Hellboy Volume 2: Wake the Devil
Ratings20
Average rating3.9
15
Ratings20
Average rating3.9
Dark Horse presents new editions of the entire Hellboy line with new covers, beginning with Seed of Destruction, the basis of director Guillermo del Toro's upcoming film. Hellboy is one of the most celebrated comics series in recent years. The ultimate artists' artist and a great storyteller whose work is in turns haunting, hilarious, and spellbinding. Mike Mignola has won numerous awards in the comics industry and beyond. When strangeness threatens to engulf the world, a strange man will come to save it. Sent to investigate a mystery with supernatural overtones, Hellboy discovers the secrets of his own origins, and his link to the Nazi occultists who promised Hitler a final solution in the form of a demonic avatar. " Hellboy is a passport to a corner of funnybook heaven you may never want to leave. " —Alan Moore, from his introduction.
Reviews with the most likes.
One of the best colorings i have ever seen in a comic book.
I don't even know is the story is that great. Lovecraftian elder gods etc. A
are okay, but what really stands out is Mignola's art. Artists with a strong inking background make a unique and powerful visual style that's unique to comic books. It's not just an homage to Jack Kirby either but also a perfect marriage of heavy blacks to occult subjects.
I pulled a random Hellboy book off the shelf and it seems to have been later in the series. Have to go back and read the books before this one, I suppose.
Where the first volume was lean and driven by vision and ambition alone, this one necessarily expands on that vision, preparing Hellboy for his still ongoing 30-year run. However, Mignola simply isn't there yet as a writer, failing to elegantly juggle all of the narrative balls he throws into the air. So it didn't surprise me when he revealed at the end of the volume that he made significant changes to the story halfway through and that one of its best parts—the Epilogue—was added later when the issues were collected.
That doesn't mean there aren't some major improvements. The art is more confident and dynamic, even though it lacks some of the dark, damp moodiness of the first volume that I liked so much. The dialogue is much more interesting and natural as well. And while it doesn't yet always come together in a satisfying way, the wild mix of myths and folklore is a lot of fun.
