Hellboy Library Edition, Vol. 1 (2008) - Mike Mignola, John Byrne

Mike Mignola’s artwork is highly addictive, at least to someone like me who grew up with the works of Jack Kirby, an obvious influence on Mignola. I’m not sure what it is - maybe it’s those twisted faces that Mignola does so well, maybe the shadow silhouettes or the heavy inking. Maybe it’s the fact that Hellboy is just a cool, fun guy.

If you aren’t familiar with him, Hellboy is indeed one of the good guys. As an infant he was summoned forth from another dimension in order to help the Nazis during WWII, but the little red guy had other plans and sided with the Allies. Working with the Bureau for Paranormal Research, the grown-up Hellboy now (Yes, now. He doesn’t age the way humans do. That whole other-dimension thing, I guess....) fights against the dark forces of the universe, which are seemingly endless.

So what, right? Another superhero fighting the bad guys, just what we need. But Mignola injects an irresistible charm into Hellboy. He’s strong, he’s funny, and usually doesn't take himself too seriously. And like all of us, he’s not perfect. He can slug it out with giant slimy frogs, tackle the most hideous snake-like creatures, then get his butt handed to him from something he didn’t see coming. But throughout, he has an unmistakable moral bent, knowing that the evil side must be fought against.



You may be familiar with the film adaptations Hellboy (2004) and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008). The graphic novels (from what I’ve seen in this volume, which covers the stories Seed of Destruction and Wake the Devil) are pretty evenly divided between mystery, investigation into the paranormal and action. The movie? Mostly flat-out action. The initial story and the first movie don’t exactly line up, but each version can be enjoyed without ruining anything in the other. The graphic novels tend to be darker, grittier and more Lovecraftian than the films. (Although film director Guillermo del Toro's visual style is just as impressive, just in a different way.) The first graphic novel, scripted by John Byrne, is a little more cohesive than Mignola’s second, but both are stunning. I suppose you could spend a lot of time talking about the philosophies and worldviews of Hellboy, but the main thing is just to sit back and have fun.