Creative Staff:
Story: Mike Mignola, Scott Allie
Art: Christopher Mitten
Colors: Brendan Wagner
Letterer: Clem Robins
What They Say:
A small town in New Hampshire that has been plagued by disappearances is shaken when a local discovers a pile of corpses that date back decades, and Hellboy and B.P.R.D. Agent Kinsley arrive on the scene only to be overwhelmed by supernatural theories for the ritualistic killings.
Mike Mignola teams up with veteran Mignolaverse artist Christopher Mitten, along with new colorist Brennan Wagner and letterer Clem Robins.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers) The strange and beautiful land of New Hampshire is home to many wild and wondrous creatures. When a local woman stumbles upon a veritable mountain of dead bodies that stretch back dozens of years, there is only one group to call. Well, maybe two if you count the Ghostbusters, but I’m talking about H.E.L.L.B.O.Y.! H.B. and Agent Kingston meet up with the locals and sort through the 49 corpses occupying the hill. What they find thickens the plot further, with the majority of bodies having their hearts ripped out.
Hellboy has a flip side, and this flipside is his lady love, Liz. Liz controls fire and has a tenuous on and off relationship with our hero. She has confined herself to the bathroom and thinks about her place in the B.P.R.D. Ultimately, she sneaks out of headquarters in Connecticut. Where she finds herself in a tense situation in a rough part of town.
In Summary:
I’m a sucker for all things Hellboy and Mignola. One of the most impressive things about Mignola is his ability to take stories from any portion of Hellboy’s life and place them seamlessly into a run. For instance, the stories about Baba Yaga occur during his ‘younger’ days while this series takes place in the mid-1970s. Brennan Wagner was an excellent choice for pencils as he has a Mignola-Esque quality that fits the universe. His work is subdued and a touch grainy which fits the brand very nicely. Clem Robins does a great job on the letters as well. He uses a variety of balloons, captions, and tails that show his range as a letterer. The color in this book is also a nice touch. Everything is relatively muted with a tinge of darkness around every corner. Like a Stephen King novel set loose in comics.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: E
Released By: Dark Horse
Release Date: August 21, 2019
MSRP: $3.99
