What do you think?
Rate this book
Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. #1
Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1952
A bizarre series of murders and rumors of something worse lead Professor Bruttenholm to send a young Hellboy to a Brazilian village on his first mission. Hellboy and a small group of agents uncover something terrible in the shadows of a sixteenth-century Portuguese fortress . . . Hellboy creator Mike Mignola teams with acclaimed artist Alex Maleev.
145 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 3, 2014
30 people are currently reading
576 people want to read
About the author
Mike Mignola
1,881 books2,514 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 99 reviews
December 4, 2015
I was hoping this one was going to be a throwback of sorts to when Hellboy appeared alongside the likes of Abe Sapien and Professor Trevor Bruttenholm; unfortunately, aside from the Professor making a brief cameo at the start, there’s no sign of any classic BPRD characters in this book, just a group of forgettable military types who accompany a teenage Hellboy on his first mission to Brazil. At least we’re well away from the current state of things in the BPRD series which is a static and increasingly tedious apocalypse-in-slow-motion.
Disappointingly, Hellboy and the BPRD: 1952 is about as formulaic as you can get for a Hellboy story. If you’ve read a lot of this character’s comics, you’ll be struggling to stay awake with this one. There’s some spooky goings-on in a rural town, there’s a large ape in a mask attacking people, Nazis (of course) are doing crazy experiments, and it’s the end of the… worl…..zzzz…..
It’s rarely a good sign when John Arcudi’s listed as co-writer. He’s responsible for some of the dreariest BPRD books like The Warning, War on Frogs, and King of Fear. I know it’s him dragging the quality down because I read his recent solo Image comic, Rumble, and it suuuuucked while Mignola’s solo stuff is usually really good. As far as I know this is Alex Maleev’s debut in the Mignolaverse, and, while I usually enjoy his work, his art here is fairly mediocre with few standout panels.
There’s really not much to say about this one. Hellboy’s supposedly young and inexperienced but he does alright for his first mission, doing what he does best: punching Nazis and lesser monsters. There’s no real mystery to speak of and everything plays out predictably. Maybe newer readers won’t find this quite so boring and actually it's a pretty good jumping on point as you don't need to know anything about Hellboy to read this; but if you’ve been reading Hellboy for years like me, this book offers little to hold your attention.
Let’s have less John Arcudi and a series that reunites Hellboy, Abe, Liz, Roger, and Johann in pre-Hell on Earth with Mignola writing solo instead!
Disappointingly, Hellboy and the BPRD: 1952 is about as formulaic as you can get for a Hellboy story. If you’ve read a lot of this character’s comics, you’ll be struggling to stay awake with this one. There’s some spooky goings-on in a rural town, there’s a large ape in a mask attacking people, Nazis (of course) are doing crazy experiments, and it’s the end of the… worl…..zzzz…..
It’s rarely a good sign when John Arcudi’s listed as co-writer. He’s responsible for some of the dreariest BPRD books like The Warning, War on Frogs, and King of Fear. I know it’s him dragging the quality down because I read his recent solo Image comic, Rumble, and it suuuuucked while Mignola’s solo stuff is usually really good. As far as I know this is Alex Maleev’s debut in the Mignolaverse, and, while I usually enjoy his work, his art here is fairly mediocre with few standout panels.
There’s really not much to say about this one. Hellboy’s supposedly young and inexperienced but he does alright for his first mission, doing what he does best: punching Nazis and lesser monsters. There’s no real mystery to speak of and everything plays out predictably. Maybe newer readers won’t find this quite so boring and actually it's a pretty good jumping on point as you don't need to know anything about Hellboy to read this; but if you’ve been reading Hellboy for years like me, this book offers little to hold your attention.
Let’s have less John Arcudi and a series that reunites Hellboy, Abe, Liz, Roger, and Johann in pre-Hell on Earth with Mignola writing solo instead!
August 24, 2021
Hellboy goes on his first mission to investigate some killings in Brazil. There's a lot of familiar stuff for anyone who has read Hellboy before. I do like that Hellboy is a little green here with some more seasoned agents looking out for him.
September 2, 2017
Χθες κατέβηκα στο Μοναστηράκι μετά από αρκετούς μήνες και, εκτός από τα διάφορα βιβλία που αγόρασα, πέτυχα και το συγκεκριμένο κόμικ που κυκλοφόρησε πρόσφατα στα ελληνικά. Ήταν ένα κόμικ που αργά ή γρήγορα θα αγόραζα στην κανονική του τιμή, γιατί μου είχε τραβήξει από την αρχή το ενδιαφέρον, αλλά ας όψεται αυτή η κωλοφαρδία που με δέρνει συχνά-πυκνά όταν πρόκειται για αγορές βιβλίων, κόμικς κλπ. Έτσι μου κόστισε όλα κι όλα πέντε ευρώ!
Μέχρι τώρα, η μόνη μου επαφή με το σκοτεινό και περιπετειώδες σύμπαν του Hellboy ήταν η ομότιτλη ταινία του 2004, σε σκηνοθεσία Guillermo del Toro. Έχουν περάσει αρκετά χρόνια από τότε που την είδα, αλλά θυμάμαι ότι σε γενικές γραμμές μου άρεσε. Τώρα, επιτέλους, γνώρισα και τον Hellboy έτσι όπως θα έπρεπε να κάνω εξαρχής: Διαβάζοντας ένα κόμικ του! Πολύ ωραία η ιστορία, ενδιαφέρουσα από την αρχή μέχρι το τέλος, σκοτεινή, περιπετειώδης, βίαιη, άκρως απολαυστική. Άλλωστε μιλάμε για μια ιστορία που διαδραματίζεται την δεκαετία του '50 και περιέχει Ναζί, δαίμονες, τρομακτικά πειράματα και δεν συμμαζεύεται. Δύσκολα δεν θα περάσει κάποιος ψυχαγωγικά την ώρα του. Το σχέδιο μου φάνηκε πάρα μα πάρα πολύ καλό, όσο χρειαζόταν σκοτεινό και ατμοσφαιρικό με τα συγκεκριμένα χρώματα. Εδώ που τα λέμε, ίσως είναι και το πιο δυνατό στοιχείο του κόμικ.
Γενικά έμεινα απόλυτα ικανοποιημένος και ψυχαγωγημένος από την πρώτη μου επαφή με το έργο του Mike Mignola. Φυσικά δεν ξέρω πόσο χαρακτηριστικό δείγμα γραφής και σχεδιασμού είναι το συγκεκριμένο κόμικ (το σχέδιο, βέβαια, είναι του Alexander Maleev), όπως και να'χει όμως χαίρομαι που επιτέλους διάβασα μια ιστορία από το άκρως ενδιαφέρον και συναρπαστικό σύμπαν του Hellboy. Ελπίζω κάποια στιγμή να βρω επιτέλους και το "Σπόρος της καταστροφής", για να πιάσω με την σειρά τους τρεις τόμους που βγήκαν από τις εκδόσεις Jemma Press. Έχω φάει τον κόσμο να το βρω, αλλά τζίφος. Αλλά υπάρχουν και οι αγγλικές/αμερικάνικες εκδόσεις που μια χαρά μπορούν να με βολέψουν.
Μέχρι τώρα, η μόνη μου επαφή με το σκοτεινό και περιπετειώδες σύμπαν του Hellboy ήταν η ομότιτλη ταινία του 2004, σε σκηνοθεσία Guillermo del Toro. Έχουν περάσει αρκετά χρόνια από τότε που την είδα, αλλά θυμάμαι ότι σε γενικές γραμμές μου άρεσε. Τώρα, επιτέλους, γνώρισα και τον Hellboy έτσι όπως θα έπρεπε να κάνω εξαρχής: Διαβάζοντας ένα κόμικ του! Πολύ ωραία η ιστορία, ενδιαφέρουσα από την αρχή μέχρι το τέλος, σκοτεινή, περιπετειώδης, βίαιη, άκρως απολαυστική. Άλλωστε μιλάμε για μια ιστορία που διαδραματίζεται την δεκαετία του '50 και περιέχει Ναζί, δαίμονες, τρομακτικά πειράματα και δεν συμμαζεύεται. Δύσκολα δεν θα περάσει κάποιος ψυχαγωγικά την ώρα του. Το σχέδιο μου φάνηκε πάρα μα πάρα πολύ καλό, όσο χρειαζόταν σκοτεινό και ατμοσφαιρικό με τα συγκεκριμένα χρώματα. Εδώ που τα λέμε, ίσως είναι και το πιο δυνατό στοιχείο του κόμικ.
Γενικά έμεινα απόλυτα ικανοποιημένος και ψυχαγωγημένος από την πρώτη μου επαφή με το έργο του Mike Mignola. Φυσικά δεν ξέρω πόσο χαρακτηριστικό δείγμα γραφής και σχεδιασμού είναι το συγκεκριμένο κόμικ (το σχέδιο, βέβαια, είναι του Alexander Maleev), όπως και να'χει όμως χαίρομαι που επιτέλους διάβασα μια ιστορία από το άκρως ενδιαφέρον και συναρπαστικό σύμπαν του Hellboy. Ελπίζω κάποια στιγμή να βρω επιτέλους και το "Σπόρος της καταστροφής", για να πιάσω με την σειρά τους τρεις τόμους που βγήκαν από τις εκδόσεις Jemma Press. Έχω φάει τον κόσμο να το βρω, αλλά τζίφος. Αλλά υπάρχουν και οι αγγλικές/αμερικάνικες εκδόσεις που μια χαρά μπορούν να με βολέψουν.
March 11, 2024
This is a fun Hellboy book which shows his first foray on an official B.P.R.D. mission. It was written by Mignola with John Arcudi and was nicely illustrated by Alex Maleev. It tells a self-contained and complete story, while foreshadowing some of the weirdnesses to come and looking back at some of the familiar characters and situations from the mythos. There's a whole lot going on, but it's told quite clearly... and whenever there are Nazis and monster apes to fight in the same book you can almost always be assured of a good ride.
November 21, 2016
Weird. Yeah, I know that 'weird' is essential to Hellboy. But this was really weird. A hodge podge of horror with science fiction. Hellboy is awesome as always. His team kind of blurs together for me. Good action, but nothing that stood out and made me say wow. Having said that, it's Hellboy, so it's good.
September 22, 2015
This is a great Hellboy story, showing his first mission. Written by Mike Mignola, and beautifully illustrated by Alex Maleev.
September 12, 2016
A fun read, but I miss Kid Hellboy.
May 10, 2021
A fun throwback to Hellboy and his dad's relationship. It's fun seeing Red as stoic and understated in his formative years. A nice change of pace after my recent reading of the entire BPRD run.
August 9, 2022
I came across this back in May of 2020, when the pandemic was heating up and Powell's City of Books had to shut its doors. Like many devoted shoppers, I ordered a bunch of books online to be supportive, and this was one.
Then I put it on the shelf and forgot about it.
(I do this often. I own over 1200 books I haven't read and intend to read someday, a subset of the many more I haven't read that are for research...and this is not a huge number by comparison to some, but in the absolute sense it's still daunting. Ahem.)
Last month, I was in a reading slump and nothing I own appealed to me except graphic novels, so I took a chance on this first adventure Hellboy has as an official B.P.R.D. agent. I liked it, but didn't love it. Some of that is the art: Alex Maleev's style took a while to grow on me (I ended up loving it, for the record), and I couldn't tell two of the agents apart at first, which was mildly frustrating. But the story itself is fun (if I can say that about a bloody, gory, horrifying tale) and I thought Mignola made some interesting storytelling choices. It definitely encouraged me to continue with the series.
Then I put it on the shelf and forgot about it.
(I do this often. I own over 1200 books I haven't read and intend to read someday, a subset of the many more I haven't read that are for research...and this is not a huge number by comparison to some, but in the absolute sense it's still daunting. Ahem.)
Last month, I was in a reading slump and nothing I own appealed to me except graphic novels, so I took a chance on this first adventure Hellboy has as an official B.P.R.D. agent. I liked it, but didn't love it. Some of that is the art: Alex Maleev's style took a while to grow on me (I ended up loving it, for the record), and I couldn't tell two of the agents apart at first, which was mildly frustrating. But the story itself is fun (if I can say that about a bloody, gory, horrifying tale) and I thought Mignola made some interesting storytelling choices. It definitely encouraged me to continue with the series.
April 9, 2015
Great Story! So i have not read the original Hellboy run, and since this is a prequel, i thought i'd collect this as a starting point. It's 1952, and Hellboy is going on his first mission, to Brazil to investigate strange activity. The art is decent, and the story and dialogue was well done! Also nice to see Hellboy fight the paranormal for the first time!
August 3, 2018
A prequel to the main Hellboy series, this relates an early mission of Red's, with Nazis, monkeys and traitors all involved. The art is moodily awesome, the script is the usual understated Mignola greatness, and the support characters are a lot of fun. Really, it's a lot of fun, and can serve as an intro to the BPRD universe, as knowledge of Hellboy and Co. isn't necessary, though it adds a little.
May 29, 2016
So nostalgic, back to a simpler and awesome time.
This book is great, it's a good jumping on point for the series and it captures early HB perfectly.
World: The art is great, it's stylish, it's HB enough to feel like it belongs in the Mignolaverse but at the same time it's stylistic enough to be it's own thing. The sense of motion is great, but you do lose a bit on the character faces. The world building is absolutely Mignola wonderful. It's original but it also ties wonderfully well with the early HB titles. It's great, it feels nostalgic, it is a call back to a simpler time when all HB needed to worry about is what monster to punch next. Great!
Story: This is a well paced and wonderfully self contained story. It does call back to the rest of the Mignolaverse but it reads incredibly well without any prior knowledge. This is just a good jumping on point to this universe. I love how nostalgic it feels and how simple the story is: mystery, deaths, enter HB, world ending plot, HB punches his way to the solution. This is just pure HB junk food and the purest essence of what made this series so good. I won't say more, it's good.
Characters: The characters are good, there are a lot of call backs from other series like the Broom 19xx series and also Seed of Destruction. However the brilliance of the writing is that it feels standalone. It's great. HB is immediately recognizable not just by his look but by his demeanor. There is not a lot of development here except the stuff that they keep ringing about HB's bigger role in the universe but that's fine, this is just a fun read.
I loved this story, it was fun. It was nostalgic, and it was exactly what I missed from HB (not that the current run is not shit your pants good).
Onward to the next book!
This book is great, it's a good jumping on point for the series and it captures early HB perfectly.
World: The art is great, it's stylish, it's HB enough to feel like it belongs in the Mignolaverse but at the same time it's stylistic enough to be it's own thing. The sense of motion is great, but you do lose a bit on the character faces. The world building is absolutely Mignola wonderful. It's original but it also ties wonderfully well with the early HB titles. It's great, it feels nostalgic, it is a call back to a simpler time when all HB needed to worry about is what monster to punch next. Great!
Story: This is a well paced and wonderfully self contained story. It does call back to the rest of the Mignolaverse but it reads incredibly well without any prior knowledge. This is just a good jumping on point to this universe. I love how nostalgic it feels and how simple the story is: mystery, deaths, enter HB, world ending plot, HB punches his way to the solution. This is just pure HB junk food and the purest essence of what made this series so good. I won't say more, it's good.
Characters: The characters are good, there are a lot of call backs from other series like the Broom 19xx series and also Seed of Destruction. However the brilliance of the writing is that it feels standalone. It's great. HB is immediately recognizable not just by his look but by his demeanor. There is not a lot of development here except the stuff that they keep ringing about HB's bigger role in the universe but that's fine, this is just a fun read.
I loved this story, it was fun. It was nostalgic, and it was exactly what I missed from HB (not that the current run is not shit your pants good).
Onward to the next book!
November 26, 2019
Hellboy's first day out. He's grown up fast - he's like eight years old in this but already an adult - but I think there was a missed opportunity there where they could've had him behave a little more like a kid, or otherwise immature, rather than being almost the same mentally as well as in the present day. A bit clueless at first, then it's to monster-punching, and so much for character growth.
It's a fairly forgettable story on the whole, by Hellboy standards, introducing a bunch of new characters instead of the ones we already knew would be around in that time, not letting professor Bruttenholm do overmuch, and having too many monkeys. It also quickly deals away with all the prejudice and hatred Hellboy could have seen from a bunch of people, which could have had more potential for other things over the years. Shame.
It's a fairly forgettable story on the whole, by Hellboy standards, introducing a bunch of new characters instead of the ones we already knew would be around in that time, not letting professor Bruttenholm do overmuch, and having too many monkeys. It also quickly deals away with all the prejudice and hatred Hellboy could have seen from a bunch of people, which could have had more potential for other things over the years. Shame.
August 25, 2015
A ruined fort. Ancient idols and Lovecraftian horrors. Nazi mad science experiments. A talking alligator. A vampire monkey. This is such delightfully classic Hellboy stuff that it's impossible to not feel like the new Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. series is a homecoming of sorts. I always hate to say this, because it's not like the artist did anything wrong, but Alex Maleev's work doesn't seem to fit into the overall Mignolaverse gestalt as well as some others, though he definitely captures some striking images. I can't help but wish--especially given that amazing cover on the trade--that Mignola himself had gotten to draw this particular adventure.
January 26, 2020
2.5 Stars!
I’m of the belief that as soon as you start to get more than two or three contributors on board with these sorts of graphic franchises then it quickly becomes a case of too many cooks spoil the broth and you can quickly end up with all sorts of problems.
This is my first encounter with Hellboy, and although this had some promising hints of good ideas and intriguing plots, none of them were fully explored or realised, and overall this didn’t really feel cohesive at all, the rhythm and the pacing felt off. The art work was too dark and a little unpolished and it lacked subtlety too.
April 1, 2020
We have long known that Hellboy’s adventures extended back for decades, and now begins the chronicle of those early days, before the BPRD became what we know it to be in the modern day, with Los Sherman, Abe Sapien and the others. This is a smaller agency, trying to find its footing, staffed mainly by ex-military for whom WWII is still a recent memory. Hellboy is kind of a kid in an adult’s body, and the result is a fun throwback to the kinds of adventures we saw in the first Hellboy volumes, before the entire Mignolaverse’s dire meta plot emerged. This is a really enjoyable read for Hellboy fans, as this is more about him than the BPRD.
February 26, 2024
✭✭✭½
Given that the Mignolaverse seems these days so thoroughly drenched in a sort of post-apocalyptic dreariness, this collection (the first in a new series) is kinda refreshing. The story, co-authored by Mignola and John Arcudi, harks back to some of the early B.P.R.D. issues. If I have a complaint, it’s that many of plot elements seem unoriginal — Mignola too frequently seems to fall back on . A word on the art work. Yes, it would have been nice if Mignola had had the time to do the work himself, but I personally find Alexander Maleev to be an acceptable substitute.
Given that the Mignolaverse seems these days so thoroughly drenched in a sort of post-apocalyptic dreariness, this collection (the first in a new series) is kinda refreshing. The story, co-authored by Mignola and John Arcudi, harks back to some of the early B.P.R.D. issues. If I have a complaint, it’s that many of plot elements seem unoriginal — Mignola too frequently seems to fall back on . A word on the art work. Yes, it would have been nice if Mignola had had the time to do the work himself, but I personally find Alexander Maleev to be an acceptable substitute.
November 19, 2015
Very nice story of the early days of the Hellboy character. As always nice art and story by Mignola. Very recommended to comic fans.
October 10, 2020
Перша місія Хеллбоя у складі Б.Р.П.Д., де йому випадає подорож у Бразилію для розслідування серії таємничих вбивств. Коли з'являються убермакаки, все стає зрозуміло.
Непоганий сюжет, в якому переплітаються наративні основи обох серій. Малєєв постарався стилізувати малюнок під Міньолу, і в деяких сценах вийшло дуже добре (зверніть увагу на патівен з макаками). Атмосферу класичного фільму-подорожі у таємничі місця передано, і це головне.
В збірці не так багато персонажів, і їх не те, щоб спеціально розкривають - вони наче завжди були на своїх місцях, і ось це відчуття береться просто з того, як вони спілкуються та взаємодіють. Союзники Хеллбоя трохи мнуться, бо не знають, чого від нього очікувати (все ж пророцтво про кінець Світу - це вам не іграшки). Ворогам він цікавий лише як мертвий шмат м’яса, причому у кожного поганця на те своя причина. Та й демонічна дівчинка нікуди не ділась, хоча на основний сюжет вона і не впливає. Але має свою палаючу сцену.
Як скучили за нацистами, яким дають прочухана у Південній Америці - рекомендую. Бойові сцени тут виглядають підкрученими та підкачаними. Нічого зайвого.
Непоганий сюжет, в якому переплітаються наративні основи обох серій. Малєєв постарався стилізувати малюнок під Міньолу, і в деяких сценах вийшло дуже добре (зверніть увагу на патівен з макаками). Атмосферу класичного фільму-подорожі у таємничі місця передано, і це головне.
В збірці не так багато персонажів, і їх не те, щоб спеціально розкривають - вони наче завжди були на своїх місцях, і ось це відчуття береться просто з того, як вони спілкуються та взаємодіють. Союзники Хеллбоя трохи мнуться, бо не знають, чого від нього очікувати (все ж пророцтво про кінець Світу - це вам не іграшки). Ворогам він цікавий лише як мертвий шмат м’яса, причому у кожного поганця на те своя причина. Та й демонічна дівчинка нікуди не ділась, хоча на основний сюжет вона і не впливає. Але має свою палаючу сцену.
Як скучили за нацистами, яким дають прочухана у Південній Америці - рекомендую. Бойові сцени тут виглядають підкрученими та підкачаними. Нічого зайвого.
Read
October 31, 2019Hmmm... überzeugte mich nicht wirklich, ich hatte mir von Hellboys erster Mission mehr versprochen (einen festen Partner, neugierige Fragen und aufgeregte Gespräche davor und danach mit dem Team und dem Professor, gerade weil Hellboy noch nie im "Einsatz" war).
December 28, 2023
Young Hellboy on his firs case. Great atmosphere, great art. Everything I love about series is here, and even though almost all stories keep same pattern, it's still entertaining and interesting to read.
August 22, 2017
Hellboy, anni '50, Nazisti, Esoterismo. Il meglio dell'ispirazione di Mignola, un ritorno alle storie delle origini.
August 15, 2016
Prima misiune a lui Hellboy, povestita la mai bine de 20 de ani de la aparitia personajului... :)
Da, Hellboy & BPRD: 1952 e fan service, dar are tot ce-i trebuie: tradatori, maimute cu lampi catodice infipte in cranii, zeitati malefice stravechi, morti vii, experimente naziste, diavoli cu chip de ingeri - e o dementa totala, amuzanta si distractiva. Am citit tot volumul dintr-o suflare, zambind ca un dement (atunci cand unele replici nu ma faceau pur si simplu sa pufnesc in ras - si un Hellboy incepator poate fi uneori teribil de cinic). Welcome back, Hellboy!
(Vad unele mesaje care se plang ca Mignola nu deseneaza si seria asta - ei bine, mie imi place foarte tare stilul lui Alex Maleev, si cred ca se descurca foarte bine.)
Da, Hellboy & BPRD: 1952 e fan service, dar are tot ce-i trebuie: tradatori, maimute cu lampi catodice infipte in cranii, zeitati malefice stravechi, morti vii, experimente naziste, diavoli cu chip de ingeri - e o dementa totala, amuzanta si distractiva. Am citit tot volumul dintr-o suflare, zambind ca un dement (atunci cand unele replici nu ma faceau pur si simplu sa pufnesc in ras - si un Hellboy incepator poate fi uneori teribil de cinic). Welcome back, Hellboy!
(Vad unele mesaje care se plang ca Mignola nu deseneaza si seria asta - ei bine, mie imi place foarte tare stilul lui Alex Maleev, si cred ca se descurca foarte bine.)
November 30, 2018
This early adventure of Hellboy takes place in Brazil and features Frankenstein monkeys, Nazis with neck braces, and one really big corpse. There's some decent action but not a lot of character development, and it doesn't really have much grounding in myths and legends (aside from a shoe-horned in sequence with a talking alligator). There is a fair bit of punching and Hellboy getting pummeled, and a little bit of back story and development around Bruttenholm and his Russian opposites. The art is pretty traditional for BPRD titles, with lots of solid moody colors and blocky style characters, which work for the story. It was good but not outstanding.
August 28, 2015
I miss Mike Mignola's art, but Alex Maleev is one of my favorites, so I have no complaints about him filling in. His covers are particularly beautiful- I love love love the one for issue 3 of this collection.
The story if fairly classic Hellboy, with a nice look back at young HB, but after Hellboy in Hell, Vol. 1: The Descent, this feels a little bit like a step back. Still an excellent read, but what I really want is the next Hellboy in Hell.
The story if fairly classic Hellboy, with a nice look back at young HB, but after Hellboy in Hell, Vol. 1: The Descent, this feels a little bit like a step back. Still an excellent read, but what I really want is the next Hellboy in Hell.
September 7, 2016
Now this is more like it. A Hellboy/B.P.R.D book with an actually interesting story! I find so many of these titles to be a bit too leisurely and rambling in their plotting, whereas this one is fast paced, intriguing and fun. And yes, I did enjoy the darker more realistic art style of Alex Maleev here. One of
the better volumes featuring these characters.
the better volumes featuring these characters.
September 4, 2016
HELLBOY RETROSPECTIVE 2016
Complaints that this is a bit formulaic are justified, but the Hellboy formula is just so damn good... still not the best foot forward for what appears to be the launch of a new series.
Complaints that this is a bit formulaic are justified, but the Hellboy formula is just so damn good... still not the best foot forward for what appears to be the launch of a new series.
October 3, 2015
Very cool Hellboy story about his first field mission. Contains the usual weird creatures, undead, Nazis, cyborgs, and betrayal within the ranks. The artwork is top-notch as usual.
July 20, 2020
5/10
This comics was able to disappoint even my already low expectations.
Hellboy's plots tend to follow fixed formulaic patterns, we all know that. Now, when Mignola is doing his number all alone - or keeping a significative control over his creature, as in the story arc drawn by Duncan Fegredo - the result basically always work, no matter how formulaic and repetitive the story may be. Sign that the magic of Mignola's comics is to be find anywhere else than in his plots.
But as soon as the 'Mignola extended gang' tries to use the formula on a more mainstream level the results are devastatingly boring. You may say that I am simply not the target of all these Mignolaverse spin-off series. I accept that, but I cannot avoid suspecting that the majority of Hellboy appreciators will have the same issue. Maybe I may be projecting myself too much...maybe the majority of Hellboy readers really are in just to see a big red cop/capeless superhero punch green shirtless hairless goons and talk to clownish nazis. Good for them, in that case, because here are other 20$/£/€ to spend to see the red guy punching a green goon and talk to some clownish nazis. Now, I do know that during the production of this volume Mignola was also doing Hellboy in Hell, a product much closer to my expectations, so I should not complain too much and give the man a break. Yet...
To be clear, this is not a bad comic book, as comics go in the mainstream market. The plot is coherent, the pacing is ok, the ending is decent. The characters are not memorable, which would be ok if there were at least some kind of protagonist. But there is not. Not Hellboy, at least. Speaking of which, the beginning of this series could have been the occasion to showcase a bit of character development in Hellboy, like how he became to be the red horned hero we all know, his early psychological tribulations on the job. But there is not much of that. In the end, in this first mission, the dude performs already pretty fine.
Finally, I think that the art was not as good as it could have been. I have seen Alex Maleev's great work on Daredevil (see Daredevil by Brian Michael Bendis Omnibus, Vol. 1), but in this book you will not find much of that cool art. Maybe his style is not suitable for this kind of story. Maybe he was not giving his best on this work. Or maybe, the appeal of his best pages depends a lot on his colouring style. No offence for the colourist Stewart - who has a major role in the graphical appeal of Hellboy when drawn by Mignola...but hiring Alex Maleev and then making someone else colour his pages seems quite a waste.
This comics was able to disappoint even my already low expectations.
Hellboy's plots tend to follow fixed formulaic patterns, we all know that. Now, when Mignola is doing his number all alone - or keeping a significative control over his creature, as in the story arc drawn by Duncan Fegredo - the result basically always work, no matter how formulaic and repetitive the story may be. Sign that the magic of Mignola's comics is to be find anywhere else than in his plots.
But as soon as the 'Mignola extended gang' tries to use the formula on a more mainstream level the results are devastatingly boring. You may say that I am simply not the target of all these Mignolaverse spin-off series. I accept that, but I cannot avoid suspecting that the majority of Hellboy appreciators will have the same issue. Maybe I may be projecting myself too much...maybe the majority of Hellboy readers really are in just to see a big red cop/capeless superhero punch green shirtless hairless goons and talk to clownish nazis. Good for them, in that case, because here are other 20$/£/€ to spend to see the red guy punching a green goon and talk to some clownish nazis. Now, I do know that during the production of this volume Mignola was also doing Hellboy in Hell, a product much closer to my expectations, so I should not complain too much and give the man a break. Yet...
To be clear, this is not a bad comic book, as comics go in the mainstream market. The plot is coherent, the pacing is ok, the ending is decent. The characters are not memorable, which would be ok if there were at least some kind of protagonist. But there is not. Not Hellboy, at least. Speaking of which, the beginning of this series could have been the occasion to showcase a bit of character development in Hellboy, like how he became to be the red horned hero we all know, his early psychological tribulations on the job. But there is not much of that. In the end, in this first mission, the dude performs already pretty fine.
Finally, I think that the art was not as good as it could have been. I have seen Alex Maleev's great work on Daredevil (see Daredevil by Brian Michael Bendis Omnibus, Vol. 1), but in this book you will not find much of that cool art. Maybe his style is not suitable for this kind of story. Maybe he was not giving his best on this work. Or maybe, the appeal of his best pages depends a lot on his colouring style. No offence for the colourist Stewart - who has a major role in the graphical appeal of Hellboy when drawn by Mignola...but hiring Alex Maleev and then making someone else colour his pages seems quite a waste.
June 13, 2017
This one feels like a waste of time. I've only read the main Hellboy series and haven't read any other BPRD stuff, so maybe this story is better within the context of the larger universe, but as a stand alone story, this sucks.
Basically, what happens is Hellboy and some BPRD people investigate a small town because they've received a report there's a monster, so it starts off as a pretty standard Hellboy story. Then, the good guys stumble upon a giant Nazi Frankenstein army of people and fight some Frankenstein monsters. Once again, pretty standard Hellboy stuff. Really, the fact that it's so unremarkable is part of what makes this book suck. At the end, nothing has changed. I'm completely okay with stories that are fun and don't shake up the status quo, but this one is just so forgettable when compared to all the other great Hellboy stuff.
I really love Alex Maleev's work on Daredevil, so he's one of the reasons why I read this. Unfortunately, his work on this is bad. The actual pictures are good and look nice; however, his storytelling is abysmal. It is difficult to make sense of what's going on from one panel to the next. For instance, in one scene in issue 3, a character uses a torch to fight a monkey. In previous panels, she is not shown with a torch, nor is anyone else. After the fight, the torch disappears completely. I fail to see why he thought that it would be okay to just have a torch come from out of nowhere. I mean, artists spend several hours on a single page of work, so at some point, Maleev should have noticed this continuity error.
This book feels like it was created for the sole purpose of making money. After all, Hellboy and BPRD does have a very dedicated fanbase and Dark Horse will put after with Mignola's name on it. I really like the main Hellboy series, so it is super disappointing to see this. This book is just so bland.
This isn't worth your time.
Basically, what happens is Hellboy and some BPRD people investigate a small town because they've received a report there's a monster, so it starts off as a pretty standard Hellboy story. Then, the good guys stumble upon a giant Nazi Frankenstein army of people and fight some Frankenstein monsters. Once again, pretty standard Hellboy stuff. Really, the fact that it's so unremarkable is part of what makes this book suck. At the end, nothing has changed. I'm completely okay with stories that are fun and don't shake up the status quo, but this one is just so forgettable when compared to all the other great Hellboy stuff.
I really love Alex Maleev's work on Daredevil, so he's one of the reasons why I read this. Unfortunately, his work on this is bad. The actual pictures are good and look nice; however, his storytelling is abysmal. It is difficult to make sense of what's going on from one panel to the next. For instance, in one scene in issue 3, a character uses a torch to fight a monkey. In previous panels, she is not shown with a torch, nor is anyone else. After the fight, the torch disappears completely. I fail to see why he thought that it would be okay to just have a torch come from out of nowhere. I mean, artists spend several hours on a single page of work, so at some point, Maleev should have noticed this continuity error.
This book feels like it was created for the sole purpose of making money. After all, Hellboy and BPRD does have a very dedicated fanbase and Dark Horse will put after with Mignola's name on it. I really like the main Hellboy series, so it is super disappointing to see this. This book is just so bland.
This isn't worth your time.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews