Hellboy

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View books by Mike Mignola, John Byrne.

A must have series for any comics fan...or if you like gothic devil coolness! - Rated
No graphic novel collection is complete without some titles, like Watchmen, Knightfall, Sin City and Hellboy!!
I first started reading Hellboy before the first movie came out, I was curious, got one to try and now have them all (and the novels and figures and statues). Seed of Destruction is the first in the series and it jumps straight in to Hellboys life in the B.P.R.D. (bereau for paranormal resreach and defense, kind of like a supernatural CIA). You just see he is a demon working for the agency, and he has a cool coat and a massive stone hand. But as the story goes on, you find he was summoned by Nazis and Ra ra rasputin to help win WW2. But he was saved by Proff. Bruttenholm and now fights for the good guys! Along with Abe Sapien (fish guy) and Liz (Fire starter!). Expect battles with disgusting tentacled Lovecraftian monsters and crazed Nazis. And Nazis do tend to make excellent bad guys! As you progress through the series you find out much more about Hellboys background, and the origins of Abe and Liz too. Its just a great story, well told!

My favourite aspect of the artwork is the black, There is so much darkness throughout and it really sets the tone and sets it apart from other graphic novels. The villains are great, you cannot beat an evil Nazi head in a jar! I love Mignolas fascination with myths from all over the world, especially europe. You get the feeling he puts in lots of research to find just the right gross, creepy myth to use. Its kind of nice to get that european feel for a change, especially if all you read is Marvel and DC!
Recommended!!

This is really FUN! - Rated
Seed of Destruction is Mike Mignola's first graphic album featuring his brilliant Hellboy. The artwork is very Kirbyesque throughout with gothic overtones. Somehow it all works very well. Mignola portrays a quirkiness and humour to the Hellboy character (which is fully realised in Del Toro's new Hellboy movie) and brings to the mix Abe Sapien (almost a modern reworking of Universal's Creature from the Black Lagoon), the incendiary Liz Sherman and, of course, the BPRD (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defence).

Seed of Destruction begins with Hellboy appearing after a fiendish nazi experiment by the villain of the piece, Rasputin.

From then on it's a rollercoaster ride of battles with frog-like monsters and tentacled beasts until the final showdown. The book doesn't take itself too seriously which is just as well given the absolutely ridiculous scenario. But, this is really FUN.

Mignola has found his niche and he has come up with a truly original concept, strong characters and atmosphere soaked, adrenaline pumping storylines in his Hellboy series. If you really like comics you can't afford to miss Hellboy.

Refreshing and funny - Rated
Mike's artwork is a breath of fresh air, like Frank Miller his use of black as a colour or to create an image from very little is amazing, although he can be very cartoony, much like Manga can flip between different styles between panes. The inking is also very good in this book and can't be faulted. The use of panes and bubbles is also spot on so it makes the experience very pleasureable reading.
As for the story, I enjoyed this very much, this is possibly because I have read many Lovecraft stories which have obviously been drawn from for this book. There is also a sledge hammer wit about the main character Hellboy that keeps you wanting him to get into these crazy fights with beasts as he is almost a step away from the serious and moody story line. Hellboy is the oddest looking hero I have seen for a comic that is trying to take itself seriously but he is the touch of humour that without which you realise would not make the story 'perfect'.
I hope a Lovecraft type mythos is used more in future Hellboy because this one book has got me hooked.

The birth of a legend - Rated
This is a truly magnificent graphic novel. Mike Mignola has created something wonderfully different and original... The artwork is excellent- a unique style that fits the 'dark' nature of the story. I recommend this novel to anyone fascinated by the occult, by fairy tales, by aliens and witches and goblins.

Mixing detective and action - Rated
First of all I'd like to advise people who are willing to get into Hellboy to start here. Besides from this being the official first story you also get easily introduced to Hellboy and what he's about here, and the drift into Hellboy-reality is very natural and gentle. Besides from that it's a very nice read as a stand-alone story. It doesn't end with something like a cliff-hanger that makes you need to buy continuing books. It's a book with a beginning and an end.

About the story: It's been over 35 years since Trevor Bruttenholm first found the creature that was later named "Hellboy", a big red creature over 7 feet high, strong as ten men, with a tail and an artificial stone arm. Nobody knows what he is or where he came from, including himself (a thing about which you get more and more hints as time goes by, not only in this particular volume). That was at the end of World War II on the scene of an occult experiment by a Nazi group trying to grab on to probably their last chances of enpowering the Reich. Now, the present, Trevor reaches out to Hellboy, who has since gone on to work for the "Bureau of Paranormal Investigation", because he desperately needs his aid. Weird extra-natural murders are taking place and it's up to Hellboy and his agency to find what kind of mystical powers are on a rampage and, even more important, who unleashed them.

What you have here is a title that especially people who like things like "X-Files" and "Planetary" will like a lot. It's about an agency that goes around the world to solve super-natural crimes and puzzles, but the members of the agency aren't that normal theirselves either. All this in a pretty gritty and dark atmosphere. It's very well-written, everything fits, and what also is really nice is that the creator (Mike Mignola) NEVER gave the story-writing or the art-job away in any of the following books. The creator sticks with his book and it really shows later on, when you see how things keep clicking and keep the same atmosphere. Must-buy for Planetary and X-Files fans and alike.