Hellboy and the BPRD #2
The beast awakes
Writers: John Arcudi, Mike Mignola
Artist: Alex Maleev
Publisher: Dark Horse
Hellboy remains apprehensive but demonstrates some of his trademark prowess in this second issue depicting his first “real” mission in 1952 with the famed B.P.R.D which will eventually lose him to hell itself.
Arcudi and Mignola are experienced, knowledgeable story-tellers. The kind that make you hang off of every word, movement and expression, yearning deeply to understand a world you never will but one you love anyways. This comic, so far, portrays that well..kind of. The characters are interesting, especially the traitor in their midst, and Hellboy himself is wondrously out of character in a way that really gives perspective to how much he’s changed with time, hardened. However interesting this new beast and new teammates are though, the story so far is lacking something truly compelling. If this is the first Hellboy mission, one that will change him forever, we can surely expect something big to happen. But, it’s not looking that way just yet. The pacing feels a bit off, lacking true tension when we’ve seen Hellboy and his team face threats much greater than this. This issue lays the groundwork well but it does little more than that.
Maleev is a saving grace of sorts here, however. The art is wondrously grounded in the Hellboy world that has existed for more than 20 years now. It also feels, though, like something entirely new. Looking back into 1952 like this tale does offers all the perfect opportunities for Maleev it seems. The pages feel like old photographs brought to life. A certain appealing liveliness applied to an old aesthetic. The year 1952 brought to life in this issue, monsters and all. The book is so wonderfully done that it feels like looking into a time machine, seeing this young but powerful Hellboy, a comic staple, in a new light is a rewarding experience that demonstrates Maleev’s real understanding of character, time, place and universe.
What this issue lacks in story, it makes up in art. This is a fun, if so far average Hellboy story that I think is going to go somewhere truly unexpected. I’m looking forward to it.
Writers: John Arcudi, Mike Mignola
Artist: Alex Maleev
Publisher: Dark Horse
Hellboy remains apprehensive but demonstrates some of his trademark prowess in this second issue depicting his first “real” mission in 1952 with the famed B.P.R.D which will eventually lose him to hell itself.
Arcudi and Mignola are experienced, knowledgeable story-tellers. The kind that make you hang off of every word, movement and expression, yearning deeply to understand a world you never will but one you love anyways. This comic, so far, portrays that well..kind of. The characters are interesting, especially the traitor in their midst, and Hellboy himself is wondrously out of character in a way that really gives perspective to how much he’s changed with time, hardened. However interesting this new beast and new teammates are though, the story so far is lacking something truly compelling. If this is the first Hellboy mission, one that will change him forever, we can surely expect something big to happen. But, it’s not looking that way just yet. The pacing feels a bit off, lacking true tension when we’ve seen Hellboy and his team face threats much greater than this. This issue lays the groundwork well but it does little more than that.
Maleev is a saving grace of sorts here, however. The art is wondrously grounded in the Hellboy world that has existed for more than 20 years now. It also feels, though, like something entirely new. Looking back into 1952 like this tale does offers all the perfect opportunities for Maleev it seems. The pages feel like old photographs brought to life. A certain appealing liveliness applied to an old aesthetic. The year 1952 brought to life in this issue, monsters and all. The book is so wonderfully done that it feels like looking into a time machine, seeing this young but powerful Hellboy, a comic staple, in a new light is a rewarding experience that demonstrates Maleev’s real understanding of character, time, place and universe.
What this issue lacks in story, it makes up in art. This is a fun, if so far average Hellboy story that I think is going to go somewhere truly unexpected. I’m looking forward to it.
A Look Inside
