Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: The Return of Effie Kolb and Others

Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. #8

by Mike Mignola, Zach Howard (illustrator), Adam Hughes (illustrator)

Travel from the Appalachian mountains to Russia, France, and all the way back to Savannah, Georgia as Hellboy returns to take on phantoms, demons, and reanimated foes.

Collected in one volume for the first time, revisit some of the most beloved Hellboy short stories, including The Return of Effie Kolb, Long Night at Goloski Station, The Seven Wives Club, Her Fatal Hour and The Sending.

Dive into these harrowing adventures with Hellboy creator Mike Mignola as he's joined by artists Zach Howard, Matt Smith, Tiernen Trevallion, and Adam Hughes, along with colorist Dave Stewart, for a stellar fright fest!

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

152 pages, Paperback

First published November 9, 2022

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

[Drew Canole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hey! What a surprise, a collection of good Hellboy comics published in 2022. It's mostly unnecessary sequels to old Hellboy classics, the title story is a sequel to Richard Corben's masterwork The Crooked Man.

Collects:
The Return of Effie Kolb
Long Night at Goloski Station - perhaps the best story here, it feels it could have been published back in Hellboy's golden age.
The Seven Wives Club
Her Fatal Hour
The Sending.

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Hellboy tales are always fun to read with a really nice folklore like horror setting. Recommended

[Mattthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great. This volume and the previous one have been two of my favorites out of the whole Hellboy and the BPRD series. I have one more to go, and I think that's it for Hellboy except the Young Hellboy stories.
Highly Recommend.

[Frédéric · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5*

A bit better than earlier volumes due to the Effie Kolb two-parter- a The crooked man follow-up- and Adam Hugues illustrating a whole other issue.

Doesn’t qualify for a really good book though

[Eddie B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked it up because of the sequel to "The Crooked Man", but I ended up liking the other four stories.
And I found the art of Tiernen Trevallion exceptionally beautiful.

[doowopapocalypse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid collection of stories, if nothing incredibly noteworthy.

[Luke Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid Hellboy grab bag with a couple very strong artist debuts!

[Абрахам Хосебр · Rating 5 out of 5]

За останні два місяці, я прочитав більше двадцяти томів Геллбойверсу і практично всі томи серії Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. І якщо підвести короткий підсумок, то мені дуже подобається те, що я бачу. Стратегією успіху Міньйола обрав не довгу арки, а короткі ван-шоти для яких найняв найкращих художників і сценаристів всього світу, а особливий підхід до сюжету досягає свого апофеозу саме в цьому томі - Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: The Return of Effie Kolb and Others.
Чому? Тому, що практично всі історії тут, це продовження попередніх культових сюжетів (багато з яких отримали найвизначнішу премію у світі коміксів - Айснера).
1) Повернення Еффі Колб - це продовження Кривого чоловіка - спільної роботи Міньйоли і Корбена. Тут події мають місце через кілька десятиліть після відьомського побоїща, створення священної лопати і перетворення відьми у кобилу. В кріслі художника не Корбен (на той час він вже помер) а Зак Говард - теж дуже талановитий митець. Відповідно з'являється важливий персонаж - Сара Блекбірд, котра вже отримала свою окрему серію.
2)Довго ніч на станції Голоски - продовжує сюжет про безсмертного мисливця на вовкулак (див. Клуб Срібного Ліхтаря)
3)Її фатальна година - безпосереднє продовження Тварюки Варґу і хоча тут малює на геніальний Феґредо, все ж Тірнена Траваліон видає дуже смачний арт.
4) Оскільки Адма Г'юз вже виграв одного Айснера для Геллбойверсу - за шедевральний Крампуснахт (Є українською), то повернувся з ще однією гіперреалістичною роботою про привидів, самоспалення та некрофілію. Вражає деталізація архітектури, чудова міміка і бойові сцени. Одним словом - Смак!

На виході маємо один з найкращих томів серії і якщо такий вектор розвитку буде й надалі, то на нас чекають ще багато шедевральних, окультних та божественно намальованих історій.

[Lacee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of the stories collected here were re-reads for me, though reading them all together was a pretty solid reading experience. The Return of Effie Kolb was alright, but not my favorite. I would give it 3 stars on its own. Long Night at Goloski Station was amazing and a new favorite! Her Fatal Hour, The Sending, and The Seven Wives Club were re-reads from single issues and I would leave those ratings as is.

[Joseph R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love me some Hellboy, so why not read another collection of recent(ly published) adventures?

The Return of Effie Kolb--Facing a monster from The Crooked Man story, Hellboy heads back to Appalachia in 1967 to visit his old friend Tommy. He's found a young girl who thinks she's a witch. She can see things that come true in the future. She sees trouble, bad trouble, up the mountain. She and Hellboy head off into the woods and have a harrowing adventure. I enjoyed this sort-of sequel. The ending left some other possibilities open, so that's intriguing too.

Long Night at Goloski Station--Hellboy is summoned to a remote Siberian train station by the promise of information. When he gets there, he finds a hunter who has killed the contact. The contact was a werewolf out for revenge since Hellboy shot Baba Yaga's eye out. A lot of Russian supernatural creatures have their sights on Hellboy. The hunter regales Hellboy with his own history when a trio of evil folk show up, clearly wanting to take down Hellboy. This story is another odd bit of folklore that Mignola is so good at crafting.

Her Fatal Hour--The daughter of another old friend summons Hellboy magically to help her get out of a marriage she does not want. The old friend was a crone who helped Hellboy fight the Beast of Vargu, so there's a supernatural element to the problem. Hellboy helps out in his usual style.

The Sending--A remote estate library in England has been ransacked by supernatural means, drawing the attention of the B.P.R.D. Hellboy and a bookish old guy come to find out what happened. The butler provides an interesting twist that leads to a clever confrontation. The usual action and resolution ensues.

The Seven Wives Club--Hellboy is out in the field with B.P.R.D. Agent Pauline Raskin. A young woman with a penchant for visiting haunted houses is accused of murder. She went to a house with a cute boy (the murdered person). The house was formerly owned by a Lothario who had seven wives, all in different houses in the city. He gathered them all at the house one night, burned the room they were locked in, and hanged himself. The B.P.R.D. is in to find out if the young woman was the victim of ghostly influence. The story gets weirder and more complex as it unravels, ending with the typical action and winsomeness.

The collection has a lot of interesting stories, including some sequels to previous one-shot tales. I enjoyed it a lot. Mignola's writing is very creative. The artists do a fine job presenting Hellboy in their own styles.

Recommended, highly for Hellboy fans.

[Tom Ewing · Rating 4 out of 5]

At this late stage in the game I was not expecting to read a new Hellboy story that's up there with the best of the old ones, but the first in this collection - "Last Night At Goloski Station" - is such a beast, or at least very close. Hellboy is in Russia, looking for an old colleague - he meets a stranger who tells him the man's head is in his bag, and things get darker and stranger from there. Like the best Hellboy, it has the cadences of folklore and the cadences of pulp fisticuffs down pat and it lets them clash delightfully: it's also got terrific artwork from Matt Smith, reminiscent of Mignola but with a smoother line which suits the snowy vistas of the story. The best single Mignolaverse issue of the 2020s - grab it as a single if you don't fancy the whole collection.

But you might, since the rest of the collection is solid-to-very-good too. It's all written by Mignola, which is a relief after way too many hands-off gap-filling miniseries. And the art is excellent throughout too, the tales fully suited to their chosen illustrators. Adam Hughes draws a fine looking haunted house tale, though even Hellboy admits the story doesn't make too much sense. Zach Howard draws the title story, sequel to Richard Corben's The Crooked Man. That Hellboy classic didn't really need a reprise and the story exists to set up another mini, but Howard's art is enjoyably messy and vivid even if he's got a way to go before he's at Corben's level. Finally, 2000AD alumnus Tiernen Trevallion does an impressive job on a pair of short but chewy tales - his style here owes a lot to Mignola himself at first glance but he's bringing his own stuff to the comic with some lovely expressive cartooning (the old ghost hunter Hellboy meets in "The Sending" is a delight).

This collection feels like it could set a solid direction for the Hellboy universe now the big saga is over. Mignola writing stories himself when the fancy takes him and working with good new collaborators who'd like a crack at the character - I'd love a collection of this quality every year or two, at any rate more than I want to fill in gaps around the origins of minor BPRD characters.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book collects 5 stories. The best of the bunch is Matt Smith's Long Night at Goloski Station. It's a true gem. Also of note is the Adam Hughes illustrated The Seven Wives Club. I can't remember the last time Adam Hughes did interior art so that was a treat.

The remaining stories were all right but diminished by lackluster art, especially Zach Howard's The Return of Effie Kolb. The art is sloppy and over-stylized and distracts from the story.

Tiernen Trevallion illustrates the last two stories: Her Fatal Hour and The Sending. Is art is a step up from Zach Howard's mess but it didn't appeal to me.

All the stories were worth reading but sub-par art brings down the three of them. Still, Matt Smith's story is worth the price of the book alone. With the Hughes story an added bonus.

[Etain · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was a little disappointing. It was very good of course just wasn't really what I expected. Almost every story is in some way a sequel or pseudo-sequel which feels wrong to me. Hellboy stories have always been short mythic stories that you can basically read in any order so to have 2 direct sequels and one follow up story all in one book is kinda disappointing. It prevents me from recommending this book on its own merits it, it builds context and prejudice that's wholely unnecessary.
I feel like I'm rambling, good book. If you're a hellboy fan then read it.
My ranking of the stories
The Sending.
The Seven Wives Club.
Long night at Goloski Station.
Her Fatal Hour.
The Return of Effie Kolb.

[Marc Pastor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uns quants nous il·lustradors que venen a engreixar la nòmina de dibuixants de Hellboy.
El primer conte (el de l'Effie Kolb) m'ha semblat el més fluix de tots, a pesar d'intentar ser una recuperació d'un dels vells èxits de la sèrie, la de la història del crooked man (de la qual se n'ha fet una pel·li que encara no he vist però no pinta bé). El relat no funciona i sembla més un refregit que una continuació real, i se m'ha fet llarg.
La resta són força breus però molt directes i és on Hellboy rutlla millor. M'ho he passat molt bé.
Ara, el d'Adam Hughes (crec que és l'últim, parlo de memòria) és espectacular. Tant a nivell visual (juntament a Duncan Fegredo, Hughes passa a ser un dels meus il·lustradors de Hellboy favorits) com d'història.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Return of Effie Kolb and Others is a clear step above other recent Hellboy materials for the simple fact that it was written by Mike Mignola. The storytelling is crisp, dark, and weird, and hits all the right Hellboy notes (his trademark "Son of a--" and "Oh jeez" remarks are perfect). The stories themselves are in the standard "Hellboy is pulled into a strange situation" format, but they work well given their length.

A handful of artists new to Hellboy work on the stories and, for the most part, look like they were born for the task. Some great, quick reads here for that classic Hellboy hit you might have been missing.

[Matt Maielli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun collection of some Hellboy short-story sequels. The art on “Return of Effie Kolb” seems to be emulating the late Richard Corben’s style, to bring his Appalachia back to life for this series, which is a nice touch. The art on “Long Night at Goloski Station” is probably the best at emulating Mignola’s classic, dark compositions. Some of the stories do seem a bit too pat, but at least two of them seem to be setting up a new series, which is fine. Faves: “Her Fatal Hour,” “Long Night,” and “Seven Wives Club.”

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good contemporary Hellboy collection, eerie and well paced. "Long Night at Goloski Station" is probably the highlight of the bunch, with excellent art from Matt Smith and a welcome update for a character who made a dodgy appearance in one of the weaker later "Sir Edward Gray" volumes.

Honestly, though, the stories all pretty good, capturing the type of grounded, off-kilter mystery that makes classic Hellboy so enjoyable. If you're a fan, check it out.

[Rizzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is worth it for the final story alone, "The Seven Wives Club". It really feels like peak classic Hellboy in a way that most of these newer stories tend not to. It's a shame Adam Hughes mostly sticks to covers, because he is so much more than a pinup artist (though he is unmatched in that realm). His interiors are genuinely thoughtful and evocative.

Oh, and the other stories were pretty good too! This is one of the better "Hellboy and the BPRD" volumes.

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The devil came to my town disguised as a goat. He made the dead men rise from the graves and dance until their bodies fell apart." No, that isn't relevant to the plot, it's just the sort of thing that happens in the Mignolaverse.
This is a random collection of adventures scattered through the decades, all eerie and odd. An enjoyable read

[Vincent · Rating 3 out of 5]

A selection of Hellboy stories, most of them fun. I don't know that I would say The Return of Effie Kolb is the best of them. I think Effie was maybe a little hard done by, both in the original story and in this follow up. It's atmospheric as hell, and introduces a new player that might be significant later on, but other than that felt a little slight to me

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bunch of very good Hellboy one-offs. There's some bigger artists drawing Hellboy like Adam Hughes this go around. Zach Howard and Matt Smith draw Hellboy for the first time too! Those are some matches made in Heaven (or Hell in this case).

[Adan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice collection of short stories, some of which were sequels or follow-ups to previous stories (that I had to rack my brains to remember because I’d read them so long ago :P ). I enjoyed all of them, especially the titular Return of Effie Kolb, Long Night at Goloski Station, and The Sending.

[Andres Pasten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buenos dibujos y entretenidas breves historias de horror que se dieron en pandemia.

[Morgan Garratt]

A collection of

[Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

while i thought the "return of effie kolb" story is a bit of a clunker, the rest were great --- what i expect from a short bprd/hellboy story.

[Craig Randall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun diving back into this world! Some good stories. One left me chilled!

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my absolute favorite collections of Hellboy short stories. The art is great, the tales are spooky fun, and the titular big guy gets to shine in every tale.

[Dana Rudko · Rating 5 out of 5]

great again

I never get tired of Hellboy. The inking is superb the stories are timeless .MM is at his best again.

[Will McMillan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this. Long Night at Goloski Station might be my favorite one shot now

[G Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

a cool collection of stories.