To be honest, I haven't been in the mood for much reading since lockdown started, but I'm slowly working my way back to it. For this week, I pick out another full graphic novel to sink my teeth into. BACKGROUND:
Like many people, my first introduction to Hellboy wasn't the comics, but rather the Guillermo del Toro movie. I was young when that first came out, though, so I didn't learn that it was an adaptation of a comic until I was a little older. I've since read the odd Hellboy issue here and there, but this is the first time I'm reading a full volume. THE WRITING: Vol. 1 starts out in 1944, at the tail end of WWII. A team of Nazi scientists are in the midst of an occult ritual to summon a destructive force in hopes of turning the tide of war in their favor. Elsewhere, a small team from the British Paranormal Society (aided by Allied soldiers) investigate suspicious activity in England. As the Nazis complete their ritual, the team are blindsided by an explosion, and in its aftermath, there sat a demon boy. Fast forward 35 years, and that demon has grown up to be Hellboy, an investigator for the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD). After a paranormal attack kills Hellboy's father figure, he assembles a small team to investigate the source, and during the investigation, they find that the individual behind everything is connected to Hellboy's origin. That same individual also happens to be trying the exact thing the Nazis were in 1944, and is attempting to unleash the apocalyptic force that they couldn't back then. If this synopsis sounds vaguely familiar, that's because the first Hellboy movie adapted part of this storyline. The movie changed some stuff, obviously, but many of its key elements will stand out to any reader who's seen the movie. A key difference between the movie and the original is that the book doesn't spend as much time building its characters (apart from Hellboy himself, who gets to show a lot of his personality). Hellboy's relationship with Bruttenholm is barely explored, you don't learn much about Liz Sherman or Abe Sapien (other than bits and pieces of backstory), and while the villain goes in-depth on his own backstory, all he really does in the present day is ramble about his grand scheme. On the flip side, there's a good amount of world-building in the comic, though it's mostly focused on the main plot, like an elaboration of the Nazi's goals, and how Hellboy is connected to that. However, the more interesting bits, like what Hellboy is exactly, aren't really touched on. The book also briefly hints at an outside civilization that understands what's happening, but they don't play into the story. THE ART: Mike Mignola is one of the most celebrated comic book artists of all time, and it is with good reason. His use of clear black lines, a limited palette, and masterful shading all come together to form a style that is pretty much iconic at this point. I've always thought of Mignola's style as incredibly simple, yet somehow also amazingly detailed (which sounds completely paradoxical, but that's how I make sense of it), and Hellboy books like this one are a great showcase of it. Hellboy's design is equally iconic, and while he's the obvious highlight in terms of character designs in the comic, the other supernatural characters and creatures are just as striking and memorable. VERDICT: Though I found Vol. 1 of Hellboy to be a little sporadic in terms of character development, I still really enjoyed reading about it in terms of the lore and all the mysteries that go along with it. Hellboy himself is entertaining, too, both in terms of kicking ass and his internal dialogue. This book leaves a lot of loose threads, and I definitely look forward to reading more. I would argue that Hellboy is essential reading for anyone looking to explore a world of comics outside of Marvel and DC, doubly so if you're enthusiastic about a who's-who of prominent comic artists. It's also a fantastic place to start if you enjoyed Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy movies, or you're just curious about where the character came from. Here's the book on Comixology: https://www.comixology.com/Hellboy-Vol-1-Seed-of-Destruction/digital-comic/2255?ref=cGFnZS92aWV3L2Rlc2t0b3AvZ3JpZExpc3QvbGlzdDM0MDEx - end -
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June 2024
Derryck
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