Hellboy and the BPRD 1952 #4
Writer: Mike Mignola, John Arcudi
Artist: Alex Maleev
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: March 4, 2015
Cover Price: $3.50
Hellboy’s first mission is starting to look like it will end in less than spectacular fashion unfortunately.
When this series was announced and even when it started, I was really excited about it. I was excited to see Hellboy working with a team again, alive. I was excited to see what was so important about this first mission. I was excited to see what made him the hero that he is.
So far, I’ve seen very little of that and with only one issue left, it’s hard to believe these creators are going to pull it off as much as I want them to.
Hellboy and partner arrive in a hellish lab (he’s always finding himself in these things) and our real antagonist is revealed. That’s as much as I can say about plot without spoiling it. However, that’s also as much as this issue does.
It’s action packed, creepy, cryptic and, bland. The latter ½ of the issue is dedicated to a long winded speech that really says or does very little and that’s kind of been the problem with this run as a whole. For a story about Hellboy’s formative mission, there’s very little Hellboy here. A creative misstep at best and an absolute blunder at worst.
Maleev’s art is still spectacular and he shows some diversity in this issue by perfectly depicting a new setting for the final two issues of this story but that’s about the only saving grace here.
I love Hellboy. I love Mignola, Arcudi and Maleev. I don’t love this comic. Maybe, just maybe something crazy and substantial will happen in the last issue of this run but as of now, it’s hard to see why this story exists at all.
Artist: Alex Maleev
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: March 4, 2015
Cover Price: $3.50
Hellboy’s first mission is starting to look like it will end in less than spectacular fashion unfortunately.
When this series was announced and even when it started, I was really excited about it. I was excited to see Hellboy working with a team again, alive. I was excited to see what was so important about this first mission. I was excited to see what made him the hero that he is.
So far, I’ve seen very little of that and with only one issue left, it’s hard to believe these creators are going to pull it off as much as I want them to.
Hellboy and partner arrive in a hellish lab (he’s always finding himself in these things) and our real antagonist is revealed. That’s as much as I can say about plot without spoiling it. However, that’s also as much as this issue does.
It’s action packed, creepy, cryptic and, bland. The latter ½ of the issue is dedicated to a long winded speech that really says or does very little and that’s kind of been the problem with this run as a whole. For a story about Hellboy’s formative mission, there’s very little Hellboy here. A creative misstep at best and an absolute blunder at worst.
Maleev’s art is still spectacular and he shows some diversity in this issue by perfectly depicting a new setting for the final two issues of this story but that’s about the only saving grace here.
I love Hellboy. I love Mignola, Arcudi and Maleev. I don’t love this comic. Maybe, just maybe something crazy and substantial will happen in the last issue of this run but as of now, it’s hard to see why this story exists at all.
A Look Inside
