Scan barcode
latterature's review against another edition
3.0
The Hellboy saga finally reaches dramatic heights in this third omnibus collection. The various brooding, malevolent forces in the narrative become hard to distinguish by story's end, but the enjoyment comes from the magnitude of the artwork, not from scrutinizing individual brushstrokes.
thatonewhoreads's review against another edition
5.0
By far my favourite graphic novel serie to date! Hellboy is such a great horror tale, even if this one is more fantasy compared to the other two. The twists, the plot, the art, everything makes me enjoy this book so much. Hands my fav comic book hero!!!
alextrev's review against another edition
2.0
Man I really want to like hellboy. Art is so good. Story makes no sense to me though. Cannot keep track of the characters. Perhaps it's because I don't have a great interest in myth/history? Everytime hellboy acts like a human I'm into it, every time it's fighting god x it's like I have no idea what is happening. Domestic, on the job Hellboy is my last crack at it. Will see with BPRD and if not then I'm done I think.
some_okie_dude27's review against another edition
When I saw that Mignola stepped down from art duties on Hellboy, I could think of a few artists who could have been a successor to him as an artist. Such artists like Lee Bermejo, who is one of the best artists in the industry working today, and one who Mike considered having on as artist before that fell through. Or Gary Gianni, who had already brought his sketchy, yet dynamic style on the series and would have been a fitting choice, considering that he had illustrated characters who inspired Hellboy's creation. A few other names come to mind, though they are of the newer school of comic book artists: Andrea Sorrentino, Paul Azaceta, Stephanie Hans. But I am happy to say that Duncan Fegredo silenced any skepticism that I may have had.
Fegredo's art is easily the best aspect of this volume. It is lush, richly detailed, and awe inspiring to look at, yet it remains true to the classic Hellboy style. Many fans, and even Mike himself, have lamented that Fegredo is a worthy successor to Mike and some have even said that he may have outdone him in terms of his style. I am unsure if I would go that far, but I do find that Fegredo's work does enhance Mike's style. While I did miss Mike's idiosyncratic sense of mood and character design, it was nice to see Fegredo take Mike's style and add more detail to it, while remaining true to Mike's signature look.
The writing is also much better than the last volume, though I was thrown off by the stylistic change in turning from a blended genre story into a straight fantasy story. I always quite enjoyed Hellboy as a series that blended genres together from gothic horror to weird fiction to dark fantasy. So veering the series into a straight fantasy route was slightly disappointing. But it wasn't a bad change, Mike manages to tell a classic Hellboy story while taking this change of pace. Hellboy gets into weird supernatural hijinks, wisecracks his way through them, and occasionally gets himself into more trouble than he bargained for.
The pacing of this volume was on and off. There were some genuinely well written and touching character moments, and some points where the pacing was dragged down by long dialogues and expository monologues. It wasn't quite as bothersome as it was in Strange Places, but it felt more like a hangover from the previous volume. Luckily, Mike doesn't spend too much time with these long dialogues and they don't detract from the story. But their presence wasn't appreciated at the same time.
I was also slightly disappointed by the lack of variance in this volume. One of my favorite aspects of the Hellboy series is the constantly changing tone throughout the series, with stories that can be funny, creepy, touching, and sometimes just downright weird. This isn't too surprising, considering that Mike and Fegredo had sought out to tell a long form story unlike any that had been done in the series before, but I did miss the changing tone that came with a Hellboy story and I do hope for more of that style as I continue through the series.
The story was still good though. There was a remarkable amount of complexity that was in the story and the characterization was strong for the most part. I was also intrigued at the prospect of Hellboy being given a romantic companion in Alice, and we get to see more of the humanity that is within Hellboy. Some of my favorite aspects of Hellboy's character is when we see the human side of him, such as his befriending of Roger or his relationship with Alice. While sometimes the romance was glossed over, it was nice to see Hellboy get to experience some form of a normal life, even when he's battling all of these supernatural creatures.
Despite its faults, Hellboy continues to be one of comics' strangest and most remarkable properties and I'm anxious to see what the future holds for Mike Mignola's wisecracking half demon.
lyrafay12's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
5.0
derrickmitchell's review against another edition
4.0
Loved the mixture of Authurian legends, British folklore and Mignola’s crazy universe. I also loved how Hellboy consistently rejects power and violence towards innocents.
francoisvigneault's review against another edition
4.0
I only read these stories in bits and pieces when they were first appearing, so when I saw this HUGE 500+ page omnibus edition in the comic shop the other day I decided to spring for it... the price point is fantastic at something like $25.99. This book includes Darkness Calls, The Wild Hunt, and The Storm and the Fury.
The scope here is vast and mythic, pulling threads from the various Hellboy tales like "Wake the Devil," Arthurian lore, and more to craft a huge tale. Duncan Fegredo has a great line that riffs on Mike Mignola's iconic blocky style, but Fegredo inserts wonderful details, textures, and a certain special something that makes this definitely his own book... It's great to have this full set of stories with his art all in one volume.
The plotting can be a bit discursive and even off-putting at times... Some important moments happen interstitially between scenes (such as the fate of the Wild Hunt) and the reader must put things together by inference and guesswork. There is also a lot of speechifying as ancient helpers and villians alike drop copious amounts of exposition on Hellboy, and in turn the reader. But somehow I find these scenes to be amongst the most stirring in the book and in Hellboy in general... Mignola and co. have found a way to make these moments full of import, history, and menace.
I can't emphasize what a value these Omnibus editions are... Not the most impressive format, but pound for pound (and yes this is a heavy book) I don't think you'll find a comic with a higher value ratio.
The scope here is vast and mythic, pulling threads from the various Hellboy tales like "Wake the Devil," Arthurian lore, and more to craft a huge tale. Duncan Fegredo has a great line that riffs on Mike Mignola's iconic blocky style, but Fegredo inserts wonderful details, textures, and a certain special something that makes this definitely his own book... It's great to have this full set of stories with his art all in one volume.
The plotting can be a bit discursive and even off-putting at times... Some important moments happen interstitially between scenes (such as the fate of the Wild Hunt) and the reader must put things together by inference and guesswork. There is also a lot of speechifying as ancient helpers and villians alike drop copious amounts of exposition on Hellboy, and in turn the reader. But somehow I find these scenes to be amongst the most stirring in the book and in Hellboy in general... Mignola and co. have found a way to make these moments full of import, history, and menace.
I can't emphasize what a value these Omnibus editions are... Not the most impressive format, but pound for pound (and yes this is a heavy book) I don't think you'll find a comic with a higher value ratio.
bham123's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
garberner's review against another edition
5.0
Hellboy is consistently great comics reading. My comics buying habits kept me out of the loop for a few years and I missed these stories when originally published. Having read these stories for the first time completely blew me away. Many of the prior stories are mostly standalone and hint at an entire overarching saga. Omnibus Volume 3 calls in several past storylines to bring this current Hellboy story to its final lap.
Read Hellboy Omnibus Vols. 1 and 2 and the two Short Story collections before reading this incredible, edge-of-your-seat story.
Read Hellboy Omnibus Vols. 1 and 2 and the two Short Story collections before reading this incredible, edge-of-your-seat story.
atreenamedjulia's review against another edition
5.0
It’s Hellboy. It’s good. You should read it it if you like comics, horror, fantasy, the supernatural, pulp heroes, King Arthur, mythology, superheroes, mystery, or any combination there of. It’s a classic for a reason. They don’t make three movies out of a bad comic book series.