Scan barcode
skolastic's review
5.0
Rating Hellboy at this point feels like a pointless endeavor, especially as it becomes clear the time of fun, goofy things is just about over and we're into a much darker final act. So, I'll just say Duncan Fegredo's art is amazing here and puts most other collaborators on the Hellboy mythos to shame.
mattquann's review
5.0
So many comics today pride themselves on being great works of decompression. By that I mean, there are pages upon pages of exposition, talking heads interspersed with action scenes that, in theory, have more emotional and narrative punch. Mike Mignola's "Hellboy" spits in the face of that type of storytelling and is all style and all action at all times. The storytelling is smart, the action has outrageous style, and little time is spent on exposition, you just have to follow along and keep pace.
I have a Christmas tradition that began when I first went away to University: each year I got one of these big-honking "Hellboy Library Editions" which are just an absolute marvel to behold. The pages of Mignola's art are given tons of room to breathe and are made to be looked at for long periods of time. What's more, the oversized format fits in nicely with the eldritch nature of the stories within: you truly feel as if you are holding a tomb of spells. Here, for the first time in the main series, Duncan Fegredo handles art in a style that is similar to, but not derivative of, Mignola's signature minimalism and negative-space play. Quite simply, the packaging, art and paper stock make for an absolutely beautiful collector's item.
But what keeps "Hellboy" fans like me coming back is the entirely unique universe Mignola has crafted. Pulling from Russian, English and American folklore, he manages to make a rich tapestry of creatures and evils that somehow works together in a way that seems obvious. The two graphic novels contained within, "Darkness Calls" and "The Wild Hunt", are the two most story-driven chapters to date. While the first volumes establish Hellboy as an agent against the supernatural and a man with a horrendous prophecy to fulfill, the later volumes deal in small two-issue stories that focus on world-building and developing Hellboy's character. With these two volumes, that all comes to an end. Mignola says in some of the back-matter that Volume 6 is considered the halfway point of the series, and it is easy to see it coming. The stories that seemed ancillary in the past are coming home to roost in a big way, as Hellboy gears up to face his destiny with all the requisite portents and prophecies that are to be expected from the series. This is a superb series that really doesn't require my review. Comic fans already know that Hellboy is one of the tightest and most consistently written series to date. But for those of you who have never taken a trip down the well of comics, this would make an excellent point of introduction. I am eagerly awaiting next Christmas to continue on with Hellboy and his adventures.
I have a Christmas tradition that began when I first went away to University: each year I got one of these big-honking "Hellboy Library Editions" which are just an absolute marvel to behold. The pages of Mignola's art are given tons of room to breathe and are made to be looked at for long periods of time. What's more, the oversized format fits in nicely with the eldritch nature of the stories within: you truly feel as if you are holding a tomb of spells. Here, for the first time in the main series, Duncan Fegredo handles art in a style that is similar to, but not derivative of, Mignola's signature minimalism and negative-space play. Quite simply, the packaging, art and paper stock make for an absolutely beautiful collector's item.
But what keeps "Hellboy" fans like me coming back is the entirely unique universe Mignola has crafted. Pulling from Russian, English and American folklore, he manages to make a rich tapestry of creatures and evils that somehow works together in a way that seems obvious. The two graphic novels contained within, "Darkness Calls" and "The Wild Hunt", are the two most story-driven chapters to date. While the first volumes establish Hellboy as an agent against the supernatural and a man with a horrendous prophecy to fulfill, the later volumes deal in small two-issue stories that focus on world-building and developing Hellboy's character. With these two volumes, that all comes to an end. Mignola says in some of the back-matter that Volume 6 is considered the halfway point of the series, and it is easy to see it coming. The stories that seemed ancillary in the past are coming home to roost in a big way, as Hellboy gears up to face his destiny with all the requisite portents and prophecies that are to be expected from the series. This is a superb series that really doesn't require my review. Comic fans already know that Hellboy is one of the tightest and most consistently written series to date. But for those of you who have never taken a trip down the well of comics, this would make an excellent point of introduction. I am eagerly awaiting next Christmas to continue on with Hellboy and his adventures.
More...