Abe Sapien, Vol. 8: The Desolate Shore

Abe Sapien

by Mike Mignola, Scott Allie, Max Fiumara (Illustrator)

Abe Sapien’s “Dark and Terrible” story reaches its finale, and the answers Abe uncovers about his own existence reveal some of the biggest secrets of the Hellboy saga. AWOL from the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense for more than a year, Abe travels to two lost kingdoms before returning to America. There he’ll confront the most nightmarish version of the fate he’s run from all along, as well as the necromancer who sees Abe as a means to control the end of mankind.

Collects issues #32–#36.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Fantasy, Comic Book, Fiction, Science Fiction

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 18, 2017

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

[Tom Ewing · Rating 2 out of 5]

So ends Abe Sapien, a 36 issue series that had enough plot for - to be generous - two minis. But the Mignolaverse has never precisely been about "plot", even if the main books tend to rattle along excitingly enough. It's always been a great setting for atmospheric horror storytelling and character pieces, and the idea of the Abe monthly - an extended quest for the hero's real identity - was to use Abe's wandering as a way to zero in on that. Sometimes it worked - more often the comic drifted along in a haze of messy structure, endless flashbacks to better comics and diffident, disconnected vignettes which never amounted to more than vague poignancy. The final volumes bring the promised big reveals - which are satisfying if you're steeped in the Mignolaverse deep background - and the resolution to the solo series' main conflict, which is... surprisingly rushed and feeble, to be honest. Max Fiumara's art is lushly atmospheric throughout, so the pervasive disappointment is at least attractively delivered.

[Wing Kee · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was great!

World: Love the art, the colors and the tone and the style of the art is really nice and detailed and gives the book a sense of melancholy which I dig for the series. The world building, what can I say it's fantastic. It's a culmination of a lot of things that have been happening all the way back to Seed of Destruction and it's so good. All the pieces coming together to give Abe an answer which he's been looking for so long, magnificent.

Story: Paced incredibly well. It's all coming together for the finale of his arc is great. The lore and the characters are fantastic and the sense of finally knowing is wonderful. Having Broom tell Abe is the best way to do it and also puts more drama into Abe moving forward with the BPRD. Yeah nothing much else I can say but just that this is the culmination and it's a great payoff.

Characters: Abe has gone through a lot and looking back at him from the beginning to now I can barely recognize him. He's fully fleshed and a real character and I love him for his flaws. The villain we've been seeing on his wagon for a while which I thought was weak finally does something of substance and is part of the larger narrative that crashes into Abe, Gustav was used well in the end.

A wonderful end to questions posed years and years ago. Now we will see what the future holds for Abe.

Onward to the next book!

[Siona Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great end to the mainline story of Abe Sapien. I really like where this is going, I hope he plays a big part in the next arc of BPRD, The Devil You Know.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lackluster conclusion to a disappointing series.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abe's journey through the end of the world reaches its finale with a volume that sees plenty of plot development after a string of trades that seemed to be happy to simply enjoy the ride. I enjoy the cast, the art and the skilled rendering of the desperate setting. Still, the conclusion feels a little rushed after so much roaming. There are plenty of revelations for longstanding Hellboy mysteries, and it's a little sad to see this chapter of the Mignolaverse coming to an end, even if the circumstances are so dire that it might be a blessing.

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Abe makes it to NYC to figure out who he was- the jellyfish angel thing is so beautiful(perhaps my next tattoo). Our ego makes us think the world is ending because how could it exist after us? Abe realizes he is not the end but a new beginning- lots of history from lost cultures predicted Oannes would be a new form of man and Abe seems to fit that description.

Strobl finally reaches the depths he wanted and he too becomes an icthyo-sapien. They have a brutal battle and the BPRD finally gets Abe back. I’m not really sure what to expect next…

[Iva · Rating 3 out of 5]

А от фінал злито. Як і фінальне протистояння.
Навіть казати нічого про це не хочеться.
Хіба що: "та, я це все передбачив, але хотів цікавішої бійки".

[Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing ending to the Abe Sapien series, I loved every moment of this. Once again Mignola ties various elements of the Mignolaverse together and has closed a chapter in the story of the wider universe he's created. Some people won't be satisfied with this final volume, but I loved it and it really made a lasting impression with masterful writing and beautiful art.

[Jake Kilroy · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a sparkling brain and spectacular heart at the core of Abe Spaien, even when they are respectively tested against illogic and derision. Much of this series has been about identity and who you are vs. who you could be vs. what people say you are and believe you to be, but it really comes into full glow and effect here—at what almost seems like the end for Abe.

There is great peace in the world for someone like him, someone with tremendous curiosity and fascination when give the space and comfort, and only in one of the semi-mystical places he visits this round does he realize that he has been after a kinder world to exist within. He would like the time and place to get to know himself, or at least be fully realized in his potential of tranquility rather than destruction.

One of the main angles in Hellboy's own saga is that he is constantly told who and what he is (*cough* end of the world *cough*), and he shrugs it off or gets annoyed—until the end. But Abe comes upon his own version of that and he wants answers like a fiercely frustrated academic. He knows he's not part of the apocalypse (*cough* end of humankind as we understand it *cough*), but if there is purpose in his twin transformations, then what has he been phased into these new forms for? One rebirth is enormous. A second evolution is daunting beyond belief. Surely there is something grander at play—and there are many evil, selfish things for each gentle entity glistening in the harsh shadows of Earth.

I loved this volume because the payoff is so dedicated to the character. You can almost feel the creative team wanting to give their character every good thing he deserves, but they know what his story is and must be. Abe accepts this in parallel, even if he doesn't understand it. He rejects so much rightfully, but there is always some accounting of doubt. Because if he's wrong, my god, what does that mean for the world?

[Joseph R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bunch of Abe Sapien short stories, though they are part of a continuing story...

Regressions--Abe travels to Trevor Bruttenholm's home in the wastes of New York City and discovers some research tapes. Bruttenholm interviewed Abe and also did regression therapy on him to speak to Abe's previous lives. He hears about the events that transformed Caul into Abe and it's not pleasant information. If that wasn't bad enough, an enemy, Gustav Strobl, is following Abe through New York and causes problems too. The story is fairly dark and downlifting, but interesting for the background it provides.

Dark and Terrible Deep--Abe travels to an ancient city where he discovers yet more about his horrible past life. He also finds he has a destiny for this world which is unclear. His pursuer from the previous story goes to Saint-Sebastien where he is transformed into a creature just like Abe. The story follows a lot of elder god horror convolutions.

The Garden (III)--Abe tries to retreat from reality to a fairy realm but the lone fairy there reminds him of his greater purpose in his own world. He reluctantly heads back to the devastated America.

The Desolate Shore--Abe comes ashore the same time and the same place as Strobl, who is also a "fish man." Strobl wants to be the founder of the new race of men and fights Abe to ensure that does not happen.

The story has a lot of reminiscences and similarities to Hellboy's struggles with who he is and why he exists. The story comes to a resolution with this graphic novel, though I missed all the middle stuff! Too bad the library didn't have earlier volumes. I will have to hunt around to read the story in the right order.

Recommended, but read the lead up volumes to this first! Don't make my mistake!!

[Solomon's · Rating 1 out of 5]

An anti-climatic end to the Abe Sapien series. The reader learns more about the deep lore of the story-world and the side-story of the minor antagonist is brought to an abrupt conclusion.
Near the end there I thought that the minor antagonist's side-story was about to meld into the main story-line, becoming an important factor in the wider apocalyptic situation, but that is not what happens. What happens is that the minor antagonist is made irrelevant, transforming all the pages spent on that side-story and backstory into seemingly wasted time...

I truly do not understand what the plan was when this series was plotted out. Did something go wrong? Maybe a different conclusion had been planned originally but the comics weren't selling well enough so the plan had to be scrapped? I don't know. Perhaps the minor antagonist will reappear in another series, like BPRD, set in the same world and become relevant again.

[Rex Hurst · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collecting issues, # 32 - 37, the last of the regular series of the Abe Sapien solo series. This volume finally heralds the end of Abe Sapien's eternal crawl across the United States, looking for his true self in a sort of Lovecraftian Easy Rider. This is just as well as the series had become rather tiresome with the constant addition of adding new characters which no one cared about. That, along with Magnolia's seeming fear of killing off any female characters, leads to a boring “running man” trope.
Abe Sapien eventually reaches the end of his travels and discovers his true origins. Ironically his investigations lead him back to the beginning, by raiding the offices of Trevor Bruttenholm and uncovering a cache of hidden audio tapes on his origins. His journey spans back and back, connecting an incredible number of previous Abe Sapien , BPRD, and Hellboy stories.

[Benjamin Ervin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here we are, the finale that feels like a coda to a larger symphony that does the one thing I always wanted from the Abe Sapien series, call backs to the first volume "The Drowning," the best volume of the Abe spin-off books. We get it! We also get some tie ins to elements from the Hellboy comics (volumes 6 and 12 respectively) and some good characterization of Abe. There is a small moment - a break actually - that set's up the final pages so well. It's not so much a story that ends with a bang either (which is not what Abe is about) instead it's a violent moment that ties the series themes of "dark and terrible" together in a nice monster bow.

[Hollowspine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the way the ending turned out, even if it didn't answer all my questions. Abe Sapien hasn't been my favorite Hellboy spin-off, throughout the series it ranged from around the two star range to five star range at various times, so it wasn't consistent at all. Some points seemed really rambling, other stories really captured my interest, but sometimes between issues I'd completely lose the plot.

I'll be glad to see Sapien return to the B.P.R.D, hopefully, and wrap up some of those loose ends.

I should mention, as always, the art is fantastic and that has remained consistent.

[Bill Coffin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somehow this multi-volume trek through apocalypse and rebirth brings us back to square one in a conclusion that is way less satisfying than its five-volume build-up would suggest. It is good on its own, but as the conclusion to Abe’s grand epic? Not so much.

[Johann_tor · Rating 2 out of 5]

The artists deliver, and the writer steps on it for some attempt at closure, but there is not much to save in this miscalculated spin-0ff.

[Robert Hudder · Rating 4 out of 5]

All done. A fitting end. Now, I just wonder what happened with the rest of the world and BPRD?

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now this is more like it

[Otto Hahaa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kauheesti kohkataan, mutta sitten loppujen lopuksi mitään ei jää käteen. Kauniita kuvia toki.

[Koen Claeys · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe it's fitting that the ending of a disappointing series is really, reallly bad.... What a waste of time & money.

[Kael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Writing: 3
Art: 3

[M.i. · Rating 4 out of 5]

It feels and reads like the world is coming to an end.

Perfect for the subject matter.

[Elias Grubb · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Storm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Regressions - 3*

Abe returns to New York and goes to Professor Bruttenholm's old house looking for answers. He finds some, but they take time to reveal themselves. In the meantime Stroble and his undead former BPRD soldier Vaughn arrive in New York. Stroble plans to control Abe, and in doing so, control the race that will come to replace man. Things do not go exactly according to plan ...

Dark And Terrible Deep - 4*

Finally more answers including a history of the Hyperboreans, how they split into various groups and what they've been doing. Abe finally finds out what transformed him!

The Garden III - 4*

Grace finally confesses to her regrets at what she said to Abe just before parting from him, writing a letter and putting it into a bottle to be swept out to sea. Abe is still in Saint Sebastien, and sees the last remnants of the fairy world, a refuge kept by Alice who tells him what Hellboy's sacrifice has created (a new World Tree) but refuses Abe sanctuary as he still has things to do. In the meantime Stroble makes his move!

The Desolate Shore - 4*

There's an old man and a young boy fishing, while talking philosophy as fishing is 90% waiting. Then Abe and Stroble show up for a big, satisfying fight! Unfortunately by the end of the fight there is still no real resolution to Abe's mystery so things kind of ended on a "meh" note. I have to admit being a little let down here, but maybe the powers that be are keeping the "reveal" for a later issue of BPRD. Still, not a good way to end this series.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this isn't my favorite of the Abe Sapien series, I am sad that it seems to be the last of the run. I hope to see him back with B.P.R.D. and I hope that another offshoot will appear.

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frustrating. After the aimless filler of Vol. 7, I was thrilled with all the revelations in the first chapter. But they don't pay off and this is the final Abe Sapiens collection — I presume his return to the BPRD will resolve things, but still. And after sorcerer Gustav Strobl stalking Abe almost the entire series, their meeting and battle is really anti-climactic. So not as good as I'd have liked.

[Orrin Grey · Rating 4 out of 5]

So... Abe Sapien is the fishman Jesus and Shonchin is the Wandering Jew? Works for me.

This brings the current Abe Sapien storyline (which has been probably the most satisfying ongoing series in the current arc) to a pretty satisfactory close, tying in stuff from Abe's past and tying up the plotline of interesting recurring villain Gustav Strobl.

[Adan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abe Sapien comes to a somewhat satisfying conclusion as we finally find out who and what exactly Abe is (as well as a few other secrets we didn't even know existed), and there is a climactic battle with Gustav Strobl, the crazy warlock dude that's been chasing Abe (though that battle was less satisfying).

[Devon]

So much lore. Moar loar.