to bind him to her own will and use him as a tool, culminating with Koshchei's attack on Hellboy and his ultimate demise.
It is very difficult not to be at least little bit sympathetic to Koshchei - after becoming for all means and purposes immortal he was still easily manipulated and made to turn on those closest to him. it is not that he is stupid but that he is bored and very much bad-tempered.
Art as it is always case with Hellboy comics is great. Story is more or less rehash of original Hellboy story-line with some additional details so if you are already familiar with the original this book might not be that attractive. On the other hand if you came across this book and did not know what this was all about [like it was case with me] you will enjoy it.
Recommended.
No, it ain't beginning of the joke, this is how this story actually starts.
Koshchei starts from the very beginning and we witness his raise as a warrior, betrayals that brought him into contact with supernatural, first with the ancient dragon and then Baba Yaga, trickster that manages to bind him to her own will and use him as a tool, culminating with Koshchei's attack on Hellboy and his ultimate demise.
It is very difficult not to be at least little bit sympathetic to Koshchei - after becoming for all means and purposes immortal he was still easily manipulated and made to turn on those closest to him. it is not that he is stupid but that he is bored and very much bad-tempered.
Art as it is always case with Hellboy comics is great. Story is more or less rehash of original Hellboy story-line with some additional details so if you are already familiar with the original this book might not be that attractive. On the other hand if you came across this book and did not know what this was all about [like it was case with me] you will enjoy it.
Recommended.
helpfulsnowman's review against another edition
4.0
The setup of this is hilarious. We've got Koshchei and Hellboy in a bar in hell, and K. keeps telling Hellboy how he ended up in hell, and each step Hellboy is like, "Damn, K-Man, you crazy!"
Sometimes I like Hellboy because there's just wacky shit out of fucking nowhere, and we never get any backstory or anything. Just some dude with green eyes who turns into a giant walks out of the mist, fights Hellboy, and then it's over.
Part of the fun of Hellboy is that there's all these characters who feel like they have a backstory, and they walk into the narrative to get dispatched right away.
BUT THEN, some OTHER times, I like these character backstories in Hellboy.
They work better than some others (*cough cough STAR WARS*) because they're not overly cute and referential. You could read this having read NO Hellboy books, and you'd have very close to the same experience as someone who's never Hell-ed a Boy.
I almost feel like...okay, this is a wacky theory. I'm sorry. But now it's in my brain and it needs to come out somewhere. It's like I have this huge fart of an idea, and I can't hold it in, so I run into the other room, which happens to be Goodreads, and blast it all over. I'm so, so sorry, for this and also for that analogy.
I almost feel like Mike Mignola exists in a parallel universe, and he's writing Hellboy in the 80's/90's, and he's hosting frequent contests where you enter and then, if you win, you get put into a comic as a side character. This was a thing back then. And Mike was on a supercocainephetamine bender (ALTERNATE UNIVERSE MIKE, not our Mike) and just started like 50 of these contests at the same time. So now he's got to make 50 semi-characters to make good on his promise of putting real kids into these comics, which get published in an alternate universe.
That's really the most logical explanation for all the side characters in Hellboy.
Sometimes I like Hellboy because there's just wacky shit out of fucking nowhere, and we never get any backstory or anything. Just some dude with green eyes who turns into a giant walks out of the mist, fights Hellboy, and then it's over.
Part of the fun of Hellboy is that there's all these characters who feel like they have a backstory, and they walk into the narrative to get dispatched right away.
BUT THEN, some OTHER times, I like these character backstories in Hellboy.
They work better than some others (*cough cough STAR WARS*) because they're not overly cute and referential. You could read this having read NO Hellboy books, and you'd have very close to the same experience as someone who's never Hell-ed a Boy.
I almost feel like...okay, this is a wacky theory. I'm sorry. But now it's in my brain and it needs to come out somewhere. It's like I have this huge fart of an idea, and I can't hold it in, so I run into the other room, which happens to be Goodreads, and blast it all over. I'm so, so sorry, for this and also for that analogy.
I almost feel like Mike Mignola exists in a parallel universe, and he's writing Hellboy in the 80's/90's, and he's hosting frequent contests where you enter and then, if you win, you get put into a comic as a side character. This was a thing back then. And Mike was on a supercocainephetamine bender (ALTERNATE UNIVERSE MIKE, not our Mike) and just started like 50 of these contests at the same time. So now he's got to make 50 semi-characters to make good on his promise of putting real kids into these comics, which get published in an alternate universe.
That's really the most logical explanation for all the side characters in Hellboy.
james7634's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
First Hellboy experience - I really enjoyed it. Great art, fun story, and dynamic story telling.
redhairedashreads's review
3.0
Series: Koshchei the Deathless #1-6
Rating: 3 stars - I liked it
Koshchei the Deathless was sent by Baba Yaga to kill Hellboy in Darkness Calls. He was defeated and now resides in hell. Hellboy found him in Hell and over some drinks, finally got his full backstory.
Koschei’s story was very interesting. It was filled with dragons, magic, death, and of course Baba Yaga’s trickery. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this as much as I did but it was very good. While I didn’t really connect with Koschchei when he tried to kill Hellboy, I did really enjoy his story.
I think the best part of this story is the fact that it is Koshchei retelling it over drinks with Hellboy. I love the thought that Hellboy would hang out in bars with his past enemies and get their stories. It is a pretty great through and I wish more of these backstories started over drinks.
Overall, this was a good backstory for one of Hellboy’s enemies. I enjoyed Ben Stenbeck and Dave Stewart’s illustrations and color work in this one.
You can also find my reviews at Red-Haired Ash Reads.
Rating: 3 stars - I liked it
Koshchei the Deathless was sent by Baba Yaga to kill Hellboy in Darkness Calls. He was defeated and now resides in hell. Hellboy found him in Hell and over some drinks, finally got his full backstory.
Koschei’s story was very interesting. It was filled with dragons, magic, death, and of course Baba Yaga’s trickery. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this as much as I did but it was very good. While I didn’t really connect with Koschchei when he tried to kill Hellboy, I did really enjoy his story.
I think the best part of this story is the fact that it is Koshchei retelling it over drinks with Hellboy. I love the thought that Hellboy would hang out in bars with his past enemies and get their stories. It is a pretty great through and I wish more of these backstories started over drinks.
Overall, this was a good backstory for one of Hellboy’s enemies. I enjoyed Ben Stenbeck and Dave Stewart’s illustrations and color work in this one.
You can also find my reviews at Red-Haired Ash Reads.