Hellboy & The B.P.R.D. - The Seven Wives Club
Writer: Mike Mignola
Artist: Adam Hughes
Colours: Adam Hughes
Letters: Clem Robins
Since the main Hellboy series concluded Mike Mignola has been treating fans to Hellboy & the B.P.R.D. comics, tales filling in some of the gaps in the years between Hellboy joining the B.P.R.D. and facing his final destiny. There’s a huge amount of ground to cover, initially we were getting yearly stories but more recently Mignola has been treating fans to tales spread sporadically over Hellboys career, stories like Beast of Vargu, and this, Seven Wives Club. This is an excellent one shot, the kind of classic short story tale that the Mignolaverse does so well, which fans are going to absolutely love.
Set in the early nineties Hellboy is teamed up with Pauline Raskin, a B.P.R.D. agent who’s made a few sporadic appearances over the years. Hopefully this won't be the last time we see her paired with Hellboy in the field. Their job is to investigate a shooting at a haunted mansion. What follows is a pretty typical Mignola style story, in so far as it’s not a typical ghost story and there’s no real explanation for events, it’s left very open to interpretation in typical Hellboy fashion. Hellboy even comments on this towards the end of the issue, complaining that he’d rather face a werewolf or a mummy because you know what they’re all about. It’s creepy in all the right places, it builds up a surprisingly complicated history around the seven wives considering that this is a one-shot and we have Hellboy with his signature BOOM!. In other words everything that fans have come to want and expect from a Hellboy one-shot.
It also marks a great jumping on point if you’ve never read any Hellboy stories and want to see what the fuss is about. New readers will be able to follow the story while getting a really good feel for the Mignolaverse.
While this isn’t Adam Hughes first Hellboy outing he’s still a relative newcomer to the Mignolaverse, not that you would know it from the expert way he brings Hellboy to life, and blends the everyday with the supernatural to create a signature Hellboy story. The mansion is brought to life in hauntingly beautiful detail, positively oozing atmosphere. The shadows he draws creates real tension, and the action when it arrives is expertly drawn.
Some of the strongest Hellboy stories are one-shots, short stories filled with atmosphere and mystery, and Seven Wives Club will slot nicely in with them, an entertaining story which also serves to showcase Hellboy at his best for new readers. Long time fans will love this return to Hellboys younger days before he was fulfilling his destiny as beast of the apocalypse. The art is gorgeous and full to the brim with atmosphere.
Artist: Adam Hughes
Colours: Adam Hughes
Letters: Clem Robins
Since the main Hellboy series concluded Mike Mignola has been treating fans to Hellboy & the B.P.R.D. comics, tales filling in some of the gaps in the years between Hellboy joining the B.P.R.D. and facing his final destiny. There’s a huge amount of ground to cover, initially we were getting yearly stories but more recently Mignola has been treating fans to tales spread sporadically over Hellboys career, stories like Beast of Vargu, and this, Seven Wives Club. This is an excellent one shot, the kind of classic short story tale that the Mignolaverse does so well, which fans are going to absolutely love.
Set in the early nineties Hellboy is teamed up with Pauline Raskin, a B.P.R.D. agent who’s made a few sporadic appearances over the years. Hopefully this won't be the last time we see her paired with Hellboy in the field. Their job is to investigate a shooting at a haunted mansion. What follows is a pretty typical Mignola style story, in so far as it’s not a typical ghost story and there’s no real explanation for events, it’s left very open to interpretation in typical Hellboy fashion. Hellboy even comments on this towards the end of the issue, complaining that he’d rather face a werewolf or a mummy because you know what they’re all about. It’s creepy in all the right places, it builds up a surprisingly complicated history around the seven wives considering that this is a one-shot and we have Hellboy with his signature BOOM!. In other words everything that fans have come to want and expect from a Hellboy one-shot.
It also marks a great jumping on point if you’ve never read any Hellboy stories and want to see what the fuss is about. New readers will be able to follow the story while getting a really good feel for the Mignolaverse.
While this isn’t Adam Hughes first Hellboy outing he’s still a relative newcomer to the Mignolaverse, not that you would know it from the expert way he brings Hellboy to life, and blends the everyday with the supernatural to create a signature Hellboy story. The mansion is brought to life in hauntingly beautiful detail, positively oozing atmosphere. The shadows he draws creates real tension, and the action when it arrives is expertly drawn.
Some of the strongest Hellboy stories are one-shots, short stories filled with atmosphere and mystery, and Seven Wives Club will slot nicely in with them, an entertaining story which also serves to showcase Hellboy at his best for new readers. Long time fans will love this return to Hellboys younger days before he was fulfilling his destiny as beast of the apocalypse. The art is gorgeous and full to the brim with atmosphere.
A Look Inside
