Hellboy

• Title: Hellboy: The Silver Lantern Club #1 (of 5)
• Comic Vine: link
• Writers: Mike Mignola, Chris Roberson
• Artists: Ben Stenbeck, Christopher Mitten

Set in 50s London, The Silver Lantern Club #1 introduces Hellboy to Trevor’s uncle Simon Bruttenholm who has stories aplenty to tell of his spooky former adventures with a secret British paranormal society known as the Silver Lantern Club. Most of the issue takes place in flashbacks of Simon recounting his tale how an early wireless transceiver which trapped a demonic creature recently exorcised by members of the club.

Even if the adventure itself doesn’t feature Hellboy, and we get the titular character only in the bookends to the flashback, there’s still some fun to be had (especially in the manner which the demon was defeated, which I won’t ruin here).  Since it appears Simon has more stories to tell, at least until the pub’s last call, this is just the start of the mini-series.

…

Hellboy: The Silver Lantern Club #1Read More »

• Title: Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: The Secret of Chesbro House #1 (of 2)
• Comic Vine: link
• Writers: Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden
• Artist: Shawn McManus

The first issue of the two-issue tales takes us back to 1983 where Hellboy and Madame Zemperelli work together to investigate a haunted mansion for the B.P.R.D. Along for the ride are Carter Stroud (the great-great-grandson of the mansion’s builder who was known for wild orgies and the disappearance of his 16 year-old daughter before cutting off his own head and jumping into the fireplace) and Carter’s fiancé Serena Wilkins (neither of whom believe the house to be actually haunted).

The séance confirms the house is indeed haunted not by one ghost but at least two as the gossip about the mansion’s hauntings are proved true.

…

Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: The Secret of Chesbro House #1Read More »

• Title: Young Hellboy: The Hidden Land #2 (of 4)
• Comic Vine: link
• Writers: Mike Mignola, Thomas Sniegoski
• Artist: Craig Rousseau

The second issue of Young Hellboy: The Hidden Land provides more information about Scarlett Santiago who had become a cult figure and something of a vigilante prior to disappearing over the ocean. Crashing on the hidden island, the Sky Devil was taken in by the island’s ape men known as the Ohnar who not only saved the young woman’s life but also transferred into her the power of their god-spirit Un-Gaah (allowing her to transform into a giant ape herself which turns out to be a useful skill when saving Hellboy from a T-Rex).

…

Young Hellboy: The Hidden Land #2Read More »

• Title: Young Hellboy: The Hidden Land #1 (of 4)
• Comic Vine: link
• Writers: Mike Mignola, Thomas Sniegoski
• Artist: Craig Rousseau

After their plane is forced to crash in the ocean by a religious zealot determined to kill Hellboy before he grows up and brings about the apocalypse, Hellboy and Professor Bruttenholm find themselves on an island filled with all manner of monsters including gorillas, giant crabs, and velociraptors. So much for the fun archeological dig they pair had planned (perhaps with mummies!), now they will need to survive.

Young Hellboy: The Hidden Land #1 provides a fun opening to the four-issue mini-series setting the stage for what’s to come. There’s obviously a strong Jules Verne‘s The Mysterious Island vibe here, although we’ve only scratched the surface of what secrets the island may hold as it appears there is something deep calling out the the religious zealot who the Professor and the young Hellboy haven’t seen the last of yet.

…

Young Hellboy: The Hidden Land #1Read More »