Dark Horse's public face used to be those of Sin City's Marv, Darth Vader, Aliens and the Predator, but these days, it seems like half of the publisher's output boasts a connection ot Mike Mignola's Hellboy. It's not surprising, since April sees the release of the big-screen adaptation of the character and his colleagues in the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. If the movie is anything like the original source material, it will be a blast. Just as entertaining are these other creators' brief interpretations of Mignola's creations. This is a light read, yes, but a solid one as well.
Hellboy finds himself on stage, accompanied by some rather unusual and dangerous performers. Liz Sherman there are some cases that pyrokinetics should definitely not undertake. Hellboy travels to Hell... you know, for some down time. And Lobster Johnson confronts a couple of Nazis who are trying to make off with a powerful "vibro-machine," one that could turn the tide in the war if the Axis got their hands on it.
The visual higlight of this book is the short piece offered up by Craig Thompson, who's had accolades heaped upon for -- and rightly so -- for his ambitious yet personal graphic novel, Blankets. It was a treat to see him tackling some radically different material here, and just as enjoyable to see his work in color. It's easy to see his exaggerated style, but the twisted forms of infernal life he renders makes it clear that there's more to his imagination than slice-of-life storytelling.
John Cassaday's tribute to Sunday comic strips of the Golden Age is a hoot. I loved how he's adapted his art to take on a cruder style that's in keeping with the earlier days of the medium. Even Derrington's colors cast aside modern methods and embrace the dot-color effect that was used even in the 1990s.
Doug Petrie's Liz Sherman story was a bit on the obvious and simple side as well, but the story is saved by the dark, moody linework of the legendary Gene Colan. I love the foggy, flowing look in his art, and Dave Stewart's colors blend in with Colan's lines perfectly. The opening story by Will Pfiefer captured the fun of the Hellboy property quite well, and I enjoyed the lightness in Russell's artwork.
Note: This comic book was not among this week's new releases.
