What do you think?
Rate this book
Hellboy: Weird Tales #1-2
Hellboy: Weird Tales Omnibus
Some of the best writers and artists in comics team up to present stories of Hellboy with giant bats, demon children, jet packs, haunted circuses, and rusted-out spaceships. Old-fashioned pulp fun featuring one of the greatest heroes of modern comics.
261 pages, Hardcover
First published December 9, 2014
15 people are currently reading
218 people want to read
About the author
Mike Mignola
1,864 books2,528 followersMike 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.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
April 26, 2016
When Mike Mignola went to work on the first Hellboy movie, rather than put the comic on hiatus, he handed the reins over to a revolving door of writers and artists to put together short comics featuring Big Red. The results are collected in this large hardcover anthology, Weird Tales.
The stories themselves aren’t particularly memorable. Out of the twenty or so here, Mignola’s is one of the few that stands out, showing how tricky it is to write Hellboy and how talented Mignola is to do so for multiple books. His story, How Koshchei Became Deathless, with art by Guy Davis and Dave Stewart, is an interesting Eastern European-type myth about an honourable knight who is betrayed, resurrected and gets his revenge.
Eric Powell’s Midnight Cowboy follows kid Hellboy after he accidentally mutates his dog. Randy Stradley’s Hot sees Hellboy investigating a haunted Japanese onsen (hot spring) in the late ‘60s. The stories are just ok but, like practically everything in this book, I enjoyed the art more than the writing - Seung Kim’s pencils in Hot are awesome.
Steve Parkhouse’s art in Flight Risk, Roger Langridge’s in Abe Sapien, Star of the BRPD, Alex Maleev and Matt Hollingsworth’s in Still Born, Scott Morse’s in Cool Your Head, Andi Watson’s in Party Pooper, and Craig Thompson’s in My Vacation in Hell, all look fantastic even if the stories are pretty much instantly forgettable.
Weird Tales is an excellent showcase of artistic talent even if the writing throughout is pretty weak. Hellboy is a series it seems is much more fun, not to mention easier, to draw than to write!
The stories themselves aren’t particularly memorable. Out of the twenty or so here, Mignola’s is one of the few that stands out, showing how tricky it is to write Hellboy and how talented Mignola is to do so for multiple books. His story, How Koshchei Became Deathless, with art by Guy Davis and Dave Stewart, is an interesting Eastern European-type myth about an honourable knight who is betrayed, resurrected and gets his revenge.
Eric Powell’s Midnight Cowboy follows kid Hellboy after he accidentally mutates his dog. Randy Stradley’s Hot sees Hellboy investigating a haunted Japanese onsen (hot spring) in the late ‘60s. The stories are just ok but, like practically everything in this book, I enjoyed the art more than the writing - Seung Kim’s pencils in Hot are awesome.
Steve Parkhouse’s art in Flight Risk, Roger Langridge’s in Abe Sapien, Star of the BRPD, Alex Maleev and Matt Hollingsworth’s in Still Born, Scott Morse’s in Cool Your Head, Andi Watson’s in Party Pooper, and Craig Thompson’s in My Vacation in Hell, all look fantastic even if the stories are pretty much instantly forgettable.
Weird Tales is an excellent showcase of artistic talent even if the writing throughout is pretty weak. Hellboy is a series it seems is much more fun, not to mention easier, to draw than to write!
January 1, 2017
A mix of short comics. Some I've read before (I think they're all little side stories that were originally included in other comics), but they weren't bad to re-read. Overall, they're pretty standard for the series. It's kind of funny - I liked the first one, "How Koshchei became immortal" the best, myself, and my least favourite was actually the last bit more n the book, "My vacation in hell".
July 25, 2025
A classic mixed bag of short stories. None of them really stand out. None of them are truly awful, but none of them are particularly interesting either, except perhaps the origin story of Koschei the Deathless.
The positive point is that most of them are very well illustrated.
Only for completists.
The positive point is that most of them are very well illustrated.
Only for completists.
November 20, 2019
In general, I like this kind of "non-canonic" short stories from any well-established lore created by different artists with their very own style. And I looked forward to Hellboy ones. And I'm actually happy how they turned out. Some are funny, some are philosophical, some are action ones and some of them are just stories "along the way" without any distinctive ending. They all complement Hellboy universe in own way even if I know they are out of the actual universe. I recommend this to any Hellboy/BPRD fan. The stories are short and count on some knowledge about Hellboy universe, so beginners to it should leave this for later, to get the most out of it. Because it is worth the waiting.
February 26, 2019
Should have probably expected it. Short stories based around Hellboy written by a bunch of authors. Some good some bad none really that memorable.
April 30, 2018
14th book read in 2018.
Number 184 out of 674 on my all time book list.
Pretty great considering the numerous authors who contributed.
Number 184 out of 674 on my all time book list.
Pretty great considering the numerous authors who contributed.
December 21, 2022
Mignola to jest po prostu GENIUSZ. Ten komiks tak zachwyca wizualnie i tak pociąga treściowo, że O MÓJ BOŻE. Fantastyczna rzecz. Tylko podziwiać 😈
August 8, 2024
✭✭
As recounted by Dark Horse editor, Scott Allie, the two Hellboy Weird Tales volumes had their genesis in the first Guillermo del Toro Hellboy movie. Unlike many authors whose works wind up on the screen, Mike Mignola was fortunate to be heavily involved in the creative process. That was great for the movie; what wasn’t so great (from Dark Horse’s perspective) was that because of Mignola’s work on the film, there were no Hellboy comics in the product pipeline. (This was back in the days when the Hellboy comics were written and drawn almost exclusively by Mignola.) Someone (it’s not clear exactly who) had the idea to solicit other artists to offer up their own visions of Hellboy and package the results in a couple of anthologies.
The result is a hodgepodge of radically differing artistic styles and themes. None of the stories are essential to a wider understanding of the Hellboy or B.P.R.D. canons. In some cases, the thematic concerns of the writers seem to bear little or no relation to those of Mignola et al.; the most blatant example here is a sententious piece entitled “The Children of the Black Mound” which . And too many of the entries have an irreverent take on Hellboy à la Mignola’s own two-pager, “Pancakes”. Don’t get me wrong — I kinda enjoyed “Pancakes”, but there are too many such stories here to suit my taste. And too often the humor in these efforts misses the mark — cf. “Lobster Johnson: Action Detective Adventure”. On the flip side, those pieces trending towards more serious concerns are too often hamstrung by the space constraints of the anthology format; specifically, almost all of these stories are limited to 10 pages or less.
Surveying the reviews for Weird Tales, there is an interesting range of responses — readers seem to love or hate it. Perhaps those differences are a function of whether the reader can approach the stories in the right frame of mind. I’ll freely admit that I was hoping for material that was a little more serious and that connected more strongly with other stuff in the Mignolaverse; and if, like me, that’s what you’re looking for, you’ll be disappointed. If, in contrast, you can accept and maybe even embrace the aforementioned limitations, this may just be your cup of tea.
Addendum: As of 1 April 2015 both Goodreads and Amazon have miscataloged/misidentified this edition (ASIN: B00PYYXZ2W) as being synonymous with Hellboy: Weird Tales, Volume 1. In fact, this edition incorporates Hellboy: Weird Tales, Volume 1; Hellboy: Weird Tales, Volume 2; plus two other Hellboy stories originally published elsewhere.
As recounted by Dark Horse editor, Scott Allie, the two Hellboy Weird Tales volumes had their genesis in the first Guillermo del Toro Hellboy movie. Unlike many authors whose works wind up on the screen, Mike Mignola was fortunate to be heavily involved in the creative process. That was great for the movie; what wasn’t so great (from Dark Horse’s perspective) was that because of Mignola’s work on the film, there were no Hellboy comics in the product pipeline. (This was back in the days when the Hellboy comics were written and drawn almost exclusively by Mignola.) Someone (it’s not clear exactly who) had the idea to solicit other artists to offer up their own visions of Hellboy and package the results in a couple of anthologies.
The result is a hodgepodge of radically differing artistic styles and themes. None of the stories are essential to a wider understanding of the Hellboy or B.P.R.D. canons. In some cases, the thematic concerns of the writers seem to bear little or no relation to those of Mignola et al.; the most blatant example here is a sententious piece entitled “The Children of the Black Mound” which . And too many of the entries have an irreverent take on Hellboy à la Mignola’s own two-pager, “Pancakes”. Don’t get me wrong — I kinda enjoyed “Pancakes”, but there are too many such stories here to suit my taste. And too often the humor in these efforts misses the mark — cf. “Lobster Johnson: Action Detective Adventure”. On the flip side, those pieces trending towards more serious concerns are too often hamstrung by the space constraints of the anthology format; specifically, almost all of these stories are limited to 10 pages or less.
Surveying the reviews for Weird Tales, there is an interesting range of responses — readers seem to love or hate it. Perhaps those differences are a function of whether the reader can approach the stories in the right frame of mind. I’ll freely admit that I was hoping for material that was a little more serious and that connected more strongly with other stuff in the Mignolaverse; and if, like me, that’s what you’re looking for, you’ll be disappointed. If, in contrast, you can accept and maybe even embrace the aforementioned limitations, this may just be your cup of tea.
Addendum: As of 1 April 2015 both Goodreads and Amazon have miscataloged/misidentified this edition (ASIN: B00PYYXZ2W) as being synonymous with Hellboy: Weird Tales, Volume 1. In fact, this edition incorporates Hellboy: Weird Tales, Volume 1; Hellboy: Weird Tales, Volume 2; plus two other Hellboy stories originally published elsewhere.
Read
December 25, 2019(4 of 5 for thick collection of Hellboy homages)
This is a funny intermezzo in Hellboyverse. With two canonic tales and rest non-canonic tales covering wide kind of tales from drama to shenanigans. I like that. It's fun, with a rich variety of authors and artists. Some of the tales would qualify as canonical, high-quality content honouring the means of this universe, while others are just for fun. There are few which I'm not very fancy about, but overall satisfaction is very good and it still works very well even on the second read.
This is a funny intermezzo in Hellboyverse. With two canonic tales and rest non-canonic tales covering wide kind of tales from drama to shenanigans. I like that. It's fun, with a rich variety of authors and artists. Some of the tales would qualify as canonical, high-quality content honouring the means of this universe, while others are just for fun. There are few which I'm not very fancy about, but overall satisfaction is very good and it still works very well even on the second read.
March 27, 2024
(2024)
Оскільки, я писав відгук на цей том ще вісім років тому, то скажу про історії, котрі на цей раз вразили найбільше. Найкрінжовіша: про Сталіна, котрий перемагає Бабу Ягу (sic!)
Найеротичніша: Японська демониця викликає в Геллбоя ерекцію одного рога.
Найсмішніша: про Геллбря лудита і одержимий принтер, котрий друкував фото оголеної задниці старої секретарки. Найдивніша: з сюрреалістичним артом Малєєва і мертвонародженням. Найкращий малюнок: Мої вакації в пеклі Ґреґа Томпсона.
Улюблений арт: божичний Лі Бермехо зображає Геллбоя в бою Големом.
*
(2016)
Дивні історії виявилися дійсно дивними.
В період, коли Міньйола працював разом з Дель Торо над випуском першого фільму про Хеллбоя, він був дуже зайнятий сценарієм фільму.
Але , зважаючи на те, потрібно було підігріти увагу публіки до персонажа. Саме в цей період він зважився на відчайдушний і хоробрий крок – зібрав команду абсолютно різних видатних творців коміксів (художників і сценаристів) і дав їм повну свободу дій у створенні власної історії про рогатого героя і світ в якому він живе.
Всі історії по-суті є накононічними, тобто ніяк не впливають на історію світу і є свого роду самостійними історіями.
Всі вони різні, починаючи від абсолютно божевільно-смішного Лобстера Джонсона ( Вібро-Деструкто Машина і нацисти) і закінчуючи просто шедевральною еротично-філософською історію в гіперреалістичному стилі від сценариста Randy Stradley і художника Seung Kim.
Деякі фанати сприймають їх обурливо, кажуть , що то страшна єресь, коли з готичним світом Хеллбоя творять таке, але, як на мене , то це досить цікаві роботи і з ними варто ознайомитись.
Оскільки, я писав відгук на цей том ще вісім років тому, то скажу про історії, котрі на цей раз вразили найбільше. Найкрінжовіша: про Сталіна, котрий перемагає Бабу Ягу (sic!)
Найеротичніша: Японська демониця викликає в Геллбоя ерекцію одного рога.
Найсмішніша: про Геллбря лудита і одержимий принтер, котрий друкував фото оголеної задниці старої секретарки. Найдивніша: з сюрреалістичним артом Малєєва і мертвонародженням. Найкращий малюнок: Мої вакації в пеклі Ґреґа Томпсона.
Улюблений арт: божичний Лі Бермехо зображає Геллбоя в бою Големом.
*
(2016)
Дивні історії виявилися дійсно дивними.
В період, коли Міньйола працював разом з Дель Торо над випуском першого фільму про Хеллбоя, він був дуже зайнятий сценарієм фільму.
Але , зважаючи на те, потрібно було підігріти увагу публіки до персонажа. Саме в цей період він зважився на відчайдушний і хоробрий крок – зібрав команду абсолютно різних видатних творців коміксів (художників і сценаристів) і дав їм повну свободу дій у створенні власної історії про рогатого героя і світ в якому він живе.
Всі історії по-суті є накононічними, тобто ніяк не впливають на історію світу і є свого роду самостійними історіями.
Всі вони різні, починаючи від абсолютно божевільно-смішного Лобстера Джонсона ( Вібро-Деструкто Машина і нацисти) і закінчуючи просто шедевральною еротично-філософською історію в гіперреалістичному стилі від сценариста Randy Stradley і художника Seung Kim.
Деякі фанати сприймають їх обурливо, кажуть , що то страшна єресь, коли з готичним світом Хеллбоя творять таке, але, як на мене , то це досить цікаві роботи і з ними варто ознайомитись.
July 27, 2015
Fantastic artwork, and very short stories written and drawn by different people. Some featured Hellboy, and others the rest of the BRPD.
November 10, 2017
A weird (appropriately) little collection of all-star Hellboy vignettes that vary from the dark to the delightful, with an emphasis on different artists' takes on the Mignolaverse. I'll rate each short individually, some work better than others at storytelling, some exist purely as slap-dash expression, but nothing falls short of fun. Particular favourites were 'Love Is Scarier Than Death' and 'Fifteen Minutes...' for their sumptuous watercolour work by J. H. Williams III and Jill Thompson respectively, John Cassaday's second story, 'Big-Top-Hell-Boy' for hitting all the right notes in so succinct a manner, and Craig Thompson's 'My Vaction In Hell' for giving Hellboy a somewhat happier time in Hell than his own creator did...
How Koshchei Became Deathless (Mignola/Davis) ★★★★
Baba Yaga's Feast (Mignola/Davis) ★★★★
The Children Of The Black Mound (Nicieza/Raffaele) ★★★
Lobster Johnson: Action Detective Adventure (Cassaday) ★★
Midnight Cowboy (Powell) ★★★
Haunted (Sniegoski/Nedelcu) ★★
A Love Story (Edwards) ★★
Hot (Stradley/Kim) ★★★★
Flight Risk (Casey/Parkhouse) ★★
Family Story (Ryan/Lieber) ★★★
Shattered (Marz/Starlin) ★★★★
Love Is Scarier Than Death (Blackman/J. H. Williams III) ★★★★★
Command Performance (Pfeifer/Russell) ★★★
Big-Top-Hell-Boy (Cassaday) ★★★★★
Theatre Of The Dead (Pascoe/Fassbender/Wilkins) ★★
Abe Sapien: Star Of The B.P.R.D. (Arcudi/Langridge) ★★
Fifteen Minutes... (Jill Thompson) ★★★★★
Still Born (Hollingsworth/Maleev) ★★★★
The Dread Within (Pearson) ★★★★
Cool Your Head (Morse) ★★★
Toy Soldier (Yoshida/Asamiya) ★★
Downtime (Fingerman) ★★★
Friday (Petrie/Colan) ★★★
Professional Help (Dorkin) ★★★
Party Pooper (Watson) ★★
Curse Of The Haunted Doily (Ricketts/Wright) ★★
Long Distance Caller (Walker) ★★★
My Vacation In Hell (Craig Thompson) ★★★★★
(overall score set as an average of total)
How Koshchei Became Deathless (Mignola/Davis) ★★★★
Baba Yaga's Feast (Mignola/Davis) ★★★★
The Children Of The Black Mound (Nicieza/Raffaele) ★★★
Lobster Johnson: Action Detective Adventure (Cassaday) ★★
Midnight Cowboy (Powell) ★★★
Haunted (Sniegoski/Nedelcu) ★★
A Love Story (Edwards) ★★
Hot (Stradley/Kim) ★★★★
Flight Risk (Casey/Parkhouse) ★★
Family Story (Ryan/Lieber) ★★★
Shattered (Marz/Starlin) ★★★★
Love Is Scarier Than Death (Blackman/J. H. Williams III) ★★★★★
Command Performance (Pfeifer/Russell) ★★★
Big-Top-Hell-Boy (Cassaday) ★★★★★
Theatre Of The Dead (Pascoe/Fassbender/Wilkins) ★★
Abe Sapien: Star Of The B.P.R.D. (Arcudi/Langridge) ★★
Fifteen Minutes... (Jill Thompson) ★★★★★
Still Born (Hollingsworth/Maleev) ★★★★
The Dread Within (Pearson) ★★★★
Cool Your Head (Morse) ★★★
Toy Soldier (Yoshida/Asamiya) ★★
Downtime (Fingerman) ★★★
Friday (Petrie/Colan) ★★★
Professional Help (Dorkin) ★★★
Party Pooper (Watson) ★★
Curse Of The Haunted Doily (Ricketts/Wright) ★★
Long Distance Caller (Walker) ★★★
My Vacation In Hell (Craig Thompson) ★★★★★
(overall score set as an average of total)
April 11, 2023
27 different tales from the Hellboy universe are compiled in this volume. The stories feature Hellboy himself, though close to half are about other characters related to him, both heroes and villains. The art styles vary widely, from some that faithfully imitate Mignola's dark and brooding visuals to others that are more like comics, to occasional eclectic styles. The stories also run the gamut, from horror to comedy to winsome character studies. Naturally, the appeal for individual readers will shift. None of the stories are earth-shattering and they only tangentially relate to Hellboy's larger story. As a bunch of side stories, I enjoyed just about everything, so I was happy with the collection.
My favorite stories were the first, "How Koshchei Became Deathless," and "Theatre of the Dead." Special honors goes to "Lobster Johnson: Action Detective Adventure," which presents the story as a Sunday newspaper comic appearing over several weeks, with that distinctive art style and repetitious story reviews.
Recommended, highly for Hellboy fans.
My favorite stories were the first, "How Koshchei Became Deathless," and "Theatre of the Dead." Special honors goes to "Lobster Johnson: Action Detective Adventure," which presents the story as a Sunday newspaper comic appearing over several weeks, with that distinctive art style and repetitious story reviews.
Recommended, highly for Hellboy fans.
July 22, 2024
What is it about Hellboy that seems to bring out the best in creative teams? Everybody who has a go at either Big Red or the BPRD seems to just *get* the assignment (caveat: I've only read up to vol. 4 of BPRD and vol. 3 of Hellboy - Omnibus edition).
Is it the subject matter - two-fisted pulp combined with global folklore and a dollop of wry humor? The relatively few editorial headaches of a self-contained universe unburdened by annual crossover events? The underlying warmth that all the main characters have for each other?
Well, I don't work on any Hellboy comics, so I couldn't tell ya, but it's working!
Is it the subject matter - two-fisted pulp combined with global folklore and a dollop of wry humor? The relatively few editorial headaches of a self-contained universe unburdened by annual crossover events? The underlying warmth that all the main characters have for each other?
Well, I don't work on any Hellboy comics, so I couldn't tell ya, but it's working!
February 1, 2021
A little uneven.
January 23, 2022
Love Hellboy and loved these shorts...I enjoyed the "folklore" it added for the Hellboy franchise.
September 11, 2023
Klasický problém s povídkami - některé jsou super a na malém prostoru sdělí vše a člověk nechce, aby skončily nebo měly pokračování, jiné se na pár stránkách táhnou jak smrad.
March 25, 2023
Anthologies are tough to rate, these ranged from exceptional to ok and or just silly and fun. Low 4 / high 3 for sure.
June 21, 2016
Weird Tales is a mish-mash of stories from many different artists and writers, all riffing on the Hellboy universe. While most of the tales involve Hellboy, some focus on his friends from the BPRD. The art ranges from fantastic to dreadful, but the stories all fall in the "okay" category. Many of them tried to be funny--but almost none of them were. Some tried to be serious--but the short format meant they weren't given time to breathe, so it was over too quickly. Worst of all is that not one of the stories was remarkable or memorable. Not one. The 2-star "it was okay" fits perfectly here. I didn't hate it but I can't think of a single good reason to recommend this book.
October 24, 2015
This book is unfairly maligned. While some stories are better than others, they're all pretty fun (and much, much better than the horrible Hellboy Junior series). It's cool seeing other creators put their spin on HB and pals. Definitely not essential, but worth the read, especially for the two in-continuity stories by Mignola.
February 28, 2023
I have rarely read comics or graphic novels prior to seeing their movie adaptations, and Hellboy is no exception. I enjoyed the 2004 movie and its 2008 sequel but only just now picked up this anthology collection of Hellboy comics. It's difficult to know where to start with any western comic series, so Hellboy: Weird Tales was actually a perfect injection point for me since nothing from these comics is necessarily canon. Instead, I was able to enjoy other artists' take on this demon-fighting character's adventures.
As with any anthology collection, not everything in Weird Tales is great. Still, there were a few comics that I enjoyed over the others. I appreciated the parody of comic books in the "Lobster Johnson" section and the manga-like "Hot" that also felt appropriate given the Japanese setting. The art style and punchline of "Haunted" were both entertaining. "Flight Risk" was bold and action-filled. "Family Story" and "The Dread Within" both had great twists. "Love is Scarier than Death" felt like it gave a side of Hellboy that might not be seen often.
Considering that the only thing that ties any of the stories together is that they share the Hellboy universe, there are some drastically different styles in this omnibus. If you're reading this for more of the original artist's work, you'd probably be better served looking elsewhere. Still, if you come in with an open mind, you might find some interesting storylines that are neatly wrapped up by the end of each of their respective comics. As bite-sized little pieces, I got to know some of these characters better and now I feel obligated to track down more of these collections from the canon since this collection has piqued my interest.
A good jumping-off point for getting into Hellboy, I give Hellboy: Weird Tales 3.5 stars out of 5.
1/2
April 10, 2020
The first warning that this collection of Hellboy/BPRD stories by people who have been begging Mignola to guest star in his comics is just that—this is what you get when Mignola is almost entirely out of the picture.
The second warning is in the introduction, where we learn that this was put together mainly to cash in on the release of the first Hellboy movie, since there were not other Hellboy or BPRD books due to come out. One shouldn;t begrudge a publisher wanting to take advantage of a clear market opportunity. But at least do it with quality material, not a massive collection of B-sides.
The result is a large collection of Hellboy and BPRD stories that vary wildly in tone and quality. A few of the tales are well executed but most simply illustrate how Hellboy seems like an easy character to write for, but Mignola brings a very particular sense to it that becomes readily apparent once it is not there at all. There is a big difference between a story by Mignola but written y somebody else and a story that never involved Mignola in the first place,
And that is what rings so false throughout much of this book. Not that so many of the stories offer cringe art or are just poorly written, but that so often they seem like they just don’t get the thing they’re trying to cover.
Weird Tales probably looked good in the planning stage, but it just feels like an extended mistake.
The second warning is in the introduction, where we learn that this was put together mainly to cash in on the release of the first Hellboy movie, since there were not other Hellboy or BPRD books due to come out. One shouldn;t begrudge a publisher wanting to take advantage of a clear market opportunity. But at least do it with quality material, not a massive collection of B-sides.
The result is a large collection of Hellboy and BPRD stories that vary wildly in tone and quality. A few of the tales are well executed but most simply illustrate how Hellboy seems like an easy character to write for, but Mignola brings a very particular sense to it that becomes readily apparent once it is not there at all. There is a big difference between a story by Mignola but written y somebody else and a story that never involved Mignola in the first place,
And that is what rings so false throughout much of this book. Not that so many of the stories offer cringe art or are just poorly written, but that so often they seem like they just don’t get the thing they’re trying to cover.
Weird Tales probably looked good in the planning stage, but it just feels like an extended mistake.
Read
May 19, 2020When Mike Mignola was working on the first Hellboy movie, Dark Horse wanted to promote it with a new series. Weird Tales was the result, an homage to the pulp anthology of old and a space for creators to tell out-of-continuity Hellboy stories. The title page lists 57(!) different people which should give you an idea of what this book is like: short stories (10 pages or less) with a variety of moods and art styles. While most of the stories are instantly forgettable, I had enough fun with them. Maybe because it’s the last story is still fresh in my mind, but Craig Thompson’s “My Vacation in Hell” is my favorite in the book. It’s a hilarious tour of Hell with fantastic art. In fact, all these stories have good to great art, suggesting that Weird Tales was more artist-driven affair than writer’s fest. I should note that two Mignola-written stories open the book about Koshchei the Deathless and Baba Yaga. Unsurprisingly, they’re two of the best stories here.
It’s far from essential, but if you want lighthearted Hellboy fun with nice art you’ll get some enjoyment out of Weird Tales.
It’s far from essential, but if you want lighthearted Hellboy fun with nice art you’ll get some enjoyment out of Weird Tales.
June 12, 2021
Rating: 4 stars - It was really good
This is a collection of short Hellboy comics from various artists and writers. These were created during the filming of the first Hellboy movie when Mignola didn’t have time to put out new comics, so they had other artists create stories in this world.
I really enjoyed this weird and unique collection. It was fascinating seeing all the different art styles, some of which I liked more than others. Most of these comics are under five pages so there isn’t a lot of depth to them but they were still fun. I especially loved the last comic, My Vacation in Hell and the Lobster Johnson comics.
Overall, this was a great anthology of short Hellboy comics. I really enjoyed the variety of the stories and art, even if they don’t really have any impact on the overall Hellboy universe.
You can also find my reviews at Red-Haired Ash Reads.
This is a collection of short Hellboy comics from various artists and writers. These were created during the filming of the first Hellboy movie when Mignola didn’t have time to put out new comics, so they had other artists create stories in this world.
I really enjoyed this weird and unique collection. It was fascinating seeing all the different art styles, some of which I liked more than others. Most of these comics are under five pages so there isn’t a lot of depth to them but they were still fun. I especially loved the last comic, My Vacation in Hell and the Lobster Johnson comics.
Overall, this was a great anthology of short Hellboy comics. I really enjoyed the variety of the stories and art, even if they don’t really have any impact on the overall Hellboy universe.
You can also find my reviews at Red-Haired Ash Reads.
February 5, 2019
Hellboy: Weird Tales collects a number of short stories written and drawn by guest creators while Mignola was working on the first Hellboy movie. There's no shortage of heavy hitters featured including John Cassady, Jill Thompson, Craig Thompson, JH Williams, and many many more.
Given the anthology structure and number of writers and artists involved, it isn't able to maintain consistent quality throughout. Some are able to get close to the authentic Hellboy feel, but some miss the mark. Additionally, many of the stories are more BPRD or lore focused than just featuring Hellboy. Overall it's an enjoyable book though. I'm sure any Hellboy fan will find enough here to satisfy them and it's a real treat seeing some other all star artists try their hand at Hellboy.
Given the anthology structure and number of writers and artists involved, it isn't able to maintain consistent quality throughout. Some are able to get close to the authentic Hellboy feel, but some miss the mark. Additionally, many of the stories are more BPRD or lore focused than just featuring Hellboy. Overall it's an enjoyable book though. I'm sure any Hellboy fan will find enough here to satisfy them and it's a real treat seeing some other all star artists try their hand at Hellboy.
July 19, 2017
I had never read any Hellboy before this and I might have seen the movie years ago but don't remember anything. The first few issues in the book were not actually about Hellboy but I still thought they were well done and interesting. Of the ones with Hellboy in them, there were a couple that I didn't like the art or the humor as much, but overall I was very impressed. A couple of the stories were especially dark and meaningful for how short they had to be. I will definitely be looking more into this character for sure.
It's probably not the recommended starting point for getting into Hellboy, but it was enough to hook me into the world and characters.
Got this from Comic Bento.
It's probably not the recommended starting point for getting into Hellboy, but it was enough to hook me into the world and characters.
Got this from Comic Bento.
December 10, 2021
Short story collections are usually a little uneven, especially when you have a lot of different authors in them. Such is the case with Weird Tales. It has some gems, and runs the gamut from full atmospheric horror to straight-up humorous, but it doesn't quite hit the same mark as a full-length story would.
I don't want to say that the other writers don't get Hellboy, but when writing about Hellboy, it makes sense to fall back on the guy who knows him better than anyone -- Mike Mignola. The character has a strong enough mythology that other writers could tackle some tangential stories, but I think Hellboy should be left with Mignola (at least based on this particular experiment).
I don't want to say that the other writers don't get Hellboy, but when writing about Hellboy, it makes sense to fall back on the guy who knows him better than anyone -- Mike Mignola. The character has a strong enough mythology that other writers could tackle some tangential stories, but I think Hellboy should be left with Mignola (at least based on this particular experiment).
February 1, 2025
Not my thing... A collection of various Hellboy tales by different creative teams with every possible kind of atmosphere and vibe (several are juvenile sex comedies that feel very out of place), almost all of them not to my taste. Art is all over the place too, with some quite nice work from artists I dig and who's work fits the Hellboy vibe in one way or another (usually with a more restrained and graphic approach: Guy Davis of course, P. Craig Russell, Andi Watson, Craig Thompson), others who are good but I just don't like their work on this character/universe (John Cassaday), and many, many others that I didn't care for at all.
April 4, 2025
At some point, Mignola decided to let a bunch of people write Hellboy stories, and the collected stories were then put into volumes titled “Weird Tales” (which is, of course, a reference to the magazine that published fantasy classics such as ‘Conan’). And indeed, many of them *are* weird.
Two of the stories in here are considered canon, both of which are about Slavic folklore: one on Koschei’s backstory, the other a short about Baba Yaga. I’m not sure why Multiversity put it on the reading list at all, really–the Koschei one was later expanded into a longer comic series, and the Baba Yaga one has no effect on the story or characters at all.
There are a few stories here that I see no real reason they shouldn’t be canon; there’s nothing in those that really contradict it. It’s not as if the canon stories don’t have really weird bits, too, that don’t make any sense. There are also some in this collection that are obviously not canon, like one that’s a dream someone has, in a deliberately cartoony style. Not canon, but very amusing.
It’s not a bad introduction to “Hellboy”, all said. So if you’re interested but don’t know where or how to start, this collection is a good place.
Two of the stories in here are considered canon, both of which are about Slavic folklore: one on Koschei’s backstory, the other a short about Baba Yaga. I’m not sure why Multiversity put it on the reading list at all, really–the Koschei one was later expanded into a longer comic series, and the Baba Yaga one has no effect on the story or characters at all.
There are a few stories here that I see no real reason they shouldn’t be canon; there’s nothing in those that really contradict it. It’s not as if the canon stories don’t have really weird bits, too, that don’t make any sense. There are also some in this collection that are obviously not canon, like one that’s a dream someone has, in a deliberately cartoony style. Not canon, but very amusing.
It’s not a bad introduction to “Hellboy”, all said. So if you’re interested but don’t know where or how to start, this collection is a good place.
June 27, 2018
Collects the Weird Tales anthology books. Anthologies are always hit and miss. some creators connect better than others, it's the name of the game and part of the joy in that you don't really know what your going to get going in. In this case, I found these all more hit, to the point that there really isn't any misses. Some hit better than others, I'm a mark for work by Evan Dorkin for example, but none of the stories seemed like a waste of time or page filler. So while not cannon, it is an enjoyable read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews