HELLBOY: HOUSE OF THE LIVING DEAD - A HARDCOVER GRAPHIC NOVEL

In May of 2010, Mike Mignola and Richard Corben were the writer and artist on a one-shot 32-pager Hellboy in Mexico, which I reviewed in my Hellboy in Mexico post.

Hellboy: House of the Living Dead, is a direct sequel to that one-shot, in a hardcover graphic novel format that clocks in at a whopping 56 pages! Mignola admits in his forward to the graphic novel that it was written as a love letter to the Universal horror movies of the 40’s: House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula. The story begins with Hellboy drinking in a bar, devastated over the loss of his luchador comrade to vampires. Hellboy is soon coerced into participating in an ultimate wrestling match with a massive Frankenstein-like monster! That is only the beginning of this madcap story of Hellboy’s fight and eventual confrontation with vampires, a mummy and a werewolf! Mignola’s writing is terse and intense as always and Corben’s artwork is perfectly suited to the wild visual needs of the many fantastic creatures and settings of this graphic novel. If I have any complaints with this graphic novel is the steep price of $14.99. Even at 56 pages, it is still a fairly quick read – even for someone like me, who likes to linger over fantastic art. I did not purchase this at my comic shop (where I buy all my Hellboy comics), because of the price; but instead asked for it as a Christmas present. It was a wonderful gift and I have no doubts that I’ll be reading this again – along with its prequel – in the near future!

ComicBookResources.com did an interview with Mignola about Hellboy: House of the Living Dead several months before its publication. Here are a few brief exerts:

CBR: What made you want to return to this time in HB's life?

MIGNOLA: It was so much fun doing the first one! When I did the first one-issue comic, at the end Hellboy mentions that he doesn't remember what happened the rest of the time he was in Mexico. That was really going to be it, but then I just thought, the beauty of a chunk of time that he doesn't remember -- either he doesn't remember or he says he doesn't remember because he doesn't want to tell anybody what happened -- that's a great period to tell stories, because you can do the craziest stuff and maybe it really didn't happen, maybe he was so drunk he thought this is what happened. It kind of took on a life of its own.

This story, I made up because I saw how much fun Richard had doing the "Hellboy in Mexico" stuff and I wanted to do a Hellboy in Mexico story, so I made up this story for me -- and then realized it would be so much better drawn by Richard. So I turned it over to him. I've actually plotted a couple more stories that take place in this chunk of time. So it's really that whole lost weekend. Five months in Mexico is going to be a significant chunk of Hellboy stories.

 CBR: So this is the first (or rather, second) of many?

MIGNOLA: I wouldn't say "many," but right now there's a short story I'm going to be doing for "Dark Horse Presents" that takes place in Mexico and then Richard's graphic novel. Then there's talk of at least one, if not two more after that.

CBR: Aside from Hellboy being upset about what's happened to his luchador friend, what's going on in "House of the Living Dead?"

MIGNOLA: As the story starts, he has become a wrestler. There's a beautiful opening sequence of Hellboy in the ring, tossing other Mexican wrestlers around. And then he's hired to fight somebody's champion. And it's the "go out to the crazy guy's old house" [story] and then it's like "House of Dracula" or "House of Frankenstein." For whatever reason, there are a lot of monsters in this one place. It's a parade of crazy stuff. In some places, it's really funny; in other places, it's really disturbing. In a lot of places, it's really spooky, so it does what Richard and I do really well together, which is, stuff where you go "I can't tell if this is supposed to be funny or not." Richard, more than I guess anybody I've ever worked with, you never really know which way he's going to spin stuff. Something I might write as so absurdly ridiculous funny might come across very straight the way he does it, and some stuff I had intended as very sober and sad and serious will end up kind of funny. So you have to write a certain way for Richard, where it's fine if he's plays stuff either way. In some places I'll tell him, "this needs to be really sad," "this needs to be really quiet," but a lot of it, he's so good at what he does and it's so amazing working with him, you don't always know what you're going to get. I like to give him as much room to do what he does as possible.

 I recommend reading the entire interview with Mignola at: ComicBookResources.com

Then go out and beg, borrow or steal – okay, go out and buy a copy and read Hellboy: House of the Living Dead!

BALTIMORE, OR THE STEADFAST TIN SOLDIER AND THE VAMPIRE

BALTIMORE,

OR THE STEADFAST TIN SOLDIER AND THE VAMPIRE

MIKE MIGNOLA AND CHRISTOPHER GOLDEN

CREATED A GOTHIC HORROR CLASSIC!

Despite being a huge Hellboy fan, I admit I passed on buying or reading Baltimore when it was first published in 2007. However, after buying the new comic sequel to the novel, I had to give it a go. Fortunately, the local library had a copy and I was able to read it before the comics. I was glad I gave Baltimore a try. This Gothic horror vampire novel is not a complete departure from Mignola’s Hellboy stories. However, the 19th Century story telling technique of relating each story from the point-of-view of a different character telling the tale to each other, is at first distracting; but eventually it won me over as it created the atmosphere of the time in which Baltimore was meant to take place. If I have any complaint about this novel is because of the format. It reads more like a series of short stories. Also, the middle section of the book spends a little too much time telling the stories of each of the supporting characters. However, the final part on the book that features Lord Baltimore confronting the evil that transformed his life was truly mesmerizing. Baltimore is also filled with wonderful black and white illustrations by Mike Mignola that help to set the tone of the prose as well.

The current five issue series, Baltimore, the Plague of ships is a direct sequel to the novel. It is co-written by Mignola and Golden and features moody artwork by Ben Stenbeck that captures the feel of early 20th Century illustrations. I recommend both the novel and the comics for fans of turn of the century literature and horror. Hmmm... I think even that old zombie windbag Zombzany would like Baltimore. I think I'll get Bill E. Bones to leave a copy of the comic in his crypt.

HELLBOY IN MEXICO!

Hola, mis amigos! It’s been a long time since I’ve updated you cool ghouls on the wicked pissa shiznit that I’ve been down with lately, but you’ll have to trust this freak when he tells you I have been keeping busy! I’ve read mucho comic books over the years, but one of my hands-down favorites has been Mike Mignola’s Hellboy comics. I have been a fan of big red since his first mini-series Seed of Destruction was first published in 1994! Most horror fans probably are only familiar with Hellboy, and its spin-off comic series B.P.R.D., from the Guillerom del Toro directed films. So you noobs will have to take my word for it that the Mignola written comic books are way bitchin’ better!

A malos buena introduction to Hellboy just came to a comic book store near you! It’s Hellboy in Mexico - a one-shot comic written by Mike Mignola and drawn by Richard Corben! It tells the story of Hellboy’s “lost weekend” in Mexico back in 1956, when he was still a young demon in the employ of The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. He is sent there to investigate stink holes from Hell that are spewing up monsters that wipe out whole towns in Mexico. Soon, he runs into three brothers who are masked wrestlers, or luchadores, who were sent by the virgin Mary to fight monsters! For a month, Hellboy joins los tres luchadores: kills monsters by day and parties hardy by night. Tragedy strikes one of the masked brothers one night and it is up to Hellboy to put things right. I am only a casual fan of Mexico’s masked wrestlers, but I have watched several El Santo films (El Santo is considered the most famous and iconic of all Mexican luchadores – the Hulk Hogan of Mexican wrestling isn’t even a fair comparison). I was jazzed when I first read that Dark Horse comics was finally going to publish a story about this undocumented adventure of Hellboy! Although only 26 pages long, Hellboy in Mexico packs a lot of action, humor, horror and pathos into this story! Please do yourself a favor horror fans and buy this comic!

Here is an excerpt of an interview with Hellboy creator Mike Mignola on writing Hellboy in Mexico:

EDITOR: So what brings Hellboy south of the border?


MIGNOLA: Something really bad was going on down in Mexico, so the B.P.R.D. sent Hellboy. The story takes place back in 1957, and back then HB just went where the Bureau sent him, that was his job.


EDITOR: Mexico has such rich folklore, especially in regard to the supernatural. How much research did you do for Hellboy in Mexico?


MIGNOLA: Almost none. This isn't one of those stories that's heavily folklore based. I did find out that down in Mexico vampires sometimes take the form of turkeys. It was a challenge working that in.


EDITOR: Hellboy in Mexico reunites you with artist Richard Corben, whom you've worked with on previous Hellboy series. Are you excited to be working with Richard again? What is it about Richard's distinct style that seems such a logical fit for Hellboy?


MIGNOLA: Hard to say. Stylistically he's not much like me, but he's just great. He can draw anything and is especially great (I think) at stuff that is crumbling at the edges, stuff that's dented, banged up, dirty, and overgrown. That was a feel that was very important to have here as it was in The Crooked Man.


EDITOR: Hellboy has been to a lot of different places in his travels. Russia, England, even the backwoods of the American south. Where else in the world would you like Hellboy to visit? Australia? Cleveland?


MIGNOLA: In my mind Hellboy has been every place at least once, it's just a matter of doing my homework about some of those more exotic locales (like Cleveland). Just about every place has some legend about a monster that needs fighting.


EDITOR: You've got several ongoing titles with Dark Horse (Ape Sapien, B.P.R.D., Witchfinder), but you'll always be best known for Hellboy. Is writing for Hellboy a more personal process for you than when you're working on other titles?


MIGNOLA: Hellboy is the most personal. He was the first, and I know his story better than I know all the others. Most of the other titles I just cowrite, which usually means just a few notes or phone calls from me. John Arcudi is doing all the serious heavy lifting on B.P.R.D. That book is great because of John and Guy Davis.


EDITOR: You've mentioned in prior interviews that you got into comics because you love drawing monsters. Do you write based on which monsters would be interesting to see in your books?

MIGNOLA: A few of the stories I drew myself were simply excuses to draw a particular monster. When I'm writing a story but not drawing it, I need a bit more of a story. And the beauty of that is that I can ask the artist to draw things I can't (or just don't want) to draw. That's the good thing about working with guys like Corben and Fegredo. They can draw anything

FREAK'S RETRO REVIEW - HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY

HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY
2008 – Horror-Fantasy
Director: Guillermo del Torro
Starring: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, John Hurt
Rated PG-13: some violence and language

This film follows the events of Hellboy (2004) just a few months later. The film opens with an animated sequence that tells the story of an ancient truce between Mankind and the elder races that is about to be broken. Prince Nuada is collecting the three pieces of the crown that controls the Golden Army – ancient robotic solders that are virtually indestructible. The holder of the last piece is his twin sister, Princess Nuada, but before Prince Nuada can take it from her, she finds the protection of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. While this is going on, Hellboy is now sharing his quarters with Liz Sherman, but there is much turmoil between them. Hellboy vents his frustration through his work, which this time is stopping a giant plantlike creature from destroying much of downtown Manhattan. After his victory, Hellboy poses for photos and press interviews, much to the chagrin of his boss, Tom Manning, who, after the death of Hellboy’s father figure Professor Bruttenholm, has the difficult task of both heading the B.P.R.D and hiding the secret of Hellboy’s existence from the world. Meanwhile, while being hidden in the underground labyrinth of B.P.R.D. headquarters, Abe Sapien, the increasingly lonely aquatic empath, forms a friendship with the princess, which he is reluctant to share with anyone. Due to Hellboy’s continued disregard for authority, the U.S. Government sends a new agent to lead Hellboy and his agents. Johan Krauss is an ectoplasmic man, who wears a suit to contain his essence. He tries to bring structure to the search for the hidden Golden Army – which includes a trip to the Troll Market that is concealed beneath New York City – but eventually succumbs to Hellboy’s brutish, but effective style of investigation. Hellboy and his eclectic comrades soon catch up to Prince Nuada and a battle for the fate of all mankind commences!

Like the first film, 2004’s Hellboy, this second version of Mike Mignola’s comic book creation, as envisioned by director Guillermo del Torro, takes many liberties with the original characters. In the first film, these liberties were mainly used to establish the Hellboy mythology (Agent Moss as Hellboy’s “new” babysitter) and as a shortcut to humanizing Hellboy (the romantic relationship between Liz Sherman and Hellboy). In this new film, Del Torro seems to be more interested in the relationships (especially romantically) than in driving the somewhat complex plot along. The need to locate the Golden Army and keep the villain from securing the final piece of the crown, seems almost secondary to Hellboy’s need for social acceptance amongst humanity and his continual struggle to understand the problematical emotions of his girlfriend Liz. The need for a balance between character and plot is never more obvious than when Hellboy and Liz are fighting in one scene and then immediately fighting side-by-side in the streets of New York. For this freaky fantasy film fan, Hellboy: The Golden Army almost “jumps the shark” in the scene where Hellboy and Abe Sapien get drunk (Abe has fallen in love with the elf princess) and sing along to Barry Manilow’s “I Can’t Smile Without You”. Anyone who reads the Hellboy comics (like me) head was exploding during this scene! The film has so many new and interesting characters, that the defense of humanity against the onset of the Golden Army almost seems to get lost in the appearance of these mainly monstrous curiosities. When Hellboy is actually fighting these creatures, the film roars along at a break-neck pace! There are enough of these physical confrontations to keep the film from becoming too bogged down, but I wish that more time was spent on the battle between Hellboy and Prince Nuada, and a little less on the battle of the sexes. The visual aspect of Hellboy II: The Golden Army is so fantastic, that it is a shame we couldn't have focused more on these fantastic settings and the creatures that inhabit them, than on the angst of Hellboy’s relationship with Liz and the rest of humanity. Ultimately, it is the performances of the main actors that carry the film’s weaker emotional moments. When Del Torro’s finally commits to bringing both the character driven and plot-driven storylines to a more-or-less satisfying conclusion, we are rewarded with a more Hellboy-like finish. I am looking forward to the last Guillermo del Toro Hellboy film (in the distant future, as he is currently at work on a two-part Hobbit film), but I do hope he keeps his character's emotional neuroses sub-plots to a minimum.