|
HELLBOY: THE THIRD WISH #1
Highly Recommended (10/10)
|
Dark Horse Comics/Dark Horse Maverick
Writer/Artist: Mike Mignola
Colors: Dave Stewart
Letters: Clem Robins
Editor: Scott Allie
Price: $2.99 US/$4.99 CAN |
It's been a while since I caught up with Mike Mignola's demonic supernatural investigator, and after reading the first issue of this two-part series, I can't imagine whatever possessed to lose touch with this thoroughly entertaining property. The Third Wish continues to mix the dark, delightful gothic horror that Mignola does so well with the tough, grounded and almost-out-of-place personality of the title character. And for those uninitiated in all things Hellboy-ish, don't worry... one can easily dive right into his world here.
Hellboy is in Africa on business, and soon learns that a supposedly dead witch doctor has been asking about him. The old man provides some answers and raises new question, but before they can be resolved, Hellboy finds himself swept into the sea, carried away to a dark, secret place beneath the waves where a creature he's never met before seeks to exact more than a small measure of revenge.
It's easy to see a Jack Kirby influence in Mike Mignola's artwork, but he still maintains an unconventional tone in his visuals as well. This doesn't look like a super-hero book at all. Mignola crafts shadows and shapes into chilling figures from myth, both classic ones and those never told. I never tire of his gothic style, and it's easy to see why it's proven to be such a storng influence for such artists as Ryan (The Spectre) Sook and Ted (Courtney Crumrin) Neifeh. Dave Stewart's deep, dark colors reinforce that weird, alien mood perfectly.
Mignola presents a thoroughly accessible story that plays around with the classic lesson "be careful what you wish for." Instead of a Hellboy story, the plot shifts around and focuses somewhat on one of the weird sisters who serves the Bog Roosh, the enemy Hellboy has never met before. As always, there's a quiet uneasiness to the story that reinforces the foreboding, creepy mood.
What sets Hellboy apart from other horror books, though, is the character's personality. There's an attitude to him, a down-to-earth rebelliousness and honesty that makes him appealing. Actually, the character is all about rebellion. He's a demon, but he rejects his nature and destroys only that around him that seeks to harm the innocent. I also thoroughly enjoyed the witch doctor; there's a playfulness to him along with his mysterious side.
Email Don MacPherson comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.
|
