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Hellboy
Hellboy, Vol. 7: The Troll Witch and Others
With a new Hellboy series on the stands, fans of the world's greatest paranormal detective can find older favorites collected for the first time in the seventh volume of the Hellboy Saga. Hellboy: The Troll Witch and Others, collects short stories from The Dark Horse Book of the Dead, Witchcraft, Hauntings, and Monsters, the 2004 Hellboy: Wizard 1/2, as well as the critically acclaimed 2006 miniseries, Hellboy: Makoma by Mignola and comics legend Richard Corben, and a previously unpublished Hellboy story by P. Craig Russell and Mike Mignola, along with sketches and story notes.
Collects The Penanggalan (from Hellboy Premiere Edition); The Hydra and The Lion (from The Dark Horse Book of Monsters); The Troll Witch (from The Dark Horse Book of Witchcraft); Dr. Carps Experiment (from The Dark Horse Book of Hauntings); The Ghoul (from The Dark Horse Book of The Dead); The Vampire of Prague; Makoma #1–2.
Collects The Penanggalan (from Hellboy Premiere Edition); The Hydra and The Lion (from The Dark Horse Book of Monsters); The Troll Witch (from The Dark Horse Book of Witchcraft); Dr. Carps Experiment (from The Dark Horse Book of Hauntings); The Ghoul (from The Dark Horse Book of The Dead); The Vampire of Prague; Makoma #1–2.
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
28 people are currently reading
1527 people want to read
About the author
Mike Mignola
1,865 books2,527 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 248 reviews
October 25, 2017
Honestly, I was so-so about the first stories in this volume. The tale of the trolls and the sisters was fairly decent but didn't grab me nearly as much as the tale of Makoma.
That one was all kinds of awesome.
Mignola is doing some rather fantastic things with his research and retellings of old legends and myths. It's subtle and not subtle at all. It's giving credit even in the pages even as it co-opts the legends and turns Hellboy into something rather larger than life.
It's not something I could even see during the read, even. It only hit me after the fact.
Rather than getting long story arcs like I'm used to and how I seem to prefer them, I'm getting some truly excellent episodics here that remind me wonderfully of Gaiman, but not. Mignola is truly doing his own thing and I appreciate it by leaps and bounds. :)
That one was all kinds of awesome.
Mignola is doing some rather fantastic things with his research and retellings of old legends and myths. It's subtle and not subtle at all. It's giving credit even in the pages even as it co-opts the legends and turns Hellboy into something rather larger than life.
It's not something I could even see during the read, even. It only hit me after the fact.
Rather than getting long story arcs like I'm used to and how I seem to prefer them, I'm getting some truly excellent episodics here that remind me wonderfully of Gaiman, but not. Mignola is truly doing his own thing and I appreciate it by leaps and bounds. :)
March 5, 2019
I love how Hellboy interacts with the folklore of different cultures. Stories pull from African, Norwegian and Indonesian cultures to name a few. The Troll Witch is an instant favorite while The Vampire in Prague comes into play in Hellboy in Hell. What's great is that if you aren't feeling it for a certain story give it a few pages and you'll have moved onto something else.
October 17, 2017
The Troll Witch and Others is probably my least favourite Hellboy short story collection, which isn't to say it's bad, it's just that most stories in it are merely OK. I really like the titular The Troll Witch, and The Vampire of Prague is a great classic Hellboy tale illustrated by the immensely talented P. Craig Russell. Makoma with Richard Corben's art is a neat one, as well. But the rest of them are pretty much filler episodes — enjoyable, but nothing special.
First read: October 27, 2015
Rating: ★★★★・
Second read: October 17, 2017
Rating: ★★★★・
First read: October 27, 2015
Rating: ★★★★・
Second read: October 17, 2017
Rating: ★★★★・
November 22, 2025
Another short story collection. There’s a loose theme here of Mignola working off of some kind of myth or folktale or what have you, and having Hellboy show up to punch whatever monster that myth is about. I call it a loose theme because there’s a couple stories where Mignola doesn’t bother with any of that at all, and just jumps straight to the punching.
The highlights for me are the titular Troll Witch, and Makoma. On the surface The Troll Witch is about Hellboy confronting a witch about her role in a series of murders, but really it’s about why Hellboy, a demonic monster, feels compelled to go out and hunt other monsters. It’s not particularly subtle, but since it features a character turning to the camera and going “say reader, do you see any parallels between the story I’m telling and the story of Hellboy himself? Well? Do you?!?!” I think you can make the case that subtlety wasn’t the goal here. Anyway the witch’s story is well told, the witch herself looks great, and Mignola has a ton of fun establishing mood and atmosphere in the witch’s cottage.
Makoma is the other standout here. This is another Hellboy In Africa story (sort of). It sees the art handled by Richard Corben with Mignola taking care of the story’s framing sequences. Corben’s contributions look great of course, but I think it’s worth mentioning the framing sequences as well. There’s a brief flashback to Hellboy as a kid in Africa, where Mignola lays out a three quarter splash page of the character in silhouette being visited by a gigantic rhino spirit thats just jaw dropping. I genuinely think it’s one of the best single images Mignola has ever done.
There are a couple of misfires here, unfortunately. As Mignola himself says in its intro, The Ghoul is kind of a whatever story that doesn’t seem to serve much purpose beyond letting Mike Mignola ask the question “what if there was a guy who knew a lot of poetry?” There just isn’t really anything to this one.
The other low point for me was The Vampire of Prague. P. Craig Russell handles the art on this one. I hate to say it because in general I think Russell is one of the best to ever do the job, but he’s not a great match for Hellboy and that disconnect hurts the story here. Russell’s style is just a little too bright, happy, clean and cartoony for a story about a vampire in a city that’s overrun with hundreds of ghosts.
Seven stories here total, five of which are very good. I call that a four star comic.
The highlights for me are the titular Troll Witch, and Makoma. On the surface The Troll Witch is about Hellboy confronting a witch about her role in a series of murders, but really it’s about why Hellboy, a demonic monster, feels compelled to go out and hunt other monsters. It’s not particularly subtle, but since it features a character turning to the camera and going “say reader, do you see any parallels between the story I’m telling and the story of Hellboy himself? Well? Do you?!?!” I think you can make the case that subtlety wasn’t the goal here. Anyway the witch’s story is well told, the witch herself looks great, and Mignola has a ton of fun establishing mood and atmosphere in the witch’s cottage.
Makoma is the other standout here. This is another Hellboy In Africa story (sort of). It sees the art handled by Richard Corben with Mignola taking care of the story’s framing sequences. Corben’s contributions look great of course, but I think it’s worth mentioning the framing sequences as well. There’s a brief flashback to Hellboy as a kid in Africa, where Mignola lays out a three quarter splash page of the character in silhouette being visited by a gigantic rhino spirit thats just jaw dropping. I genuinely think it’s one of the best single images Mignola has ever done.
There are a couple of misfires here, unfortunately. As Mignola himself says in its intro, The Ghoul is kind of a whatever story that doesn’t seem to serve much purpose beyond letting Mike Mignola ask the question “what if there was a guy who knew a lot of poetry?” There just isn’t really anything to this one.
The other low point for me was The Vampire of Prague. P. Craig Russell handles the art on this one. I hate to say it because in general I think Russell is one of the best to ever do the job, but he’s not a great match for Hellboy and that disconnect hurts the story here. Russell’s style is just a little too bright, happy, clean and cartoony for a story about a vampire in a city that’s overrun with hundreds of ghosts.
Seven stories here total, five of which are very good. I call that a four star comic.
December 3, 2020
The seventh volume of Hellboy series contains mostly filler stories, but The Troll Witch and Makoma stand out among all others.
There are some really odd stories as well, mostly experiments, but incidentally they also make Mike Mignola grow and mature as a storyteller.
There are some really odd stories as well, mostly experiments, but incidentally they also make Mike Mignola grow and mature as a storyteller.
January 6, 2015
I am reading my way through a bunch of classic modern books thanks to my library (transmetropolitan, preacher, the boys, scalped, fables, and of course, this one) and so I get sometimes inundated with too many good books at once. Or at least they should be good.
Hellboy is something all of itself...it really is like a modern day Grimm or Aesop fables, set up by Mike Mignola. Every time I think ok, I know what the series is, so there's no need to keep reading, the obsessive completist in me forces myself to read...yet, every time I am still transported to another place, mystical, gothic, macabre, and just plain weird.
Mignola does it so well it becomes easy to take for granted just how great this stuff is. I felt like skipping this volume, but just read it instead, and just wow. Even though you sorta know what to expect, it never bores or disappoints.
I suppose that puts him amongst the greats, like Brubaker, Aaron, Ellis, Snyder, and so forth.
I think it's high praise when even though you know what is. On the way, it still manages to surprise and delight...
If you haven't already....get into Hellboy now! (Anne and Kat especially, this means you girls)
Hellboy is something all of itself...it really is like a modern day Grimm or Aesop fables, set up by Mike Mignola. Every time I think ok, I know what the series is, so there's no need to keep reading, the obsessive completist in me forces myself to read...yet, every time I am still transported to another place, mystical, gothic, macabre, and just plain weird.
Mignola does it so well it becomes easy to take for granted just how great this stuff is. I felt like skipping this volume, but just read it instead, and just wow. Even though you sorta know what to expect, it never bores or disappoints.
I suppose that puts him amongst the greats, like Brubaker, Aaron, Ellis, Snyder, and so forth.
I think it's high praise when even though you know what is. On the way, it still manages to surprise and delight...
If you haven't already....get into Hellboy now! (Anne and Kat especially, this means you girls)
August 6, 2015
Re-read 8/5/15: This is one of the stronger collections, primarily because of the phenomenal miniseries "Makoma," which I adore--an African legend of a giant-killer adapted to star Hellboy and the Ogdru Jahad. It's beautifully illustrated by Richard Corben and masterfully told by Mike Mignola, and I need to buy this volume (I don't own all of the Hellboy books because I'm lazy and poor) so I can re-read it frequently. I didn't realize the first time through that it's based on a story out of Andrew Lang's Color fairy tale collections, which means I must now fire up the library database and see if I can find it. Hooray for being slightly obsessive in cataloguing every fairy tale I own.
Originally read, but not reviewed, 12/30/2008.
Originally read, but not reviewed, 12/30/2008.
November 3, 2017
The artwork was good, and I liked the way the other artists interpreted Mignola’s stories, and Hellboy’s features.
Most of the stories were ok, rather than really good, though I did like seeing more of Hellboy’s solo missions for the B.P.R.D. over the years.
Most of the stories were ok, rather than really good, though I did like seeing more of Hellboy’s solo missions for the B.P.R.D. over the years.
July 26, 2025
The troll witch and Makoma are two amazing stories, I highly recommend them to any Hellboy fan. The Troll Witch is a classic take on European folklore and feels like the distillation of what Hellboy is all about. Really good!
Makoma is a bit different, one of the few stories of Hellboy in Africa. Features one of my all time favorite comic panels - the spirit of Africa, a giant rhino in the clouds, calling to Anung Un Rama. It is just so perfect. Then Hellboy goes on a stroll fighting giants- really interesting story with some great art!
The other stories here are all ok to a little disappointing, short enough where it doesn’t really matter. I’m happy nearly all the Hellboy stories are compiled but there are certainly some that aren’t going to stick with you.
Makoma is a bit different, one of the few stories of Hellboy in Africa. Features one of my all time favorite comic panels - the spirit of Africa, a giant rhino in the clouds, calling to Anung Un Rama. It is just so perfect. Then Hellboy goes on a stroll fighting giants- really interesting story with some great art!
The other stories here are all ok to a little disappointing, short enough where it doesn’t really matter. I’m happy nearly all the Hellboy stories are compiled but there are certainly some that aren’t going to stick with you.
May 18, 2019
Взагалі забув відмітити, як вже дочитану, та разом із тим: це все ще збірка "монстрів тижня", яка дуже приємна після усіх томів БПРО. Звісно, тут накидать подальший глобальний сюжет і очевидно, що я ще не знаю, до чого ці нариси.
Читається бадьоро, переходжу далі. Бо ж із усього "Міньйолавьорсу" осилив заледве третину.
Читається бадьоро, переходжу далі. Бо ж із усього "Міньйолавьорсу" осилив заледве третину.
January 3, 2021
Niektoré poviedky boli priemerné a iné zasa vysoko nadpriemerné . Úvodné prvé 2 poviedky a posledná poviedka sú asi to najlepšie, čo som od Hellboya čítal.
July 29, 2009
This volume is again based on several myths and folktales. The first story has Hellboy confronting a Penanggalan, a Malaysian folklore version of the vampire. The Hydra and the Lion was created with his daughter whose favorite creature at the time from Disney’s Hercules was the serpent water beast, Hydra. An interesting modern day twist on the legend of Hercules that even leaves Hellboy scratching his head. The Troll Witch is based off a Norwegian folktale about two sisters but with a slightly different ending than the original tale.
The Vampire of Prague was based on a puppet Mike Mignola and Guillermo de Toro fell in love with when scouting out locations for Blade II. Attached to the puppet was a booklet telling about the legend of the gambler ghost of Prague. Mike Mignola said for the most part he stayed faithful to the gambler legend but took the liberty of also turning him into a vampire since supposedly there are few vampires that haunt Prague. Interestingly, P. Craig Russell illustrated this story.
The last story Makoma, that he stumbled upon in an Andrew Lang Fairy Book, is a tale told by a mummy in the New Your City Explorer’s Club. Mike Mignola also does not illustrate this one but instead by Richard Corben.
Also included in this addition are the stories, Dr. Carp’s Experiment and The Ghoul. Then in the back is a small preview of all three artists’ sketchbooks, Mike Mignola, P. Craig Russell and Richard Corben.
The Vampire of Prague was based on a puppet Mike Mignola and Guillermo de Toro fell in love with when scouting out locations for Blade II. Attached to the puppet was a booklet telling about the legend of the gambler ghost of Prague. Mike Mignola said for the most part he stayed faithful to the gambler legend but took the liberty of also turning him into a vampire since supposedly there are few vampires that haunt Prague. Interestingly, P. Craig Russell illustrated this story.
The last story Makoma, that he stumbled upon in an Andrew Lang Fairy Book, is a tale told by a mummy in the New Your City Explorer’s Club. Mike Mignola also does not illustrate this one but instead by Richard Corben.
Also included in this addition are the stories, Dr. Carp’s Experiment and The Ghoul. Then in the back is a small preview of all three artists’ sketchbooks, Mike Mignola, P. Craig Russell and Richard Corben.
October 1, 2012
Dark and dreamy imagery. Mignola shows a love and appreciation for myth and folklore that I find endearing as a fellow aficionado. With the inking and drawings, much is left up to the interpretation of the readers, and the writing itself is cerebral enough to appeal to a reader who likes to ponder what the point of a story is, and not feel spoon-fed. Whenever I read some of Mignola's work, it makes me want to go out and find more of it. That's a good thing, I think.
November 3, 2020
In this volume, we're treated to several stories from back in Hellboy's days at the BPRD. Most of these are Mignola's attempt to adapt a fable or myth into the Hellboy universe. The results vary.
"The Penanggalan" starts off this volume with Hellboy in Malaysia in 1958. It's a typical short Hellboy tale, but Mignola spoils it by giving away the ending before the confrontation with the monster begins.
"The Hydra and the Lion" is better. Mignola grabs a hold of the Greek legend of Hercules and places it in Alaska in 1961. This one plays out until the end.
"The Troll Witch" is an adaptation of a Norwegian folk tale. Hellboy is investigating a series of murders in Norway in 1963 and has come to confront an old woman about them. There's an emotional resonance that lifts up this story that one doesn't usually see in a Hellboy story. One of the best Hellboy short stories that I've read so far.
"The Vampire of Prague" is an adaptation of several local legends. Mignola wasn't able to do the artwork for this one. Not only didn't I like the story, but I didn't think the artist's style meshed with Hellboy. He made him seem too cartoonish.
In "Dr. Carp's Experiment," a BPRD team investigate a haunted house. After a bit of background in the intro, the artwork carries the rest of the story. Mignola makes full use of his color palette here and does a great job.
I'm not sure what to make of "The Ghoul." If I say anything about it, I'll give it away. I can tell you that the titular character speaks in verse. Not too sure this one works.
The collection ends with "Makoma," an adaptation of "The Story of the Hero Makoma," an African folktale perfectly suited to Hellboy. The story begins with Hellboy paying a visit to the New York City Explorers' Club whereupon he encounters a mummy who tells him the story of Makoma. At this point, Mignola hands over the artwork to Richard Corben who does a fantastic job adapting Hellboy into the Makoma saga. Not only does the penciling work, but the traditional Hellboy color palette brings Africa to life, unlike "The Third Wish" from the previous volume. A great story to end the collection.
3.5 stars rounded up to four on the strength of "The Troll Witch" and "Makoma."
"The Penanggalan" starts off this volume with Hellboy in Malaysia in 1958. It's a typical short Hellboy tale, but Mignola spoils it by giving away the ending before the confrontation with the monster begins.
"The Hydra and the Lion" is better. Mignola grabs a hold of the Greek legend of Hercules and places it in Alaska in 1961. This one plays out until the end.
"The Troll Witch" is an adaptation of a Norwegian folk tale. Hellboy is investigating a series of murders in Norway in 1963 and has come to confront an old woman about them. There's an emotional resonance that lifts up this story that one doesn't usually see in a Hellboy story. One of the best Hellboy short stories that I've read so far.
"The Vampire of Prague" is an adaptation of several local legends. Mignola wasn't able to do the artwork for this one. Not only didn't I like the story, but I didn't think the artist's style meshed with Hellboy. He made him seem too cartoonish.
In "Dr. Carp's Experiment," a BPRD team investigate a haunted house. After a bit of background in the intro, the artwork carries the rest of the story. Mignola makes full use of his color palette here and does a great job.
I'm not sure what to make of "The Ghoul." If I say anything about it, I'll give it away. I can tell you that the titular character speaks in verse. Not too sure this one works.
The collection ends with "Makoma," an adaptation of "The Story of the Hero Makoma," an African folktale perfectly suited to Hellboy. The story begins with Hellboy paying a visit to the New York City Explorers' Club whereupon he encounters a mummy who tells him the story of Makoma. At this point, Mignola hands over the artwork to Richard Corben who does a fantastic job adapting Hellboy into the Makoma saga. Not only does the penciling work, but the traditional Hellboy color palette brings Africa to life, unlike "The Third Wish" from the previous volume. A great story to end the collection.
3.5 stars rounded up to four on the strength of "The Troll Witch" and "Makoma."
January 28, 2025
Probably the most fun collection of Hellboy stories yet. Troll Witch and Makoma are my favorites from this batch, I'd not read any of these before but those were fantastic. Least favorite was the Ghoul, the one about Hercules was curious and fun and a good kind of sentimental, for both story and Mignola purposes. Good stuff.
April 18, 2021
Fajn zbierka poviedok, avšak k Hellboyovi a atmosfére celého “hellboyverza” pre mňa neodmysliteľne patrí kresba Mikea Mignolu. Preto na mňa Pražský upír a Makoma veľmi nezafungovali.
April 24, 2016
This seventh volume of Mignola's wonderful comic Hellboy collects seven tales about the red, hellspawned protagonist set in various time periods of his existence. The stories are "The Penanggalan", "The Hydra and the Lion", the title story "The Troll Witch", "The Vampire of Prague" (illustrated by P. Craig Russell), "Dr. Carp's Experiment" (a little gem concerning mysterious time travelling and a haunted house), "The Ghoul" and finally the longer story "Makoma or, A Tale Told by a Mummy in the New York City Explorers' Club on August 16, 1993", which has a frame narrative illustrated by Mignola but where Richard Corben illustrates the main story.
I'm always slightly wary when it comes to others illustrating Mignola's stuff (even more so when it comes to writing it, though that is of course not the case here) – this is partly the reason that I have not yet sampled any of the B.P.R.D. comics (which I probably should according to many accounts) – primarily because Mignola's style is so particular, but the two stories in this volume where he has relinquished the art duties to others truly work.
Sure, I would not go as far as to say that "The Vampire of Prague" is either the best P. Craig Russell piece or Hellboy story I have read (partly because it is a little bit fluffy for its length), but it is nevertheless a good yarn.
And Corben's contribution is absolutely fantastic. I think the greater success of this story comes down to two things; the first being that it is quite simply a better story (and definitely not as fluffed up) and secondly, Corben's visual style is actually a much better match to Mignola's dark vision of the Hellboy universe.
The only other thing I have seen of Corben's art was a collection or two of Hellblazer, but there he never truly impressed me as much. Partly because the style there felt a bit too cartoony and stylised for its subject. Here, however, that same style brings a haunting and vivid quality to the narrative and I must admit that I am curious to read more stuff he has been involved with after this.
A good collection of Hellboy stories on the whole. If you are a new reader, you may want to pick up one of the earlier volumes first, but it is by no means necessary to understand the stories in this one.
I'm always slightly wary when it comes to others illustrating Mignola's stuff (even more so when it comes to writing it, though that is of course not the case here) – this is partly the reason that I have not yet sampled any of the B.P.R.D. comics (which I probably should according to many accounts) – primarily because Mignola's style is so particular, but the two stories in this volume where he has relinquished the art duties to others truly work.
Sure, I would not go as far as to say that "The Vampire of Prague" is either the best P. Craig Russell piece or Hellboy story I have read (partly because it is a little bit fluffy for its length), but it is nevertheless a good yarn.
And Corben's contribution is absolutely fantastic. I think the greater success of this story comes down to two things; the first being that it is quite simply a better story (and definitely not as fluffed up) and secondly, Corben's visual style is actually a much better match to Mignola's dark vision of the Hellboy universe.
The only other thing I have seen of Corben's art was a collection or two of Hellblazer, but there he never truly impressed me as much. Partly because the style there felt a bit too cartoony and stylised for its subject. Here, however, that same style brings a haunting and vivid quality to the narrative and I must admit that I am curious to read more stuff he has been involved with after this.
A good collection of Hellboy stories on the whole. If you are a new reader, you may want to pick up one of the earlier volumes first, but it is by no means necessary to understand the stories in this one.
September 28, 2008
A collection of short stories from various sources, such as the Dark Horse Book of Hauntings and its siblings. All the stories are written by Mike Mignola, and he draws most of them, but P. Craig Russell and Richard Corben provide the artwork for "The Vampire of Prague" and "Makoma" respectively.
The storytelling is more minimal than in the first Hellboy collection, Seed of Destruction, (which I started reading a day or two before writing this review) which makes it all the more evocative, and makes Hellboy's mood-puncturing dialogue all the funnier. However, I did have to be careful not to flip through the book without paying attention to the details of the art. A lot of people say they read comics twice - once to find out what happens and a second time to enjoy how it's told - but when reading a library book you have to make the effort to do both things first time around.
All the stories are worth reading, but "Makoma", in which Hellboy finds himself living through an African legend, was quite superb.
The storytelling is more minimal than in the first Hellboy collection, Seed of Destruction, (which I started reading a day or two before writing this review) which makes it all the more evocative, and makes Hellboy's mood-puncturing dialogue all the funnier. However, I did have to be careful not to flip through the book without paying attention to the details of the art. A lot of people say they read comics twice - once to find out what happens and a second time to enjoy how it's told - but when reading a library book you have to make the effort to do both things first time around.
All the stories are worth reading, but "Makoma", in which Hellboy finds himself living through an African legend, was quite superb.
January 2, 2024
(Zero spoiler review) 3.75/5
The first Hellboy collection that I would describe as something of a letdown, at least in comparison to everything that came before it. This also marks the point in the original Hellboy series where Mignola starts to share art duties with a number of other creators. Said artists are all top notch, so it's no significant drawback by any means. But Hellboy always was and always is Mignola's art.
The Crooked Man story started out great and had some nice Richard Corben art to go with it. Sadly, the latter half didn't match the former, and it all petered out to a whole lot of not much. A few of the short stories were fine, though a few were pretty forgettable, and its here that truly keeps this book from reaching the levels of the collections before it. A forgettable Hellboy story. Never thought (or hoped) I'd see the day. 3.75/5
OmniBen.
The first Hellboy collection that I would describe as something of a letdown, at least in comparison to everything that came before it. This also marks the point in the original Hellboy series where Mignola starts to share art duties with a number of other creators. Said artists are all top notch, so it's no significant drawback by any means. But Hellboy always was and always is Mignola's art.
The Crooked Man story started out great and had some nice Richard Corben art to go with it. Sadly, the latter half didn't match the former, and it all petered out to a whole lot of not much. A few of the short stories were fine, though a few were pretty forgettable, and its here that truly keeps this book from reaching the levels of the collections before it. A forgettable Hellboy story. Never thought (or hoped) I'd see the day. 3.75/5
OmniBen.
June 9, 2010
The long stories like "Makoma" and "The Vampire of Prague" aren't my favorites, but several of the other stories are ones I would cite as the best of the Hellboy short stories, especially "The Troll Witch," which may be my favorite Hellboy short.
March 9, 2019
Můj první Hellboy komiks.
M. Mignola už znám díky skvělé sérii Baltimore, ani v případě tohoto pekelného týpka jsem neměla pochyby o tom, že M. to prostě umí.
Pražský úpír je tedy pouze jeden příběh ze sbírky mnoha dalších. Další, např. Penanggalan, Hydra a lev, Trollí čarodějka, Ghúl...Makoma -> tenhle se mi líbil ze všech nejvíce.
Líbí se mi jak M. před či po příběhu píše dodatek či spojitost se vznikem postav, děje...
V tomto komiksu je třeba zajímavě vykreslen Karlův most.
M. Mignola už znám díky skvělé sérii Baltimore, ani v případě tohoto pekelného týpka jsem neměla pochyby o tom, že M. to prostě umí.
Pražský úpír je tedy pouze jeden příběh ze sbírky mnoha dalších. Další, např. Penanggalan, Hydra a lev, Trollí čarodějka, Ghúl...Makoma -> tenhle se mi líbil ze všech nejvíce.
Líbí se mi jak M. před či po příběhu píše dodatek či spojitost se vznikem postav, děje...
V tomto komiksu je třeba zajímavě vykreslen Karlův most.
April 21, 2019
Tak Makoma je jedno z toho nejlepšího, co jsem zatím z Hellboye četl. Strašně se mi Mignolovi líbí, že většinou nemá tendence ty legendy a mýty komplikovat a okecávat ale drží se původní formy. Vzít to šmahem a říkat jenom to, co má smysl. Příjemný.
July 21, 2020
Hellboy tromping through a variety of different myths and legends.
January 26, 2021
A return to form, and also a great collection of stories which play with the expectation of what a Hellboy story is.
March 10, 2021
Kniha poviedok, ktoré ma nijak zvlášť nebavili a potom BUM, Makoma, jeden z mojich naj príbehov s Hellboyom.
dnf
June 5, 2023DNF.
Too boring for my partner and I- had a difficult time connecting with the stories and juvenile dialogue.
Too boring for my partner and I- had a difficult time connecting with the stories and juvenile dialogue.
December 31, 2024
Still has that whimsy and charm with some really dramatic moments that carry some heavy emotional weight with some real surprising gravitas. There’s definitely an overwhelming sense of dread that something big is coming…
November 26, 2025
a genuine piece of art
I liked Makoma, the troll witch, the hydra and the lion very much, everything about them
I liked the drawing and coloring style of the vampire of Prague
I liked Makoma, the troll witch, the hydra and the lion very much, everything about them
I liked the drawing and coloring style of the vampire of Prague
Displaying 1 - 30 of 248 reviews