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Hellboy: Library Edition
Hellboy: Library Edition, Vol. 2: The Chained Coffin and The Right Hand of Doom
Since Mike Mignola's Hellboy first hit the stands in 1993, it has become a cultural sensation, racking up a dozen Eisner Awards and inspiring numerous spinoffs - from a novel line, to video games, to feature films. Now, Dark Horse is pleased to present the comics that started it all, collected in deluxe hardcover editions. Sized at a generous 9' x 12', and handsomely bound to match The Art of Hellboy, each volume contains the equivalent of two full trade paperbacks.
This volume reprints the following stories: Pancakes, The Nature of the Beast, King Vold, The Corpse, The Iron Shoes, The Baba Yaga, Heads, Goodbye Mister Tod, The Vârcolac, A Christmas Underground, The Chained Coffin, The Wolves of Saint August, Almost Colossus, The Right Hand of Doom, and Box Full of Evil.
This volume reprints the following stories: Pancakes, The Nature of the Beast, King Vold, The Corpse, The Iron Shoes, The Baba Yaga, Heads, Goodbye Mister Tod, The Vârcolac, A Christmas Underground, The Chained Coffin, The Wolves of Saint August, Almost Colossus, The Right Hand of Doom, and Box Full of Evil.
327 pages, Hardcover
First published October 15, 2008
36 people are currently reading
546 people want to read
About the author
Mike Mignola
1,865 books2,527 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
December 23, 2016
Hellboy is such an odd comic.
I kind of just love the world that Mignola has created, but at the same time it's really dry and crunchy. I'm not particularly invested in any of the characters (Hellboy included), because there's just not much to be invested in. The world is fantastic, the creatures in that world are amazing, and the stories are suitably creepy. But on any sort of personal level, I'm just not feeling anything for the people (<--using that term loosely) involved.
Same thing goes for the art.
Part of me looks at these panels and thinks, Man, that is ugly as fuck! , and the other part of me is absolutely fascinated with what I'm seeing on the page.
It's hideous, look away!
No...wait. That's pretty cool!
Nope. Looks like my kid drew it with a crayon.
Ohhh! That's visually compelling.
My eeeeyes! They're bleeding!
I can't make up my mind. Guess I'll just call it a draw for now.
It was easier for me to get behind the first edition (which contained volume 1 & 2), because it was one big story arc.
This one is a bunch of single issue stories without much of a connecting thread. Which is fine in theory, but the reality turned out to be a bit too meandering for my personal taste.
Like most collections of shorts, some of the stories are better than others.
Most of these were good, some were very good, a few were meh, but none of them blew me away. Again, I think the reason I didn't get all that excited was simply due of the duration of tales. It's rare for a short story to really grip you, because the author doesn't have the page time needed to get most readers invested in the characters and/or plot. And when you add in the weak feelings I had for this group of characters, it's not shocking I didn't wet my pants in delight while reading this thing.
However.
I want to see where this story goes, so I'm not giving up. Plus, it's not like I thought it sucked or anything. I guess I was just expecting more, and came away underwhelmed.
Oh, and Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, etc..
I kind of just love the world that Mignola has created, but at the same time it's really dry and crunchy. I'm not particularly invested in any of the characters (Hellboy included), because there's just not much to be invested in. The world is fantastic, the creatures in that world are amazing, and the stories are suitably creepy. But on any sort of personal level, I'm just not feeling anything for the people (<--using that term loosely) involved.
Same thing goes for the art.
Part of me looks at these panels and thinks, Man, that is ugly as fuck! , and the other part of me is absolutely fascinated with what I'm seeing on the page.
It's hideous, look away!
No...wait. That's pretty cool!
Nope. Looks like my kid drew it with a crayon.
Ohhh! That's visually compelling.
My eeeeyes! They're bleeding!
I can't make up my mind. Guess I'll just call it a draw for now.
It was easier for me to get behind the first edition (which contained volume 1 & 2), because it was one big story arc.
This one is a bunch of single issue stories without much of a connecting thread. Which is fine in theory, but the reality turned out to be a bit too meandering for my personal taste.
Like most collections of shorts, some of the stories are better than others.
Most of these were good, some were very good, a few were meh, but none of them blew me away. Again, I think the reason I didn't get all that excited was simply due of the duration of tales. It's rare for a short story to really grip you, because the author doesn't have the page time needed to get most readers invested in the characters and/or plot. And when you add in the weak feelings I had for this group of characters, it's not shocking I didn't wet my pants in delight while reading this thing.
However.
I want to see where this story goes, so I'm not giving up. Plus, it's not like I thought it sucked or anything. I guess I was just expecting more, and came away underwhelmed.
Oh, and Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, etc..
April 15, 2023
The best way to read Mike Mignola's Hellboy are in the short stories that are collected as a massive tome. This is what this volume offers, more of the goodness the previous Library Edition offered but better.
March 8, 2021
Brilliant.
April 28, 2021
Говард Лавкрафт… І принципі на цьому можна було б закінчити всі враження від другого бібліотечного видання «Hellboy: The Chained Coffin & The Right Hand of Doom and Others» Майка Міньйоли. Тому потрібно трішки написати про це видання.
Ця збірка, на відміну від першої бібліотечки, містить ваншоти (окремі випуски), які розповідають короткі історії про Геллбоя в різний період його існування на планеті Земля. Ще під час читання перших арок «Зерно руйнування» та «Пробудження диявола» можна було помітити вагомий вплив лавкрайфтіанської міфології на творчість Міньйоли. Банально, взявши тільки пантеон богів у геллбойверсі, де можна легко шукати паралелі із лавкрафтіанськими богами.
Але створення відповідної атмосфери — це зовсім інша справа. І якраз, знайомлячись із короткими історіями з цієї бібліотечки, у мене в думках засіла думка: «Це ж Лавкрафт, тільки в іншому сетинґу, де головним героєм є наш червоний демон». І це все через ось цю структуру коротких ваншотів, які гарно перегукуються із короткими оповіданням Лавкрафта. Майк Міньйола зумів створити неперевершену атмосферу, як і розповіддю, так і малюнком. Бо малюнок якраз шокуюче добре відобразив усе те, що малювалося в моїй голові під час читання оповідань Лавкрафта.
Збірка містить різні історії, від веселих і дуже коротких, як «Млинці» — де військовий генерал змушує скуштувати маленького Геллбоя шматок млинця. А Пеклик навідріз відмовляється, апелюючи, що він не любить їх. До більш серйозних, атмосферних та проникливих. «Вовки святого Авґустина» мальопис, який, мабуть, найбільше мені припав до серця через те, як Мінйьола працює із фольклором і міфологією у ньому, щоби зіткати свою власну історію. Чи «Труп», яка є моментами кумедна, але, з іншого боку, й жахлива, що пробирає до останньої кісточки. Їх багато, і всі вони різні, кожна з яких має свою власну особливість.
У Майка Міньйоли немає якихось рамок, адже перед ним відчинені релігії, міфології, легенди та вірування всіх народів світу. Покинуті печери, старі особняки, таємничі родини, привиди, вигадані істоти — це ще одні інструменти, які сценарист і художник використовує для будови свого світу, збагачуючи та розширюючи його. Хоча це і збірка коротких мальописів, але, окрім невимовного задоволення від читання, також принесла багато пояснень щодо особистості Геллбоя, історія походження якого оповита поки пеленою невідомості.
Ця збірка, на відміну від першої бібліотечки, містить ваншоти (окремі випуски), які розповідають короткі історії про Геллбоя в різний період його існування на планеті Земля. Ще під час читання перших арок «Зерно руйнування» та «Пробудження диявола» можна було помітити вагомий вплив лавкрайфтіанської міфології на творчість Міньйоли. Банально, взявши тільки пантеон богів у геллбойверсі, де можна легко шукати паралелі із лавкрафтіанськими богами.
Але створення відповідної атмосфери — це зовсім інша справа. І якраз, знайомлячись із короткими історіями з цієї бібліотечки, у мене в думках засіла думка: «Це ж Лавкрафт, тільки в іншому сетинґу, де головним героєм є наш червоний демон». І це все через ось цю структуру коротких ваншотів, які гарно перегукуються із короткими оповіданням Лавкрафта. Майк Міньйола зумів створити неперевершену атмосферу, як і розповіддю, так і малюнком. Бо малюнок якраз шокуюче добре відобразив усе те, що малювалося в моїй голові під час читання оповідань Лавкрафта.
Збірка містить різні історії, від веселих і дуже коротких, як «Млинці» — де військовий генерал змушує скуштувати маленького Геллбоя шматок млинця. А Пеклик навідріз відмовляється, апелюючи, що він не любить їх. До більш серйозних, атмосферних та проникливих. «Вовки святого Авґустина» мальопис, який, мабуть, найбільше мені припав до серця через те, як Мінйьола працює із фольклором і міфологією у ньому, щоби зіткати свою власну історію. Чи «Труп», яка є моментами кумедна, але, з іншого боку, й жахлива, що пробирає до останньої кісточки. Їх багато, і всі вони різні, кожна з яких має свою власну особливість.
У Майка Міньйоли немає якихось рамок, адже перед ним відчинені релігії, міфології, легенди та вірування всіх народів світу. Покинуті печери, старі особняки, таємничі родини, привиди, вигадані істоти — це ще одні інструменти, які сценарист і художник використовує для будови свого світу, збагачуючи та розширюючи його. Хоча це і збірка коротких мальописів, але, окрім невимовного задоволення від читання, також принесла багато пояснень щодо особистості Геллбоя, історія походження якого оповита поки пеленою невідомості.
August 25, 2019
Hellboy is great. We all know it.
March 17, 2017
Knowing that often stories of this type improve over time as the author finds their voice with the characters and figures out who they are and how they best interact with the story elements and each other I picked up volume one and two at the same time.
April 5, 2020
Not much to say here. Hellboy is getting better and better. Apart from the art which I find out-of-this-world (tbh, this cubic and edgy drawing style is exactly my cup of tea so I can't be too objective about this), I have to note the accuracy and detail Mignola offers when it comes to mixing folklore of many countries with his own imagination and how that comes off on paper. It's top-shelf material, really.
Apart from tons of fun in reading his work, he offers references for extra research for anyone that loves the occult/folklore etc. Plus he discusses some of my favorite books/stories (Brave New World, House of Usher, anything Lovecraft,Huxley, Milton, Coleridge) as his inspirations! Neat.
C'est parti pour Library No.3.
Apart from tons of fun in reading his work, he offers references for extra research for anyone that loves the occult/folklore etc. Plus he discusses some of my favorite books/stories (Brave New World, House of Usher, anything Lovecraft,Huxley, Milton, Coleridge) as his inspirations! Neat.
C'est parti pour Library No.3.
July 19, 2015
This is a collection of short stories and I have to say I enjoyed those a lot. Some of these develop the Hellboy mythology, some are just for fun.
The art is top notch and we can see Mike Mignola fully in control of his technic.
The art is top notch and we can see Mike Mignola fully in control of his technic.
October 3, 2024
3.5 ⭐ (Really Liked It)
This was quite a bit better than the first volume. The story seemed to be more coherent and make more sense. I liked that we got a little back story on Hellboy and a couple characters got more page time. Everything is starting to feel more fleshed out and have a purpose and that sits well with me.
The art continues to be gorgeous. It's really unique and fresh and fits the subject matter well. It makes everything flow wonderfully together and the story would suffer if the art wasn't as good as it is.
Even though I really did like this one, I'm not sure if I'm going to continue on in the series. I have plenty to read and this wasn't something that made me go, "I have to go one!" Personally I'd rather go and finish up Attack on Titan.
That being said I can see now why this is so popular and influential for its time. I really enjoyed all the added stuff from Mignola inside too kind of showcasing his thoughts while writing and drawing.
This was quite a bit better than the first volume. The story seemed to be more coherent and make more sense. I liked that we got a little back story on Hellboy and a couple characters got more page time. Everything is starting to feel more fleshed out and have a purpose and that sits well with me.
The art continues to be gorgeous. It's really unique and fresh and fits the subject matter well. It makes everything flow wonderfully together and the story would suffer if the art wasn't as good as it is.
Even though I really did like this one, I'm not sure if I'm going to continue on in the series. I have plenty to read and this wasn't something that made me go, "I have to go one!" Personally I'd rather go and finish up Attack on Titan.
That being said I can see now why this is so popular and influential for its time. I really enjoyed all the added stuff from Mignola inside too kind of showcasing his thoughts while writing and drawing.
May 17, 2019
Second Hellboy Library edition is this collection of short stories. I love short stories, which are part of some wider universe (especially the canonic ones), and this brings me joy. I like all of the stories and love a big part of them. But my favourites are these: The Corpse - funny and macabre, I can't get enough of stories with this atmosphere; The Christmas underground - old mansions and the last ones of some great and mysterious lineage are my things too; The Wolves... - I really like how Mike works with folklore and mythology, get inspired, use and modify those things to mould his own story, like in this one; The Nature of the Beast - this is a short, simple but thrilling story and I especially love the pinch of the irony on the end; King Vold - I love "Nordic/northern" mythology and this story has a lot of that feel I look for there; Heads - what I love maybe more than Nordic mythology is the grim and terrifying feel of Japanese ghost stories and even Mike admits he has very little knowledge here, he did a great job with Heads in capturing that atmosphere (can I get Hellboy - Yokai hunter story arc, please?); Goodbye Mister Todd/The Varcolac/Right hand of Doom - short, but great and intense stories and finally Box full of Evil - this is a rich, thrilling and intense story and I barely forget to stop holding my breath sometimes. This is a magnificent story to finish this collection. And as you can see I loved a lot of stories in this book. They enrich, expand and explain a lot of Hellboyverse and helps to create something which feels almost real and lifelike. I wish I would have children one day and fuel their fantasies with lore that Mike created - it's super rich, the right amount of dark but with hope and happy endings. Hellboy is awesome, what can I say more?
March 25, 2023
hellboy is literally me
December 3, 2023
(Zero spoiler review) 4.5/5
On The Chained Coffin: 'Oh, this is all short stories... This is going to blow chunks', I thought to myself. Especially after the magnificence that was Seeds of Destruction. But alas, I was wrong. The chucks were delicious, and sexy, and smelled pretty good, too. In short, which is rather apt, Mignola seems to be the master of the short form story, which is the hardest kind of story to tell. Try telling a complete and satisfying story in 8 or less pages. It's nowhere near as easy as it seems. But Mignola does it again, and again, and again here. The art is perfect. The world building, the lore, the characters... Perfect. Quite how such an air of unease can be created in these most simple of drawings defies credulity somewhat, but again and again, Mignola manages to achieve it. Hellboy is fast becoming one of my favourite comic series. Bloody brilliant.
On The Right Hand of Doom: It's getting a little repetitive already, but my near fawning praise for this series seems to know no bounds. I'm sure there will be dips and drops in quality here and there, but for now, this is a breath of rancid, demonic air into the fairly stale and uninteresting genre of horror comics. Mignola makes it all look rather easy. Simple art, somewhat simple plotting and storytelling, maximum results. Quite why it's taken me this long to read the entirety of the Hellboy collection I have sitting on my shelves is anyone's guess. I'm just glad I finally got around to it. Really bloody good. 4.5/5
OmniBen.
On The Chained Coffin: 'Oh, this is all short stories... This is going to blow chunks', I thought to myself. Especially after the magnificence that was Seeds of Destruction. But alas, I was wrong. The chucks were delicious, and sexy, and smelled pretty good, too. In short, which is rather apt, Mignola seems to be the master of the short form story, which is the hardest kind of story to tell. Try telling a complete and satisfying story in 8 or less pages. It's nowhere near as easy as it seems. But Mignola does it again, and again, and again here. The art is perfect. The world building, the lore, the characters... Perfect. Quite how such an air of unease can be created in these most simple of drawings defies credulity somewhat, but again and again, Mignola manages to achieve it. Hellboy is fast becoming one of my favourite comic series. Bloody brilliant.
On The Right Hand of Doom: It's getting a little repetitive already, but my near fawning praise for this series seems to know no bounds. I'm sure there will be dips and drops in quality here and there, but for now, this is a breath of rancid, demonic air into the fairly stale and uninteresting genre of horror comics. Mignola makes it all look rather easy. Simple art, somewhat simple plotting and storytelling, maximum results. Quite why it's taken me this long to read the entirety of the Hellboy collection I have sitting on my shelves is anyone's guess. I'm just glad I finally got around to it. Really bloody good. 4.5/5
OmniBen.
April 13, 2020
Volume 2 funguje po prvej knihe ako datadisk. Je to totiž zbierka príbehov, rôzneho rozsahu, ktoré rozširujú svet Hellboya, ale aj Hellboya samotného. Skvelé je, že príbehy si nie sú príliš podobné a žánrovo tu máme asi všetko od situačnej komédie až po čistokrvný horor. Mignola drobnými epizódami rozširuje svoje univerzum, ale príbehy ako také fungujú aj samostatne. Ale ako rozšírenie k prvej knihe fungujú samozrejme oveľa lepšie. Často je tu ten pocit, ktorý som si užíval vo volume 1 a ktorý čitateľovi poskytuje náznaky toho, že to čo práve číta bude mať ďalekosiahle následky.
Najviac ma určite bavil príbeh The Wolves of Saint August vďaka atmosfére, ktorú si postupne vybudoval. Nebol tu ale žiadny príbeh, ktorý by ma vyslovene nudil, alebo by som mal pocit, že je zbytočný.
Spracovanie - na túto tému iba doslova zopakujem to, čo som napísal k prvej knihe. Podľa mňa je library editon s prehľadom najlepšie možné spracovanie. A píšem to aj s ohľadom na české vydanie. To považujem za zbytočne veľké. A čo je dôležitejšie, táto edícia je neustále dostupná za naozaj sympatické peniaze. A samozrejmosťou je OBROVSKÉ množstvo bonusov. Preto určite neváhajte!
Najviac ma určite bavil príbeh The Wolves of Saint August vďaka atmosfére, ktorú si postupne vybudoval. Nebol tu ale žiadny príbeh, ktorý by ma vyslovene nudil, alebo by som mal pocit, že je zbytočný.
Spracovanie - na túto tému iba doslova zopakujem to, čo som napísal k prvej knihe. Podľa mňa je library editon s prehľadom najlepšie možné spracovanie. A píšem to aj s ohľadom na české vydanie. To považujem za zbytočne veľké. A čo je dôležitejšie, táto edícia je neustále dostupná za naozaj sympatické peniaze. A samozrejmosťou je OBROVSKÉ množstvo bonusov. Preto určite neváhajte!
May 25, 2020
Jedna z najlepszych części cyklu, bo krótkie opowieści to żywioł Mignoli
January 20, 2022
This format truly makes the experience phenomenal. All the stories--and there are many in this binding--are arranged in such a way to augment the stories after it. Looking at the regular trades, I think this is far superior to the ordering. "Pancakes" is the first one, for instance; makes a lot of sense.
More than that, the stories are more interesting overall than the first binding. Though slightly more necessarily uneven artwork-wise, because of the numerous different formats being put in it, the quality of the storytelling is far more compelling. Loved this. And the oversized format, again, just an incredible experience.
More than that, the stories are more interesting overall than the first binding. Though slightly more necessarily uneven artwork-wise, because of the numerous different formats being put in it, the quality of the storytelling is far more compelling. Loved this. And the oversized format, again, just an incredible experience.
October 19, 2022
After enjoying the 1st volume as I have, I wasn't expecting anything but the best from this volume.
It didn't disappoint. Here we have a collection of short and not-so-short stories. A couple of those stories follow and expand the universe created in the 1st volume. Most are completely unrelated and isolated stories. There are also a couple of stories that shed some light into Hellboy's origins.
Mignola's illustrations are amazing as always and I feel his writing has improved a lot here. The language is simple but the plot is somewhat deep enough, giving the feeling that one would have to read the stories a couple of times to fully grasp everything.
Highly recommended. Hellboy is indeed a powerhouse in the supernatural comic's world.
It didn't disappoint. Here we have a collection of short and not-so-short stories. A couple of those stories follow and expand the universe created in the 1st volume. Most are completely unrelated and isolated stories. There are also a couple of stories that shed some light into Hellboy's origins.
Mignola's illustrations are amazing as always and I feel his writing has improved a lot here. The language is simple but the plot is somewhat deep enough, giving the feeling that one would have to read the stories a couple of times to fully grasp everything.
Highly recommended. Hellboy is indeed a powerhouse in the supernatural comic's world.
February 10, 2024
Чудова колекція коротких історій із Всесвіту Геллбоя.
Серед них "The Corpse" - історія в якій з'являється Даґда - король Туата в компанії з сером Едвардом Ґреєм, а Геллбой намагається поховати труп і носить його на спині. Все для того, що б врятувати з полону фейрі - немовля на ім'я Еліс. Саме ця Еліс потім стане його коханою і поселиться біля Іґдрасиля зайнявши місце королеви Медб.
Також тут є перша різдвяна історія де Геллбой на мить стає Father Christmas.
Серед них "The Corpse" - історія в якій з'являється Даґда - король Туата в компанії з сером Едвардом Ґреєм, а Геллбой намагається поховати труп і носить його на спині. Все для того, що б врятувати з полону фейрі - немовля на ім'я Еліс. Саме ця Еліс потім стане його коханою і поселиться біля Іґдрасиля зайнявши місце королеви Медб.
Також тут є перша різдвяна історія де Геллбой на мить стає Father Christmas.
January 27, 2018
I love my big red son.
February 10, 2024
Just epic 👌 some of my favourites are in here!
June 16, 2025
YEAH.
Ten tom mi się dużo bardziej podobał. Rysunki trupów i elementów religijnych, top.
Ten tom mi się dużo bardziej podobał. Rysunki trupów i elementów religijnych, top.
January 3, 2022
The Hellboy Library Edition 2 was an unusual read for me. Typically, I prefer my comic collections to be arcs. I don’t shy away from collections of one-off stories, but I find myself gravitating towards longer story arcs. The first library edition was two arcs, while this edition is a multitude of one-off stories, and I preferred this edition over the first.
One of the things that rang a little hollow in the first Library Edition is that Hellboy is referred to as the “world’s greatest paranormal investigator”. We don’t really see any of that, however. Hellboy simply goes to a place, fights a bad guy, and the story ends. Same with the second arc, though there was a bit more world-building. We are told, but not shown.
The benefit of having a bunch of one-off stories is that we get to add a bit of fuel to the claim that Hellboy is a great paranormal investigator. We get Hellboy across the years looking into a bevy of supernatural occurrences, most of them drawn from folklore across the world. There is not that much actual investigating, but Hellboy usually resorts to using some sort of charm or occult object to save himself and the day, which shows some paranormal knowledge.
Honestly, with a few exceptions, the stories told in this volume should have been published first to establish Hellboy, with Seed of Destruction and Wake the Devil being published second. The Chained Coffin, The Right Hand of Doom, and Almost Human are the only stories that should be read after the first volume.
The art continues the less-is-more approach and continues to look gorgeous. Particular highlights go to the Chained Coffin and Almost Human. One thing I noticed in the first edition and continues here is Hellboy’s shape. I noticed that Hellboy is not drawn with hugely broad shoulders. Most of the time his shoulder is so incredibly sloped, like the weight of the world is on his shoulders and he is so tired. I do not know if that was the intention, but the body language of Hellboy is at odds with what Hellboy claims. Frequently he says that he doesn’t care what he is, and he ignores what he is, however, in the series he has learned his true name, he has learned what his huge stone right hand is and is continually getting inklings of what he is destined to be. He may say he doesn’t care, but his body language speaks volumes.
This is a shorter review. I am not going to go over every story here with a fine-tooth comb. The ones that are short and sweet do not overstay their welcome. The afterward indicates that a lot of the shorter stories were written as two-page editions, or split into several 3-panel sections, collected, and edited for this edition. They are good because they add proof to the claim that Hellboy is the world’s greatest paranormal investigator. The longer stories pad out the universe and add context or epilogs to some of the stories beats from Seed of Destruction and Wake the Devil.
I understand why this is the second volume. A lot of the stories were published either after Wake the Devil, or in a unique add-on format to annuals or other magazines. I have also found that I find origin stories a bit of a drag. Maybe I’ve just been over-exposed to origin stories, which is what the first edition was. This volume moves at a quick pace, and the incredible breadth of folklore it draws from makes each story fresh. 4/5.
One of the things that rang a little hollow in the first Library Edition is that Hellboy is referred to as the “world’s greatest paranormal investigator”. We don’t really see any of that, however. Hellboy simply goes to a place, fights a bad guy, and the story ends. Same with the second arc, though there was a bit more world-building. We are told, but not shown.
The benefit of having a bunch of one-off stories is that we get to add a bit of fuel to the claim that Hellboy is a great paranormal investigator. We get Hellboy across the years looking into a bevy of supernatural occurrences, most of them drawn from folklore across the world. There is not that much actual investigating, but Hellboy usually resorts to using some sort of charm or occult object to save himself and the day, which shows some paranormal knowledge.
Honestly, with a few exceptions, the stories told in this volume should have been published first to establish Hellboy, with Seed of Destruction and Wake the Devil being published second. The Chained Coffin, The Right Hand of Doom, and Almost Human are the only stories that should be read after the first volume.
The art continues the less-is-more approach and continues to look gorgeous. Particular highlights go to the Chained Coffin and Almost Human. One thing I noticed in the first edition and continues here is Hellboy’s shape. I noticed that Hellboy is not drawn with hugely broad shoulders. Most of the time his shoulder is so incredibly sloped, like the weight of the world is on his shoulders and he is so tired. I do not know if that was the intention, but the body language of Hellboy is at odds with what Hellboy claims. Frequently he says that he doesn’t care what he is, and he ignores what he is, however, in the series he has learned his true name, he has learned what his huge stone right hand is and is continually getting inklings of what he is destined to be. He may say he doesn’t care, but his body language speaks volumes.
This is a shorter review. I am not going to go over every story here with a fine-tooth comb. The ones that are short and sweet do not overstay their welcome. The afterward indicates that a lot of the shorter stories were written as two-page editions, or split into several 3-panel sections, collected, and edited for this edition. They are good because they add proof to the claim that Hellboy is the world’s greatest paranormal investigator. The longer stories pad out the universe and add context or epilogs to some of the stories beats from Seed of Destruction and Wake the Devil.
I understand why this is the second volume. A lot of the stories were published either after Wake the Devil, or in a unique add-on format to annuals or other magazines. I have also found that I find origin stories a bit of a drag. Maybe I’ve just been over-exposed to origin stories, which is what the first edition was. This volume moves at a quick pace, and the incredible breadth of folklore it draws from makes each story fresh. 4/5.
March 17, 2017
This is a bunch of one offs and while keeping track of chronology was a little more difficult it was still highly enjoyable.
June 12, 2016
Mignola isn't the best writer, and some of the stories here are bland; however, the art and the storytelling more than make up for it. If this work were stripped of all its text, I would still love pouring through it. What's funny, too, is that I have a couple of these in single issues and had forgotten how good they are. My favorite stories from this edition are: The Chained Coffin, Christmas Underground, Box Full of Evil, and Almost Colossus.
I had read rave reviews of The Wolves of Saint August, but it was a middling story. In the comments section, Mignola states that he is still very proud of the little wolf girl; and well he should be -- it was my favorite part of the story.
I had read rave reviews of The Wolves of Saint August, but it was a middling story. In the comments section, Mignola states that he is still very proud of the little wolf girl; and well he should be -- it was my favorite part of the story.
April 1, 2015
Out of all of the Hellboy library editions, this one is my favorite. It still amazes me how Mike Mignola sets the tone with is art and his use of panels. Reading this collection, it's easy to see that he does his research to create a feeling of something dark, cultural, and very real just under the surface of our understanding.
July 2, 2021
And I'm in love.
I'm 100% in for the long haul here, Mignola is such a talented writer and a visionary artist. I'm diving head first into not just Hellboy but all of his work.
I didn't think anyone could write an anthology such as solid as this volume, every story is so strong in it's own way. A must-read for any horror fan.
I'm 100% in for the long haul here, Mignola is such a talented writer and a visionary artist. I'm diving head first into not just Hellboy but all of his work.
I didn't think anyone could write an anthology such as solid as this volume, every story is so strong in it's own way. A must-read for any horror fan.
July 9, 2015
What? I liked this volume even more than the first one? This collection of short stories just did it for me. Most importantly, the first story, "Pancakes," is perhaps the best use of two pages in the history of anything.
November 23, 2014
This was terrific. "The Corpse" has to be the best comic I've read in years. Authors should look to Mignola's examples of how to do more with less.
September 2, 2019
Hellboy... Jaki jest każdy widzi. Albo się zachwycisz i zachłystniesz wizją Mignoli całkowicie albo odbijesz i potraktuje całość jako ciekawostkę. Mnie Hellboy schwycił swoją wielką łapą zniszczenia i nie puszcza...
Tym razem mamy do czynienia ze zbiorem opowiadań, z różnych okresów życia naszego diabła z sąsiedztwa. Wolę jednak dłuższe opowieści jak w pierwszym tomie(głównie dlatego, że czułem niedosyt po zakończeniu lektury), ale nie będę marudził. Biorę co jest i co dają. A dają 15 opowiadań. Zadziwiające, że wszystkie utrzymują pewien poziom(wysoki oczywiście), choć naturlanie mam swoich faworytów.
Hellboy cechuje się też specyficzną kreską, ale akurat taki minimalizm bardzo mi podszedł. Nadaje to całości unikalny klimat, tym bardziej że wiąże się w głównej mierze z tematyką okultyzmu. Dominują ciemne kolory, rysunki wyglądają zacnie. Dialogi są w punkt, nie ma tu dłużyzn, wszystko czemuś służy. Naprawdę rzadko spotykane.
Pierwszą, świetną historią jaka zapadła mi w pamięć była ta z porwany dzieckiem, nosząca nazwę Wisielec bodajże. Rodzice, przerażeni zmianami zachodzącymi w niemowlęciu, proszą o pomoc specjalistę. Hellboy podejmuje się tematu i odkrywa, że dzieciak jest podrzutkiem starożytnej rasy. Paskudnym podrzutkiem... Aby odzyskać prawdziwego berbecia Hellboy'a czeka prawdziwa przeprawa w czyjejś makabrycznej grze...
Potem mamy klimatyczna, króciutka historię o Babie Jadze. Ma być wstępem do czegoś co się rozegra w dalszych tomach i czekam na to z niecierpliwością, bo tutaj niestety mamy tylko naprawdę mały kąsek.
Kolejne opowiadanie jakie uwielbiam to Głowy. Bardzo niepokojące. Sceny rozgrywające się tam pozostają mi w pamięci do teraz. Spętana trumna to opowieść o tym jak doszło do poczęcia Hellboy'a. Jest krótka i treściwa. Rozwija cała mitologię świata, choć na samym końcu będę miał pewien zarzut do dzieła Mignoli, który pojawił się w tym tomie.
Wilki że św. Augusta to nieco dłuższe opowiadanie, wprowadzające nową postać kobiecą. Znajomy ksiądz planował przeprowadzić mszę w nieodpowiednim miejscu. Zginął on i cała populacja pewnego miasteczka. Hellboy wraz z niejaką Kate zjawia się na miejscu i zaczyna się śledztwo, podlane dłuższą rozmową o historii lokalnych rodów. Klątwy, wilkołaki, duchy, niezła bitka. Mignola potrafi obrazować bijatyki.
Prawie kolos to historia powiązana z poprzednim tomem, powiązana z ożywieniem homunculusa. Całkiem dobra. Stawką było życie Liz Sherman, więc diabeł rusza z odsieczą, aby odnaleźć stwora, którego dziewczyna ożywiła przypadkiem w pierwszym tomie, przez co zabrał jej cząstkę siebie. Cząstkę duszy. Teraz trzeba ją odzyskać...
Na koniec zostawiłem sobie szkatułkę pełną zła, która pokazuje nam w całej okazałości kim jest Hellboy i to że przeznaczenie nie jest czymś stałym, że można przeciwko niemu wystąpić. Uwielbiam tą opowieść. Cała reszta historyjek jest dobra, ale nie zrobiły one na mnie takiego wrażenia jak te wspomniane powyżej.
Prawie każda opowieść rozwija i pogłębia uniwersum Hellboy'a oraz coś wnosi, jednak miałbym na ten moment jeden zarzut. Cała reszta postaci była mi w zasadzie obojętna,(potraktowana bardzo po macoszemu)poza tytułowym bohaterem, więc jak się im coś przytrafiało to nie ruszał mnie to wcale. Ot taki minus, ale w ujęciu całości nieco zmarginalizowany. Polecam gorąco.
Tym razem mamy do czynienia ze zbiorem opowiadań, z różnych okresów życia naszego diabła z sąsiedztwa. Wolę jednak dłuższe opowieści jak w pierwszym tomie(głównie dlatego, że czułem niedosyt po zakończeniu lektury), ale nie będę marudził. Biorę co jest i co dają. A dają 15 opowiadań. Zadziwiające, że wszystkie utrzymują pewien poziom(wysoki oczywiście), choć naturlanie mam swoich faworytów.
Hellboy cechuje się też specyficzną kreską, ale akurat taki minimalizm bardzo mi podszedł. Nadaje to całości unikalny klimat, tym bardziej że wiąże się w głównej mierze z tematyką okultyzmu. Dominują ciemne kolory, rysunki wyglądają zacnie. Dialogi są w punkt, nie ma tu dłużyzn, wszystko czemuś służy. Naprawdę rzadko spotykane.
Pierwszą, świetną historią jaka zapadła mi w pamięć była ta z porwany dzieckiem, nosząca nazwę Wisielec bodajże. Rodzice, przerażeni zmianami zachodzącymi w niemowlęciu, proszą o pomoc specjalistę. Hellboy podejmuje się tematu i odkrywa, że dzieciak jest podrzutkiem starożytnej rasy. Paskudnym podrzutkiem... Aby odzyskać prawdziwego berbecia Hellboy'a czeka prawdziwa przeprawa w czyjejś makabrycznej grze...
Potem mamy klimatyczna, króciutka historię o Babie Jadze. Ma być wstępem do czegoś co się rozegra w dalszych tomach i czekam na to z niecierpliwością, bo tutaj niestety mamy tylko naprawdę mały kąsek.
Kolejne opowiadanie jakie uwielbiam to Głowy. Bardzo niepokojące. Sceny rozgrywające się tam pozostają mi w pamięci do teraz. Spętana trumna to opowieść o tym jak doszło do poczęcia Hellboy'a. Jest krótka i treściwa. Rozwija cała mitologię świata, choć na samym końcu będę miał pewien zarzut do dzieła Mignoli, który pojawił się w tym tomie.
Wilki że św. Augusta to nieco dłuższe opowiadanie, wprowadzające nową postać kobiecą. Znajomy ksiądz planował przeprowadzić mszę w nieodpowiednim miejscu. Zginął on i cała populacja pewnego miasteczka. Hellboy wraz z niejaką Kate zjawia się na miejscu i zaczyna się śledztwo, podlane dłuższą rozmową o historii lokalnych rodów. Klątwy, wilkołaki, duchy, niezła bitka. Mignola potrafi obrazować bijatyki.
Prawie kolos to historia powiązana z poprzednim tomem, powiązana z ożywieniem homunculusa. Całkiem dobra. Stawką było życie Liz Sherman, więc diabeł rusza z odsieczą, aby odnaleźć stwora, którego dziewczyna ożywiła przypadkiem w pierwszym tomie, przez co zabrał jej cząstkę siebie. Cząstkę duszy. Teraz trzeba ją odzyskać...
Na koniec zostawiłem sobie szkatułkę pełną zła, która pokazuje nam w całej okazałości kim jest Hellboy i to że przeznaczenie nie jest czymś stałym, że można przeciwko niemu wystąpić. Uwielbiam tą opowieść. Cała reszta historyjek jest dobra, ale nie zrobiły one na mnie takiego wrażenia jak te wspomniane powyżej.
Prawie każda opowieść rozwija i pogłębia uniwersum Hellboy'a oraz coś wnosi, jednak miałbym na ten moment jeden zarzut. Cała reszta postaci była mi w zasadzie obojętna,(potraktowana bardzo po macoszemu)poza tytułowym bohaterem, więc jak się im coś przytrafiało to nie ruszał mnie to wcale. Ot taki minus, ale w ujęciu całości nieco zmarginalizowany. Polecam gorąco.
August 8, 2020
8.5/10
This beautiful oversize volume contains some of the best moments of Hellboy, and it is the ideal book to introduce oneself to the magic narrative universe of the character. Let me explain why.
Mike Mignola's mind was always split between two different narrative paths when working on the series.
On one hand, he felt the need to subscribe to the paradigms of the American comics industry, creating multi-issues miniseries where the title character acted as some kind of pulp hero. In these long stories you can see Hellboy turning more and more uncomfortable in the role of 'Nazi-punching superhero without a cape' as the adventures move forward. (Maybe a projection of the author discomfort with the tropes of mainstream American comics?)
At the same time, Mignola exploited his red horned character as a mean - basically an excuse - to stage in comics form his favourite old folk stories from around the world. These are the short stories, most of which set in the past of Hellboy.
Luckily Mignola found a way to reconcile these two diverging approaches in the last part of the series, when the longer stories became more fantasy-oriented and many characters that had appeared in Hellboy's short folk stories popped up again to play a role in the big scheme of things.
Nonetheless, it is my opinion that the short purely folk tales are the qualitative peak of Mignola's career.
Now, this volume of the Library edition collects all the short stories that Mignola conceived between 1994 and 2000. (Technically, the book reunites the trade paperbacks Hellboy, Vol. 3: The Chained Coffin and Others and Hellboy, Vol. 4: The Right Hand of Doom.) And they are all great!
Pancakes was intended to be nothing but a 2-pager joke. But it set the mood of Hellboy so well that it is seen nowadays as a cult passage of the series.
Stories like The Iron Shoes (Irish folklore), The Baba Yaga (Russian folklore), Heads (Japanese folklore), The Vârcolac (Eastern European folklore) and Goodbye Mister Tod (American folklore) all follow the same narrative structure: 1) there is a supernatural phenomenon that is annoying someone in some part of the world in some year of the second half of the 20th century, which the author steals from actual folk stories; 2) the paranormal detective Hellboy is called to have a look; 3) a monster pops up; 4) Hellboy says "son of a ..." and punches his way out of trouble. "And there you go", as our pragmatic hero often declares at the end of the confrontation. It is surprising how almost every time Mignola makes this repeating pattern work. There is a masterful balance of storytelling and art at play here.
King Vold (Norwegian folklore) follows the same pattern described above, but it takes an unusual moral turn for once.
A Christmas Underground (a Xmas story featuring vampires, what do you want more?), The Wolves of Saint August (featuring a nasty werewolf!) and Almost Colossus all add a touching 'family side' to the scheme. The latter introduces Roger, yet another psychologically troubled monster-hero that will hang around for a while in Mignola's universe.
The Nature of the Beast, The Chained Coffin and The Right Hand of Doom give hint on the past and future of the protagonist, starting to build upon the epic turn of the last part of the series. Notice however that The Right Hand of Doom is mostly a recap of things happened in the trade paperbacks #1-2, namely Library edition volume 1, so you may want to skip it to avoid spoilers.
Last but not least, if you only have to read two Hellboy stories in your life, you should probably go for Box Full of Evil and The Corpse.
The former presents in a nutshell the epitome of the whole series, saying already everything about the character: Hellboy is a man who refuses his demonic destiny and struggle for that right with his punches and psychological distress.
The latter is based on Irish fairy tales and is a pure gem. In order to save a child Hellboy has to find a grave for a corpse, but the spirits of those resting in the graveyards at hand do not agree...
Art-wise, this book showcases the first steps of the progression of Mignola's already edgy and geometric style towards very abstract levels. Such an evolution is not unusual for an artist, but in my knowledge it was seen so clearly only a few times before in mainstream comics. For instance, the Italian Hugo Pratt in the 70's (Corto Maltese) and his moral pupil Frank Miller in the 80's and 90's (Daredevil, Ronin, Batman, Elektra, Sin City...) followed a similar pattern, and are still rightfully celebrated to this day for that.
This beautiful oversize volume contains some of the best moments of Hellboy, and it is the ideal book to introduce oneself to the magic narrative universe of the character. Let me explain why.
Mike Mignola's mind was always split between two different narrative paths when working on the series.
On one hand, he felt the need to subscribe to the paradigms of the American comics industry, creating multi-issues miniseries where the title character acted as some kind of pulp hero. In these long stories you can see Hellboy turning more and more uncomfortable in the role of 'Nazi-punching superhero without a cape' as the adventures move forward. (Maybe a projection of the author discomfort with the tropes of mainstream American comics?)
At the same time, Mignola exploited his red horned character as a mean - basically an excuse - to stage in comics form his favourite old folk stories from around the world. These are the short stories, most of which set in the past of Hellboy.
Luckily Mignola found a way to reconcile these two diverging approaches in the last part of the series, when the longer stories became more fantasy-oriented and many characters that had appeared in Hellboy's short folk stories popped up again to play a role in the big scheme of things.
Nonetheless, it is my opinion that the short purely folk tales are the qualitative peak of Mignola's career.
Now, this volume of the Library edition collects all the short stories that Mignola conceived between 1994 and 2000. (Technically, the book reunites the trade paperbacks Hellboy, Vol. 3: The Chained Coffin and Others and Hellboy, Vol. 4: The Right Hand of Doom.) And they are all great!
Pancakes was intended to be nothing but a 2-pager joke. But it set the mood of Hellboy so well that it is seen nowadays as a cult passage of the series.
Stories like The Iron Shoes (Irish folklore), The Baba Yaga (Russian folklore), Heads (Japanese folklore), The Vârcolac (Eastern European folklore) and Goodbye Mister Tod (American folklore) all follow the same narrative structure: 1) there is a supernatural phenomenon that is annoying someone in some part of the world in some year of the second half of the 20th century, which the author steals from actual folk stories; 2) the paranormal detective Hellboy is called to have a look; 3) a monster pops up; 4) Hellboy says "son of a ..." and punches his way out of trouble. "And there you go", as our pragmatic hero often declares at the end of the confrontation. It is surprising how almost every time Mignola makes this repeating pattern work. There is a masterful balance of storytelling and art at play here.
King Vold (Norwegian folklore) follows the same pattern described above, but it takes an unusual moral turn for once.
A Christmas Underground (a Xmas story featuring vampires, what do you want more?), The Wolves of Saint August (featuring a nasty werewolf!) and Almost Colossus all add a touching 'family side' to the scheme. The latter introduces Roger, yet another psychologically troubled monster-hero that will hang around for a while in Mignola's universe.
The Nature of the Beast, The Chained Coffin and The Right Hand of Doom give hint on the past and future of the protagonist, starting to build upon the epic turn of the last part of the series. Notice however that The Right Hand of Doom is mostly a recap of things happened in the trade paperbacks #1-2, namely Library edition volume 1, so you may want to skip it to avoid spoilers.
Last but not least, if you only have to read two Hellboy stories in your life, you should probably go for Box Full of Evil and The Corpse.
The former presents in a nutshell the epitome of the whole series, saying already everything about the character: Hellboy is a man who refuses his demonic destiny and struggle for that right with his punches and psychological distress.
The latter is based on Irish fairy tales and is a pure gem. In order to save a child Hellboy has to find a grave for a corpse, but the spirits of those resting in the graveyards at hand do not agree...
Art-wise, this book showcases the first steps of the progression of Mignola's already edgy and geometric style towards very abstract levels. Such an evolution is not unusual for an artist, but in my knowledge it was seen so clearly only a few times before in mainstream comics. For instance, the Italian Hugo Pratt in the 70's (Corto Maltese) and his moral pupil Frank Miller in the 80's and 90's (Daredevil, Ronin, Batman, Elektra, Sin City...) followed a similar pattern, and are still rightfully celebrated to this day for that.
March 3, 2022
The larger stories in this collection are especially awesome: The Wolves of St August (werewolf curse on family in Balkans, slaughter entire town), Almost Colossus (a homunculus absorbs Liz’s fire, turns huge), and the the The Right Hand of Doom & Box Full of Evil gives full stage to Hellboy’s origin & nature to resolution. With The Chained Coffin opening that arc.
I just marvel at Mignola’s art— every page. The compositions, layout, figures, colors… it seems to me to be the apotheosis of cartoon art. I’m too in love to be convinced otherwise!
The author admits in the notes that he wanted to kill off Liz (in Almost Colossus) but was shamed by an artist friend into keeping her.
The shorter pieces are more like scenes rather than stories, which the author also admits, and so a few fall pretty flat for me. He is a collector, it seems, of folklore & occult arcana & those scenes are pretty well stand alone pieces.
Of the shorter bits, Heads (set in Japan) and The Corpse (burying a talking body to rescue baby from goblins) are my favorites. The author says he thought The Corpse was his worst but many people consider it his best Hellboy story and he’s come to accept that. He says Heads is one of his favorites.
I just marvel at Mignola’s art— every page. The compositions, layout, figures, colors… it seems to me to be the apotheosis of cartoon art. I’m too in love to be convinced otherwise!
The author admits in the notes that he wanted to kill off Liz (in Almost Colossus) but was shamed by an artist friend into keeping her.
The shorter pieces are more like scenes rather than stories, which the author also admits, and so a few fall pretty flat for me. He is a collector, it seems, of folklore & occult arcana & those scenes are pretty well stand alone pieces.
Of the shorter bits, Heads (set in Japan) and The Corpse (burying a talking body to rescue baby from goblins) are my favorites. The author says he thought The Corpse was his worst but many people consider it his best Hellboy story and he’s come to accept that. He says Heads is one of his favorites.
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