I'm generally not a huge Mike Mignola fan. I recognize his talent, but his art style only works for me on rare occasions. But I love Hellboy, so this series, in the vein of Grendel: Red, White and Black, seemed like it would be right up my alley. As a labor of love for creators, though, there's a certain assumption that anyone reading is going to have a similar appreciation for the characters, and I could have used a little more of an introduction. However, the artwork is across the board terrific, and the general flavor of the book, a mixture of humor and hard-boiled horror, comes through loud and clear in the stories.
By far my favorite story in this issue comes from Andi Watson, whose slice-of-life, simple style seems an odd mix for Hellboy. However, Watson plays to his strengths, showing Hellboy's civilian life, and the general sense of Hellboy as a somewhat grumpy, bordering on angsty, guy comes through in the story. It's a fairly slight piece, a snapshot of the characters' emotions and a chance to draw some fun scenes like Hellboy eating pancakes or at a carnival, and it's a lot of fun for Watson fans.
What will probably be the favorite story for everyone else is the lead, thanks to drop-dead gorgeous artwork by John Cassaday. The colors by Jackson and the detail that Cassaday brings to the piece makes the story look painted, and the characters are impressive and detailed. What really blows me away, though, is some of the work on the background, as the ghostly flood of images that represents the circus comes across as ethereal, on a different plane, and the contrast of light blue and bright red works very well to show off the pyrotechnic effects of the explosion or the high-energy presence of the ghosts. Cassaday also gets some terrific dialogue in from Hellboy, with my favorite line being "Answer me, or I'll kick your clown-ass so hard you'll grow." That pretty much sums up the character's attitude in one line.
Actually, Cassaday has another story in the issue, a Lobster Johnson story done in retro super-hero style. I've grown a little weary of the parody of Silver/Golden Age comics, but Cassaday does make it entertaining, and I'm impressed by his artistic versatility. His work here reminds me of Gil Kane or Steve Ditko, although he does slip and give the Crimson Hood a bit more detail than you'd expect from that era.
Filling out the issue is a story by Blackburne Covenant collaborators Fabian Nicieza and Stefano Raffaele. I'm looking forward to Blackburne, and I've enjoyed other work from both creators, but their story here didn't really connect with me. The basic idea, a rumination on faith and the similarities between religion and simple superstition, is good, and the artwork is fantastic, but I couldn't figure out what the connection was to Hellboy or the B.P.R.D. or, more importantly, exactly what happened in the course of the story.
