Want to hear some interesting factoids about this new Hellboy limited series? This is the first Hellboy story in four years, since 2001's The Third Wish. Also, this is the first new Hellboy story since the spring 2004 release of the Hellboy movie (which strikes me as a rather unfortunate move -- the mainstream heat on the property is long dead now). I've been reading Mignola's Hellboy adventures since the beginning, and it's a pleasure to see him turn his attention from his B.P.R.D limited series back to the character that got it all started in the first place. The Island is as beautiful as all of the other stories that preceded it, but when you have Mignola's deliciously dark, gothic art, that's a no-brainer. The story itself isn't an easy one. Mignola opts for a more lyrical scripting style at times, and the line between the supernatural and the symbolic blurs. Ultimately, it's an engaging story that challenges the reader and wraps him up in an inky blanket of mystery and horror.
For more than two years, Hellboy has been at the bottom of the ocean, but now, he finally emerges from the dark depths on a barren shore. He finds himself on a deserted island... at least, it seems deserted, its inhabitants now long dead. But there are presences that lurk in the land's dark corners. Some whisper to Hellboy, while others threaten the lost hero. Some are imagined, perhaps the product of Hellboy's long isolation beneath the waves, while others are familiar and leave more than just a spiritual mark on the red-skinned warrior.
Mignola's art is a convergence of simple shapes and lines that forms a detailed and moody world that demands the reader's attention. There's something about the way he draws skeletons that's incredibly creepy but rather fun as well. The flow of the art in this book matches the vague tone of the script, so it's not always easy to tell what's happening, but it seems deliberate. Gothic architecture and background elements are common here, but that comes as no surprise. Mignola plays to his own strengths, and the result is thoroughly enjoyable. Given that this is the first new Hellboy story in four years, it hardly comes off as familiar or played out.
One of the best assets Mignola instilled in the Hellboy character is his down-to-earth personality. On the surface, he's a demon walking the earth, carrying a big-ass gun and cursed with a giant, stone hand. He's weird and completely alien... until he speaks. Then he's a regular guy, a blue-collar joe just trying to find a little piece of happiness for himself. Here, he's lost, feeling isolated by his differences, but he's still man rather than an impossible creature.
Mignola employs a stream-of-consciousness-like storytelling technique here that keeps the reader guessing as to the reality of what's going on. Does Hellboy drink with ghosts? Is his encounter with a priest who's been dead for centuries really happen? There's no doubt about his encounter with the amphibious monster, but Mignola is purposely unclear with other events. It makes for something of an arduous read at times, but I also enjoyed the question of whether or no Hellboy's mind is playing tricks on him. He's been alone for two years, after all; it makes sense that the mind would invent others with which he can interact. 7/10
