Abe Sapien Integral 3: El ahogado y otras historias

Abe Sapien #1-2, 9

by Mike Mignola, John Arcudi, Scott Allie

LAS HISTORIAS CORTAS PROTAGONIZADAS POR ABE SAPIEN RECOPILADAS EN UN ÚLTIMO VOLUMEN INTEGRAL
Un volumen repleto de aventuras protagonizadas por Abe Sapien realizadas por grandes artistas del cómic americano.
Incluye las historias recopiladas anteriormente en:
- EL AHOGADO
- EL DIABLO NO BROMEA Y OTRAS HISTORIAS
- VIDAS PERDIDAS Y OTRAS HISTORIAS


de Mike Mignola / John Arcudi / Scott Allie / varios artistas

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Fantasy, Supernatural, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

448 pages, Hardcover

First published July 24, 2018

About the author

Mike Mignola was born September 16, 1960 in Berkeley, California and grew up in nearby Oakland. His fascination with ghosts and monsters began at an early age (he doesn't remember why) and reading Dracula at age 13 introduced him to Victorian literature and folklore from which he has never recovered.

In 1982, hoping to find a way to draw monsters for a living, he moved to New York City and began working for Marvel Comics, first as a (very terrible) inker and then as an artist on comics like Rocket Raccoon, Alpha Flight and The Hulk. By the late 80s he had begun to develop his signature style (thin lines, clunky shapes and lots of black) and moved onto higher profile commercial projects like Cosmic Odyssey (1988) and Gotham by Gaslight (1989) for DC Comics, and the not-so-commercial Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser (1990) for Marvel. In 1992, he drew the comic book adaptation of the film Bram Stoker's Dracula for Topps Comics.

In 1993, Mike moved to Dark Horse comics and created Hellboy, a half-demon occult detective who may or may not be the Beast of the Apocalypse. While the first story line (Seed of Destruction, 1994) was co-written by John Byrne, Mike has continued writing the series himself. There are, at this moment, 13 Hellboy graphic novel collections (with more on the way), several spin-off titles (B.P.R.D., Lobster Johnson, Abe Sapien and Witchfinder), three anthologies of prose stories, several novels, two animated films and two live-action films staring Ron Perlman. Hellboy has earned numerous comic industry awards and is published in a great many countries.

Mike also created the award-winning comic book The Amazing Screw-on Head and has co-written two novels (Baltimore, or, the Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire and Joe Golem and the Drowning City) with best-selling author Christopher Golden.

Mike worked (very briefly) with Francis Ford Coppola on his film Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), was a production designer on the Disney film Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) and was visual consultant to director Guillermo del Toro on Blade II (2002), Hellboy (2004) and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008). He lives somewhere in Southern California with his wife, daughter, a lot of books and a cat.

Reviews

[Ruz El · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a passive fan of the series, I came into this thinking of it as being a lesser title from the main Hellboy series. I was wrong. A collection of dead solid, mostly self contained shorter stories. I really enjoyed these. They run the gamut of action to the genuinely spooky. The art varies, but all of it is solid. I really dig the ones that stand out from, as opposed to trying to imitate the Mignola style.

At any rate, I'm glad I picked this one up and look forward to running through these and the BPRD Hell On Earth series.

[Václav · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4 of 5 for Abe Sapien menu with plenty of courses)
Generally yes, mignolaverse/hellboyverse is good stuff pretty much every time. This book is somehow a chronological collection of Abe's stories. Some longer, some shorter, some with an epic finale, some without apparent conclusion. The art varies, there are plenty of different styles to fit (and not to fit) everybody's taste.
I had one major issue - the compilation is just compilation. There is nothing deeper in it, it just feels like snippets from Abe's life. Much of the context is in other stories outside this compilation, and it just feels like photos from some vacation - you frame the major ones and make a random collage from the rest.

[Ashley (Red-Haired Ash Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Series: Abe Sapien #1-2, 9
Rating: 4 stars - It was really good

This is a collection of stories from Abe’s times as an agent with the BRPD and his hunt for his origins. This edition contains the stories: The Drowning, Casualties, the Haunted Boy, The Land of the Dead, Witchcraft & Demonology, The Abyssal Plain, The Devil Does Not Jest, The Ogopogo, Subconscious, Lost Lives and Icthyo Sapian.

As a fan of the Hellboy series I knew I wanted to continue reading Magnola’s work. I jumped into this series first because Abe was one of my favorite characters from the Hellboy series. These are self contained stories, like in the Hellboy series, that take place before and after the Hellboy comics. As someone who has not read any of the BRPD series, I had no problems with following the stories. A few of these stories do discuss major events that happen in the BRPD series but it didn’t impact that specific story because they are self contained. Once I read BRPD I am sure those references will be understood but for now they didn’t bother me.

I really enjoyed these stories from Abe’s POV because while he is different physically like Hellboy, he acts completely different. Abe doesn’t remember his past and struggles to be ‘human’ and relatable like Hellboy can. Abe is just a great character that has some great character development with each story.

Overall, this was a great collection of stories featuring Abe. I can’t wait to jump into the next book and see what else he has done. Also, I really want to know more about his past now that I have seen a glimpse of it.

You can also find my reviews at Red-Haired Ash Reads.
______________________________
Beat the Backlist 2021 - non-human character

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately one of the weaker entries in the Hellboy saga so far. I love Abe as a character, particularly as he's developed in BPRD, but you can't really feel much of that in the majority of these stories. There's a detachedness to these events, and Abe's reaction to them, that echoes the way Hellboy shrugs off even the most absurd monster encounter, but that's not really what Abe's deal is. So something about it just feels weird. Mostly it's Abe swimming toward danger and then swimming away from danger, with a few standout exceptions.

The opener, the titular "The Drowning," is particularly rough, to the point of being almost unreadable. It's the story of Abe's first solo field mission with the BPRD, and as the events unfold, not only does he have no idea what's going on, neither do we. It's a 5-issue story that spends the majority of its pages presenting unfathomable events that make no discernible sense, coupled with some of the worst artwork I've ever seen in a Hellboy book. It's a terrible kickoff to a book that otherwise manages to find some unique stories to tell (even if they too often rely on the idea that Abe can breathe underwater).

So, not a complete disaster by any means, but far from engaging. I hope his solo series, Dark and Terrible is significantly more character-focused and imaginative than this.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I've been reading these books in the Mignolaversity's official Hellboy reading order, so this kind of finished as an addition to 'The Devil You Know' so I'll talk about that first. So, first of all, I realized I should have read this after that lol. It was before the first issue of that volume or something but that's fine. Secondly I thought it actually did still work well as wrap up, The Devil You Know needed just one more thing, and I guess the reveal that Caul and the Oannes Society DID find something big. It all ties back into Abe and his fight and it feels good man.

Now unfortunately for the actual book I finished the rest of it so long ago I barely remember what happened, but flipping through the pages I was reminded of a few good stories, like Ogopogo or when we first meet Iosef.
Also I found one of my bookmarks coming back to this, so that was a fun easter egg I left for myself!

[Bo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The collection begins with the story that gives it its name, and it’s alright. A 3 out of 5 or thereabouts. But after that it’s all five star stuff. Mignola, Arcudi and Allie all brought their A-game and the artists involved in the various short stories are very varied and usually extremely good.

[Philip James Ahlschlager · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely the strongest of the Abe Omnis, came back to this in the Mignolaversity reading order for “Icthyo Sapien”.

[OmniBen · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Zero spoiler review)
Finally, and I do mean finally, we get a non Hellboy book in the Mignola universe that doesn't both suck and blow concurrently. The art (although not always perfect) is stronger. The narratives are unquestionably better than anything in the previous two Abe books, or in the BPRD Hell on Earth series. The short story format, with more of a Lovecraftian slant is a breath of fresh air and far closer to what I want from a Hellboy/BPRD book, then the action-esque slop that has been served up to me far too often. Allie and Arcudi buck the trend and don't shit the bed here, which is nice. And right when I was about to sell the entire OOP series for some serious dollary doo's. I guess I might just have to keep it then. A very strong collection, indeed. More of the same, please. 4/5


OmniBen.

[Devin · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a breath of fresh air compared to most of what I’ve been reading. I really dug about half of the stories in here.

My favorites were the one where he was sent to retrieve the knife, the boy possession, and then the one where they go to main to meet the guys uncle.

This is also where I learned that I don’t like Scott Allie. His dialog doesn’t flow how I like an everything just feels so clunky.

The other stories made up for it though + most have solid art

This one is a keep, because I’ll reread it for sure

[Jack Reickel · Rating 4 out of 5]

At least one of the stories, "The Devil Does Not Jest" with James Harren on the linework, is a slam-dunk 5-star Hellboy-universe story. Wow that story is great. The rest tend to be very strong, but otherwise don't break into that top-top strata. Good stories for supernatural horror, and it's Abe, so they tend a towards sea-related supernatural horror stories (but not all).

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because it's not so much a cohesive story as a series of vignettes (along an admittedly well-adhered to timeline), its harder to judge this series "as a piece". Many of the artists do a fantastic job, the use of real world folklore is great, and Abe constantly struggles between "fitting in", being a good agent, and dealing with his past. Not all the emotional beats resonated, but when they did I enjoyed them. I've always been fascinated with the "Creature from the Black Lagoon" and creatures of that sort, I had only seen versions of Abe from his Film appearances, happy to say his comic counterpart did not disappoint even if I wouldve really enjoyed a truly "long form" story for him. Thats probably my biggest issue, "The Drowning" is in fact, very good and emotionally impactful, I wouldnt take away its standalone status if I wanted to, but most of the rest wouldve been more enjoyable with more room to breathe, and maybe fewer unanswered questiones (though its entirely possible the main Hellboy and BPRD books answer them). I wasnt so much disappointed as much as I just wish there had been more page space. But do check out of this character has always intrigued you.

[Cale · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of early Abe Sapien stories is a little scattershot in its coverage, with stories from the early pre-War of Frogs days and a couple from the Hell on Earth era, which is a little disconcerting. But it makes up for it with some of the best art I've seen in any Hellboy-related series. Witchcraft & Demonology looks like Dore's best, and Subconscious has amazing color work. Lost Lives also does good work with both color and style, although none of these are really channeling Mignola's distinct approach.
Some of the stories provide some good coverage for Abe's history, and setting up Strobl's as well. But overall, they feel a little distant from the main BPRD plots. And several are very slight; sort of a Monster-of-the-week TV series approach, with tones that vary to match.
Still, there's a lot of stuff here, and most of it is good to very good. The Abyssal Plain nails Abe's character better than almost anything else I've read. Definitely worth the read for any BPRD fans, but especially those that love Abe.

[Storm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything else has been included in the other trade paperbacks, save for the small short story
The Calm Before the Storm, which details what happened before Langdon Caul set forth to look for relics in an undersea city.

[Clinton · Rating 3 out of 5]

*SPOILERS*

The Drowning is the letdown story in this collection. For some reason, demons that are trying to resurrect a warlock become East Asian men in modern time. One of them floats around.

Witchcraft and Demonology is the standout and gory even for Hellboy standards.

[Nate]

“The Drowning” opens this collection as the longest story here. It’s also one of the weakest. Abe is two years into his B.P.R.D. career, sent to a small French island to retrieve the remains of a warlock and the supernatural dagger that supposedly killed him. Of course it’s not as easy as it seems, and Abe becomes involved in a larger mystery surrounding the island. I like the setup of this story but the storytelling gets convoluted towards the middle. Mignola includes a lot of backstory, and not always gracefully, resulting in lessened excitement. I’m also not into Jason Shawn Alexander’s scratchy art. Aside from a few striking images, it’s a weird fit for Abe. All in all, a disappointing start to the collection.

Thankfully, the short stories are all pretty good, even if they’re sort of forgettable. They’re arranged chronologically with the final story taking place during the Hell on Earth period. We see Abe go on a bunch of cool missions basically. He doesn’t have much personality until the later stories - I find that Abe doesn’t become interesting until he discovers his past and after Hellboy leaves B.P.R.D. So most of these stories are decidedly plot-driven with little character development for Abe. I still enjoyed them though, especially “The Abyssal Plain,” where Abe and a pirate crew retrieve a powerful helmet from the ocean, and “Land of the Dead” which sees the return of Camazotz in Xiabalba. Those are the best of the bunch, I think. There’s excellent art here as well, but the best-looking stories are sadly the weakest: “Witchcraft & Demonology” is stunningly drawn by Santiago Caruso, but the story is entirely exposition. Likewise, Mark Nelson’s art is gorgeously dreamy in “Subconscious,” which is too too brief to leave an impression. Guy Davis, Peter Snejbjerg, and Kevin Nowlan also rise to the top in the art department.

On the whole, this is a decent collection but I was left wanting more. Abe is a great character, but he’s more compelling in B.P.R.D. and Hellboy than he is here. Hopefully other Abe solo stories reverse course and give him more attention instead of being all about plot.

[Krzysztof Grabowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mógłbym rzec krótko: dla fanów twórczości Mignoli i postaci Hellboy'a absolutny must have. Choć to trzecia wydana pozycja z serii na polskim rynku, to de facto od niej należałoby zacząć przygodę z Abe'm. Tylko, że mniej więcej pod koniec tego zacnego zbioru następuje pewien poważny spoiler, co do pochodzenia postaci, więc przezornie zaczął bym od dwóch tomów Abe Sapien. Mroczne i straszliwe.

Całość to zbiór opowiadań, które skupiają się na postaci Sapiena, kiedy zostaje on wysłany na szereg własnych misji, czasami tylko w asyście swojego rogatego kolegi. Bohater musi sobie sam radzić i jakoś mu to wychodzi. Czasami nawet lepiej niż samemu Hellboyowi. Jak to bywa przy zbiorach opowiadań, następują wahania jakości poszczególnych opowiadań. I tak jest tutaj, choć miałem wrażenie że tylko dwie historie, w tym ta z przeszłości Abe, są co najwyżej średnie. Reszta jest niezmiennie fantastyczna, choć nieco monotonna.

Bo Abe rusza na miejsce i ma rozwiązać problem. Zazwyczaj siłą. I czy to historia o Ogopogo, czy to wyprawa do dżungli, gdzie w wodzie giną ludzie, a obok znajdują się zatopione ruiny dawnej cywilizacji. Wszystko to łączy wartka akcja. Na przestrzeni poszczególnych fabuł Abe zmienia się, tak zarówno za zdobytym doświadczeniem, jak i fizycznie. "W odmętach", jako pierwsza historia ustawia całość w odpowiednim kierunku i tak będzie do końca.

Okultyzm, magia, klątwy, dawne wierzenia czy obrządki, diabły, inne wymiary, różnorodne potwory i wierzenia ze wszystkich stron świata. Tego dostaniecie tu w nadmiarze. Całości towarzyszy charakterystyczna kreska dla serii, choć zdarzają się odstępstwa. W większości są całkiem przyjemne dla oka, ale zdarzają się i takie, które czytałem tylko ze względu na fabułę.

Tom jak najbardziej wart nabycia, już nie tylko dla fana Hellboy'a, choć prawda jest taka, że kontakt z jakąkolwiek odsłoną z tej obszernej serii, zaowocuje ochotą na więcej. I ja tak nadal mam. Pani Mignola, twórz Pan jak najwięcej bo Pańskie uniwersum to idealna alternatywna dla Marvela czy DC.

[Mykhailo Gasyuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Просто кілька історій про роботу Ейба Сапієна на БРПД у різні роки. Самі сюжети цікаві, але не дотягують до рівня Хеллбоя чи Бюро. Виглядає, як Ікс-Файли на водах: там, де червоний диявол не зміг би пройти, в нагоді стає Ейб-амфібія. Розвиток персонажа тут сприймається фоново, є навіть кілька незначних спойлерів до основного сюжету Бюро. Ейб постійно страждає через те, що не зміг когось врятувати, але це швидко губиться. В сюжети потрапили також Едвард Грей та Штробль, важливі персонажі для всього цього вигаданого всесвіту.

Чи пропускати? Радше ні, ніж так. Тут є цікаві повороти, хоча у Ейба зовсім інша механіка взаємодії з паранормальними явищами.

[Jesse Patts · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve done way too many 3 stars in a row but whatever, this is a solid collection but not mandatory reading, and only disappointing in the sense that it eludes to many mysteries and payoffs in the age sapien mythos, that I don’t believe are fully paid off in the remainder of the Abe sapien/BPRD series. But Abe sapien is one of my favourite BPRD characters, so I’ll take what I can get of his solo adventures.

[J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was quite surprised at the overall quality of this collection. I expected, with such a variety of artists, that it would be all over the place. But in fact, almost all the stories are at least good, and a significant number of them are excellent. Very, very cool.

[Gary Postlethwaite]

This book ends with 2 stories that are preceded by a paragraph that spoils the ending to Hellboy Omnibus Vol. 3 The Wild Hunt and some of BPRD book I didn’t think I would have to read because the events of all of those books are suppose to be after the events of this one.

[Jonathan Crites · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of Mignolaverse read through - this collection brings together all the Abe Sapien stories from over the years before he got his own ongoing series. A great variety of story, writers and art; it reminded me of how Abe is a man of few words. Recommended if you like Hellboy or the BPRD.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

[3.7]
Some really good stories, and some mediocre ones. It was distracting with so many different artists and styles. Although incomplete, it tells us a lot more about Abe Sapien.
All in all it was great and a must for any Hellboy and BPRD fan, and recommended for anyone else.

[Tarus Omoruyi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abe's Awesome!!!

Great artwork from industry-kings will be enjoyed within these pages. The stories will enchant as much as they will disturb you. This is a real treasure for anyone with an affinity for monsters.

[Doug Duncan · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book was okay, it was nice seeing some of the other main cast from Hellboy and bprd here after the reading order had me on a journey through spinoffs for a while. I wasn't wowed by anything here, though nothing was bad either.

[Andy Zell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed these solo adventures of Abe Sapien during his early years with the BPRD. I'm a big fan of the Mignola-verse, and this volume adds another good piece to the picture.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good stories. Some more about the origin of Abe. Some artifacts that I want to use in games.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best of the Abe Sapien solo books, it is atmospheric and creepy, leaning into the smaller scale tales where the character works best.

[Ross Marke · Rating 4 out of 5]

wooooooooo fishies

[Jack T · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[Isaac · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars