Madame Xanadu #22 – Review

by Matt Wagner (writer), Amy Reeder Hadley (pencils), Richard Friend (inks), Guy Major (colors), and Jared K. Fletcher (letters)

The Story: Madame Xanadu and Detective Jones confront Morganna, only to discover her nefarious plot.

What’s Good: I feel like every one of my reviews of an Amy Reeder Hadley illustrated issue has to include a mandatory tribute for her work. Her high quality art is nothing if not consistent in its excellence.  Once again, Hadley does awesome work this month.  Morganna looks certifiably insane, Jones looks suitably inhuman when unleashing his powers, and the action is great, always carrying a kind of whimsical/slapstick feel.  Hadley’s work is always full of life and a kind of, for lack of a better word, happiness that permeates every panel.  For instance, even something like the grotesque, purple exploding cultists she draws this month carries a wink of comedy, regardless of the brutal circumstances.  As usual, Hadley also manages to slip in a pair of really fun, creative layouts.

Wagner’s script once again makes fantastic use of his supporting characters.  Morganna, for instance, has never been a more effective villain.  Wagner gives her a kind of hedonistic abandon, turning the character into a kind of mystic DC Caligula.  Her expressions of boredom and raving madness are perfectly accompanied by her merciless actions and when she makes two of her slaves fight to the death for her amusement, it’s a bit of a laugh.  Full of excess and caring not a whit for human life, she’s a perfect, classic sort of villain that fits the tone of the book wonderfully.

Hellboy: The Wild Hunt #7 – Review

by Mike Mignola (writer), Duncan Fegredo (art), Scott Allie (back-up co-writer), Patric Reynolds (back-up art), Dave Stewart (colors), and Clem Robins (letters)

The Story: Hellboy learns the weighty consequences to wielding Excalibur.

What’s Good: Mignola crafts an issue here that causes the reader’s experience to mirror Hellboy’s own. Specifically, almost to the point of frustration and monotony, every damned thing leads back to the prophecy. No matter how far we go, we’re always pulled back to, or rather pushed into, Hellboy’s supposed destiny. Much as Hellboy can’t escape this, neither can we. Despite this arc taking place in England and focusing on Arthurian legend, we somehow still find ourselves right back on familiar grounds. The grand circularity of it all is both painful and tragic, especially when Mignola at one point has Hellboy literally fight his future, something he’s been doing indirectly for the entire series. If Hellboy cannot escape his destiny, neither can we.

Mignola is also especially skillful this month in having Hellboy essentially be under siege, as influences from across the spectrum attempt to fill his ear with whispers, pushing him towards wielding Excalibur. It’s only so effective due to the two “whisperers” being complete opposites in nature and method. There’s the old enemy talking of demons and prophecies, and then there’s good old Alice, hugging Hellboy and telling him that he needs to save the world and that it’ll all work out. In many ways, Alice is the more dangerous of the two, despite being the “good guy.” She’s so comforting and so affectionate that we readers are perhaps even more convinced by her than Hellboy himself. All the voices filling Hellboy’s head fill our own, and the issue ends up feeling like a swirling mass of manipulation from all angles.

On art, it’s another great issue from Duncan Fegredo. Fantastic shots of Gothic gloom and old horror castles meet our hulking red hero, all set opposed to hellish blazes of fire. Fegredo and Stewart set up continuous dichotomies between pitch black and searing light that are absolutely fantastic, opposing the stark, haunted, and barren with the dense and cataclysmic activity of hell.

Last month, I stated my strong dislike for the back-up. Thankfully, this month’s back-up, now with Mignola at the helm and a new artist, is far superior. It was a fun, comprehensible, self-contained story that didn’t overreach and ultimately satisfied. Witch-hunt based stories are often good, if not ghoulish, fun, and Mignola certainly knows his stuff in this arena. It’s clear though, especially given the retrospective nature of the narrative, that this story is all about the atmosphere, and thanks in no small part to the scratchier, painted feel, it’s a complete and very dark success in this regard.

What’s Not So Good: Given how fast a read Hellboy always is, even though the back-up was enjoyable, I still lamented not getting a full issue of Hellboy.

Some readers may also be disappointed to learn that no decision is reached this month regarding Excalibur. Even with next month being the finale, Mignola seems to be in no rush.

Conclusion: When the reader’s experience mirrors that of an iconic character, you’re doing something right.

Grade: B+

-Alex Evans

Hellboy: The Wild Hunt #6 – Review

by Mike Mignola (writer), Duncan Fegredo (art), Dave Stewart (colors), Gary Gianni (back-up writer & art), Alex Wald (back-up colors), and Clem Robins (letters)

The Story: A big reveal about Hellboy’s lineage is outed, as he’s given one of the biggest choices he’s ever had to make.

What’s Good: Well, let’s get the obvious out of the way: Duncan Fegredo rules and Hellboy has always been a gorgeous book. Fegredo never falters as, he’s one of the most consistent guys out there. This looks just as we’ve come to expect a Hellboy comic to look: heavy inks and distinctly blocky characters meld with pulpy atmospherics. I also particularly enjoyed the continual shots of gothic architecture and skeletons that were used to punctuate the dialogue scenes, alleviating the “talking heads” problem. The contrast between most of the book and Hellboy’s entrance to the land of Excalibur was also nothing less than beautiful. While the rest of the book is shrouded in moody darkness, that one scene is brilliant, clear, and nothing short of Elysian. It’s clear that Fegredo is a master at his trade, as is colorist Dave Stewart, who always knows how to put Hellboy’s bold red to good use.

Story-wise, the Hellboy portion of the comic is basically just one gigantic, epic reveal that takes up the entire narrative. And man, oh man what a reveal it is. Perhaps because it comes out of left field, this is sure to floor you, whether you’re a new initiate to Hellboy or a long-time devotee.

The reveal is so ridiculous that it actually works. Had this been another comic, I would’ve laughed at how unbelievable and ludicrous this turn of events was, but somehow, in the weird, continually obfuscated world of Hellboy, it is fantastic.  It’s simply so large, grand, and insane that it actually reaches epic status.  Logic, believability, and coincidence be damned. This just goes to show that in Mignola’s world, anything really is possible. While the comic really has created such an enormous suspension of disbelief for itself that I’ll not only accept the must “out there,” crazy, impossible, deus ex machina, and grandiose developments, but I’ll enjoy it all the more for its boldness.

Beyond this, it’s hard to say much about the issue without spoiling anything. Suffice to say, there’s a great action scene, Hellboy sounds like Hellboy, and the revelation of Morganna’s motivations is not to be missed (nor is her sudden change of apperance).

The back-up meanwhile, can only be described as wacky hijinks. Given the gravity of the main feature, the change of pace is fairly welcome. It certainly lightens the mood.

What’s Not So Good: Hellboy has never been a lengthy read, so the presence of the back-up can be a bit frustrating. It really is just totally out there, totally unrelated, light-hearted stuff, and I can’t think of a sane person that wouldn’t’ve just preferred an actual, full-length Hellboy story instead. The fact that this story intentionally reads like a reprint of a forgotten, decades-old horror comic doesn’t exactly justify the necessity of its place. I’m also definitely not a fan of Gianni’s art, which looks like a hybrid of a forgotten Vertigo comic and a forgotten comic strip, both at least twenty years old. It all feels really tiny, dated, and ill-defined.

Also, with the Hellboy feature, bear in mind that this issue really is just a reveal. In many ways, this, along with its shortened length thanks to the second feature, makes it feel a little lighter than a full comic-book sized story. It feels more like an imparting of new info more than a full 22-page narrative.

Conclusion: Excuse me, I’m busy collecting my jaw from the floor.

Grade: B+

-Alex Evans