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Hellboy Omnibus
Hellboy: História Curtas, Vol. 1
Depois do cânone de Hellboy, explore mais a fundo a vida do maior personagem de Mike Mignola, com histórias mostrando parte de sua infância, as aventuras pelo México e outros encontros com o sobrenatural, preenchendo importantes lacunas da história principal. Este volume reúne um total de dezesseis histórias dos mais diversos estilos.
372 pages, Paperback
First published June 20, 2018
109 people are currently reading
651 people want to read
About the author
Mike Mignola
1,876 books2,549 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 163 reviews
July 30, 2023
Hellboy goes to Mexico and becomes a professional wrestler.
Ish.
That's not all, of course. And not all of the issues had to do with his jaunt down south, but most of the collection felt loosely connected somehow and it gave this edition a solid feel to it.
Then again, I may just be imagining that.
You're also getting your money's worth as several of Mignola's award-winning stories are included in this volume. The Crooked Man and The Chained Coffin are creepy horror at their best that will assuredly make fans of the character happy.
Recommended.
Ish.
That's not all, of course. And not all of the issues had to do with his jaunt down south, but most of the collection felt loosely connected somehow and it gave this edition a solid feel to it.
Then again, I may just be imagining that.
You're also getting your money's worth as several of Mignola's award-winning stories are included in this volume. The Crooked Man and The Chained Coffin are creepy horror at their best that will assuredly make fans of the character happy.
Recommended.
February 22, 2019
This collection is chock full of great stories, beginning with the hilarious Pancakes. The Corpse does figure into the backstory for the 3rd omnibus. It's one of my favorite short form Hellboy stories. I really liked being able to read all these stories in chronological order for the first time. These cover 1947-1961. The Midnight Circus is beautifully rendered by Duncan Fegredo. I like the different look he gives to his art here. It reminds me a little of Gene Ha. Richard Corben illustrates over a third of the book. I really liked his Appalachian tale in The Crooked Man. I'm a sucker for hillbilly witch stories though like Harrow County. This is all the fun and weird craziness of Hellboy without the burden of his long history.
September 17, 2018
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
As part of Dark Horse Comics latest reprints, Hellboy received a heavenly treatment that will undoubtedly help introduce the character to new readers, but also allow longtime fans an opportunity to dive into the dark and mythical world of Mike Mignola without having to figure out where to start and what to read next. This new line of omnibuses features a total of four hefty volumes that recollects the story of Hellboy and his adventures 50 years after his occult birth and all the special paranormal missions he was sent on as an agent of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (B.P.R.D.) in New York. Alongside these four volumes, two extra volumes recollecting short stories that highlight Hellboy’s time prior to the original comic book run are also released and this right here is the first of those two volumes.
The fun thing about Hellboy is that he has faced an outstanding number of creatures throughout his career. The adventures he’s had throughout his career are however not explored in the main series. Most of the things he’s seen and dealt with are things of the past, and some of them do however find themselves haunting him here and then countless years later. In this first omnibus that collects 16 stand-alone stories of Hellboy, readers get to experience some of the dangers that have haunted many, and solved only by the B.P.R.D., and especially by Hellboy himself. With the collaboration of so many different writers/artists, Mike Mignola offers us a look at some stories that rose him and his collaborators to fame, such as “Hellboy in Mexico”, “The Crooked Man”, “Double Feature of Evil”, “The Corpse” and many more. These adventures that take place between 1947 and 1961 give fans an even deeper look at Hellboy and his problem-solving skills.
Unlike the main storyline where it sometimes can get quite hard to understand what’s going on with all the lore being thrown at the reader quickly and without guidance, these short stories are a lot easier to follow. Each story doesn’t necessarily follow each other, but they all have a structure that has a start and an ending. In fact, each of them teases us of the occurrence of a strange phenomenon somewhere in the world with details on what the whole mystery is about, with of course a touch of supernatural. Hellboy is usually always the one that has to deal with it, and while he arrives on the site hoping that there’s nothing wrong, he’ll quickly realize that things will always go to the dogs when he’s called upon. And in his case, it might not necessarily be dogs, but most ly vampires, zombies, ghosts and what not. The mythology in each story that’s incorporated and adapted by Mike Mignola within his own universe is truly entertaining and there’s always something ugly that ends up going head-to-head with Hellboy. And let me tell you, it always ends with an exchange of fists that never leaves anything undisturbed.
What I truly appreciated about this collection is the number of different collaborators on it. While Mike Mignola’s artwork will always be iconic and associated to Hellboy, it’s the various different take by different artists that makes this such a unique experience. One of my favourite artwork was done by Duncan Fegredo in the short story called “The Midnight Circus”. The story features a young Hellboy who wishes to be treated equally among humans and runs away into a mysterious circus where haunting yet beautiful things occur. The fact that the artwork varies from one story to another really makes it easier for the reader to appreciate the story and the art while never finding themselves bored or overwhelmed by a particular style. Although, I have to say that being bored might be a bit tough with Hellboy’s short and sharp humour always kicking in.
This first omnibus collecting short stories is definitely a lovely look at Hellboy’s earlier adventures, but also all the humour, mythology and horror that embodies his very life as a half-demon.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
____________________________
Loved the humour in some of these short stories. It's also a lot easier this time around to follow what's going around, especially with some stories doing recaps before getting down to business. The mythology incorporated within each story also makes this so much more fun.
And the fact that each story doesn't necessarily have Mike Mignola as an artist, leaving loads of room for other styles to be used definitely makes this even more enjoyable than usual!
Loving these omnibuses!
P.S. Full Review to come soon.
Yours truly,
Lashaan
As part of Dark Horse Comics latest reprints, Hellboy received a heavenly treatment that will undoubtedly help introduce the character to new readers, but also allow longtime fans an opportunity to dive into the dark and mythical world of Mike Mignola without having to figure out where to start and what to read next. This new line of omnibuses features a total of four hefty volumes that recollects the story of Hellboy and his adventures 50 years after his occult birth and all the special paranormal missions he was sent on as an agent of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (B.P.R.D.) in New York. Alongside these four volumes, two extra volumes recollecting short stories that highlight Hellboy’s time prior to the original comic book run are also released and this right here is the first of those two volumes.
The fun thing about Hellboy is that he has faced an outstanding number of creatures throughout his career. The adventures he’s had throughout his career are however not explored in the main series. Most of the things he’s seen and dealt with are things of the past, and some of them do however find themselves haunting him here and then countless years later. In this first omnibus that collects 16 stand-alone stories of Hellboy, readers get to experience some of the dangers that have haunted many, and solved only by the B.P.R.D., and especially by Hellboy himself. With the collaboration of so many different writers/artists, Mike Mignola offers us a look at some stories that rose him and his collaborators to fame, such as “Hellboy in Mexico”, “The Crooked Man”, “Double Feature of Evil”, “The Corpse” and many more. These adventures that take place between 1947 and 1961 give fans an even deeper look at Hellboy and his problem-solving skills.
Unlike the main storyline where it sometimes can get quite hard to understand what’s going on with all the lore being thrown at the reader quickly and without guidance, these short stories are a lot easier to follow. Each story doesn’t necessarily follow each other, but they all have a structure that has a start and an ending. In fact, each of them teases us of the occurrence of a strange phenomenon somewhere in the world with details on what the whole mystery is about, with of course a touch of supernatural. Hellboy is usually always the one that has to deal with it, and while he arrives on the site hoping that there’s nothing wrong, he’ll quickly realize that things will always go to the dogs when he’s called upon. And in his case, it might not necessarily be dogs, but most ly vampires, zombies, ghosts and what not. The mythology in each story that’s incorporated and adapted by Mike Mignola within his own universe is truly entertaining and there’s always something ugly that ends up going head-to-head with Hellboy. And let me tell you, it always ends with an exchange of fists that never leaves anything undisturbed.
What I truly appreciated about this collection is the number of different collaborators on it. While Mike Mignola’s artwork will always be iconic and associated to Hellboy, it’s the various different take by different artists that makes this such a unique experience. One of my favourite artwork was done by Duncan Fegredo in the short story called “The Midnight Circus”. The story features a young Hellboy who wishes to be treated equally among humans and runs away into a mysterious circus where haunting yet beautiful things occur. The fact that the artwork varies from one story to another really makes it easier for the reader to appreciate the story and the art while never finding themselves bored or overwhelmed by a particular style. Although, I have to say that being bored might be a bit tough with Hellboy’s short and sharp humour always kicking in.
This first omnibus collecting short stories is definitely a lovely look at Hellboy’s earlier adventures, but also all the humour, mythology and horror that embodies his very life as a half-demon.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
____________________________
Loved the humour in some of these short stories. It's also a lot easier this time around to follow what's going around, especially with some stories doing recaps before getting down to business. The mythology incorporated within each story also makes this so much more fun.
And the fact that each story doesn't necessarily have Mike Mignola as an artist, leaving loads of room for other styles to be used definitely makes this even more enjoyable than usual!
Loving these omnibuses!
P.S. Full Review to come soon.
Yours truly,
Lashaan
January 1, 2020
Solid four stars. In a way, I found this better than the first Hellboy Omnibus (which follows the actual plot proper). It drops you into the world of Hellboy, and the different stories have slightly different styles (visually) that allow us to see the art of various artists. There are a couple of stories in here that are hard to understand, because they either rely on the reader knowing a little about Hellboy's background or because they're just told in such a way that it's not quite obvious what happened in the story or why. Namely "The Nature of the Beast" and "Hellboy Versus the Aztec Mummy" fall in the second category. But, I'd say this is a great place to jump into Mignola's strange, dark and rich world. Enjoyed it and eagerly will read further.
October 7, 2018
Had some cool stories but just not as strong as the main story arc. I still prefer Mignolas art. Its really what makes Hellboy so original and cool.
August 12, 2024
The quality of the Hellboy series continues to be fantastically high. This book is a collection of short stories that range from two pages and other quite a bit more. These are a mixture of comedy and horror stories or stories that feature both. In some ways this collection can be taken as a loose collection of tales that show Hellboy as a young boy and young man before the main story concerning his destiny that features in the other series.
Highlights include the hilarious Pancakes and the creepy The Crooked Man. Hellboy in Mexico is another stand out story about him tackling vampires with three wrestlers. Another features a version of Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, Dracula and his wives, which is charming, funny, thrilling and deeply emotional.
There is also a different joy to reading these shorts than most comic book series were you must be caught up on everything that went on before. With these shorts you can dip into each one as you please, which provides delightful reading in situations where you have a few minutes of time.
Usually, I find in collections with multiple artists to be jarring as each artists as their own style, not with this comic I’m happy to say. Although, each stories artwork is vastly different from the rest it is all tied together by presenting the gothic theme of Hellboy’s world.
Highlights include the hilarious Pancakes and the creepy The Crooked Man. Hellboy in Mexico is another stand out story about him tackling vampires with three wrestlers. Another features a version of Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, Dracula and his wives, which is charming, funny, thrilling and deeply emotional.
There is also a different joy to reading these shorts than most comic book series were you must be caught up on everything that went on before. With these shorts you can dip into each one as you please, which provides delightful reading in situations where you have a few minutes of time.
Usually, I find in collections with multiple artists to be jarring as each artists as their own style, not with this comic I’m happy to say. Although, each stories artwork is vastly different from the rest it is all tied together by presenting the gothic theme of Hellboy’s world.
May 11, 2023
Hellboy: The Complete Short Stories Volume 1 by Mike Mignola is about Hellboy's is short stories from his discovery in 1947 with stories through to 1961. My knowledge of Hellboy is based solely on watching the films. I think it was a bit of a mistake to have me go in Hellboy timeline Order than the publication order, there's very small amount of establishing the character or much characterization at all. So I will skip the second volume and might revisit this volume after I have read 1-4 of the omnibus. I liked half of the stories, some felt like repeats of stories I had just read. The art is fantastic I love, love what is done with shadowing and I love the uniqueness of the art of Hellboy. Almost half the book takes place in Mexico in 1957 and I feel the art was the best here. The Mexico stories were hit and miss. I felt the stories worked best when they relied on humor. The Crooked Man The Troll Witch, The Chained Coffin, Double Feature of Evil, and Pancakes were my favorite stories. The Double Feature of Evil was the stand-out story for me, a unique story that was unlike any other in the book.
The Plots: Hellboy eats Pancakes for the first time and Hell knows he's not coming back. Young Hellboy breaks out of the research and defense headquarters to go to a circus, but it is not an ordinary circus but one of the ghosts. Hellboy investigates paranormal activity in Mexico, gets lost, and becomes a wrestler. Hellboy gets married but his bride is not among the living. Hellboy goes on a quest to bury a man to stop the curse of the crooked man. Hellboy must rescue a stolen baby from goblins. Hellboy must confront a haunted house that pays for the souls it takes.
What I Liked: The humor was great, I laughed out loud as Hellboy has an old pirate corpse on his back looking for a sacred burial, they stumble on to treasure that the corpse wants and get into an argument on what the corpse would need with it. There was a burst of great action, that was fun. I loved the art, it is so unique and the shadowing was amazing. I liked the use of muted colors. The mini story of Sullivan's reward was so great it was creepy and had humor, that is the only story that will stick with me for a while after reading this.
What I Disliked: The Midnight Circus was pretty lame. since nothing happens, and it was really hard to follow the bad guy's motivation. A couple of the stories were carbon copies of the other with slightly different ghosts. Character development was severely lacking.
Recommendation: I can not recommend this collection, there are a couple of stories you could casually breeze through but there is little to no development with the Hellboy character or any other character. I rated Hellboy: The Complete Short Stories Volume 1 by Mike Mignola 3 out of 5 stars. This was close to being rated a two but the last two stories pushed it over the edge.
The Plots: Hellboy eats Pancakes for the first time and Hell knows he's not coming back. Young Hellboy breaks out of the research and defense headquarters to go to a circus, but it is not an ordinary circus but one of the ghosts. Hellboy investigates paranormal activity in Mexico, gets lost, and becomes a wrestler. Hellboy gets married but his bride is not among the living. Hellboy goes on a quest to bury a man to stop the curse of the crooked man. Hellboy must rescue a stolen baby from goblins. Hellboy must confront a haunted house that pays for the souls it takes.
What I Liked: The humor was great, I laughed out loud as Hellboy has an old pirate corpse on his back looking for a sacred burial, they stumble on to treasure that the corpse wants and get into an argument on what the corpse would need with it. There was a burst of great action, that was fun. I loved the art, it is so unique and the shadowing was amazing. I liked the use of muted colors. The mini story of Sullivan's reward was so great it was creepy and had humor, that is the only story that will stick with me for a while after reading this.
What I Disliked: The Midnight Circus was pretty lame. since nothing happens, and it was really hard to follow the bad guy's motivation. A couple of the stories were carbon copies of the other with slightly different ghosts. Character development was severely lacking.
Recommendation: I can not recommend this collection, there are a couple of stories you could casually breeze through but there is little to no development with the Hellboy character or any other character. I rated Hellboy: The Complete Short Stories Volume 1 by Mike Mignola 3 out of 5 stars. This was close to being rated a two but the last two stories pushed it over the edge.
July 15, 2018
And so on to the next catch up title from my week away (and yes there are a few more to add).
Carrying on from the collected works you have now one of two volumes (the next will be released shortly - thankfully no waiting months and months on end) of short stories. Now these have no impact on the main story arc but they do fall within the time line so you can see some references to these stories elsewhere.
For me these are the specials - where a story has to be told within a certain number of pages, usually for a specific reason. Now rather than the drawn out story arcs you get in the other volumes these stories are far more punchy and concise - they have to be. So if you like this is far easier to pick up and read a story and then put it down again.
The only problem I have with these books is that they are over far too quickly - maybe once all the books have been released I should think about reading them all again and after all when the new film is released it will be interesting to see how they interpret these stories on the big screen
Carrying on from the collected works you have now one of two volumes (the next will be released shortly - thankfully no waiting months and months on end) of short stories. Now these have no impact on the main story arc but they do fall within the time line so you can see some references to these stories elsewhere.
For me these are the specials - where a story has to be told within a certain number of pages, usually for a specific reason. Now rather than the drawn out story arcs you get in the other volumes these stories are far more punchy and concise - they have to be. So if you like this is far easier to pick up and read a story and then put it down again.
The only problem I have with these books is that they are over far too quickly - maybe once all the books have been released I should think about reading them all again and after all when the new film is released it will be interesting to see how they interpret these stories on the big screen
August 12, 2025
This collects fifteen Hellboy stories by Mike Mignola with art by a nice variety of artists, including Richard Corben. Most were great, some were okay, and some were outstanding. One of my favorites, The Crooked Man, was written in tribute to author Manly Wade Wellman.
Pancakes (5/5)
The Midnight Circus (4/5)
The Nature of the Beast (4/5)
King Vold (4/5)
Hellboy in Mexico (4/5)
Hellboy vs the Aztec Mummy (4/5)
Hellboy Gets Married (4/5)
The Coffin Man (4/5)
The Coffin Man 2: The Rematch (4/5)
The House of the Living Dead (5/5)
The Crooked Man (5/5)
The Penanggalan (3/5)
The Corpse (5/5)
Double Feature of Evil (4/5)
The Iron Shoes (3/5)
Pancakes (5/5)
The Midnight Circus (4/5)
The Nature of the Beast (4/5)
King Vold (4/5)
Hellboy in Mexico (4/5)
Hellboy vs the Aztec Mummy (4/5)
Hellboy Gets Married (4/5)
The Coffin Man (4/5)
The Coffin Man 2: The Rematch (4/5)
The House of the Living Dead (5/5)
The Crooked Man (5/5)
The Penanggalan (3/5)
The Corpse (5/5)
Double Feature of Evil (4/5)
The Iron Shoes (3/5)
October 20, 2020
He has eaten the pancake. He will never come back to us now.
Truly this is our blackest hour.
I mean, come on! Who could resist that stellar storytelling?
There are several fantastic stories in here, and of course incredible art! But there are also a couple of pieces that feel truncated or unfinished, so it's not as strong for me as the first omnibus (Seed of Destruction).
It's an extra bit of fun going back to the comics and remembering the pieces that were adapted for the live action films—such as the pungent gentleman who graces the cover—as well as wallowing in Hellboy's sadness in Mexico.
Aside from Pancakes, quoted above, I think my favourites in here are The Midnight Circus and House of the Living Dead, but there are many gems to choose from.
A must for any Hellboy or Dark Horse fan!
Truly this is our blackest hour.
I mean, come on! Who could resist that stellar storytelling?
There are several fantastic stories in here, and of course incredible art! But there are also a couple of pieces that feel truncated or unfinished, so it's not as strong for me as the first omnibus (Seed of Destruction).
It's an extra bit of fun going back to the comics and remembering the pieces that were adapted for the live action films—such as the pungent gentleman who graces the cover—as well as wallowing in Hellboy's sadness in Mexico.
Aside from Pancakes, quoted above, I think my favourites in here are The Midnight Circus and House of the Living Dead, but there are many gems to choose from.
A must for any Hellboy or Dark Horse fan!
February 15, 2023
Pancakes. The Midnight Circus. The Nature of the Beast. The Crooked Man. The Corpse.
All in one volume. And more.
What more would I want?
All in one volume. And more.
What more would I want?
April 6, 2025
Lovely collection, lots of great guest artists. The Midnight circus, crooked man, and Hellboy’s journey through Mexico were particularly great. Atmospheric Bangers.
May 29, 2024
Ratings with pros and cons I had for each individual story:
Pancakes: 5 stars
pros =
- happy to have Hellboy in the Picky Eaters Club (TM)
- cute (I would take a bullet for young Hellboy)
The Midnight Circus: 3 stars
pros =
- GORGEOUS art style
cons =
- confusing asf
Nature of the Beast: 3 stars
pros =
- decent story
- liked idea of Hellboy's blood not growing lilies bc of his "nature"
cons =
- kinda forgettable
King Vold: 4 stars
pros =
-really cool lore
- WEREWOLVES (wolfmen)
Hellboy in Mexico: 5 stars
pros =
- tragic, really sad
- paranormal Mucha Lucha
Hellboy Versus the Aztec Mummy: 4 stars
pros =
- Aztec mythology/folklore
- funny
- cool imagery
cons =
- wish it had been longer
Hellboy Gets Married: 2 stars
pros =
- liked last page w/ oddly tender moment between Hellboy + monster
cons =
- not much background on monster
- didn't like art style
The Coffin Man: 3 stars
pros =
- decent story
- some really stunning panels
- cool donkey-creature
cons =
- didn't like writing style
The Coffin Man 2: The Rematch: 2 stars
cons =
- wanted see what happened to resurrected uncle
- just confused me more on what happened to Hellboy in Mexico
House of the Living Dead: 4 stars
pros =
- WEREWOLF
- really tragic (grief/survivor's guilt)
- more graphic than other stories
- art style reminiscent of The Boys
cons =
- seemingly haphazardly added sexual assault scene
- confusing "time jump"
The Crooked Man: 5 stars
pros =
- really detailed art style (like The Boys)
- scariest Hellboy story I've seen
- really interesting story
cons =
- didn't agree that Tom should've been branded a sinner for something he did when he was a kid
The Penanggalan: 4 stars
pros =
- Malaysian mythology/folklore
- really cool story
- cool imagery
cons =
- wish it was longer
The Corpse: 5 stars
pros =
- Irish mythology/folklore
- really cool story
- bittersweet ending
- funny
- existential quotes
Double Feature of Evil: 4 stars
pros =
- second story was funny
- first story was really cool
- Egyptian mythology/folklore
- art style reminiscent of The Boys (again)
The Iron Shoes: 5 stars
pros =
- really funny
- cool imagery
I liked how this volume introduced so much from Aztec, Malaysian, Egyptian, and Irish mythologies. It was really refreshing to see all of that. It was also really heartbreaking to see Hellboy go through survivor's guilt and the grief of losing one of his best friends during his time in Mexico. He struggles with it for so long and we see how he copes. It just humanizes him so much, and I really like how it was handled.
Pancakes: 5 stars
pros =
- happy to have Hellboy in the Picky Eaters Club (TM)
- cute (I would take a bullet for young Hellboy)
The Midnight Circus: 3 stars
pros =
- GORGEOUS art style
cons =
- confusing asf
Nature of the Beast: 3 stars
pros =
- decent story
- liked idea of Hellboy's blood not growing lilies bc of his "nature"
cons =
- kinda forgettable
King Vold: 4 stars
pros =
-really cool lore
- WEREWOLVES (wolfmen)
Hellboy in Mexico: 5 stars
pros =
- tragic, really sad
- paranormal Mucha Lucha
Hellboy Versus the Aztec Mummy: 4 stars
pros =
- Aztec mythology/folklore
- funny
- cool imagery
cons =
- wish it had been longer
Hellboy Gets Married: 2 stars
pros =
- liked last page w/ oddly tender moment between Hellboy + monster
cons =
- not much background on monster
- didn't like art style
The Coffin Man: 3 stars
pros =
- decent story
- some really stunning panels
- cool donkey-creature
cons =
- didn't like writing style
The Coffin Man 2: The Rematch: 2 stars
cons =
- wanted see what happened to resurrected uncle
- just confused me more on what happened to Hellboy in Mexico
House of the Living Dead: 4 stars
pros =
- WEREWOLF
- really tragic (grief/survivor's guilt)
- more graphic than other stories
- art style reminiscent of The Boys
cons =
- seemingly haphazardly added sexual assault scene
- confusing "time jump"
The Crooked Man: 5 stars
pros =
- really detailed art style (like The Boys)
- scariest Hellboy story I've seen
- really interesting story
cons =
- didn't agree that Tom should've been branded a sinner for something he did when he was a kid
The Penanggalan: 4 stars
pros =
- Malaysian mythology/folklore
- really cool story
- cool imagery
cons =
- wish it was longer
The Corpse: 5 stars
pros =
- Irish mythology/folklore
- really cool story
- bittersweet ending
- funny
- existential quotes
Double Feature of Evil: 4 stars
pros =
- second story was funny
- first story was really cool
- Egyptian mythology/folklore
- art style reminiscent of The Boys (again)
The Iron Shoes: 5 stars
pros =
- really funny
- cool imagery
I liked how this volume introduced so much from Aztec, Malaysian, Egyptian, and Irish mythologies. It was really refreshing to see all of that. It was also really heartbreaking to see Hellboy go through survivor's guilt and the grief of losing one of his best friends during his time in Mexico. He struggles with it for so long and we see how he copes. It just humanizes him so much, and I really like how it was handled.
October 1, 2018
”The Crooked Man stepped forth and rang the Crooked Bell”
If you are done reading all of the main Hellboy saga like me, and don’t necessarily want to jump into the trillions of other titles Mignola wrote for this universe, and and and just wanna stick with pure Hellboythen viola. This is a great and extremely entertaining collection of shorts. The best of them being: The Crooked Man, The Midnight Circus, Double Feature of Evil, any of the Mexico stuff (pg. 83-152) and of course The Corpse. All of these stories are very clever and character defining for Hellboy. Many of the stories deepen his character more and add a lot more lore to already existing stories or are the base for a specific part of a later story. Such as Gruagach’s backstory in The Wild Hunt. Something I realized when reading one of the stories was that most of them resemble an issue of Hellblazer. Especially Double Feature of Evil. It’s the same kind of story telling. The art by Duncan Fegredo is fantastic. His style is tied with Mignola’s earlier Hellboy art. Richard Corben should also be praised. He did also did some damn good painted style artwork that I think would impress anyone.
My problems with the book are nothing big at all. I just think sometimes these short stories were too short. And I am mainly talking about the ones that had great potential for an expanded story. Such a Nature of the Beast. And sadly the amount of praise I had heard about The Corpse, made me hold it to a crazy high standard. And while I can’t argue that it’s not the best short story in this book, I just wish it was a little longer.
In the end I had a great time reading these shorts. Some of them are some of the best Hellboy I’ve read so far. All the art is great and at times surprisingly this book can be a little intense. Which is something I didn’t expect but am glad of. Letter Grade: (A-)
If you are done reading all of the main Hellboy saga like me, and don’t necessarily want to jump into the trillions of other titles Mignola wrote for this universe, and and and just wanna stick with pure Hellboythen viola. This is a great and extremely entertaining collection of shorts. The best of them being: The Crooked Man, The Midnight Circus, Double Feature of Evil, any of the Mexico stuff (pg. 83-152) and of course The Corpse. All of these stories are very clever and character defining for Hellboy. Many of the stories deepen his character more and add a lot more lore to already existing stories or are the base for a specific part of a later story. Such as Gruagach’s backstory in The Wild Hunt. Something I realized when reading one of the stories was that most of them resemble an issue of Hellblazer. Especially Double Feature of Evil. It’s the same kind of story telling. The art by Duncan Fegredo is fantastic. His style is tied with Mignola’s earlier Hellboy art. Richard Corben should also be praised. He did also did some damn good painted style artwork that I think would impress anyone.
My problems with the book are nothing big at all. I just think sometimes these short stories were too short. And I am mainly talking about the ones that had great potential for an expanded story. Such a Nature of the Beast. And sadly the amount of praise I had heard about The Corpse, made me hold it to a crazy high standard. And while I can’t argue that it’s not the best short story in this book, I just wish it was a little longer.
In the end I had a great time reading these shorts. Some of them are some of the best Hellboy I’ve read so far. All the art is great and at times surprisingly this book can be a little intense. Which is something I didn’t expect but am glad of. Letter Grade: (A-)
March 3, 2019
"The Devil? I've seen him, and he don't look nothin' like you."
Some of the most evocative, enjoyable and beautifully-constructed short stories I've ever read in the comic medium or otherwise.
July 25, 2018
9/10
February 26, 2022
Bought this comic on a whim, when a comic store worker raved about it to me so I couldn’t resist. Although it’s my first hellboy reading, I really enjoyed the short stories. A great collection!
August 30, 2023
ازاي كنت مأجلة قرايتها كل ده بس...
February 29, 2024
3.75 stars
There are some gems here. Though it is two pages long, I personally think Pancakes is the best Hellboy story. It's the cutest, funniest and most endearing tale featuring a two year old Hellboy.
The Midnight Circus is also one of the best stories from this collection. Kid Hellboy overhears a colleague of Professor Bruttenholm telling him to reconsider his adoption and care of Hellboy, so he runs away and stumbles onto the circus. It is a tale inspired by Pinocchio.
Personally, I love seeing stories from Hellboy's childhood. There's something so pure and innocent about a demon boy being raised with compassion and love by a human. It makes it even bittersweet when remembering Hellboy's later and lonely years as an adult.
This volume also collects all of Hellboy in Mexico. That's a mixed bag for me. Some good, some very bad, some I found really creepy. I liked the main storyline, where Hellboy's devastated by losing his friend.
In the later half, there's The Crooked Man. Man, maybe the creepiest Hellboy story? It's just that the art alone is terrifying. It's a tale about witches. Richard Corben did an amazing job with the story.
The Corpse is another highlight. The story of the baby (Alice) who was stolen by a changeling (Gruagach) and how Hellboy is forced to carry a corpse and to bury him before sunrise so he can save Alice from the Irish fairies. It's funny, dark and full of mythology. So that's already great, but it's also a great story to have considering how important the characters of Alice and Gruagach become later on.
Hellboy: Double feature of Evil is also collected here. I loved these two short stories. They are so fun. In such short time, and with the dead watching Hellboy's missions as if they were a movie, Mignola and Corben just deliver classic Hellboy escapades.
In total, of the sixteen short stories collected here, most of them are good, a few of them don't quite reach that mark. However, all of them are just quintessential Hellboy. Creepy stories, full of wonder and tragedy, full of folklore and nightmares, of evil characters and supernatural creatures. And in the midst of it all, Hellboy is there to help anyone who needs a hand.
There are some gems here. Though it is two pages long, I personally think Pancakes is the best Hellboy story. It's the cutest, funniest and most endearing tale featuring a two year old Hellboy.
The Midnight Circus is also one of the best stories from this collection. Kid Hellboy overhears a colleague of Professor Bruttenholm telling him to reconsider his adoption and care of Hellboy, so he runs away and stumbles onto the circus. It is a tale inspired by Pinocchio.
Personally, I love seeing stories from Hellboy's childhood. There's something so pure and innocent about a demon boy being raised with compassion and love by a human. It makes it even bittersweet when remembering Hellboy's later and lonely years as an adult.
This volume also collects all of Hellboy in Mexico. That's a mixed bag for me. Some good, some very bad, some I found really creepy. I liked the main storyline, where Hellboy's devastated by losing his friend.
In the later half, there's The Crooked Man. Man, maybe the creepiest Hellboy story? It's just that the art alone is terrifying. It's a tale about witches. Richard Corben did an amazing job with the story.
The Corpse is another highlight. The story of the baby (Alice) who was stolen by a changeling (Gruagach) and how Hellboy is forced to carry a corpse and to bury him before sunrise so he can save Alice from the Irish fairies. It's funny, dark and full of mythology. So that's already great, but it's also a great story to have considering how important the characters of Alice and Gruagach become later on.
Hellboy: Double feature of Evil is also collected here. I loved these two short stories. They are so fun. In such short time, and with the dead watching Hellboy's missions as if they were a movie, Mignola and Corben just deliver classic Hellboy escapades.
In total, of the sixteen short stories collected here, most of them are good, a few of them don't quite reach that mark. However, all of them are just quintessential Hellboy. Creepy stories, full of wonder and tragedy, full of folklore and nightmares, of evil characters and supernatural creatures. And in the midst of it all, Hellboy is there to help anyone who needs a hand.
May 18, 2022
This is where Mignola’s world and writing truly shine. Nothing against the more serialized parts of the canon, but the stories here are hard to beat. Hellboy wanders through each of them and plays straight man. He’s always relatable, and the characterization is always on point. Some of the highlights include:
-“The Crooked Man” is one of the very few stories, especially in comics, to truly terrify me. Taking Hellboy to Appalachia was a weirdly inspired choice, and Mignola revels in all the Southern Gothic overtones. Thankfully, he also doesn’t shy away from overtly Christian themes, and explores the mysticism present in the area’s local traditions. The atmosphere is incredible, you feel for each of the characters, and the art is masterfully rendered by legend Richard Corben. It’s as good as everyone says.
-“Hellboy in Mexico” balances comedy and tragedy, horror and action on a knife’s edge. It seems that for these short stories, the settings are key. Mexico was a great choice. Catholic and Aztec imagery crash up against grindhouse and Hammer Horror aesthetics, which pretty accurately describes the tone of the story. The art is also by Corben, who keeps the quality consistent.
-“Pancakes” might be my favorite two pages of any comic book, ever.
-“The Crooked Man” is one of the very few stories, especially in comics, to truly terrify me. Taking Hellboy to Appalachia was a weirdly inspired choice, and Mignola revels in all the Southern Gothic overtones. Thankfully, he also doesn’t shy away from overtly Christian themes, and explores the mysticism present in the area’s local traditions. The atmosphere is incredible, you feel for each of the characters, and the art is masterfully rendered by legend Richard Corben. It’s as good as everyone says.
-“Hellboy in Mexico” balances comedy and tragedy, horror and action on a knife’s edge. It seems that for these short stories, the settings are key. Mexico was a great choice. Catholic and Aztec imagery crash up against grindhouse and Hammer Horror aesthetics, which pretty accurately describes the tone of the story. The art is also by Corben, who keeps the quality consistent.
-“Pancakes” might be my favorite two pages of any comic book, ever.
February 18, 2024
Вже традиційно для всієї серії омнібасів, цей перший том коротких історій розміщує їх у хронологічному порядку. І це створює дуже цікавий ефект. Наприклад, першою тут іде культова і знакова історія про Геллбоя і налисники. А вже наступна - Опівнічний цирк (вийшла українською!) демонстурує малого Червоного в той час як він наминає вже улюблену страву. Звісно - абсолютна моя закоханість в арт Феґредо змушує знов і знов перечитувати Цирк. Адже він один з найкращих художників сучасності і не тільки у сфері коміксу. Вражає скрупульозна деталізація, дизайн кабінету Брума, плавні переходи між міньйолоподібним стилем і аквареллю.
Але все ж таки, найбільша ількість робіт представлених у цій книзі належать Річарду Корбену. І перечитуючи їх, я зрозумів, що з віком все-таки приходить мудрість. От наприклад айснерівська історія Кривий Чоловік - років п'ять тому вона мені не подобалася, а тепер читаю із захватом. Теж саме можу сказати про всі інші його роботи, це щось типу класичної музики - любиться з часом. В цім коміксів зібраний практично весь мексиканський цикл, плюс, одна з найкращих історій всесвіту - Труп.
Також перевага цього комікса в тому, що його сміло можна читати вже після першого тому Геллбоя. Тобто, поріг входження мінімальний.
Але все ж таки, найбільша ількість робіт представлених у цій книзі належать Річарду Корбену. І перечитуючи їх, я зрозумів, що з віком все-таки приходить мудрість. От наприклад айснерівська історія Кривий Чоловік - років п'ять тому вона мені не подобалася, а тепер читаю із захватом. Теж саме можу сказати про всі інші його роботи, це щось типу класичної музики - любиться з часом. В цім коміксів зібраний практично весь мексиканський цикл, плюс, одна з найкращих історій всесвіту - Труп.
Також перевага цього комікса в тому, що його сміло можна читати вже після першого тому Геллбоя. Тобто, поріг входження мінімальний.
September 23, 2024
I NEED to read the next Hellboy volume these books are unbelievable! This collection is excellent and gives a sense of what kind of nonsense Hellboy is up to throughout various phases of his life. Some are as short as 2 pages and others as long as 73. Each of them are great in their own ways, with adjustments to the art style always complimenting the story. The Crooked Man, Hellboy in Mexico, and The Iron Shoes would probably have to be my favorites from this collection. Iron Shoes was just hilarious to me and the best example of the shorter encounter stories whereas Crooked Man and In Mexico are both insanely good fully realized storylines with original characters. The tone and atmosphere in each other these stories is immersive. Every story in this book was very enjoyable to me and I had a hard time setting the book down each time I picked it up. Both the art and writing in these comics are seriously special
September 30, 2018
I always really enjoyed the Hellboy short stories on my first read through. To me, the stories were usually more interesting and fleshed out Hellboy’s world in more interesting ways than the longer story arcs. With that in mind, I adored this collection. Midnight Circus, Hellboy in Mexico, and The Crooked Man in particular stood out as fantastic Hellboy stories that mixed paranormal and humor well. I also loved the art, particularly with The Midnight Circus.
May 13, 2022
I love Hellboy so much. 😭 This was a super fun collection of stories ranging from 2 pages to full graphic novel length, and they all deepened my appreciation for this universe. Collected here as something "outside" of the core Hellboy chronology, they're no less masterful or enjoyable. I always enjoy Mignola best on art, but his collaborators here do great work as well.
September 29, 2022
Ugh, I loved this. I’m also realizing that I don’t read Hellboy like I do other comics, as much as just let it wash over me. I guess what I mean is I honestly don’t find the stories all that memorable, but I adore the art and mood and always enjoy myself in the moment despite all of it melting together in my memory.
March 4, 2020
Good collection of macabre tales with a touch of whimsy and humour.
March 17, 2022
Less punchy more spooky.
October 27, 2022
Hellboy and I are getting married. It’ll be a spring wedding.
February 8, 2025
I love the stories.. very cool art
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