Hellboy in Hell #5 – Review

by Mike Mignola (Writer/Artist), Dave Stewart (Colorist)

The Story: Hellboy helps a man cheat a demon in order for him to keep his soul.

The Review: Boy has it been a while since the last issue. While it is understandable that Mike Mignola has been a little busy in the last few months (co-writing Baltimore, B.P.R.D., Sledgehammer 47, Lobster Johnson one-shots and Abe Sapien will do that to you), the lack of presence of this delightful series was something that was rather sad for me. Still, better late than never, as the latest issue arrived this very week. However, with all the time that passed, does this issue actually satisfy and continue the story where it left?

In a way, Mignola makes the smart choice of giving readers something more akin to a side-story, one that does not focus exactly on the titular character himself. Telling a complete story all the while, he is able to play with his strengths and manage to give readers something satisfactory.
One of the better aspects of this issue is its atmosphere, with Mignola giving plenty of space to panels upon which there is no texts at all. Focusing instead on the characters and their place in the surreal environment they are in, the story becomes that much more eerie and magical, leaving the panels where they focus on the text and context to be that much more striking. Much of this effect is actually a result of the economy of space Mignola put in his panel, with every elements there for a reason. His sense of depth, his composition and the combination of motion with a certain restraint in the movement of so much create something that should appear static, yet doesn’t.

Hellboy in Hell #4 – Review

By: Mike Mignola (Writer/Artist), Dave Stewart (Colorist)

The Story: Hellboy gets some explanation about who is the masked man that keeps on saving his life and what await for him in Pandemonium.

The Review: Mike Mignola continues his streak. He has done yet another completely satisfying chapter in Hellboy’s life, or rather, in his death. Indeed, the quality is maintained in this fourth and closing chapter of the first part of Hellboy’s saga in Pandemonium, as the author is taking a short break before the next couple of issues arrive, so we will wait a bit before the fifth issue arrive.

This wait shall be torturous, as this issue is so full of revelations, good moments and shows so much potential for the character, it is nearly impossible to accept that there are many months before the next issue. In here, Mignola does close to no action, only exposition. This could be fatal flaw for many books, but here it works perfectly, closing the chapter after the fights with Astaroth and his family. Here, we see just who the masked man who kept on interfering with Hellboy and those who wished him harm in the firsts chapters. Fans of Mignola and his whole universe shall be delighted to know that it is none other than Sir Edward Grey.

Hellboy in Hell #3 – Review

By: Mike Mignola (Writer/Artist), Dave Stewart (Colorist)

The Story: Family meetings in Hell, what could go wrong there?

The Review: Mike Mignola has a talent for the theatrics, for grandeur and for surprising his audience expectation. Anyone who might have figured out how this series is going to play out shall sorely be off put by what he is doing here, but in a good way.

In this issue, Mignola introduces elements that even the long time readers of Hellboy shall be surprised with. Not satisfied with the fact that Astaroth makes another appearance here, we see important characters like Hellboy’s father along with his two brothers, who were never even mentioned earlier in the series, proving us that Mignola can still trick and surprise us in relevant ways. All the characters here add to the large mythos that Mignola had built around his character since the very start, wowing the readers with its great scope and attention to details. Here, many elements are shown and named that could fuel many other issues like this one, showing just what this series could be.