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Hellboy: Weird Tales
Hellboy: Weird Tales
Some of the best writers and artists in comics team up to present stories of Hellboy with giant bats, demon children, jet packs, haunted circuses, and rusted-out spaceships. Old-fashioned pulp fun featuring one of the greatest heroes of modern comics.
248 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 20, 2022
8 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
Mike Mignola
1,867 books2,535 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.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 3, 2022
This is a lovely collection of non-canonical tales from the Hellboy universe, starring Hellboy and his BRPD friends. The large collection of short stories are by various artists hence the variety of artstyles which are actually quite enjoyable and makes this collection a lot of fun to read. While some stories are dark and grim some are just plain nuts or ethereal.
A real good and fun collection of Hellboy and you do not even have to be a big fan to enjoy these. Good art and good stories.
A nice addition to the recent re-releases of Hellboy universe.
A real good and fun collection of Hellboy and you do not even have to be a big fan to enjoy these. Good art and good stories.
A nice addition to the recent re-releases of Hellboy universe.
October 23, 2024
Can’t go wrong with a bit of Hellboy
October 25, 2024
Cute! sometimes not! and fun! but also sometimes not!
These stories were way shorter than i expected them to be.
These stories were way shorter than i expected them to be.
July 17, 2025
This collection of Hellboy shorts is a mixed bag. There’s some great Hellboy material, a few clunkers, and many “pretty good” stories.
July 1, 2024
Hellboy Reading Guide #26
Note: Only 2 of the 27 stories in this guest anthology collection are actually considered "canon" to the Hellboy universe, so I'll be focusing primarily on those 2 stories here.
Stories
How Koshchei Became Deathless (1st pub Jan-Feb 2009)
Timeline: Medieval Russia
Team: Koshchei, Dragon
Antagonist(s): Human soldiers, assassins, etc.
Summary: A monk relays the legend of how Koshchei, a Russian soldier of the Middle Ages, survived a series of betrayals and became immortal.
Baba Yaga's Feast (1st pub Mar 2009)
Timeline: Medieval Russia
Team: N/A
Antagonist(s): Baba Yaga
Summary: A monk tells the story of how a Russian peasant once outsmarted the Baba Yaga.
Review: "Baba Yaga's Feast" is brief, but effectively grotesque. However, "Koshchei" is the real star of this collection. This one-time antagonist of Hellboy gets a fantastic and memorable backstory that renders him as a more sympathetic character. You probably won't be missing much that's "essential" if you skip either of these stories, but "Koshchei" in particular is well-worth seeking out. Mignola is an absolute rock star at repurposing folklore in this way.
As for the other stories in the collection, they're a mixed bag, as you might expect. Some are serious and some are humorous, and in both cases, some are done well, and others not so well. Truthfully, I'd say there probably aren't enough good ones to make the whole thing worthwhile, as long as you can find the main stories elsewhere. Nevertheless, I'll give a very brief rundown of each below:
The Children of the Black Mound (Fabian Nicieza & Stefano Raffaele)
Russia, 1896/1788. A priest relates a story to a group of seminary students about how the Baba Yaga terrorized a nearby village a century before, stealing and murdering the village children. A tough read with an unexpected twist that is apparently meant as a commentary on the grand sweep of Russian history.
Lobster Johnson: Action Detective Adventure (John Cassaday)
New York, 1939. Lobster Johnson races to foil a plot by a group of Nazi agents who have made off with a powerful superweapon. This story is told as if it were a series of contemporary color comic strips appearing in the Sunday newspaper, one each week from July-September, 1939. It's a clever gimmick and a cool homage, and the story isn't half-bad, either.
Midnight Cowboy (Eric Powell)
New Mexico, 1947. Young Hellboy and his dog stumble onto something they're not supposed to see at the Air Force base where they live, with surprising consequences. Very slight, but a solid Hellboy story with great art.
Haunted (Tom Sniegoski & Ovi Nedelcu)
Hellboy investigates a haunted house. The whole story seems to exist for the sake of a single, not-very-funny gag, and even if it did land, there's no reason for it to go on this long to get there. The art style is distinctive, but not a good fit for the material.
A Love Story (Tommy Lee Edwards & Don Cameron)
China, 1964. Hellboy takes a flight in a plane with a haunted past. Tries to cram too much story into too little space, and the art makes it almost impossible to follow what's going on. You'll get the gist, but not much more. Not well conceived or executed.
Hot (Randy Stradley & Seung Kim)
Japan, 1967. Hellboy investigates something that has been preying on tourists at a local hot spring. A pretty standard Hellboy story with all of the classic elements, but rendered in an incredibly striking black-and-white style.
Flight Risk (Joe Casey & Steve Parkhouse)
Nevada. A brash desert test pilot has a terrifying encounter high above the ground. If Hellboy didn't appear in this story at all, it wouldn't change a single thing that happens. He's not the main character and he doesn't do anything. I'm not sure why, when presented with the opportunity to do a Hellboy story, someone would do this instead.
Family Story (Sara Ryan & Steve Lieber)
While looking to borrow a rare volume from a wealthy collector, Hellboy stumbles into a dangerous mystery. Overall, this is well-plotted with a couple of really good twists, but ultimately not really for me. Every character other than Hellboy is a little too hateable.
Shattered (Ron Marz & Jim Starlin)
Guatemala, 1979. Hellboy battles a monster to recover a Mayan artifact that could doom the world if it falls into the wrong hands. Fantastic Hellboy story, and really great art, to boot!
Love is Scarier than Death (J.H. Williams III & Haden Blackman)
Maryland, 1980ish. Hellboy assists in a stakeout with a beautiful FBI agent where they must pose as a couple "parking" in a remote spot in order to draw out a killer. The art isn't my favorite, but it's well-suited to the story, which is actually pretty fun. It's a good idea, well-executed.
Command Performance (Will Pfeifer & P. Craig Russell)
Paris, 1991. Hellboy investigates a rumor that the gory plays staged at the notorious Grand Guignol Theater may not be quite so "staged" after all. This one feels kind of obvious and derivative, and fails to do anything particularly notable or special with the concept.
Big-Top-Hell-Boy (John Cassaday)
Germany, 1994. Hellboy, Abe Sapien, and Liz Sherman are called in to deal with a ghost circus that's out to avenge itself on the small town where it was destroyed nearly a century before. The art is really striking, which almost makes up for the fact that there's not a lot to the story.
Theatre of the Dead (Jim Pascoe, Tom Fassbender, & Simeon Wilkins)
Hellboy and Abe Sapien deal with zombies, gangsters, and zombie gangsters. I hadn't mentioned it before, but this is one of several stories throughout this volume that demonstrate how good Mignola is. He makes it look easy, telling great stories with his unique blend of recognizable influences, but judging by how many of the other teams do in attempting to put their own spin on the character . . . it is not easy to get right.
Abe Sapien: Star of the B.P.R.D. (John Arcudi & Roger Langridge)
A MAD Magazine-style parody of Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. It's amusing, if you're into this sort of thing. Didn't do much for me, but I appreciated certain elements of it, and it's a fun twist on the core ideas of the series, from a different perspective.
Fifteen Minutes . . . (Jill Thompson)
A group of skeletons rise from the grave and shamble to a place where Hellboy is about to fight some monster. With that battle over, they prepare to move on to the location of Hellboy's next battle. I . . . didn't really follow the premise of this, at all. It makes no sense and isn't very funny.
Still Born (Matt Hollingsworth & Alex Maleev)
As Liz Sherman tries to argue the doctors of the maternity ward into letting them into the delivery room to assist with a very concerning birth, Hellboy seems to nod off and has a very disturbing vision. Again, I don't really get the premise of this one, and it was pretty off-putting and grotesque in a pointlessly ugly way, in addition to making no sense at all.
The Dread Within (Jason Pearson)
Liz Sherman investigates the haunting of a family and fights to save them, even as she is reminded of the family she has lost. This is a good story with good artwork, but it leans really hard on ripping off clearly recognizable elements from The Exorcist. I guess some might call it an "homage" but it didn't quite feel that way to me.
Cool Your Head (Scott Morse)
A very grumpy Hellboy tromps through Yosemite in search of a campsite, as he hopes for a chance to relax and work through some stuff. Calling this one a "story" is a bit generous. There's some cool art, but there isn't much to this.
Downtime (Bob Fingerman)
Another "funny" one, in which Hellboy feuds with technology at the office, including a copier and a vending machine. Again, not a lot of actual humor here, and the art is not my thing at all.
Friday (Doug Petrie & Gene Colan)
Alone at headquarters on a Friday night, Liz Sherman goes out on a call. This seems to be doing a noir private detective thing, with the art style and the narration. Too bad they didn't take a little time to make anything that happens make sense, but I guess you can't have everything.
Professional Help (Evan Dorkin)
Roger sees a therapist about something that happened on a recent assignment, but it turns out there's more to the situation than meets the eye. There's a lot that I don't love about the art style, but it's a solid story, and the art is mostly well-suited to it.
Party Pooper (Andi Watson)
Hellboy enjoys some well-earned downtime before a special event. A very simple style that suits this very simple story. It's . . . fine.
Curse of the Haunted Dolly (Mark Ricketts & Eric Wright)
Kate Corrigan gets a package in the mail that brings along some unwanted baggage. I really like the art in this, except for the design of the main antagonist. A fun Kate story, that delves a bit into her background (which we don't get a lot of in the main series).
Long Distance Caller (Kev Walker)
Late at night, a bored Johann Kraus sends his spirit out to wander the planet, but encounters more than he bargained for when he finds that a SETI station has attracted some unwanted attention from outer space. A well-drawn and well-told Johann story.
My Vacation in Hell (Craig Thompson)
Hellboy's vacation in hell is depicted through a series of vignettes. Done in a really fun style that evokes medieval art, there isn't a lot to this, but it's got several clever ideas.
Note: Only 2 of the 27 stories in this guest anthology collection are actually considered "canon" to the Hellboy universe, so I'll be focusing primarily on those 2 stories here.
Stories
How Koshchei Became Deathless (1st pub Jan-Feb 2009)
Timeline: Medieval Russia
Team: Koshchei, Dragon
Antagonist(s): Human soldiers, assassins, etc.
Summary: A monk relays the legend of how Koshchei, a Russian soldier of the Middle Ages, survived a series of betrayals and became immortal.
Baba Yaga's Feast (1st pub Mar 2009)
Timeline: Medieval Russia
Team: N/A
Antagonist(s): Baba Yaga
Summary: A monk tells the story of how a Russian peasant once outsmarted the Baba Yaga.
Review: "Baba Yaga's Feast" is brief, but effectively grotesque. However, "Koshchei" is the real star of this collection. This one-time antagonist of Hellboy gets a fantastic and memorable backstory that renders him as a more sympathetic character. You probably won't be missing much that's "essential" if you skip either of these stories, but "Koshchei" in particular is well-worth seeking out. Mignola is an absolute rock star at repurposing folklore in this way.
As for the other stories in the collection, they're a mixed bag, as you might expect. Some are serious and some are humorous, and in both cases, some are done well, and others not so well. Truthfully, I'd say there probably aren't enough good ones to make the whole thing worthwhile, as long as you can find the main stories elsewhere. Nevertheless, I'll give a very brief rundown of each below:
The Children of the Black Mound (Fabian Nicieza & Stefano Raffaele)
Russia, 1896/1788. A priest relates a story to a group of seminary students about how the Baba Yaga terrorized a nearby village a century before, stealing and murdering the village children. A tough read with an unexpected twist that is apparently meant as a commentary on the grand sweep of Russian history.
Lobster Johnson: Action Detective Adventure (John Cassaday)
New York, 1939. Lobster Johnson races to foil a plot by a group of Nazi agents who have made off with a powerful superweapon. This story is told as if it were a series of contemporary color comic strips appearing in the Sunday newspaper, one each week from July-September, 1939. It's a clever gimmick and a cool homage, and the story isn't half-bad, either.
Midnight Cowboy (Eric Powell)
New Mexico, 1947. Young Hellboy and his dog stumble onto something they're not supposed to see at the Air Force base where they live, with surprising consequences. Very slight, but a solid Hellboy story with great art.
Haunted (Tom Sniegoski & Ovi Nedelcu)
Hellboy investigates a haunted house. The whole story seems to exist for the sake of a single, not-very-funny gag, and even if it did land, there's no reason for it to go on this long to get there. The art style is distinctive, but not a good fit for the material.
A Love Story (Tommy Lee Edwards & Don Cameron)
China, 1964. Hellboy takes a flight in a plane with a haunted past. Tries to cram too much story into too little space, and the art makes it almost impossible to follow what's going on. You'll get the gist, but not much more. Not well conceived or executed.
Hot (Randy Stradley & Seung Kim)
Japan, 1967. Hellboy investigates something that has been preying on tourists at a local hot spring. A pretty standard Hellboy story with all of the classic elements, but rendered in an incredibly striking black-and-white style.
Flight Risk (Joe Casey & Steve Parkhouse)
Nevada. A brash desert test pilot has a terrifying encounter high above the ground. If Hellboy didn't appear in this story at all, it wouldn't change a single thing that happens. He's not the main character and he doesn't do anything. I'm not sure why, when presented with the opportunity to do a Hellboy story, someone would do this instead.
Family Story (Sara Ryan & Steve Lieber)
While looking to borrow a rare volume from a wealthy collector, Hellboy stumbles into a dangerous mystery. Overall, this is well-plotted with a couple of really good twists, but ultimately not really for me. Every character other than Hellboy is a little too hateable.
Shattered (Ron Marz & Jim Starlin)
Guatemala, 1979. Hellboy battles a monster to recover a Mayan artifact that could doom the world if it falls into the wrong hands. Fantastic Hellboy story, and really great art, to boot!
Love is Scarier than Death (J.H. Williams III & Haden Blackman)
Maryland, 1980ish. Hellboy assists in a stakeout with a beautiful FBI agent where they must pose as a couple "parking" in a remote spot in order to draw out a killer. The art isn't my favorite, but it's well-suited to the story, which is actually pretty fun. It's a good idea, well-executed.
Command Performance (Will Pfeifer & P. Craig Russell)
Paris, 1991. Hellboy investigates a rumor that the gory plays staged at the notorious Grand Guignol Theater may not be quite so "staged" after all. This one feels kind of obvious and derivative, and fails to do anything particularly notable or special with the concept.
Big-Top-Hell-Boy (John Cassaday)
Germany, 1994. Hellboy, Abe Sapien, and Liz Sherman are called in to deal with a ghost circus that's out to avenge itself on the small town where it was destroyed nearly a century before. The art is really striking, which almost makes up for the fact that there's not a lot to the story.
Theatre of the Dead (Jim Pascoe, Tom Fassbender, & Simeon Wilkins)
Hellboy and Abe Sapien deal with zombies, gangsters, and zombie gangsters. I hadn't mentioned it before, but this is one of several stories throughout this volume that demonstrate how good Mignola is. He makes it look easy, telling great stories with his unique blend of recognizable influences, but judging by how many of the other teams do in attempting to put their own spin on the character . . . it is not easy to get right.
Abe Sapien: Star of the B.P.R.D. (John Arcudi & Roger Langridge)
A MAD Magazine-style parody of Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. It's amusing, if you're into this sort of thing. Didn't do much for me, but I appreciated certain elements of it, and it's a fun twist on the core ideas of the series, from a different perspective.
Fifteen Minutes . . . (Jill Thompson)
A group of skeletons rise from the grave and shamble to a place where Hellboy is about to fight some monster. With that battle over, they prepare to move on to the location of Hellboy's next battle. I . . . didn't really follow the premise of this, at all. It makes no sense and isn't very funny.
Still Born (Matt Hollingsworth & Alex Maleev)
As Liz Sherman tries to argue the doctors of the maternity ward into letting them into the delivery room to assist with a very concerning birth, Hellboy seems to nod off and has a very disturbing vision. Again, I don't really get the premise of this one, and it was pretty off-putting and grotesque in a pointlessly ugly way, in addition to making no sense at all.
The Dread Within (Jason Pearson)
Liz Sherman investigates the haunting of a family and fights to save them, even as she is reminded of the family she has lost. This is a good story with good artwork, but it leans really hard on ripping off clearly recognizable elements from The Exorcist. I guess some might call it an "homage" but it didn't quite feel that way to me.
Cool Your Head (Scott Morse)
A very grumpy Hellboy tromps through Yosemite in search of a campsite, as he hopes for a chance to relax and work through some stuff. Calling this one a "story" is a bit generous. There's some cool art, but there isn't much to this.
Downtime (Bob Fingerman)
Another "funny" one, in which Hellboy feuds with technology at the office, including a copier and a vending machine. Again, not a lot of actual humor here, and the art is not my thing at all.
Friday (Doug Petrie & Gene Colan)
Alone at headquarters on a Friday night, Liz Sherman goes out on a call. This seems to be doing a noir private detective thing, with the art style and the narration. Too bad they didn't take a little time to make anything that happens make sense, but I guess you can't have everything.
Professional Help (Evan Dorkin)
Roger sees a therapist about something that happened on a recent assignment, but it turns out there's more to the situation than meets the eye. There's a lot that I don't love about the art style, but it's a solid story, and the art is mostly well-suited to it.
Party Pooper (Andi Watson)
Hellboy enjoys some well-earned downtime before a special event. A very simple style that suits this very simple story. It's . . . fine.
Curse of the Haunted Dolly (Mark Ricketts & Eric Wright)
Kate Corrigan gets a package in the mail that brings along some unwanted baggage. I really like the art in this, except for the design of the main antagonist. A fun Kate story, that delves a bit into her background (which we don't get a lot of in the main series).
Long Distance Caller (Kev Walker)
Late at night, a bored Johann Kraus sends his spirit out to wander the planet, but encounters more than he bargained for when he finds that a SETI station has attracted some unwanted attention from outer space. A well-drawn and well-told Johann story.
My Vacation in Hell (Craig Thompson)
Hellboy's vacation in hell is depicted through a series of vignettes. Done in a really fun style that evokes medieval art, there isn't a lot to this, but it's got several clever ideas.
July 23, 2024
"Hellboy: Weird Tales" to wyjątkowy zbiór opowieści osadzonych w uniwersum Hellboya, stworzony przez Mike'a Mignolę we współpracy z wieloma utalentowanymi artystami, w tym Johnem Cassadayem i J.H. Williamsem III. Komiks ten to gratka dla fanów, którzy pragną zobaczyć Hellboya w różnorodnych, często niekanonicznych sytuacjach.
Tom składa się z dwóch części i oferuje czytelnikom zestawienie opowieści odwołujących się do klasycznego pulp fiction. Znajdziemy tutaj historie o wielkich nietoperzach, demonicznych dzieciach, odrzutowych plecakach, nawiedzonych cyrkach i zardzewiałych statkach kosmicznych. Każda z tych opowieści prezentuje unikalne podejście do narracji i stylu artystycznego, co sprawia, że lektura jest niezwykle zróżnicowana i intrygująca.
Warto zwrócić uwagę, że z 27 zawartych tu historii, jedynie dwie są uznawane za kanoniczne w uniwersum Hellboya. Są to "How Koshchei Became Deathless" oraz "Baba Yaga's Feast". Pierwsza z nich przedstawia fascynującą i pełną zdrad historię Koshcheia (jednego z moich ulubionych bohaterów mignolaverse), który staje się nieśmiertelny. Druga opowieść to mroczna i groteskowa bajka o mężczyźnie, który przechytrza Babę Jagę. Obie historie ukazują talent Mignoli do reanimowania folkloru w nowy, świeży sposób.
Wśród pozostałych opowieści znajdziemy zarówno poważne, jak i humorystyczne historie, co stanowi o ich różnorodności. Przykładem może być "Lobster Johnson: Action Detective Adventure", stylizowana na gazetowe paski komiksowe z lat 30., czy "Midnight Cowboy", który opowiada o młodym Hellboyu i jego psie w bazie Sił Powietrznych. Inne godne uwagi historie to "Shattered", gdzie Hellboy walczy o odzyskanie majaskiego artefaktu, oraz "Love is Scarier than Death", pełna akcji i humoru opowieść z udziałem FBI.
Różnorodność stylów artystycznych jest zarówno zaletą, jak i wadą tego zbioru. Niektóre historie, takie jak "Hot" z imponującą grafiką Seung Kima, wyróżniają się szczególnie, podczas gdy inne mogą nie trafić w gusta przez swoją niespotykaną “dziwność”. Mimo to, każda opowieść oferuje coś interesującego i jest na swój sposób wartościowa.
"Hellboy: Weird Tales" to świetny wybór dla fanów Hellboya oraz dla tych, którzy chcą zobaczyć różnorodne interpretacje tej postaci. Choć nie jest to najspójniejsza kolekcja pod względem fabuły, bogactwo artystycznych wizji i różnorodność narracji czynią ją wartą uwagi. To doskonały przykład, jak uniwersum Hellboya może być eksplorowane przez różne style i perspektywy, oferując czytelnikom prawdziwą ucztę dla zmysłów.
Przyjemność 3,2/5
Styl: 3,1/5
Historia: 3,3/5
Ocena: 3,2/5
goodreads - 3/5
thestorygraph - 3,25/5
lubimyczytac - 6/10
Tom składa się z dwóch części i oferuje czytelnikom zestawienie opowieści odwołujących się do klasycznego pulp fiction. Znajdziemy tutaj historie o wielkich nietoperzach, demonicznych dzieciach, odrzutowych plecakach, nawiedzonych cyrkach i zardzewiałych statkach kosmicznych. Każda z tych opowieści prezentuje unikalne podejście do narracji i stylu artystycznego, co sprawia, że lektura jest niezwykle zróżnicowana i intrygująca.
Warto zwrócić uwagę, że z 27 zawartych tu historii, jedynie dwie są uznawane za kanoniczne w uniwersum Hellboya. Są to "How Koshchei Became Deathless" oraz "Baba Yaga's Feast". Pierwsza z nich przedstawia fascynującą i pełną zdrad historię Koshcheia (jednego z moich ulubionych bohaterów mignolaverse), który staje się nieśmiertelny. Druga opowieść to mroczna i groteskowa bajka o mężczyźnie, który przechytrza Babę Jagę. Obie historie ukazują talent Mignoli do reanimowania folkloru w nowy, świeży sposób.
Wśród pozostałych opowieści znajdziemy zarówno poważne, jak i humorystyczne historie, co stanowi o ich różnorodności. Przykładem może być "Lobster Johnson: Action Detective Adventure", stylizowana na gazetowe paski komiksowe z lat 30., czy "Midnight Cowboy", który opowiada o młodym Hellboyu i jego psie w bazie Sił Powietrznych. Inne godne uwagi historie to "Shattered", gdzie Hellboy walczy o odzyskanie majaskiego artefaktu, oraz "Love is Scarier than Death", pełna akcji i humoru opowieść z udziałem FBI.
Różnorodność stylów artystycznych jest zarówno zaletą, jak i wadą tego zbioru. Niektóre historie, takie jak "Hot" z imponującą grafiką Seung Kima, wyróżniają się szczególnie, podczas gdy inne mogą nie trafić w gusta przez swoją niespotykaną “dziwność”. Mimo to, każda opowieść oferuje coś interesującego i jest na swój sposób wartościowa.
"Hellboy: Weird Tales" to świetny wybór dla fanów Hellboya oraz dla tych, którzy chcą zobaczyć różnorodne interpretacje tej postaci. Choć nie jest to najspójniejsza kolekcja pod względem fabuły, bogactwo artystycznych wizji i różnorodność narracji czynią ją wartą uwagi. To doskonały przykład, jak uniwersum Hellboya może być eksplorowane przez różne style i perspektywy, oferując czytelnikom prawdziwą ucztę dla zmysłów.
Przyjemność 3,2/5
Styl: 3,1/5
Historia: 3,3/5
Ocena: 3,2/5
goodreads - 3/5
thestorygraph - 3,25/5
lubimyczytac - 6/10
May 11, 2025
A bunch of half-baked ideas that starts off strongly enough with a Koschei story, but quickly turns into a bunch of inconsequential, concepts of an idea that often feature jokiness instead of attempting to tell a story. I did like seeing all the different art styles and the occasional decent story, but that wasn't enough to save this collection from mediocrity.
February 22, 2023
Mostly slight stories, but the art is consistently of high quality, and some of the more experimental pieces are very impressive.
July 2, 2023
Some real hits in here, but a few misses too. I’d recommend this to people who want more Hellboy, but obviously it doesn’t stand alone without knowing these characters (that’s not a knock)
July 25, 2024
This one is hard to rate like so many other anthologies. Some entries are mediocre while others are truly fantastic.
September 9, 2024
Another one of those anthology books. The first two stories written by Mike Mignola were okay—I dug the art and weird dragon design—but couldn’t bring myself to read the rest of it.
July 14, 2025
A weird mix of non-canonical Hellboy stories, some dark, some funny, some both. Entertaining but not A-list Hellboy.
September 22, 2025
A wonderful collection of Hellboy stories that run the gauntlet from horror to comedy with an equally varied pallid of artwork.
November 29, 2025
A very solid and delightful collection of short tales. Naturally, some are stronger than others, but overall it was a very satisfying read. Good to have, after a string of misses this month.
August 6, 2024
Nice collection of one-offs but also shows why Mike Mignola really brings Hellboy a unique comic read.
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