Summary: Batman and Nightwing track down a serial killer obsessed with blood while debating the merits of Gotham's mental health structure.
Plot: Despite loving Tamaki's take on Batman I wasn't really looking forward to this book as its billed as the prelude to a 12 part weekly event story starting in January...which just sounds terrible to me as most stories just don't need to go on for that long. The fact that its weekly is slightly better as it at-least means it's three months rather than a whole year...but still that's a big commitment and a whole lot of pages needed to tell a story. All that said, this issue focusing on Dick and Bruce's differing views on crime fighting was really well done and the fact that Bruce actually listened to Dick and learned from his was fantastic. I don't know if I think an event focusing around those people lost to the deficiencies of the mental health system in Gotham  and the building of a new and improved Arkham will lead to any real change...it'll probably actually be a disaster in the end and be no different than it was before but Tamaki has shown again and again that she can not only keep track of the personal moments amid the chaos of action but also make them feel important so I'll give her event a try.
Art: We are seriously blessed with an embarrassment of riches here with Lapham on art! Literally every single image is perfect. I think my favorite element to Lapham's style is the softness of his edges, a lot of artists make Batman and his world all hard lines and sharp angles giving everything an extremely rigid look but Lapham's rounded, organic corners and softer edges give it all a much more warmer look that I just love. On top of that, I love his use of texture which really makes it clear that the heroes have cloth like costumes and not weird armor, it's just so fresh and unique and I can't get enough of it. I know he only does these big two projects to finance his own stories but man does he do super hero stories so damned well!
Grade:9/10 

Summary: Hellboy is dead and gone and Hell and Earth are both changed forever, but there is more change in store for Edward Gray.
Plot: Usually I'm all for the idea that comics should have an in for everyone as any issue could be someones first...but for every rule there is often an exception and this book is definitely one of those. To put it mildly Acheron is an indulgence aimed squarely at those fans who have poured over every panel of every page of Hellboy's journey for the last three decades; it's a story that is more exclusive to new readers than any comic I've ever read in my life. Literally every line and plot element of Gray's journey here is a call back to something that occurred before and nary a one of them has an accompanying flash back to explain it, it's a book where if you know then you know and if you don't then you'll have no idea what is even occurring, which yeah would be frustrating for those who came in late and only bought it for its glorious cover...but for those of us who have forever been faithful its the coda we never thought we'd get. When BPRD: Ragnarok ended back in April of 2019 with Earth shattered and inherited by a new breed of benevolent monsters living beside the last remnants of man and forests sprouting from the blood of Hellboy in the depths of Hell I never thought we'd see past that; it was the end and it was glorious...but here comes a look into how the denizens of Hell reacted to that change and what it means that I never thought we'd ever get and I'm blown away. It's a reward for long time readers and I definitely feel I deserve it and I can't wait for the second part. 
Art: As rewarding as the story of Edward Gray's transformation was the visuals(as is often the case with Mignola) really stole the show. I loved the way how malleable Mignola makes reality appear to be in Hell; and the conflict between Gray and Eligos plays out in subtle visual changes as much as it does in actual battle. As Eligos evokes his new master Pluto his shape and size and color grow with the repetition, but as Gray tells him his master's words are lies his hammer becomes a chain, and the horns growing from his eye sockets lengthen and twist blinding him to the world around him. It's a battle that requires an incredibly nonliteral readings of the scenes and that is just so beautiful. Mignola is a master and this is one of his greatest works by far.
Grade:10/10