Nongaming Review: Hellboy Seed of Destruction
A nongaming post, but one very much related to my creative inspiration for gaming and art. It might not be readily apparent but I like Mike Mignola’s work. A LOT. And then even more on top of that. The man is one of my all time favorites in the comics world. But Mike’s work can be something of an acquired taste for some people. I like comics. I like comics a lot. I like comics about as much as I like Mignola’s work…Now any way. When I was younger, I used to collect Alpha Flight. Mike did some covers (issues 33 and 34). 
For whatever reason, they just didn’t sit right with me back then (although looking at the covers now, I wonder what the hell was wrong with me. Especially Wolverine fighting the samurai). I was more of a John Byrne guy back then (which is funny since Mignola and Byrne collaborated on the first Hellboy story, which I’ll get to in a bit). At any rate, I’ve collected comics off and on my whole life. Actually at some points it seems to become a crazy addiction and I just have to stop. But at any rate, a few years back, after not having purchased any comics for a good long stretch (maybe five or six years or so) I saw a Hellboy collected edition in the book section of the PX. I was intrigued. For whatever reason, I picked it up (funny considering I hadn’t really cared much for Mike’s work when I was younger).
Ah, it is funny how tastes change as we age. Reading through Seed of Destruction, the collected edition, I was astounded. No, more than that, I had been rocked to the core of my being. Everything I ever wanted in comics or fantasy was right here. I mean it, EVERYTHING. World War II, the mad monk Grigori Rasputin, Evil Nazis, Lovecraftian monsters, and more. Oh yes, THIS IS THE STUFF. Not to mention that the hero is a demon summoned from hell who by a quirk of fate is delivered into the hands of a respectable doctor who raises him to be… human. Yeah, Hellboy, the big bad, monster and Nazi bashing brute is a very human character. And he’s funny. Alright, back to it. Seed of Destruction is the first Hellboy story arc and delves into Hellboy’s origin and really sets the stage for the entire Mignolaverse. In the first few pages, we get Hellboy’s origin during the last days of WWII, he is summoned by Rasputin as part of an cabal of occultist Nazis who want to use him to help turn the tide. However, as I mentioned, instead of falling into the hands of the Nazis, he falls into the hands of the Americans who the proceed to raise him as normally as a demon on an Army base can be. Hellboy grows up to become part of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense (B.P.R.D – part of the expanded Mignola universe). As the story progresses, Hellboy’s surrogate father Professor Trevor Bruttenholm is killed by frog monsters. Hellboy is then sent by the B.P.R.D. to Cavendish Hall at the bequest of Emma Cavendish to investigate some strange happenings. Ultimately, this proves to be a trap as it is Rasputin trying to regain access to Hellboy and turn in back into a tool of destruction. And we proceed from here into some very pulpy action and monster bashing set in a Victorian style surrounding and a battle with Rasputin. Very well done. Very, very well done. I found this to be the reading equivalent to eating a rich chocolate fudge cake – layered, rich, decadent, and covered in goodness that just doesn’t stop. I’ve gone back and read this so many times I’ve lost count. And now, I’m going to go back and read it again. And probably one more time for good measure.
So if your only exposure to Hellboy is from the movies (which were good – but allas, like most movies fail to capture the true greatness of their source), go out and pick up a copy of the collected edition of Seed of Destruction. You will not regret it. Or, maybe if you become an addict like me, you will. Either way, fans of dark/weird fantasy, Lovecraft, occult WWII, pulp action, etc will find much to love. I can’t rate this cause the stars aren’t right – five stars is not enough but will have to do.
For whatever reason, they just didn’t sit right with me back then (although looking at the covers now, I wonder what the hell was wrong with me. Especially Wolverine fighting the samurai). I was more of a John Byrne guy back then (which is funny since Mignola and Byrne collaborated on the first Hellboy story, which I’ll get to in a bit). At any rate, I’ve collected comics off and on my whole life. Actually at some points it seems to become a crazy addiction and I just have to stop. But at any rate, a few years back, after not having purchased any comics for a good long stretch (maybe five or six years or so) I saw a Hellboy collected edition in the book section of the PX. I was intrigued. For whatever reason, I picked it up (funny considering I hadn’t really cared much for Mike’s work when I was younger).
Ah, it is funny how tastes change as we age. Reading through Seed of Destruction, the collected edition, I was astounded. No, more than that, I had been rocked to the core of my being. Everything I ever wanted in comics or fantasy was right here. I mean it, EVERYTHING. World War II, the mad monk Grigori Rasputin, Evil Nazis, Lovecraftian monsters, and more. Oh yes, THIS IS THE STUFF. Not to mention that the hero is a demon summoned from hell who by a quirk of fate is delivered into the hands of a respectable doctor who raises him to be… human. Yeah, Hellboy, the big bad, monster and Nazi bashing brute is a very human character. And he’s funny. Alright, back to it. Seed of Destruction is the first Hellboy story arc and delves into Hellboy’s origin and really sets the stage for the entire Mignolaverse. In the first few pages, we get Hellboy’s origin during the last days of WWII, he is summoned by Rasputin as part of an cabal of occultist Nazis who want to use him to help turn the tide. However, as I mentioned, instead of falling into the hands of the Nazis, he falls into the hands of the Americans who the proceed to raise him as normally as a demon on an Army base can be. Hellboy grows up to become part of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense (B.P.R.D – part of the expanded Mignola universe). As the story progresses, Hellboy’s surrogate father Professor Trevor Bruttenholm is killed by frog monsters. Hellboy is then sent by the B.P.R.D. to Cavendish Hall at the bequest of Emma Cavendish to investigate some strange happenings. Ultimately, this proves to be a trap as it is Rasputin trying to regain access to Hellboy and turn in back into a tool of destruction. And we proceed from here into some very pulpy action and monster bashing set in a Victorian style surrounding and a battle with Rasputin. Very well done. Very, very well done. I found this to be the reading equivalent to eating a rich chocolate fudge cake – layered, rich, decadent, and covered in goodness that just doesn’t stop. I’ve gone back and read this so many times I’ve lost count. And now, I’m going to go back and read it again. And probably one more time for good measure.
So if your only exposure to Hellboy is from the movies (which were good – but allas, like most movies fail to capture the true greatness of their source), go out and pick up a copy of the collected edition of Seed of Destruction. You will not regret it. Or, maybe if you become an addict like me, you will. Either way, fans of dark/weird fantasy, Lovecraft, occult WWII, pulp action, etc will find much to love. I can’t rate this cause the stars aren’t right – five stars is not enough but will have to do.
I'm a big Hellboy fan, too--the overexposure has dimmed my enthusiasm over the years. And of course, Mignola doesn't draw it it too much these days.
ReplyDeleteI would like to see Mignola do more of the art, but I cerainly understand that after doing it for some time and now having to manage the whole extended universe, doing the art chores would be a bit tedious (sequential art is crazy demanding). I need to make it to a convention sometime and get a sketch done by him. I'm trying to convince my wife that we need some Mignola original art to grace our walls but she seems nonplused by the $1500+ price tag of most of his stuff.
ReplyDelete