If anyone could pull off continuing their story after dying and going to Hell... And not only that, but making for an even crazier story than when it was alive? It would be Hellboy.

1: The Descent



You know, 'he ended well' isn't a terrible way to go. It's like Dresden: 'he died doing the right thing.'

Also... it's totally A Christmas Carol, Ghosts of whichever and all. That was unexpected.

Also also: the art of this whole series but this volume in particular is just wonderful:



2: Pandemonium

So now we're getting into the meat of the story.



Hellboy goes to Hell... And the powers run from him. That says a lot about this story.

A bit of philosophy too:



3: Family Ties

And not only the philosophy of death, but also family. You don't choose who you're born too, which is especially important when your father is literally a demon.



4: Death Riding an Elephant



Not the first time I've heard of that curse, but it's still interesting. Also the world building of drawing water from the river Lethe:



No mention, but it's cool worldbuilding.

5: The Three Gold Whips

Man I need to read the next one of these... ( )

Mike's back to draw thick black lines and shadows and darkness and stuff. And its perfect.

As confusing as I sometimes find the Hellboy universe (IS there any continuity??), I can't stop from reading them. The artwork is just breathtaking. And the storytelling is compelling enough to keep me coming back for more. ( )

This volume is a pretty good place to jump into 'Hellboy,' seeing as it begins right after his death.
I haven't really read any of these in years and years, but this really reminded me why I liked them so much. The story is moody and interesting, with plenty of references to history, mythology and literature (a la 'Sandman'). The graphics are just beautiful - a wonderful sense of composition and the dark color scheme is rich and gorgeous.
Hellboy's matter-of-fact, bad-ass attitude when faced with high drama is played well.
My one complaint is one I have with most comics: I want more content! More story... it's over too fast. Still, I really enjoyed this - would recommend.
( )

ARC provided by NetGalley

Hellboy. The demon that forged his own path to be more than a prophecy, more than what light or dark chose for him to be...to be his own man....er demon rather. When we last saw him however, he had given his life to save the world. And for the first time he is returning to his father’s world. But the world is not all that it’s cracked up to be and Hellboy’s fight has not yet ended. Even though he has declared his intentions not to take the throne of hell itself, he must fight off others that would want it...and will kill Hellboy to do so. And before it is done, he must kill the Lord of the Underworld himself, if he is to have any peace for a time.

It’s hard to believe but Hellboy has been with us since March of 1994. In the twenty years he’s been around, Mike Mignola, has told us Hellboy’s story and expanded the universe to include other characters and groups. Both Hellboy and Mignola have influenced the larger world of comics, with the thick blocky line illustration and characters that stand on the edge of a knife, constantly battling their darker nature in the fight to save the world that hates them. And this maybe the best volume of Hellboy yet. Here we get to see Hellboy from his birth to his father’s intentions for him to why Hellboy has the power that he does. Mike returned to his roots and did the writing and illustrations for this volume, so it is classic Hellboy style from the master. This a great storyline and great chance to see Hellboy for who he is without anyone else surrounding him and of course it has some nice inside jokes and references. Oh and one of my favorite parts is the backmatter, where Mignola showcases some of his sketches and notes and other drawings. In this one he has some humorous little commentary next to the bug creatures including “Hello. I am a bug.” It just made me laugh a bit.

If you’re a fan of Hellboy then this is a must read. And if you’ve never ventured into the Hellboy universe at all, this is a good one to pick up and learn about the Hellboy universe. I give the book 4 out of 5 stars. ( )