Dark things are afoot in 1953.
Creative Staff:
Story: Mike Mignola, Chris Roberson
Art: Paolo Rivera, Joe Rivera
Colors: Dave Stewart
What They Say:
A mysterious creature hunts the children of an idyllic suburban town, and the BPRD get more than they bargained for when their investigation begins to seem strangely familiar.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
My relationship with the Hellboy franchise is one that I’m a bit frustrated with myself with. I had liked what Mignola had started with way back in the 90’s when Dark Horse started bringing in some strong talent for original works, but it came at a time when I was disconnecting from comics in a big way. I had enjoyed both of the films that were produced but it was never enough to draw me back into the books. So when I reconnected with comics in a bigger way in the last few years, my interest was there but there is simply so much of the property out there that I had no idea where to begin and ended up just avoiding it altogether. So when a new miniseries arrived at the right time, I jumped on it to check out what’s going on.
Hellboy and the BPRD has been working a good premise in showing stories of the character back in the day with his early missions with the Bureau, setting the miniseries up in various years in the late 40’s and early 50’s so far. This gives us some interesting context for the character since at the time he was kind of famous and well liked, particularly by kids, while some adults were wary to say the least. Hellboy himself is fun in this as he comes across as kind of pre-teen in a way, which certainly goes against his size and appearance. He’s often called kid by one of the main agents he works with and Hellboy pretty much does as told and listens closely to instructions. So he’s an obedient member that’s just enjoying the experiences while also using his youth and innocence to see things that are missed by others. The character is surprisingly accessible in this form as I drop into the sprawling franchise without much context beyond what’s given in this miniseries debut.
The premise for the story is a solid enough one in that there’s a variety of people that are vanishing without a trace in a small town where it starts off with dogs and small animals before moving to kids that have disappeared. It’s now starting to look like some adults are disappearing so naturally there’s a possible occult connection at play to figure out and the BPRD gets called in. The book introduces us to the cast well enough, likely some of this tying to other 1953 miniseries and their events as well, so longtime readers get plenty out of it. A lot of this is simply character driven as all the players and pieces are brought into focus with the mission, but we also get a subplot with Dr. Boucq at the California Institute of Technology that’s swiping some unique materials. Since he lives right where the events in Rosemead are taking place, a small town at the time compared to now, suffice to say he gets caught up in things early and only adds to the mystery at hand.
In Summary:
A lot of the fun in this book is just watching the way it all comes together. The basic mystery is laid out in the first couple of pages and the rest is bringing in the team and the first level of investigation where we see the personality quirks laid bare. Hellboy himself is a good deal of fun in how he deals with everyone and the things he sees amid it all. There are teases of the bigger picture but that’s all it is at the moment, which is good. The story sets up plenty and keeps it lively, particularly with the dynamic between Hellboy and the agents. But it’s also a book that just clicks perfectly with the visual design of it. Paolo and Joe Rivera give it a great sense of life and creativity throughout and as my first experience with their artwork it left me wanting a whole lot more of it. Dave Stewart takes it all to the next level with some great color design that just blends so perfectly you’d imagine that the illustrators were the colorists as well. I’ve not read any Hellboy since a few meager bits in the mid 90’s, but this book was just so easily accessible that it left me wanting to gobble up a whole lot more. Definitely looking forward to what’s to come next.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: February 24th, 2016
MSRP: $3.50
