Raspoutine

The World of Hellboy: Standalone Books

by Mike Mignola, ‎Chris Roberson, Christopher Mitten (Illustrator)

1937. Trevor Bruttenholm travaille pour les Services Secrets de sa Majesté la Reine d'Angleterre. Il découvre une série de messages qui vont le lancer sur la piste de corps réanimés, de mortels magiciens et d'agents nazis. Mais rien ne le prépare au cours de ce voyage à faire face au prêtre Raspoutine, celui qui parviendra à ramener Hellboy sur Terre, alors qu'il n'était encore qu'un bébé démon.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

144 pages, Hardcover

Published June 24, 2020

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

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not really a Rasputin book as he's barely in it as the guy operating behind the scenes. This is really about Professor Bruttenholm as he goes on his first field mission. You can never have too many stories in the Hellboy universe revolving around Nazis. I like how the story was tied into Sir Edward Grey and the Brotherhood of Ra. Sandhu was a cool character I'd like to see more of. Christopher Mitten's art was solid but Dave Stewart is really the star in the art chores.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ra-Ra-Rasputin, Russia's greatest love machine...

While there's not much evidence of Rasputin's legendary sexual prowess here, it IS a really good look at the Mignolaverse version's backstory. We also get a copious amount of a young Trevor Brutenholm, which is great.

Oh, and there's also a bunch of reanimated corpses, thanks to that guy in the gas mask whose name I can never remember.

As good as the story is, the absolute highlight of this book for me was the artwork. Dave Stewart is knocking it out of the park on this one and Christopher Mitten's work is so good that he's fast becoming one of my favourite scribblers. Great stuff.

Oh, and that Rasputin guy?

... it WAS a shame how he carried on...

[Frédéric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice pulpish horror with many familiar characters but all in all pretty standard. Nothing of importance really happens and if you’ve-logically-read Hellboy's main run you already know there’s nothing at stake.

Fair addition to the Hellboyverse but mainly for completists

[Ευθυμία Δεσποτάκη · Rating 3 out of 5]

Πολλά κλεισίματα του ματιού σε παλιές ιστορίες, αλλά και ένα κομμάτι της ιστορίας που δεν περίμενα να δω -πάντα θεωρούσα λίγο άκομψο να το διηγηθείς ένα τέτοιο κομμάτι, πιστεύω σθεναρά πως κάποια πράγματα πρέπει να αποσιωπούνται σε μια τόσο ωραία ιστορία όπως αυτή του Hellboy.

[Wing Kee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solidly fills in some story gaps to the Mignolaverse.

World: The art is okay, it's a bit too scratchy for my taste but overall it fits the tone of the book well. The world building is solid, it fills in some gaps of Raputin and his group of crazies and also fills in a bit of Brooms origin and development as a member of the B.P.R.D. I enjoyed the link to the 'Rise of the Black Flame' and now I want more of the past cause the setting is really interesting.

Story: The story is very standard for the Mignolaverse and plays out the way a lot of the books play out. There is the added stuff of world building and character building but the actual mission itself is fairly standard.

Characters: These characters are good, they are characters you want more depth for and I was hoping for that here and we do get some of it, but not enough. I wanted more depth for Rasputin but this book didn't deliver and I wanted more on Ilsa and Kronen and Broom but we also did not get all that much, there is some but not much. These are really good characters I just wanted more.

It's not bad, it does fill in some gaps but I wanted more depth.

Onward to the next book!

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Bruttenholm prequel story moves quickly, balancing between our British heroes and Rasputin and his allies. There's some very good action, especially in the tomb, and we get some interesting new characters (I'd love to see more of Sandhu). The art style ranges a bit more realistic than most of the Hellboy series, but I really enjoyed it. It takes a while to get going, but it revs up to a very exciting finale, even if the protagonists don't seem particularly... pivotal to it. It's a nice addition to the Hellboy universe.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Technically this is kind of a prequel to the entire Hellboy and B.P.R.D. universe. But don't let that lead you to think that this doesn't have some great stuff in here. Mignola and company masterfully weave this story into the early threads of the tapestry with events that dove-tail beautifully with the those very first Hellboy stories. The art, while not by Mignola himself, is still gorgeous. Fans of the this universe will not want to miss this collection and this would be a great introduction for new readers.

In fact, I just might have to use this as an excuse to re-read all the Hellboy material. It's just that good.

[Peter Derk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's my core memory of learning about Rasputin in school:

I learned about Rasputin the day Columbine was happening at a school about an hour away. It was on the TV when I got to history class, then the teacher turned it off and was like, "Chapter 35, Rasputin..." and started talking about this fairy tale about a guy who couldn't die.

I thought this was SO WEIRD because I was like, "Isn't this like turning off the Moon landing to talk about Hansel and Gretel? I mean, in a bad way, but still, isn't this history happening right now, and instead of watching it unfold we're talking about this nonsense?"

Maybe there's something ironic about learning about an immortal dude during that tragedy, I dunno, I don't go that far with it. I just think it's a bizarre example of bad teaching.

But this teacher, on the first day, also showed us an ultrasound of his baby, who was going to be born severely disabled, so he and his wife had this baby who died in like two days. He told a room of 8th graders this story on the FIRST DAY of his class, and it didn't connect to anything ever, and he was kind of an asshole after that, if I'm totally honest.

I'm not sure whether he was just telling us that because he felt like he had to, or if it excused him being an asshole, or what.

But then on the other hand, I had a drama teacher that same year who told us she got pregnant, not by sex, but because her boyfriend was jerking off next to her in the bed and blasted her with his seed. It's a story I didn't totally believe, but the most mystifying part was WHY she would tell us this story in the first place. As though 8th graders would think it was weird that their teacher was pregnant.

Does this shit still happen in school?

[Juho Pohjalainen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing that absolutely needs to be read, unless you absolutely need to read all of Hellboy. Answers no questions that later stories might have asked, does not really bring anything new to the mythos, it's mostly there for its own sake.

[Ill D · Rating 1 out of 5]

Part period piece, part occult thriller, Rasputin: Voice of the Dragon is a surprisingly loquacious read. Featuring new up and comer Christopher Mitten, not Mignola’s, artwork, an already watered down product becomes even more staler with a decidedly un-unique style. Add a not-so-well-planned out story, and the overall product pretty much stinks to high heaven.

Nothing to see here folks, move along.

[Orrin Grey · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a book with Rasputin's name right in the title, this comic is actually mostly about Trevor Bruttenholm. Which is fine. Call it "B.P.R.D. 1941" and you'll get a pretty good idea of what you're in for. Or consider it a companion volume to Rise of the Black Flame, with which it shares not only a character but also the artist. As there, Christopher Mitten's work feels at home in the Mignolaverse, and particularly shines in tableaux or flashback shots.

[Trinity9bi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cinco estrellas solo si has leído previamente el de la sociedad de la llama negra y los comics de Sir Edward Grey en los que sale la hermandad heliopica y el club sobrenatural de Oxford ya que hay alguna relación que sin haberlos leído pasa desapercibida y te quedas sin cierto trasfondo,

[Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really cool; a well-paced story that works as a standalone story and yet also elaborates on a certain period in the larger Hellboy universe. Although I found it odd that it's titled Rasputin, it was focussed moreso on Bruttenholm!

[Václav · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4,1 of 5 for decent pre-Hellboy adventure with Hellboy-ish atmosphere)
We can finally see more of Trevor's life- and his adventures before finding the boy from hell. It's fun; we manage to see plenty of characters we know from the Hellboy line, as well as those we've known from adventures way before that. So yes, there is much more than Rasputin. And his presence on the pages isn't plentiful; he "just" holds the whole story as a backbone. The art is very good too, it fits nicely with the story and the Hellboy universe and respects the visual frame of connecting original stories presented. That is nice as it nicely fits the Hellboyverse even in a chronological way of reading it.

[Tom Ewing · Rating 2 out of 5]

We know what to expect from a Roberson scripted Mignolaverse book by now - lots of fannish pottering about in the universe’s backmatter, in this case taking a look at what Rasputin and his cadre of Nazis were getting up to before Hellboy came along. It’s enjoyable pulp-horror nonsense with lively art and lovely covers but - like previous Roberson outings - strictly for completists.

The antagonists - holdovers from the very first Hellboy stories - don’t really help matters. The Nazi trio were a cliche from the start but have stuck around the wider stories, bumbling pathetically from one master to the next, because they illustrate both the banality of evil and its lichen-like persistence. They can only ever be arrogant idiots.

But the problem is that Mignola’s Rasputin is even worse, a corny borrowing from history because the story needed a wicked beardy mastermind. As the series continued Mignola realised his limitations and reduced him to a sad, diminished speck of hate. With that ending in mind - and the only people who want to read this series will have it in mind - it feels hollow to build him up as a threat here.

[Ashley (Red-Haired Ash Reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Series: Rasputin: The Voice of the Dragon #1-5
Rating: 3 stars - I liked it

This story begins during WWII, before Hellboy arrives, with Trevor Bruttenholm who is working for Britain's Military Intelligence. Following a trail of strange messages he finds himself against animated corpse, Nazi agents, and Rasputin, who has returned from the dead.

This was interesting because it was in the early days of Trevor’s occult career. He is still a bit of a greenhorn but he can hold his own. This doesn’t really show how Rasputin came back, outside of saying the Dragon returned him, but it was still interesting to see how he became a part of the Nazi organization.

I liked this one but was expecting a bit more at the end. It kind of just cuts off with no real end to Trevor and Rasputin's battle. But, we know the end up meeting again when Hellboy arrives in this world. Overall, this was interesting and I enjoyed seeing a young Trevor. I wish there were more stories of his early occult work.

You can also find my reviews at Red-Haired Ash Reads.

[Adam M · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you were wondering what Trevor Bruttenholm's first field mission looked like, you've found it! This book serves as an introduction to several characters who'll feature prominently in early Hellboy stories, such as Bruttenholm, Rasputin and Kroenen.

I read some reviews for this that were really down on it and I can understand some of the frustration. This isn't a deep dive into Hellboy lore as much as an introduction to people we already know. It's a very quick read and by no means a must-read for the series. There isn't anything here that is critical to understanding the Mignola-verse, but that didn't make it less entertaining. The art switched up a couple times and I wasn't thrilled, but again it didn't ruin anything.

If you love the world of Hellboy, this is worth the time. If you're waiting for the second coming of Mignola's original masterwork you'll be disappointed. I'm in for this universe and I'm glad I read it.

[Bill Coffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great backstory in the Mignolaverse side catalog. This one not only pffers tantalizing details on how Hellboy's original lineup of Nazi villains got where they were when Hellboy entered the scene, but we also get some wonderful narrative on Trevor Buttenholm's younger life, and a return to Sandhu, who played a fun role in Rise of the Black Flame. Altogether, these stories add a lot of the canon underpinning the meta-story of the Mignolaverse, and the apocalypse it eventually delivers. But along the way, there's enough fun adventure to distract you from how sad it all becomes.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this in one sitting due to the fact that Hellboy is my favorite comis series of all time and somehow I missed this one.
This is the prelude to the events of Seed of Destruction and highlights Rasputin's rise from a little after his death to the things he was doing and the powers he was allying with to gain his goodhood. This is not about Hellboy because it takes place before the discovery of the small demonic child that Professor Bruttenholm took in and raised. The BPRD is not featured here, as the Professor, going by Trevor in this book is an agent for the British Secret Service. He find some strange things going on and investigate to find ghosts and zombies and weird science. This leads him to a strange ritual that involves stealing power from the ancient gods of Egypt. Rasputin is behind all this and the events that follow are an epic battle that slows Rasputin down from his work, but we all know where he goes from here.
I loved this and it was a really unique glimpse into the pre-Hellboy Professor. Well written and the art was great! Enjoyed this a bunch!

Danny

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's...a story, but not a very necessary one. There's really not much different between the first and last pages. Rasputin is still out there, the proto-BPRD still doesn't know who he is or what he wants, the plot doesn't advance much beyond moving Trevor from an office to the field. An ok read at best.

[Keith Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent, I suppose. Could have just as easily been called BPRD 1941 except the BPRD didn't exist until 1943 or 1944.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starts off a little slow paced but it gets really good the last few issues, that Sandhu character is such a bada**. Really liked all the crazy monsters in this.

[Maciej · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dobry hellboy'owy spin-off o Rasputnie. Warto sprawdzić historię nawet jeżeli nie czytało się komiksów, a oglądało pierwszy film del Toro o czerwonym kolesiu z ogromną ręką.

[Etain · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little Nazi Killin' adventure but of basically no consequence unless you're invested in the very minor characters A.N. Sandhu and Albert Mayhew, Which... I actually am, it was fun to see them again and I'd definitely like to see more of Sandhu. He had twenty odd years of occult adventures.

[Brian Dickerson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only 5% Rasputin... But, still a worthwhile read.

[Rex Hurst · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is for those who are Hellboy junkies. I expected this to be similar in scope to Koshchei the Deathless which is a review of the character’s background before being beaten to death or crushed under stones in a dark chamber by the titular Hellboy. That is not the case here. I guess most of Rasputin’s history has been filled in over the years, including his being saved from death by the Ogdru Jahad - the seven dragons outside of time. This acts as a prequel adventure prior to Hellboy issue one.

It begins with Rasputin being recruited into the Third Reich and gaining his three associates - Karl Kroenen, Kurtz, and Ilsa Hauptman who follow him even after the end of World War II. The hero of the piece is a young Trevor Bruttenholm, who is working for the SIS during the war and stumbles across some disturbing information regarding the occult activities of the Nazi’s and something called Project Geist. The Heliopic Brotherhood of Ra becomes involved, along with a number of other lesser known groups from the Hellboy universe. All of this of course, leads them up to discovering the ritual to summon the destroyer, “Hellboy” into the world.

As Hellboy stories go, it’s all right. Not exactly a necessary story, but standard fare for the course. It subtly wraps in a lot of material from the Witchfinder series and the Black Flame. The main problem is tension - or a lack thereof. If you’re a Hellboy fan, then you already know the ultimate fates of each character. You know they’re not going to get killed, or maimed, or fail in their task. This is why the best prequels are told with a new protagonist, to add a new element to the universe, rather than one which is essentially paint-by-numbers. Characters start the series at Point C, therefore they can only go through Point A and then B. Which is why this story is a little flat.

[Joseph R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The mad monk Rasputin (who made such a mess of the Russian royal family's life in the lead-up to the 1917 Revolution) is back from the dead and joins forces with the Nazis so he can get resources for his projects. He's promised the Nazis to help in their war effort, but they are only a means to his own ends. In this story, Rasputin seeks to raise one of the Heliopic Brotherhood of Ra, an occult group very active during the Victorian era but brought to heal by Sir Edward Grey, Witchfinder, around the turn of the twentieth century. The Brotherhood was devoted to the Ogdru Jahad, the Lovecraftian elder gods of the Hellboy universe. Rasputin wants to return the Ogdru Jahad to our dimension. That would be a catastrophe. Luckily Trevor Bruttenholm is working for British Military Intelligence and he puts together various intercepted messages that puts him on Rasputin's trail. Can he figure things out and stop Rasputin in time?

The story is very well plotted. Various elements from different Hellboy stories (including side stories like those of Edward Grey or of the Black Flame) are united without it feeling forced. Enough background is given that new readers won't be lost. The story isn't all exposition, either. There are plenty of moments of horror and action as the two sides find out more about each other and come into conflict.

Recommended.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun little one off, and very similar to the Black Lotus I just read in that it was a background story on a villain, but they weren't the main character. I found this volume much more interesting that Black Lotus, maybe because Rasputin is more of a hang-around villain in this universe than she is, because the art isn't better, but the story is.
We went back in time again in this volume to when Bruttenholm was out of college but right before the Bureau was founded. Sandhu, the best character from the Black Lotus comic comes back as a paranormal investigator senior to Bruttenholm which was an interesting twist. We also got to see Bruttenholm punch the shit out of some Nazis too, so that was cool.
I alway like to see Kroenen in these volumes, but I never get the origin story for him that I want. I would honestly read a whole volume to him, dedicated to his side projects and working with Von Klempt. That'd be primo.
Anyway, good volume, light on the Rasputin, high on the Egyptian themes and mythology. All in all, good stuff 👌

[Brian Rosenberger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beware the Beard
It’s 1937. A cloaked figure responds to the question “What happened that night in St Petersburg?”
“Poisoned. Shot. Beaten. And then drowned. A lessor man would have died. But I was meant for greater things.” And we are introduced to Rasputin, he of the mighty beard.
This book is much more about Trevor Bruttenholm, Hellboy’s future guardian, than Rasputin. Still, not a bad read.
Blimey, Bruttenholm gets to deal with an animated corpse at a tavern (Happy Hour has officially ended), a séance gone wrong in Essex, and much, much worse as the story progresses.
Also features Sandhu, who played a role in The Rise of the Black Flame TPB and also Herr Kroenen, the SS scientist who favors a gasmask.
This story prequels Hellboy’s first appearance and provides a decent backstory for things to come. I would have preferred a lot more Rasputin, or even Herr Kroenen. There is a great one panel shot of a cemetery groundskeeper, lying next to a tombstone, neck obviously broken. Haunting image!
Great covers all five issues!
A solid effort.

[Elly Call · Rating 3 out of 5]

God Mike Mignola never disappoints with inkwork and character design. Plus, the structure of the story pacing-wise and plot-twist-wise were excellent. The characters were good too—it’s great to go back to a time (when this books was written) where Nazis were universally hated.

The thing I can’t get over though is yes the Nazis were very into the occult (esp Norse mythology) and earlier 20th century Britain DID get very obsessed with Egypt, there’s something so so weird about this ancient Egyptian brotherhood of only British white guys? It read to me as a convenient beautiful “exotic” backdrop—especially since (based on my reading about what to watch out for as neo-nazi dogwhistles) bastardized norse paganism can be one of them; and that probably could’ve made more sense and still been very visually rich! The books approach read as orientalist to me somehow, even though I know technically that only applies to the Middle East and Asia, not North Africa.

That said, I’m still definitely going to keep reading—it’s very well written and well illustrated.