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Abe Sapien
Abe Sapien, Vol. 9: Lost Lives and Other Stories
Abe Sapien confronts South American vampires, a lake serpent, and a disembodied Lovecraftian tentacle, while uncovering the secrets of a 19th century necromancer who still walks the earth, and a frozen merman that may prove to be the missing link between himself and mankind.
These five stories trace the history and pre-history of Abe Sapien's adventures, from his earliest days in the Bureau with Hellboy (as drawn by Kevin Nowlan) through the frog war, featuring an appearance by deceased homunculus Roger, to his current evolved form, when he's looking back on his life as a man in 1850s England.
Featuring Powers co-creator Michael Avon Oeming and Santiago Caruso, whose artwork Puxtapoz Magazine called "both magnificent and macabre."
These five stories trace the history and pre-history of Abe Sapien's adventures, from his earliest days in the Bureau with Hellboy (as drawn by Kevin Nowlan) through the frog war, featuring an appearance by deceased homunculus Roger, to his current evolved form, when he's looking back on his life as a man in 1850s England.
Featuring Powers co-creator Michael Avon Oeming and Santiago Caruso, whose artwork Puxtapoz Magazine called "both magnificent and macabre."
144 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 20, 2017
5 people are currently reading
137 people want to read
About the author
Mike Mignola
1,865 books2,533 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 - 26 of 26 reviews
September 2, 2019
Collects the Abe solo issues from the series.
The Good: Anytime we get new Abe Sapien stories is a good thing.
The Bad: No more Abe Sapien stories! Although I'd take more flashback stories.
The Ugly: The art can be hit and miss in these stories.
Received an advanced copy from Dark Horse and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
The Good: Anytime we get new Abe Sapien stories is a good thing.
The Bad: No more Abe Sapien stories! Although I'd take more flashback stories.
The Ugly: The art can be hit and miss in these stories.
Received an advanced copy from Dark Horse and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
December 7, 2016
This volume collects all the flashback stories that were scattered amongst the main story in Abe's book, every five issues or so. Most of them were pretty darned good, too, so this makes for a nice little book. Perhaps even one of the better Abe Sapien collections.
July 7, 2025
A fine collection of miscellaneous stories from Abe’s time at the BPRD.
The lake monster story is by far my favorite - playful and dark in the same then
The oannes society has such cool regalia- the fish headdress is great.
Some other stories are just fine (Roger and Abe argue, Abe learns more about Strobl, a Mayan hell) but are worth the read. Abe as a monster of the week style story is a lot of fun but will always have some hits and some misses.
The lake monster story is by far my favorite - playful and dark in the same then
The oannes society has such cool regalia- the fish headdress is great.
Some other stories are just fine (Roger and Abe argue, Abe learns more about Strobl, a Mayan hell) but are worth the read. Abe as a monster of the week style story is a lot of fun but will always have some hits and some misses.
October 16, 2017
Deeper dives.
World: The art is good, especially the second story, the artists give a flavor all their own. The world building is the core of this book with bits and pieces of Abe's story and journey given new depth and context. The best part.
Story: Some of the stories are substantial, some just character moments. It's good. Offers depth and gives insight to the mystery behind it. The different authors are good and gives a mix of tone and structure.
Characters: Abe is the core and he gets some development. Nothing substantial or anything but just a deeper dive.
A good quick read that gives insight but nothing huge of substance.
Onward to the next book!
World: The art is good, especially the second story, the artists give a flavor all their own. The world building is the core of this book with bits and pieces of Abe's story and journey given new depth and context. The best part.
Story: Some of the stories are substantial, some just character moments. It's good. Offers depth and gives insight to the mystery behind it. The different authors are good and gives a mix of tone and structure.
Characters: Abe is the core and he gets some development. Nothing substantial or anything but just a deeper dive.
A good quick read that gives insight but nothing huge of substance.
Onward to the next book!
May 7, 2021
Abe shines brightest in the single-issue tales and short arcs contained here, making up for the disappointing storyline of the last 6 volumes.
May 18, 2025
I’m a big fan of Hellboy and just bought a good sized collection of the comics. This one is a collection of mostly Abe Sapien stories. A variety of artwork was used but they were all excellent. A good one for any fan.
October 19, 2017
A bunch of short stories shedding light on Abe's earlier lives, as well as much-needed primer on Gustav Strobl and the Black School.
March 8, 2017
Whilst volume 8 wrapped up the story, this volume collects the one-shot comics that are set before the main narrative of the series. I loved the story 'Witchcraft & Demonology' as we learnt more about Gustav Strobl who I find to be a fascinating character. The others aren't bad but don't really fit in with the usual tone and style of the series. If you're a completionist or a huge Abe fan you'd probably enjoy this, otherwise I'd give it a miss as it doesn't really add anything to the Abe Sapien series.
December 19, 2022
Another volume of stories about Abe Sapien, an agent for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense! Here's a story-by-story rundown...
The Land of the Dead--Abe Sapien goes to investigate some lost divers in Mexico. They discovered a cave that mirrors the myths of the Mayan afterlife. The cave is partially flooded. Four divers went down but only one came back. Abe swims down and finds some abominable creatures to fight. The story is an interesting blend of mythology and horror. It suits Abe's skills as a "fish man" but still has the dark and foreboding underworld. The art is from Mignola and has his signature dark and eerie style.
Witchcraft & Demonology--Abe Sapien is wrapping up a night briefing Professor Bruttenholm at his apartment. As the Professor goes to bed, Abe comes across a tome written by Gustav Strobl called Witchcraft and Demonology. Bruttenholm dismisses Strobl and his work as fake, though the B.P.R.D. did confiscate all the copies printed in the 1950s. When Bruttenholm leaves, another person shows up and tells Strobl's story, that he was a Satanist in the 1800s who was reincarnated in World War I, when he wrote the book to pay back Satan for returning him to life. The story gets weirder and more disturbing as it goes along. This was a little too seriously occultish for me to enjoy.
The Ogopogo--A dead body on a Canadian lake draws Hellboy and Abe to investigate. The lake is famous since it's the home of Ogopogo, a sea serpent that the old natives used to worship and make non-human sacrifices to. The locals are happy to make a little money off tourists. A dead body is not so great for business, much less if the monster of the lake is guilty. Not all the locals are happy for the outside interference. The story is an interesting "monster of the week" yarn.
Subconscious--Abe writes a letter to Hellboy after Hellboy gives him advice to try to fit in with the other B.P.R.D. agents. Abe struggles with changing himself to suit others or being more honest about himself or finding some other place where it will be easier to fit in. The story is short and poignant.
Lost Lives--Abe is having a hard time after finding out he was a Civil War scientist named Everett Langdon Caul who was transformed into a fish man and stored in the basement of a Washington, D.C., hospital. He's doing the research part of the Bureau's mission. Field agents Roger the Homunculus and Agent Vaughn try to talk him into going back into the field. Abe is becoming more detached from other people, which is not a good thing as the story shows. It ends with a good bit of creepy horror but does not resolve Abe's situation.
Icthyo Sapien--The more monstrous version of Abe reflects on his previous life as Caul, leading to a story from Caul's adventures in England with the Oannes Club. The club is something of an ocean cult and is looking for pre-human ancestors, leading to a specimen not unlike the current Abe. It's a weird story that doesn't so much fill in holes of Abe's past as it gives more atmosphere and shows Caul's growing obsession with subterranean creatures.
This set of stories is interesting, but mostly for Hellboy/B.P.R.D. fans. Abe is an interesting character with a very different story arc from Hellboy.
Recommended for Hellboy fans.
The Land of the Dead--Abe Sapien goes to investigate some lost divers in Mexico. They discovered a cave that mirrors the myths of the Mayan afterlife. The cave is partially flooded. Four divers went down but only one came back. Abe swims down and finds some abominable creatures to fight. The story is an interesting blend of mythology and horror. It suits Abe's skills as a "fish man" but still has the dark and foreboding underworld. The art is from Mignola and has his signature dark and eerie style.
Witchcraft & Demonology--Abe Sapien is wrapping up a night briefing Professor Bruttenholm at his apartment. As the Professor goes to bed, Abe comes across a tome written by Gustav Strobl called Witchcraft and Demonology. Bruttenholm dismisses Strobl and his work as fake, though the B.P.R.D. did confiscate all the copies printed in the 1950s. When Bruttenholm leaves, another person shows up and tells Strobl's story, that he was a Satanist in the 1800s who was reincarnated in World War I, when he wrote the book to pay back Satan for returning him to life. The story gets weirder and more disturbing as it goes along. This was a little too seriously occultish for me to enjoy.
The Ogopogo--A dead body on a Canadian lake draws Hellboy and Abe to investigate. The lake is famous since it's the home of Ogopogo, a sea serpent that the old natives used to worship and make non-human sacrifices to. The locals are happy to make a little money off tourists. A dead body is not so great for business, much less if the monster of the lake is guilty. Not all the locals are happy for the outside interference. The story is an interesting "monster of the week" yarn.
Subconscious--Abe writes a letter to Hellboy after Hellboy gives him advice to try to fit in with the other B.P.R.D. agents. Abe struggles with changing himself to suit others or being more honest about himself or finding some other place where it will be easier to fit in. The story is short and poignant.
Lost Lives--Abe is having a hard time after finding out he was a Civil War scientist named Everett Langdon Caul who was transformed into a fish man and stored in the basement of a Washington, D.C., hospital. He's doing the research part of the Bureau's mission. Field agents Roger the Homunculus and Agent Vaughn try to talk him into going back into the field. Abe is becoming more detached from other people, which is not a good thing as the story shows. It ends with a good bit of creepy horror but does not resolve Abe's situation.
Icthyo Sapien--The more monstrous version of Abe reflects on his previous life as Caul, leading to a story from Caul's adventures in England with the Oannes Club. The club is something of an ocean cult and is looking for pre-human ancestors, leading to a specimen not unlike the current Abe. It's a weird story that doesn't so much fill in holes of Abe's past as it gives more atmosphere and shows Caul's growing obsession with subterranean creatures.
This set of stories is interesting, but mostly for Hellboy/B.P.R.D. fans. Abe is an interesting character with a very different story arc from Hellboy.
Recommended for Hellboy fans.
March 25, 2017
Maybe If You're An Abe Sapien Completist
This volume collects six Abe Sapien stories. Each has a different illustrator, and the drawing styles are remarkably varied.
In "The Land of the Dead" Abe hunts vampires in underwater Mayan caves. The art is by Michael Avon Oeming. It is severe and angular, while the underwater scenes are heavy with ink and abstract backgrounds.
The next story, "Withcraft & Demonology", features work by Santiago Caruso. The panels present like hand tinted lithographs. Abe has a look unlike anything I've seen before, very much like a swamp thing in a smoking jacket. The story tells the tale of a necromancer/demonologist and does not much concern Abe.
The third tale, "Ogopogo", is an Abe/Hellboy buddy adventure drawn by Kevin Nowlan, with a familiar Abe and a familiar look. It's the only story with equal shares of Hellboy and Abe and was by far my favorite, which may tell you a lot, right there, about the overall appeal of an Abe-only volume.
The fourth story, "Subconscious", drawn by Mark Nelson, is an Abe dream sequence, and is sort of swirly and fevered. Abe's look, though, is interesting and very convincing and almost "realistic".
The fifth story is drawn by Juan Ferreyra. This chapter, titled "Lost Lives" ,has Abe dealing with a threat in the lab while he reflects on what he has learned about his origins. It is very well drawn and colored and is the heart of the thoughtful learn-more-about-Abe theme.
The final story, "Icthyo Sapien" is something about Langdon Everett Caul, (the civil war era scientist who became Abe), searching for Atlantis style mermen and is drawn in a flat, pastel comic book style by Alise Gluskova. It wasn't clear what this added to Abe's history, since not much of anything was developed.
So, you get a lot of Abe but not much in the nature of a Wow factor. And very little Hellboy. (Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
This volume collects six Abe Sapien stories. Each has a different illustrator, and the drawing styles are remarkably varied.
In "The Land of the Dead" Abe hunts vampires in underwater Mayan caves. The art is by Michael Avon Oeming. It is severe and angular, while the underwater scenes are heavy with ink and abstract backgrounds.
The next story, "Withcraft & Demonology", features work by Santiago Caruso. The panels present like hand tinted lithographs. Abe has a look unlike anything I've seen before, very much like a swamp thing in a smoking jacket. The story tells the tale of a necromancer/demonologist and does not much concern Abe.
The third tale, "Ogopogo", is an Abe/Hellboy buddy adventure drawn by Kevin Nowlan, with a familiar Abe and a familiar look. It's the only story with equal shares of Hellboy and Abe and was by far my favorite, which may tell you a lot, right there, about the overall appeal of an Abe-only volume.
The fourth story, "Subconscious", drawn by Mark Nelson, is an Abe dream sequence, and is sort of swirly and fevered. Abe's look, though, is interesting and very convincing and almost "realistic".
The fifth story is drawn by Juan Ferreyra. This chapter, titled "Lost Lives" ,has Abe dealing with a threat in the lab while he reflects on what he has learned about his origins. It is very well drawn and colored and is the heart of the thoughtful learn-more-about-Abe theme.
The final story, "Icthyo Sapien" is something about Langdon Everett Caul, (the civil war era scientist who became Abe), searching for Atlantis style mermen and is drawn in a flat, pastel comic book style by Alise Gluskova. It wasn't clear what this added to Abe's history, since not much of anything was developed.
So, you get a lot of Abe but not much in the nature of a Wow factor. And very little Hellboy. (Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
July 5, 2017
As with any "anthology"-type collection of short, not-directly-connected stories, this volume collecting the various "one shot" stories that broke up the regular continuity of the recently-completed Abe Sapien series is a mixed bag. The first story, with art by Michael Avon Oeming is a lot of fun, while "Witchcraft and Demonology," which tells the origins of recurring Abe Sapien villain Gustav Strobl is a very striking deviation from the norm of either this series or comics in general, with incredible art by Santiago Caruso.
Read
February 4, 2020A good collection of Abe Sapien shorts. 'The Land of the Dead' is a well done straight forward vampire-Mayan god adventure. 'Witchcraft and Demonology' is a creepy character study of a very human monster - Santiago Caruso's art in this fits the story perfectly. 'The Ogopogo' is also a story about humans behaving worse than the 'monsters', although with lower stakes than usual. 'Subconscious' is an odd story with some very pretty art by Mark Nelson. 'Icthyo Sapien' is a look at an early adventure of Langdon Everett Caul, who would one day become Abe Sapien.
June 12, 2017
I kinda wish these had been in included in the other volumes because I think they would have been more effective that way, but over all I liked the stories in this volume a lot. Although I do think it's a weird way to finish out the series, if you're reading trades that is, this was a really fun read. I still don't think Abe is my favorite character in the Mignolaverse anymore, but I am really fond of him. I hope he shows up a lot in B.P.R.D.: The Devil You Know.
June 30, 2018
A somewhat uneven set of flashback stories as Abe battles a Mayan vampire, investigates a swamp monster, has a heart-to-heart with a homunculus (probably my favorite) and gets a flashback to his life as 19th century scientist Langdon Caul (interesting but just sort of wanders off at the end). The backstory on Gustav Strobl, a running foe in Abe's series, was more interesting than the man turned out to be. Overall, maybe 2.5
September 3, 2023
Once again, all of the stories here were great. But wow, the clear standout is "Witchcraft & Demonology". I've never seen an entire comic done in that creepy medieval art style before. It's genuinely spooky and at times quite chilling. It was very fitting for the subject matter, and elevated an already grimly fascinating story. Serious props to the artist, Santiago Caruso, whom I will now be looking into further. I think that story might be one of my favorites in the whole Hellboy mythos.
July 7, 2017
Another book I wouldn't give quite 4 stars. I enjoyed the stories and appreciated the little bit at the beginning putting in place the time of the story. What didn't win me over was the art. I don't tend to love stories about one character but illustrated by many. I like the fluidity of a volume: in story, voice, and illustration.
July 26, 2023
I actually feel a little bad giving this such a 3 stars mainly because "Witchcraft & Demonology" is so good. It feels like a sandman issue and has absolutely gorgeous art but the other 4 stories were kind of boring. Lost lives is probably my second favorite even though I hate how they shoehorned in an action scene instead of it just being a nice quiet fluff issue.
February 5, 2025
This was a great collection of Abe Sapien stories—sharp and revealing, from exciting bursts to pensive meditations—and to put it together at the end, when you already know the friends, the villains, and Abe's wrestling and reckoning with who he once was as a man, it just reads full. Abe Sapien, you are abloom. Good things to you in the many paths you walk.
February 28, 2020
This volume of one-shots and throwaways doesn’t offer much new insight to Abe’s world, nor does it capture the air of whimsical adventure that drove early Mignolaverse collections. Once you destroy the world, you can’t go back. And yet, this volume does. Meh.
November 20, 2022
Unfortunately I felt it petered off when it really mattered. A lukewarm ending to a series, which for e most part handled the topics of survival, identity and living through an apocalypse, quite well.
June 28, 2018
5 stars solely for the story "Witchcraft & Demonology" which has some of the most grotesque art in the whole Hellboy series, done in a wonderfully creepy painted style.
June 30, 2018
I enjoyed these one off stories.
May 6, 2020
mostly fine, fun side stories. Real standout is "Witchcraft and Demonology," Santiago Caruso absolutely snapped on art duty.
July 31, 2020
Land of the Dead - 4*
Are the underwater caverns where the Mayans got the inspiration for the Mayan Land of the Dead or is it their Land of the Dead, literally? Abe is asked to investigate after a team of 4 divers goes missing. The story transports us to a part of Mexico and the mixture between underwater and above ground sections of a cave were truly spooky. A nice, enjoyable read.
Witchcraft & Demonology - 5*
A one shot with absolutely compelling storytelling and beautiful art about the life of Stroble, and how and why he wrote the book of witchcraft and demonology. Just wonderful.
The Ogopogo - 5*
After the very blurry and somewhat messy art in Abe Sapien, Vol. 6: A Darkness So Great, it is a relief to see Kevin Nolan's super clean lines and wonderful bright colors, reminiscent of the old 1950s pulp comics. It's bright and beautiful! Subtlety is not sacrificed, the emotions on the expressive faces are spot on, except with that amount of wrinkled skin it's clear the inhabitants of this Canadian Lake could use a touch of moisturizer with hyaluronic acid. Really.
The story is simple, the characters rich and fully realized thanks to John Arcudi's writing. It doesn't hurt that Hellboy is in this story. Everything about it worked. I enjoyed reading this and loved it.
Subconscious - 5*
Abe gets real and tells Hellboy "I'd rather be the comfortable one. I want that feeling that I belong, not the feeling that I'm TRYING to belong". He finds ... something underwater that speaks to him about belonging. But is it a dream? Consider this the most mind-fuck short story ever!
Lost Lives - 5*
This story precedes the Black Flame and Hell on Earth. A still alive Roger (at that time) is lamenting that Abe doesn't do field work anymore, and Abe confides in Roger that he was a scientist named Langdon Caul before his transformation. The conversation carries on about whether a person should be defined by their past, or face the future as they are now. Good stuff that makes you think. All this in the backdrop of exploring a "tendril" from a huge creature that has been destroyed.
This - this is what a good comic should be like. Tight plot, good story, characters that resonate emotionally with the reader (a bunch of us LOVED Roger) and excellent art, probably the best I've seen in the Abe Sapien issues thus far. Even Agent Vaughn looked hot. And I wasn't that into him until I saw him in the pages of this comic and thought hmm. Nerdy AND Bangable. Thank you Juan Ferreyra for an excellent story with great art.
Icthyo Sapien - 4*
A very solid stand alone tale about Abe's past life as Langdon Everett Caul, told partly in flashback. The mythos and science mystery works. Shout out to Alise Gluškova for really beautiful art.
Casualties -3*
A brief story where Abe, Liz and Agent Vaughn are investigating a werewolf. It was a short conversation about the nature of blame and collateral damage, which could have been taken a lot further. Unfortunately, the art was not great.
Are the underwater caverns where the Mayans got the inspiration for the Mayan Land of the Dead or is it their Land of the Dead, literally? Abe is asked to investigate after a team of 4 divers goes missing. The story transports us to a part of Mexico and the mixture between underwater and above ground sections of a cave were truly spooky. A nice, enjoyable read.
Witchcraft & Demonology - 5*
A one shot with absolutely compelling storytelling and beautiful art about the life of Stroble, and how and why he wrote the book of witchcraft and demonology. Just wonderful.
The Ogopogo - 5*
After the very blurry and somewhat messy art in Abe Sapien, Vol. 6: A Darkness So Great, it is a relief to see Kevin Nolan's super clean lines and wonderful bright colors, reminiscent of the old 1950s pulp comics. It's bright and beautiful! Subtlety is not sacrificed, the emotions on the expressive faces are spot on, except with that amount of wrinkled skin it's clear the inhabitants of this Canadian Lake could use a touch of moisturizer with hyaluronic acid. Really.
The story is simple, the characters rich and fully realized thanks to John Arcudi's writing. It doesn't hurt that Hellboy is in this story. Everything about it worked. I enjoyed reading this and loved it.
Subconscious - 5*
Abe gets real and tells Hellboy "I'd rather be the comfortable one. I want that feeling that I belong, not the feeling that I'm TRYING to belong". He finds ... something underwater that speaks to him about belonging. But is it a dream? Consider this the most mind-fuck short story ever!
Lost Lives - 5*
This story precedes the Black Flame and Hell on Earth. A still alive Roger (at that time) is lamenting that Abe doesn't do field work anymore, and Abe confides in Roger that he was a scientist named Langdon Caul before his transformation. The conversation carries on about whether a person should be defined by their past, or face the future as they are now. Good stuff that makes you think. All this in the backdrop of exploring a "tendril" from a huge creature that has been destroyed.
This - this is what a good comic should be like. Tight plot, good story, characters that resonate emotionally with the reader (a bunch of us LOVED Roger) and excellent art, probably the best I've seen in the Abe Sapien issues thus far. Even Agent Vaughn looked hot. And I wasn't that into him until I saw him in the pages of this comic and thought hmm. Nerdy AND Bangable. Thank you Juan Ferreyra for an excellent story with great art.
Icthyo Sapien - 4*
A very solid stand alone tale about Abe's past life as Langdon Everett Caul, told partly in flashback. The mythos and science mystery works. Shout out to Alise Gluškova for really beautiful art.
Casualties -3*
A brief story where Abe, Liz and Agent Vaughn are investigating a werewolf. It was a short conversation about the nature of blame and collateral damage, which could have been taken a lot further. Unfortunately, the art was not great.
May 26, 2025
I enjoyed these stand-alone Abe stories quite a bit. It was certainly a choice to pull them out of the main story run when publishing the collected editions.
August 3, 2025
Hellboy Reading Guide #48
Stories
The Land of the Dead (1 issue, 1st pub Dec 2013)
Timeline: Mexico, 1983
Team: Abe Sapien
Antagonist(s): vampires
Summary: A group of archaeologists are investigating a Mexican cave system that they believe may have inspired stories of the Mayan Underworld, Xibalba. But then several of them go missing, Abe arrives to help search for them, and it begins to seem like the caves might be more than a mere inspiration.
Witchcraft & Demonology (1 issue, 1st pub Jan 2016)
Timeline: New York, 1983
Team: Abe Sapien
Antagonist(s): Gustav Strobl
Summary: Up late one night in the Professor's personal library, Abe stumbles across a book allegedly written by the near-immortal sorcerer Gustav Strobl and learns of Strobl's dark history across the centuries.
The Ogopogo (1 issue, 1st pub May 2015)
Timeline: British Columbia, 1992
Team: Abe Sapien, Hellboy
Antagonist(s): Ogopogo
Summary: Abe and Hellboy investigate a brutal killing that may be connected to a mythical Canadian lake monster.
Subconscious (1st pub in Dark Horse Presents, Jun 2015)
Timeline: Connecticut, 1994
Team: Abe Sapien, Hellboy
Antagonist(s): Abe's subconscious
Summary: Hellboy receives a letter from Abe, detailing a disturbing dream that he had.
Lost Lives (1 issue, 1st pub Aug 2014)
Timeline: Colorado, 2005
Team: Abe Sapien, Roger, Agent Joseph Vaughn
Antagonist(s): Monsters
Summary: As the war with frogs rages, a team returns to B.P.R.D. headquarters with a specimen that forces several team members into an unpleasant confrontation.
Icthyo Sapien
***Note***
Hellboy reading guides suggest skipping this story for now, and reading it at a later point. I'll return to include it after I've read it.
Review: This collection feels miscellaneous, even for a Mignola short story collection. There is a randomness to the stories that show up in a lot of Hellboy collections, but it feels like a *true* randomness, like these were just the ideas for stories that Mignola was having at a given time, as Hellboy bounces around the globe and between eras. Here, all of these stories feel like they have a connection to some ongoing storyline, but there wasn't an obvious way to include them in a collection with those storylines, so they all find a home here, as the final collection of the Abe Sapien run.
That element aside, they're all pretty good stories, with the exception of "Subconscious" which isn't a "story" per se. Still, what it IS has interesting implications for Abe as a character and where he's headed as the series continues. I'd have a hard time picking a favorite. I do love seeing Hellboy and Abe working together in "The Ogopogo," and there's something pretty special about "Witchcraft & Demonology." But I do love lore, so I half-suspect "Icthyo Sapien" may be the real winner here, and I look forward to reading it.
Stories
The Land of the Dead (1 issue, 1st pub Dec 2013)
Timeline: Mexico, 1983
Team: Abe Sapien
Antagonist(s): vampires
Summary: A group of archaeologists are investigating a Mexican cave system that they believe may have inspired stories of the Mayan Underworld, Xibalba. But then several of them go missing, Abe arrives to help search for them, and it begins to seem like the caves might be more than a mere inspiration.
Witchcraft & Demonology (1 issue, 1st pub Jan 2016)
Timeline: New York, 1983
Team: Abe Sapien
Antagonist(s): Gustav Strobl
Summary: Up late one night in the Professor's personal library, Abe stumbles across a book allegedly written by the near-immortal sorcerer Gustav Strobl and learns of Strobl's dark history across the centuries.
The Ogopogo (1 issue, 1st pub May 2015)
Timeline: British Columbia, 1992
Team: Abe Sapien, Hellboy
Antagonist(s): Ogopogo
Summary: Abe and Hellboy investigate a brutal killing that may be connected to a mythical Canadian lake monster.
Subconscious (1st pub in Dark Horse Presents, Jun 2015)
Timeline: Connecticut, 1994
Team: Abe Sapien, Hellboy
Antagonist(s): Abe's subconscious
Summary: Hellboy receives a letter from Abe, detailing a disturbing dream that he had.
Lost Lives (1 issue, 1st pub Aug 2014)
Timeline: Colorado, 2005
Team: Abe Sapien, Roger, Agent Joseph Vaughn
Antagonist(s): Monsters
Summary: As the war with frogs rages, a team returns to B.P.R.D. headquarters with a specimen that forces several team members into an unpleasant confrontation.
Icthyo Sapien
***Note***
Hellboy reading guides suggest skipping this story for now, and reading it at a later point. I'll return to include it after I've read it.
Review: This collection feels miscellaneous, even for a Mignola short story collection. There is a randomness to the stories that show up in a lot of Hellboy collections, but it feels like a *true* randomness, like these were just the ideas for stories that Mignola was having at a given time, as Hellboy bounces around the globe and between eras. Here, all of these stories feel like they have a connection to some ongoing storyline, but there wasn't an obvious way to include them in a collection with those storylines, so they all find a home here, as the final collection of the Abe Sapien run.
That element aside, they're all pretty good stories, with the exception of "Subconscious" which isn't a "story" per se. Still, what it IS has interesting implications for Abe as a character and where he's headed as the series continues. I'd have a hard time picking a favorite. I do love seeing Hellboy and Abe working together in "The Ogopogo," and there's something pretty special about "Witchcraft & Demonology." But I do love lore, so I half-suspect "Icthyo Sapien" may be the real winner here, and I look forward to reading it.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews