posted
So I've come quite late to the party. Hellboy is something I've always known about but have never collected and have never even read. I like Mike Mignola's work a real lot and really enjoyed the movie when I saw it (with Pov!), and finally after all these years I picked up the latest series opener for B.P.R.D.
So anyone else read or collect Hellboy (or B.P.R.D.)? The issue I picked up was very interesting and I'm kind of interested in getting immersed with the whole mythos of the series.
How many Hellboy issues are there? Is it a series of mini-series? Best ones? I don't think I've ever heard the series discussed on Legion World.
I've made a much stronger effort in the last year to pick up more independent and 'off the beaten path' comics (mainly because of my disgust towards DC), and I think its time I give Hellboy a fair shot.
[ October 11, 2010, 04:17 PM: Message edited by: Cobalt Kid ]
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
I can't tell you much about Hellboy. But B.P.R.D. just released it's 9th tpb. There's a current mini being put out as well, the 10th I believe. Hellboy is similar in that it's a series of minis at this point.
From: Denver, CO | Registered: May 2004
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I like both Hellboy and BPRD. BPRD being more enjoyable for me. Juat read the new trade...I get them from the Library.
From: Turn around... | Registered: Jul 2003
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Dev, am I right that these come out as single issues and then are released as trades. I would assume thats the case but you know what happens when someone assumes...
Either way, I like trades but part of the fun for me is hunting for single issues.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
Well, with Comic Book Review Month in full effect I wanted to have something from the "Mignolaverse" to review and picked up Hellboy: The Bride of Hell one-shot, which is oversized at #3.50, which these days feels like a heck of a deal. I'm really glad I picked this up, because it was fantastic.
I know Ceej, Miner and Dev read the Hellboy and BPRD stuff and I think it might be time for me to make this my next project of picking up trades and back issues. Because the quality of the work really seems to be there in addition to the really fascinating characters (which I actually first learned of through the movie).
In this story, Mike Mignola provides a throughly creepy story that is also incredibly interesting and combines elements of history (both Ancient and Medieval) with the supernatural, which is something that I love. It was a really excellent idea with both a twist on the end that kept things really creepy. I don't want to spill too much about the story because I don't want to lessen the effect. From what I've heard, this type of incredibly well thought out usage of history with magic / religious themes is in just about every story and I want more of it after this.
The art is by Richard Corben, an artist who quite honestly creeps me the hell out. His facial expressions are are scarier to me at times than watching someone disembowled. I first became really acquainted with him on a thoroughly disturbing (yet excellent) Hellblazer story and he's just one of those artists whose work is so unique that I just can't look away. I felt he really added a lot to this story and the combination of Mignola's storylines, the character Hellboy and Corben's work just seems to work on all levels. Apparently he's worked with Mignola before and I'll make it a point to look for that.
Another great thing about this one-shot is Dark Horse--for years one of the best publishers in comics, hands down--has made it a point to offer about 9+ one-shots within the last month in an effort to let readers know there are complete stories available that do not require you to be reading other titles and keeping track of limitless amounts of continuity. I like that, and its a nice alternative to the general approach DC and Marvel have these last, oh, 20 years. I liked this one-shot so much I may try to find any copies of Sugar Shock and others still on the shelves. For $3.50 an issue and more pages than the traditional comic, that's a better deal than the Big 2 are giving.
I can't recommend this story enough. It was a complete, well-done, incredibly interesting story with some great creepy art. I like the Hellboy character a lot but here he was specifically held back a bit it seems, letting the story take precedence. That worked for me because his personality seems like it could easily dominate every issue and Mignola appears to recognize when to unleash him and when to hold him back.
I think its time I got on board and immersed myself in Hellboy and BPRD.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
B.P.R.D. is the team book of the Hellboy universe. Since the series started on it's own, he hasn't made an appearance. But they do reference past stories, and the characters were all introduced in Hellboy.
The team handles paranormal threats. And they aren't all horrific , more sci-fi in a Silver Agey vein. Stories are written as stand along minis, with a back story tying the whole run together. Lately, Mignola and Arcudi are trying to tell a longer tale, tying 3 minis into one big story.
Think early Teen Titans- super hero antics mixed with personal relations. It really is those relations that drive the stories. With such a diverse cast, seeing how they relate to each other makes me want to read more. And it's that same diversity that brings all kinds of antagonists into the book.
I've said before, it's horror without the goth, it's drama without the melodrama.
From: Denver, CO | Registered: May 2004
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posted
As mentioned above, I enjoyed the Hellboy one-shot by Mignola and Richard Corben so much that I'm pretty much guaranteed to buy any future one-shots especially for $3.50 with more pages than a regular comic. Such was the case with Hellboy in Mexico which was nicely timed with Cinco de Mayo a few weeks ago.
Like the last one, I really thought this was a great pick-up and enjoyed it immensely. The story was done in one, with the right amounts of quirky, weird, funny and horror. It also had the right dose of heart with a firm sense of tragedy--it really hit all the right beats.
Like I said above, Corben's artwork remains the #1 creepiest out there in comics and I can't help but find it completely fascinating. He is really a dynamic artist as well--his panels are well put together and the sequences really pop without feeling like any time is being wasted.
Anyone looking for a quick dose of horror without committing to a larger series, grab this for $3.50!
Based on these two issues, I've decided to totally dive into the Hellboy / BRPD world going forward. I ordered the first two Hellboy trades from the mid-90's and from here on out I plan to order more over time. I do plan to get to the BRPD trades but only when I get there along the timeline since I know many of the characters are introduced within the Hellboy minis so I want to read the characters as they came out over time. I'm actually really looking forward to it!
One question for anyone who knows: if I get the Hellboy trades per vol 1, vol 2, etc., are there any one-shots or stories from Dark Horse Presents or something that are left out of the trades? I'll track those down if I have to.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
Thanks OM! I'm pretty pumped about diving into a character with this large volume of material to get! Should keep me busy for a few years if I buy the trades gradually every few months in conjunction with other stuff.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
So I've at long last begun the long process of reading all things Hellboy & B.P.R.D. Where, you ask? At the beginning of course! I picked up the first two trades collecting the earliest stories and just read the first trade over the last two days of travel. On my flight from Atlanta to Oklahoma City later this week I plan to read the 2nd.
I'm blown away by how damn good Hellboy is right at the beginning. There is no 'picking up steam' here; Hellboy was an excellent comic book from day one. I'm kicking myself for missing out on this awesome franchise for years and years, only ever giving it a moment's thought after watching the first movie.
Mike Mignola is one of the best creators in the last 30 years. What I love is that you can clearly see his inspirations but his style is completely modern and his own. (Alan Moore even says so in his introduction of the 2nd trade ). There is a ton of Kirby going on artistically, story-telling wise and energy-wise, and also this heavy H.P. Lovecraft influence that is always present in his works on a thematic level. More than that, the tone of the comic is very noir & mystery influenced with brings this grandiose concepts so down to Earth. It's an awesome and original combination.
Mignola is so good as an artist and story-teller it's hard to take it all in. Everything just works; like Kirby before him, I suspect many people will totally miss his talents at first (and those of us who realized bits of it will continue to be shocked by how much more we missed ourselves).
I also love the coloring and how it's used to such great effect.
Really high recommendation here. I'm convinced--I will now buy at least 1 Hellboy trade everytime I order any other trades hereafter, building myself all the way up to the modern day (and all spin-offs too!).
On a sidenote, I opened up my free copy of USA Today (thanks Marriot Hotel!) and saw something really cool: for this week, Mignola is doing a 5-part Hellboy comic strip in the paper! And it's HUGE--as big as the Wednesday Comics pages. Really cool stuff! And really high profile for a comic book. USA Today is actually really comic book friendly (there was another article today on Marvel and "Warner Bros." Comics--ouch DC). It's cool to see Hellboy being exposed to such a big audience.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
PS - I was also surprsied and delighted by how much of the first Hellboy movie comes from the first trade.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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The Mike Mignola / Richard Corben partnership continues to blow my mind and melt my face with it's pure awesomeness in the Hellboy: Double Feature of Horror. I'm running out of compliments to give the duo so I'll just say that it is so unbelievable cool everytime they pair up.
I also grabbed the Hellboy / Beasts of Burden oneshot team-up and while I was expecting something good--I have to say, I was blown away by just how good it was! I love these one-shots that Dark Horse is doing, with each one just so full of story and 'oomph'. This was perhaps the best of them all and served as a great Hellboy story while also being a terrific introduction to the BoB.
BoB creators Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson--both of whom are immensely talented--craft a wondeful story that combines the childhood awe of the Super-Pets with the horror/suspense trappings of a great Vertigo series like Sandman or Fables. There is something incredibly endearing about the Beasts but it's far beyond the charm of them being little animals. The horror setting and detective nature of the story really worked well.
And Jill Thompson is just one of the best damn creators out there making comics. It was a real pleasure seeing her work again, I can't remember the last time I bought one of her comics (shame on me).
The letter's page kept mentioning BoB #2 (from the original mini) and how moving it was; so much so that I'm considering going and looking for it.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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). There is a ton of Kirby going on artistically, story-telling wise and energy-wise, and also this heavy H.P. Lovecraft influence that is always present in his works on a thematic level. More than that, the tone of the comic is very noir & mystery influenced with brings this grandiose concepts so down to Earth. It's an awesome and original combination.
