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Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 1, 2015 19:42:19 GMT -5
BPRD: Vampire #5 Dark Horse, 2013 Written by Mike Mignola, Fábio Moon, Gabriel Bá Art by Fábio Moon, Gabriel Bá Inked by Dave Stewart  Year: 1948 Summery: In the wake of the climactic events of the last issue Professor Bruttenholm travels in the wake of Anders to the city of Cesky Krumlov to try and pick up the pieces. The line of corpses from the hotel to Krumlov castle should be a mystery, but the Professor doesn't need the taunts of Varvara to tell him that it was all Anders, whom he had hoped he was sending to his death rather than pushing further into becoming a monster. Once there, the professor finds the castle surrounded by the Czech military but he convinces them to let him enter alone. Inside he confronts Anders, asking him why he's killed so many, why he's become what he hated to which Anders only reply is so that he can have the power to truly act on his revenge. The professor signals out the window to the soldiers outside but before they can come to kill Anders he vanishes through a mystical door, leaving the professor with the phrase, "I'll be seeing you..."
Review:What with the climatic events of the previous issue it is understandable that this book acts as epilogue for the story arc. A much slower pace that resolves the situation with Agent Anders’ terrifying realization. It lacks the action of the previous two issues, but it's far from boring exploring the ramifications of using monsters to fight monsters. Through out this story, Varva's comments to the professor about the nature of monsters have been interesting but her remarks in this issue were truly the best, "You think you can save the monsters you keep...you think you can control them...but can you do what needs to be done when your monsters get out of control?". The quote itself beautifully sums up the whole story, but the art ads another layer as although they are expressly discussing Anders we see an image of a young Hellboy asleep in bed raising much darker implications, making the professor's journey all the more important; he's not only trying to save Anders but prove to himself that keeping Hellboy is not a mistake. It's powerful, and the ending with the professor alone, in the dark of his office pouring over cases makes you wonder just what he might be thinking.
On the art side I think I've spent more than enough words on praise for the duo of Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon, but I will say just one more thing before closing here; one of my favorite parts about this creative team is that their art work is a reflection of the mood within the story. As the book becomes darker so does their art work, taking on a more sketchier and twisted look. I mean, all art conveys mood, but I love the almost literal way its done by these too.
Issue: A
Arc:A
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Jun 1, 2015 20:39:18 GMT -5
Witchfinder: Lost and Gone Forever #3 Dark Horse, 2011 Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi Art by John Severin Colored by Dave Stewart  Year 1880 Summary: Cornered in his camp by Edward Grey and Morgan Kaler, Lord Glaren opens fire on the two heroes forcing them to seek cover behind some rocks. Seeing their bullets are useless against the zombie Kaler gets a new idea, while Grey distracts the creature with a renewed round of gunfire Kaler sneaks up from behind and lassos Glaren and drags him into the fire where his body is consumed. Though Grey is concerned by the return of Glaren from the dead Kaler is less concerned, seeing him not as a returned soul but only a corpse being used as a puppet, a what he explains is a"Zonbi" a creol term, but he's unconcerned by that and more with where and why the puppet was meant to lead them to the ravine. As they sit there wondering why the witch Eris would lead them here, whom the believe to be the zonbi's master, a massive red demon dog attacks them and it only through the timely intervention by Isaac who uses his massive strength to defeat the beast that the two are saved, though at great expense to Isaac.
Meanwhile at the Indian camp Eris leads the tribe to the one they call Kaipa the Ancient, who turns out to be the priest who vanished from the town. At first the natives are apprehensive, doubting the truth of Eris words as they cannot believe that their God would be a white man, but as he speaks their ancient language that only their wise woman knows they begin to believe.
Review: I've spoken previously about Mignola's tendency to hit a slump in the middle, and this is yet another example of that fault. The story here just seems to meander with out any sense of urgency or purpose. There are a lot of little events with interesting action courtesy Mignola and Arcudi, but nothing to sink your teeth into, nothing that feels meaningful and Isaac continues to be frustratingly enigmatic yet again for no real reason. The art though? Simply amazing!
From the very first panel of the book Severin is firing on all cylinders; a cloud of smoke billowing around a revolver being fired by the "Zonbi", we've got something special. There's so much detail crackling in this image; the dead eyes, the startled horse pulling back in fear, the wisps of the wisps of smoke of the camp fire, even the scrub grass in the background. Every milimeter has some detail to it and yet there is no sense of it being cluttered. It's the amount of work that people would put into a huge splash page, but it's just a single panel in a single page of a comic. It's just stunning. More than all the equisite details, or the fun monsters what is truly awe-inspiring about his work is the menace that he is able to give to Kaipa the Ancient. He's this mundane looking priest, but there is something the the way he stands dark in the middle of the bright field and the lack of any emotion on his face that just makes you feel that this guy is some how evil. There are no words to convey that menace, its done wholly by Severin's art and it astounds me.
So all in all its a fairly weak entry...but its a weak entry with Severin art! If every book that only had an "okay" plot had art by Severin the world would be a better place. Seriously, he's that good.
Grade:B- OK, playing catch up here, as is normal for me. I agree thwhtguardian that Witchfinder: Lost and Gone Forever #3 is a great looking comic. As in previous issues, John Severin's artwork continues to impress and not only with the incredible level of detail, but also in the pacing and flow of his storytelling. As I've mentioned before, I also really love Dave Stewart's coloring in this series and this issue is especially nice. I think it's cool that it falls to Morgan Kaler to fill in Edward Grey about the existence of zombies (or zonbis). That's a nice, historical touch because, although zombies are seemingly ubiquitous in modern 21st fantasy fiction and popular culture, in the late 19th century the existence of such creatures would've been confined to Haiti or the southern States and those with experience or knowledge of voodoo. As such, it makes sense that an American would know more about this element of Caribbean folklore than an Englishman would. I'm not seeing too much of the "Mignola slump" that you mention in this issue personally. While the story in this instalment does perhaps slightly lack the direction of the previous two parts, I'd say that between dealing with the reanimated corpse of Lord Glaren, fighting off an attack from a Hell Hound, and the creepy goings on with Eris, the Indian tribe and Kaipa the Ancient, there's plenty to chew on in this issue. Witchfinder: Lost and Gone Forever #4Dark Horse (2011)
Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Art by John Severin
s 
Year:1880
Summery: In their hunt for the Eris the witch, who previously sicked her demon dog on Grey and Morg, our heroes follow the prophetic dreams of Sir Edward Grey to an ancient coal mine where they hope to locate the lost parishioners. Along the way Morg and Grey have time to discuss some philosophy, such as how Grey’s Christian God isn't really all that different from the Indian’s Sky Father, and that the black magic that Grey despises is remarkably similar to the Christian exorcism rituals that saved Grey from becoming a werewolf. At the mine Grey and Morg do find what they sought...only the townsfolk are zombies much like they fought earlier, and there are a lot of them hidden away in the mine leaving Grey and Morg is a show down with an undead legion that they only just barely escape from with help of some dynamite. Unfortunately it's out of the frying pan and into the fire as they escape the mines just in time to face a lightning powered Eris and yet another demon dog!
Review: As with the previous issues Severin's art is the real star of the show here as Mignola's stranger in a strange land story continues to meander. To be sure, the conversation about Grey's Christian views being but a small picture of the greater world were interesting but the story continues to lack a real sense of purpose other than to show case John's wonderful art. And what a feast for the eyes it is, his level of realism is amazing; the horses look totally photo-realistic, and the rocks and shrubs spring directly from nature. But the best part? Here, in this story, we see Severin's art at it's absolute best; in his heyday though his art was just as real as it looks today it was ham-stringed by the coloring processes available at the time, which often meant that his art looked either really flat, or completely garish in its tone...but here, paired with Deve Stewart we finally see his art in a wash of a color that is perfect. For that alone this is all worth while, even if thew story is flat.
Grade:B I think Witchfinder: Lost and Gone Forever #4 is another pretty strong issue, but overall it's the dullest of the four episodes so far. The big action sequence featuring Edward Grey and Morgan Kale fighting against a group of reanimated corpses in a mine should've been really exciting, but the whole sequence lacked any real feeling of threat somehow. Still, John Severin's artwork in this sequence was extremely nice. On the plus side, there are at least two really memorable moments in this issue: the scene where Eris meets with her wounded Hell Hound and vows vengeance on Grey and Kaler (Severin does a great job of making Eris look really evil here), and the sequence where it is revealed that Eris brought Kaipa back from the land of the dead against his will, to aid her. There's also some great dialogue here too, particularly during Grey and Kaler's discussion about black magic vs. christianity and how the two aren't as different as all that. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 1, 2015 20:52:40 GMT -5
Witchfinder: Lost and Gone Forever #3 Dark Horse, 2011 Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi Art by John Severin Colored by Dave Stewart Year 1880 Summary: Cornered in his camp by Edward Grey and Morgan Kaler, Lord Glaren opens fire on the two heroes forcing them to seek cover behind some rocks. Seeing their bullets are useless against the zombie Kaler gets a new idea, while Grey distracts the creature with a renewed round of gunfire Kaler sneaks up from behind and lassos Glaren and drags him into the fire where his body is consumed. Though Grey is concerned by the return of Glaren from the dead Kaler is less concerned, seeing him not as a returned soul but only a corpse being used as a puppet, a what he explains is a"Zonbi" a creol term, but he's unconcerned by that and more with where and why the puppet was meant to lead them to the ravine. As they sit there wondering why the witch Eris would lead them here, whom the believe to be the zonbi's master, a massive red demon dog attacks them and it only through the timely intervention by Isaac who uses his massive strength to defeat the beast that the two are saved, though at great expense to Isaac.
Meanwhile at the Indian camp Eris leads the tribe to the one they call Kaipa the Ancient, who turns out to be the priest who vanished from the town. At first the natives are apprehensive, doubting the truth of Eris words as they cannot believe that their God would be a white man, but as he speaks their ancient language that only their wise woman knows they begin to believe.
Review: I've spoken previously about Mignola's tendency to hit a slump in the middle, and this is yet another example of that fault. The story here just seems to meander with out any sense of urgency or purpose. There are a lot of little events with interesting action courtesy Mignola and Arcudi, but nothing to sink your teeth into, nothing that feels meaningful and Isaac continues to be frustratingly enigmatic yet again for no real reason. The art though? Simply amazing!
From the very first panel of the book Severin is firing on all cylinders; a cloud of smoke billowing around a revolver being fired by the "Zonbi", we've got something special. There's so much detail crackling in this image; the dead eyes, the startled horse pulling back in fear, the wisps of the wisps of smoke of the camp fire, even the scrub grass in the background. Every milimeter has some detail to it and yet there is no sense of it being cluttered. It's the amount of work that people would put into a huge splash page, but it's just a single panel in a single page of a comic. It's just stunning. More than all the equisite details, or the fun monsters what is truly awe-inspiring about his work is the menace that he is able to give to Kaipa the Ancient. He's this mundane looking priest, but there is something the the way he stands dark in the middle of the bright field and the lack of any emotion on his face that just makes you feel that this guy is some how evil. There are no words to convey that menace, its done wholly by Severin's art and it astounds me.
So all in all its a fairly weak entry...but its a weak entry with Severin art! If every book that only had an "okay" plot had art by Severin the world would be a better place. Seriously, he's that good.
Grade:B- OK, playing catch up here, as is normal for me. I agree thwhtguardian that Witchfinder: Lost and Gone Forever #3 is a great looking comic. As in previous issues, John Severin's artwork continues to impress and not only with the incredible level of detail, but also in the pacing and flow of his storytelling. As I've mentioned before, I also really love Dave Stewart's coloring in this series and this issue is especially nice. I think it's cool that it falls to Morgan Kaler to fill in Edward Grey about the existence of zombies (or zonbis). That's a nice, historical touch because, although zombies are seemingly ubiquitous in modern 21st fantasy fiction and popular culture, in the late 19th century the existence of such creatures would've been confined to Haiti or the southern States and those with experience or knowledge of voodoo. As such, it makes sense that an American would know more about this element of Caribbean folklore than an Englishman would. I'm not seeing too much of the "Mignola slump" that you mention in this issue personally. While the story in this instalment does perhaps slightly lack the direction of the previous two parts, I'd say that between dealing with the reanimated corpse of Lord Glaren, fighting off an attack from a Hell Hound, and the creepy goings on with Eris, the Indian tribe and Kaipa the Ancient, there's plenty to chew on in this issue. Witchfinder: Lost and Gone Forever #4Dark Horse (2011)
Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Art by John Severin
s
Year:1880
Summery: In their hunt for the Eris the witch, who previously sicked her demon dog on Grey and Morg, our heroes follow the prophetic dreams of Sir Edward Grey to an ancient coal mine where they hope to locate the lost parishioners. Along the way Morg and Grey have time to discuss some philosophy, such as how Grey’s Christian God isn't really all that different from the Indian’s Sky Father, and that the black magic that Grey despises is remarkably similar to the Christian exorcism rituals that saved Grey from becoming a werewolf. At the mine Grey and Morg do find what they sought...only the townsfolk are zombies much like they fought earlier, and there are a lot of them hidden away in the mine leaving Grey and Morg is a show down with an undead legion that they only just barely escape from with help of some dynamite. Unfortunately it's out of the frying pan and into the fire as they escape the mines just in time to face a lightning powered Eris and yet another demon dog!
Review: As with the previous issues Severin's art is the real star of the show here as Mignola's stranger in a strange land story continues to meander. To be sure, the conversation about Grey's Christian views being but a small picture of the greater world were interesting but the story continues to lack a real sense of purpose other than to show case John's wonderful art. And what a feast for the eyes it is, his level of realism is amazing; the horses look totally photo-realistic, and the rocks and shrubs spring directly from nature. But the best part? Here, in this story, we see Severin's art at it's absolute best; in his heyday though his art was just as real as it looks today it was ham-stringed by the coloring processes available at the time, which often meant that his art looked either really flat, or completely garish in its tone...but here, paired with Deve Stewart we finally see his art in a wash of a color that is perfect. For that alone this is all worth while, even if thew story is flat.
Grade:B I think Witchfinder: Lost and Gone Forever #4 is another pretty strong issue, but overall it's the dullest of the four episodes so far. The big action sequence featuring Edward Grey and Morgan Kale fighting against a group of reanimated corpses in a mine should've been really exciting, but the whole sequence lacked any real feeling of threat somehow. Still, John Severin's artwork in this sequence was extremely nice. On the plus side, there are at least two really memorable moments in this issue: the scene where Eris meets with her wounded Hell Hound and vows vengeance on Grey and Kaler (Severin does a great job of making Eris look really evil here), and the sequence where it is revealed that Eris brought Kaipa back from the land of the dead against his will, to aid her. There's also some great dialogue here too, particularly during Grey and Kaler's discussion about black magic vs. christianity and how the two aren't as different as all that. I never really thought about the cultural relevance of zombi's before and you're a hundred per cent right, although ubiquitous now it would have been much more localized then making Morg's knowledge pretty well placed. The dialog in the quiet moments that make this series shine, the character moments are really amazing but I often find myself disappointed in the action as it seems to feel almost devoid of threat or emotional impact and it gives the story a wrote kind of feel of just moving from one set piece to the next. |
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Jun 2, 2015 6:59:27 GMT -5
The dialog in the quiet moments that make this series shine, the character moments are really amazing but I often find myself disappointed in the action as it seems to feel almost devoid of threat or emotional impact and it gives the story a wrote kind of feel of just moving from one set piece to the next. Yeah, I agree about the action sequences sometimes lacking any sense of danger or threat...and, as I say, it's especially true of the mine sequence in issue #4. I commented about the dialogue in an earlier post, but yes, it's very good for the most part and quite natural sounding too. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 2, 2015 11:34:28 GMT -5
The dialog in the quiet moments that make this series shine, the character moments are really amazing but I often find myself disappointed in the action as it seems to feel almost devoid of threat or emotional impact and it gives the story a wrote kind of feel of just moving from one set piece to the next. Yeah, I agree about the action sequences sometimes lacking any sense of danger or threat...and, as I say, it's especially true of the mine sequence in issue #4. I commented about the dialogue in an earlier post, but yes, it's very good for the most part and quite natural sounding too. To me it almost feels as if they were just thinking of cool things for Severin to draw rather than having a real plot in mind at times. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 2, 2015 20:53:55 GMT -5
Witchfinder: Lost and Gone Forever #5 Dark Horse (2011) Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi Art by John Severin  Year: 1880 Summery: Morg and Gray find themselves in it up to their necks, surprised by a sudden torrential downpour they suddenly find themselves pinned down by gun fire. Gray is wounded and heads back to the mine for cover while Morg holds the line with a heavy dose of gun fire but he's frustrated as his shots seem to be missing. Much to his relief, it turns out that he isn't losing his touch but is rather facing a posse of undead cowboys. Meanwhile, back at the mine the wounded Gray is in for his own surprise as he finds an undead cowboy of his own, and one that mortally wounds him with a shot gun blast to the stomach. After the blast Gray finds himself in an idealistic prairie paradise, and is at last at peace...but his peace is short lived as he encounter Kaipa, who beseeches him to kill him and make the living world right. With Kaipa dead Gray finds himself awake in the middle of the Indian village, Kaipa dead at his feet and his wounds mysteriously healed. And with her power source gone Eris falls to the ground, but her transgressions don't end there as and Indian god seemingly takes it revenge on her, twisting her body and turning her into a tree. With Eris gone the world returns to normal and Gray returns home.
Review: Again, the art here is the real selling point. John Severin is an artist from the golden age of EC comics, and his draftsmanship is just perfect. I particularly love his depiction of the happy hunting grounds of Kaipa, its clean lines give it a totally peaceful setting that you just couldn't evoke with words of line. It's just beautiful.
Story wise we get an interesting conclusion to the question of how one keeps their faith in the face of the supernatural. It could have been easy to mod Gray in the image of Robert E. Howard’s Solomon Kane, who uses his Christian faith as a blunt weapon and is unshakeable in his conviction no matter how many African gods he encounter but Mignola went for a much more nuanced route here. It makes a certain amount of sense I suppose that a person of faith would not be shaken, but that fact that Sir Edward Gray was able change his views to incorporate a wider world and that he was said to be a happier man for it makes me happier.
Grade: B+
Arc: B |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 4, 2015 21:58:42 GMT -5
Hellboy: The Midnight CircusDark Horse, 2013Written by Mike Mignola
Illustrated by Duncan FegredoColored by Dave Stewart Year: 1948Summery: After years of trying to fit in Hellboy finally feels like he's making some headway, sitting in the messhall he's included in the agents conversations and none of them seems to even notice that he isn't just like them...until the conversation suddenly turns a little blue and one of the agents blanches a bit at Hellboy hearing them at his young age. Frustrated at being called a kid he runs to see the Professor, but as he eaves drops on the Professor's conversation with Professor Malcolm Frost(a man who was present at Hellboy's "birth" and believes him to be a menace) he is even more dismayed as he hears the Professor's "friend" asking Trevor to destroy Hellboy. Not waiting to hear the Professor's rebuke Hellboy escapes from the BPRD headquarters and runs for the woods. Once in the woods his adventure really begins as he hears a rattling drum beat in the distance and as he follows it he uncovers a huge circus in a clearing, a circus that as the posters state only starts at midnight...what more could a young boy on the run ask for? As he pears through the curtains of the big top Hellboy watches as the drummer summons up the whole circus out of thin air with a strange but melodious chant. Before he can explore any further however he is caught by the man in charge, who cautions him about the dangers of running away from home, however he seemingly contradicts himself as rather than sending the young Hellboy straight home he implores him to pick one attraction to see before he goes; as he views the colorful bill board his eyes linger on the image of Pinocchio which causes the ring master to smile as he tells Hellboy the story. Frightened by the ring master's ability to bring the story to life only with himself as Pinocchio, Hellboy again runs for the woods only to end up in more trouble as he runs afoul of the ghosts of two child stranglers but before they can truly harm Hellboy he is rescued by Professor Bruttenhelm and carried off to bed in his arms.Review: In the past I've tried to remain as objective as possible in my reviews but in this coming of age tale featuring Hellboy that just isn't possible...in my mind this comic is just about one of the best comics ever made and I just can't distance myself enough to look at it in any other way, so let's just get the rating out of the way right now:A++ But here's why, Hellboy: The Midnight Circus perfectly distills everything I love about literature into a delightfully unique little fable. Now Mignola's ability to take from so many different myths and genres and amalgamate them seamlessly into a new tapestry is one of the many reasons I've come to love his work, especially Hellboy, but here he trumps even his past work with the way he weaves together elements from Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes(One of my top ten favorite novels), Carlo Collodi's The Adventures of Pinocchio and various urban legends about local mobs and vagrants into a seemingly innocent, yet interesting coming-of-age story aabout that touches upon the distinction between upbringing and individual growth. It has a true sense of darkness but its tempered by the story being told from the young Hellboy's point of view and he's written here as a wonderfully realistic little boy; his fears and his sense of wonder plays a huge part in the atmosphere of the story, binding every thing together and magnifying everything in its intensity as a little boy would certainly feel.
Like Jim and Will in Something Wicked it is a blessing then that Hellboy is written so well. Instead of his usual gruff and sarcastic demeanor Hellboy here possesses a certain sense of mischief, of adventure and a desire to be part of something. Like a lot of children, Hellboy simply doesn’t know any better and gets in trouble at every step which is the highlight of the story as things he doesn’t understand begin to inexplicably gravitate toward him, from his friendships in the mess hall going awry, to Duncan Frost's exclamations and the circus beasts and hobos. Despite his wishes of what he’d like to be, the story plays a huge part on developing certain traits of his that are familiar to us. Hellboy wishes to be older than he is, smoking and telling baudy tales and at first he takes the circus master's(who is none other than his Uncle Asteroth) offer of adulthood, much like Jim Nightshade, but unlike Jim when Hellboy follow's Pinocchio's fish into the mirror maze he doesn't like what he sees and rejects the offered future by simply running away...something we'll see again and again in future stories. And about those fish...
 Yeah, they're pretty much the most beautiful image I've ever seen in a comic, and not on just an artistic level either as my use of the word image was two fold; the beautiful art but also what the image represents. In Pinocchio when our wooden puppet protagonist is turned into a donkey, sold to the circus and then thrown into the sea to die it's the fish who return him to his true form and then lead him to his future, and that reference and its comparison to what Asteroth plans for Hellboy is just beautiful in how well it conveys that so succinctly. But back to the art itself, above we get this opaque sense to the lines and colors that create a very convincing dream like quality. And that isn't the only look to the story either, where as Fabio and Moon used their two distinct styles to create a visual language for the differnces between the natural and supernatural worlds here Fegredo and Stewart manage at least five separate tones in the book: the “real” world of the B.P.R.D., the spectral, supernatural world of the Midnight Circus, the children’s book illustrations of Pinocchio,the nightmarish child murderers of the Hobo Jungle and the bold flashbacks to the happier days of Hellboy's youth. And yet although distinct the differences are not jarring in any way, even though you occasionally get two or more of the above looks on the same page.   This is truly the best work both of these artists have ever put out. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 8, 2015 16:16:50 GMT -5
Beware the Ape: A Sir Edward Grey Mystery
Dark Horse Presents #36
2014, Dark Horse
Written by Mike Mignola
Art by Ben Stenbeck
Colored by Dave Stewart
year: 1880
Summery: Sir Edward Grey, following up on a tip from an old friend, calls upon the residence of one Mr. Jerome Bagsby. It would seem that the previous night several eyewitnesses claim that Bagsby got into a fight with an archaeologist who had recently returned from a dig in Bolivia and that while he was showing off his finds Bagsby beat him severely with his cane and ran out after stealing a strange stone fetish. Bagsby claims to not remember any of this but as Grey uncovers the fetish on the mantle Bagsby's eyes go wide and he suddenly claims that the ape which had been calmly sitting on the sofa sipping tea through out the exchange was the guilty party at which the ape's eyes go green and he vaults out the window. Not to let the suspect go Grey leaps after the ape, but before he can catch him the ape bites a horse which turns it into a weird squid creature, causing Grey to stop his pursuit in order to put this new threat down leaving the Ape to escape.
Review: This is a fun little diversion that plays slightly off the "Murders in the Rue Morgue" with its ending while introducing a stone ogdru-hem fetish that will continue to pop up in the pages of Hellboy; causing possessions and mayhem when ever it shows up. Other than that there's nothing very significant here though I did love the image of the Ape worshiping at a larger version of the fetish, giving the story a flash of 2001 as well which was pretty fun.
Grade: B- |
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
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Post by Confessor on Jun 15, 2015 7:02:45 GMT -5
Witchfinder: Lost and Gone Forever #5 Dark Horse (2011) Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi Art by John Severin I thought that issue #5 of this mini-series made for a fairly satisfying conclusion to the whole tale. The art and colouring was predictably lovely, as we've come to expect from Severin and Stewart in this series. I really liked the dialogue here too, it was very natural sounding again. However, the whole comic was very decompressed, which is odd because, actually, quite a lot happened between the front and back cover. But I just flew through this issue in minutes. The character development with Grey at the story's conclusion was well handled and Morg's declining of Grey's invitation to visit London felt totally in character. Overall, this was an enjoyable comic, but not the best issue of the mini-series, as far as I'm concerned. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 15, 2015 11:11:37 GMT -5
Witchfinder: Lost and Gone Forever #5 Dark Horse (2011) Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi Art by John Severin I thought that issue #5 of this mini-series made for a fairly satisfying conclusion to the whole tale. The art and colouring was predictably lovely, as we've come to expect from Severin and Stewart in this series. I really liked the dialogue here too, it was very natural sounding again. However, the whole comic was very decompressed, which is odd because, actually, quite a lot happened between the front and back cover. But I just flew through this issue in minutes. The character development with Grey at the story's conclusion was well handled and Morg's declining of Grey's invitation to visit London felt totally in character. Overall, this was an enjoyable comic, but not the best issue of the mini-series, as far as I'm concerned. The art was, in my mind, the best it was for the whole series; I just loved the scenes in the Indian after life. For me though this was my favorite issue yet, sure it was slower than the others but the character development was really enthralling. Overall, though there were elements that left me kind of scratching my head plot wise, it was a very fun story. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 14, 2015 20:50:05 GMT -5
Enjoying this thread, though after going through some of my Hellboy stuff I have a question or two. Do the Hellboy prose novels fit into the overall time scheme or are they outside the chronology you are doing? Same with the Hellboy animated-both the features and the trio of GNs they did in the animated style(I only have Black Wedding, but I know there are 2 others)? I guess the same question applies to the Lobster Johnson novels as well.
I have been slowly amassing some Mignolaverse material the last year or so and will likely start making my way through it this fall. Another question-I have the Hellboy Companion-is this something you would reccomend reading before or after reading through the actual material (I have the Hellboy RPG book from Steve Jackson Games) that gives the same kind of overview as well but haven't read that either yet).
-M
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jul 14, 2015 21:38:03 GMT -5
Enjoying this thread, though after going through some of my Hellboy stuff I have a question or two. Do the Hellboy prose novels fit into the overall time scheme or are they outside the chronology you are doing? Same with the Hellboy animated-both the features and the trio of GNs they did in the animated style(I only have Black Wedding, but I know there are 2 others)? I guess the same question applies to the Lobster Johnson novels as well. I have been slowly amassing some Mignolaverse material the last year or so and will likely start making my way through it this fall. Another question-I have the Hellboy Companion-is this something you would reccomend reading before or after reading through the actual material (I have the Hellboy RPG book from Steve Jackson Games) that gives the same kind of overview as well but haven't read that either yet). -M I'm definitely including the three prose novels by Christopher Golden and Mignola( The Lost Army, the Bones of the Giant and the Dragon Pool) and I might do a few of the shorts from the Odd Jobs collections. There are a few more but Mignola had no input on them and I've heard they aren't very good. I'm also including the three Hellboy Animated gn's, in fact I've already included the little Hellboy/ Lobster Johnson back ups already. I've heard the Lojo novels were really good, but I haven't read them yet but when I do I'll likely include them. The companion is fun, and I referred to it slightly when I crafted my own time line but its not a necessity. Same with the RPG book, it's really well put together and I loved the short comic in it. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Sept 27, 2015 16:30:27 GMT -5
BPRD #120
"The Devil's Wings"
Dark Horse, 2014Written by Mike Mignola and John ArcudiArt by Laurence CampbellColored by Dave Stewart Year: 1950 Summary: Book-ended by a short tale set in the present day at BPRD head quarters in the Colorado Rockies where a researcher comes across an old file concerning an Air force Captain name August Breccan who in 1949 faced a court martial for aggravated assault, insubordination and absence with out leave. Not an unusual case in and of itself, and normally not something the BPRD would get involved with, but following Breccan's conviction a Colonel Gastrol, the attorney reviewing Breccan's conviction, was suddenly seized by a violent psychosis and on that same day Breccan's former commanding officer was found hanged in his own basement with strange markings scrawled under him that suggested that perhaps it was something more than a simple suicide, however it was not until Breccan miraculously vanished from his cell that the BPRD was called in.
As the BPRD began their investigation several more murders were uncovered and at each scene more markings were found which were similar to the ones found at his commanding officer's home. Originally there was seemingly nothing to connect these other murders to the previous occurrences as the occurred in different states, until that is until Professor Bruttenholm found that they all had something to do with the court martial. Agent Stegner suggests at the briefing that it's a simple case of revenge, which the others agree is most likely the reasoning, but it is a now teen-aged looking Hellboy that points out that if he just wanted them dead why would he bother with what he believed were necromantic spells at each site? Bruttenholm replies with pride that his son is correct, the signs aren't just a calling card but a soul trap that would grant Breccan power in Hell. But however impressed with his son's intuition, the professor is initially against Hellboy joining the mission but Stegner convinces him other wise saying that it sounds fairly low key and that Hellboy can't learn everything from a book. And so Hellboy, along with Stegner, the Professor and Archie Muraro set off to the home of the man they believe may be the next victim: Dr. Ockerman, the military doctor whom originally deemed Breccan mentally fit to stand trial. But although he's allowed to go, the Professor and Stegman decide he should stay behind with the car while they interview the Doctor which annoys Hellboy. Before he has too much time to dwell on it though a demon dog/maggot bursts through the door and Breccan reveals himself.
Mean while back in the present day, Kate Corrigan picks up an old pair of flight wings that she finds on the floor which causes several spirits to emerge from the darkness and possess her.
Review: I love these kinds of split stories, that format naturally sets up an undeniable sense of mystery as you keep trying to figure out the importance of the flashbacks and how they are connected to what is going on in the present. In addition to that the way in which the case against Breccan is presented to us gives us a great police procedural feel which again plays into that sense of mystery. Which is very fun, as although Hellboy is known as the "World's greatest paranormal investigator" we don't normally see him in mystery stories making this a nice change of pace in the scheme of things.
On the art side Laurence Campbell creates a wonderful visual bridge into the past by placing the paper work that BPRD researcher is reading in the back ground and gently making it more and more transparent as the flashback unfolds. It's just a really creative transition that made me smile as it brought to mind those great scenes from Indiana Jones where we see the world map with Indy's trail mapped out only to see it fade into the back ground as we saw the red line reach its destination. That fade out is time honored cinimatic technique but before this issue I don't think I've ever seen it adapted into comics, it creates a great noir feel that feels unique in a comic which is a fun experience. On top of that as Bruttenholm discusses the powers of the runes we get a great sneak peak into Mignola's vision of Hell as he jumps in for a surprise guest artist spot, and although his style is noticeably differnt from Campbell's own, because of Stewart's coloring the two styles don't clash terribly but only serve to high light the supernatural mood of Hell from the reality of the world Campbell drew so the effect is fantastic from a story telling perspective.
Grade: A
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Post by earl on Oct 8, 2015 22:48:01 GMT -5
I'm finally pretty much caught up on Hellboy itself at least in trade as I finally read The Storm & The Fury along with the first Hellboy in Hell trade. Getting to the end got me curious so I went back and read the first trade Seed of Destruction for the first time in quite a few years.
There was a scene that I did not remember from past reads that stood out to me quite a bit. This was the page with the aliens in the ship monitoring the seven reading where the power was trying to let them loose.
Have those aliens ever been referenced or show up again in a Hellboy/Mignolaverse comic?
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Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 9, 2015 11:14:23 GMT -5
They show up again briefly on Conqueror Worm but I don't think they've been seen since then.
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