H (is anyone getting notifications) Balikov's Reviews> Hellboy, Vol. 1: Seed of Destruction

This is the first handful of Hellboy comics collected by Darkhorse. Hellboy (not his real name, but no one, including him, knows his real name) is self-billed as the “world’s greatest paranormal investigator.” And, maybe this is what attracted Guillermo del Toro to make a movie of his origin and adventures.

One of the attractions of Hellboy is his looks (see cover). But as he says, “I may not be as scary as I look, but I’m every bit as tough.” In fact, Mike Mignola’s Hellboy, may embody most of humanity’s virtues. But most of our species judge a book by its cover, and that lends itself to many of the narratives.

Much of the plot of Volume 1 can be characterized as Mignola meets Lovecraft. Is that decaying mansion with its ancient occupants merely the last stop for a family dynasty or is there something else at work? Ready or not, Hellboy is thrust into a plot that brings together something of his origins and something more ancient and terrifying.

I liked the plot, I liked the characterization, the cover by Dave Stewart and the other ink work by Mark Chiarello. It shows off excellently on my Kindle Fire which allows viewing by either a “normal” comic book page or by each single panel.